So How Was Practice?

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

I like of a similar thread I've decided to give this a try to see how those "who like myself" have been doing. Maybe you're just getting into the habit or routine of practicing who knows but maybe some would like to share some of the progress they've been having or seek help in a wall they've ran into.

Here's my story.
Those that know me can tell you that I Love Practice, 5 hrs is nothing for me to do however getting any of it comes at a great expense. See I usually get the most practice when I have the least work and with that being the case of late I have been hitting the balls again and feeling real good behind the cue, I've ran off some drills lately that helped me to understand a shot I have been struggling to get a grasp of for a while.
This new found vigor has put me back in the drivers seat against my nemesis and i plan/hope on keep it that way.
My stance adjustment has settled the swaying back hand problem i was having as a result of not playing for several months to the point where with a solid consistent session I can seen it being fully removed. I like the confidence that I am having again and can only hope to find a balance between work and play that will allow me to keep it, I'm very hard on myself and when I lose that comfort my game start a rather rapid deterioration process.

What about you, how've you been holding up lately?

StraightPoolIU · Feb 13, 2017

With the exception of 1 or 2 off sessions I've been seeing them and hitting them better than I ever have. I was having trouble taking the cue back on a straight line rather than inside. However, while doing a stroke drill practice session I noticed that my left foot had creeped closer and closer to the shot line. I was standing far too closed. Once I opened up it was like a light switch went off. Now I'm playing the best I have in weeks.

I took some video of myself the other day, and I noticed a propensity to really drop my elbow too much particularly on shots where I am jacked up or in an uncomfortable stance. I'll be working on that.

West Texan · Feb 13, 2017

I play about 5-6 hours a day but have not got into an actual practice regimen. I have been collecting drills in my notebook and organizing them by what they pertain to. I do some of them every so often on Saturday afternoons. What I am trying to do is work out a schedule of drills that work on areas of my game that I feel I need to focus on, trying to cover everything from the break to cue ball position. I do several drills that work on my stroke and aiming, always going through the full pre-shot routine. I am trying to get to where I spend at least 4 hours a week on my practice and the rest of the time kicking butt...lol

WT

Cameron Smith · Feb 13, 2017

I am a fellow practice fanatic.

My main technical adjustments are a stance adjustment to get my tip closer to centre since I tend to put a touch of unwanted right english on the cue ball. I am also trying keep my bridge distance and hand placement consistent. I have a piece of electrical tape where my grip hand should go, and fortuitously there is a noticeable grain on my shaft (ash snooker cue) at the 12 inch mark, which is my optimal bridge position.

Beyond that I'm just trying to keep things simple by only focusing on keeping relax and 100% perfectly still. No twitches, movement or jerks.

Aside from the technical stuff, for me it's safety, safety, safety, safety. I think very good safety players are the ones who are consistently winning day after day, regardless of how well they are playing. So I'm trying to go from just being able to survive in the safety department to using it to win matches.

mvp · Feb 13, 2017

I was 2-5hrs a night depending on my work schedule but selling my table to get a new diamond has me struggling! I've got about 4weeks to go before my new table gets delivered! i really learned to appreciate having my own table after I sold mine, it's got to be so hard to improve having to go to a public place constantly. Practice at home and show off in public.

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

StraightPoolIU said:
With the exception of 1 or 2 off sessions I've been seeing them and hitting them better than I ever have. I was having trouble taking the cue back on a straight line rather than inside. However, while doing a stroke drill practice session I noticed that my left foot had creeped closer and closer to the shot line. I was standing far too closed. Once I opened up it was like a light switch went off. Now I'm playing the best I have in weeks.

I took some video of myself the other day, and I noticed a propensity to really drop my elbow too much particularly on shots where I am jacked up or in an uncomfortable stance. I'll be working on that.

i too had a problem with elbow drop and have managed to work that out to a great extent, however i'd have to say not to focus too much on it as it's likely to be all you think of. I have some very wise people in my corner so a lot of knowledge comes my way, I say to you keep an eye on the different styles people use "mostly americans" but also the europeans and you'll see that they all have some sort of quirk so unless starting out you made the pendulum your thing just know that some shots will result in the elbow dropping and that's that. It's mostly a problems when it doesn't allow you to strike the CB where you intended.

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

mvp said:
I was 2-5hrs a night depending on my work schedule but selling my table to get a new diamond has me struggling! I've got about 4weeks to go before my new table gets delivered! i really learned to appreciate having my own table after I sold mine, it's got to be so hard to improve having to go to a public place constantly. Practice at home and show off in public.

don't forget to mix it up, don't want to only be king while in your own castle. Another member was asking about why they were unable to perform the same way outside as they do at home.
We all wish we had a table at home.

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

Cameron Smith said:
I am a fellow practice fanatic.

My main technical adjustments are a stance adjustment to get my tip closer to centre since I tend to put a touch of unwanted right english on the cue ball. I am also trying keep my bridge distance and hand placement consistent. I have a piece of electrical tape where my grip hand should go, and fortuitously there is a noticeable grain on my shaft (ash snooker cue) at the 12 inch mark, which is my optimal bridge position.

Beyond that I'm just trying to keep things simple by only focusing on keeping relax and 100% perfectly still. No twitches, movement or jerks.

Aside from the technical stuff, for me it's safety, safety, safety, safety. I think very good safety players are the ones who are consistently winning day after day, regardless of how well they are playing. So I'm trying to go from just being able to survive in the safety department to using it to win matches.

using a stripe ball or is you have a spotted one check to see if you only do that (the unwanted english thing) when you are cutting to a particular side, that's a bigger problem than you think.

slach · Feb 13, 2017

If you want to see where you're actually hitting the cue ball, where your stroke goes off line and a lot more check out the QMD (www.cue-md.com). If you're serious about your fundamentals this is a serious training tool.

Cameron Smith · Feb 13, 2017

7forlife said:
using a stripe ball or is you have a spotted one check to see if you only do that (the unwanted english thing) when you are cutting to a particular side, that's a bigger problem than you think.

It's a very small amount, just enough to make a difference over longer distances. It's mostly an issue with perception, since I address the ball a touch to the right, but would have sworn and bet my life savings that I was addressing centre until it was shown to me.

I've been using the balkline of a snooker table where I place the cue ball on the brown spot and have to get in my stance with the cue completely covering the balkline. I'll also put a couple of chalks on either side of the balkline at the rail and try to drop down without my cue touching the chalks.

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

Cameron Smith said:
I am a fellow practice fanatic.

My main technical adjustments are a stance adjustment to get my tip closer to centre since I tend to put a touch of unwanted right english on the cue ball. I am also trying keep my bridge distance and hand placement consistent. I have a piece of electrical tape where my grip hand should go, and fortuitously there is a noticeable grain on my shaft (ash snooker cue) at the 12 inch mark, which is my optimal bridge position.

Beyond that I'm just trying to keep things simple by only focusing on keeping relax and 100% perfectly still. No twitches, movement or jerks.

Aside from the technical stuff, for me it's safety, safety, safety, safety. I think very good safety players are the ones who are consistently winning day after day, regardless of how well they are playing. So I'm trying to go from just being able to survive in the safety department to using it to win matches.

if it works it works but keep in mind that there is no "one" bridge length. The force of the hit is in part determined by the length of the bridge so be careful you don't find yourself over hitting the ball or unable to play short CB movement position.
You can keep your long bridge but use a short back stroke to compensate for having a shorter bridge, there are no definitive rules as long as results are had but it is the times when these habits or bandages fail us that we're trying to reduce.

pocket · Feb 13, 2017

I've had my own table for a few years now. I would 'practice' by throwing balls out, maybe doing some half and full table patterns, fairly disorganized.

I'm trying to do more drills, and work on stroke, stance, grip, PSR and have found that the repetitive straight in drills have helped me quickly recognize when having trouble with fundamentals.

I'm not rack running or anything, but I can see flaws and correct them quicker now than before when I might just scratch my head and chalk it up to a bad day.

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

Cameron Smith said:
It's a very small amount, just enough to make a difference over longer distances. It's mostly an issue with perception, since I address the ball a touch to the right, but would have sworn and bet my life savings that I was addressing centre until it was shown to me.

I've been using the balkline of a snooker table where I place the cue ball on the brown spot and have to get in my stance with the cue completely covering the balkline. I'll also put a couple of chalks on either side of the balkline at the rail and try to drop down without my cue touching the chalks.

That's good that you noticed, it's a big piece to the puzzle. But just take a look and see as you may be doing it when cutting to a certain side. As I'm not familiar with the specifics of a snooker table i'd say set this shot up like this.
Place a ball about 12" or 1 diamond from the right corner pocket (one from the long rail and one from the short rail) now from about center table cut the ball in the pocket using only top/follow english having the CB roll back out to about center table at least then try your best (snooker table is tuff) to set this up using the same or similar angle to cut the ball into the left corner pocket. Do about 10 shots of each and see if the CB follows the same line coming off the bottom rail and ending to about the same place center table shot after shot.

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

pocket said:
I've had my own table for a few years now. I would 'practice' by throwing balls out, maybe doing some half and full table patterns, fairly disorganized.

I'm trying to do more drills, and work on stroke, stance, grip, PSR and have found that the repetitive straight in drills have helped me quickly recognize when having trouble with fundamentals.

I'm not rack running or anything, but I can see flaws and correct them quicker now than before when I might just scratch my head and chalk it up to a bad day.

And that to me is the beauty of practicing. You have the ability to shot a particular shot over and over making little adjustment as you understand the shot more and more. There are a thousand different scenarios that can be found from a single shot and some you were unaware of the out come, but now you know.

Cameron Smith · Feb 13, 2017

7forlife said:
if it works it works but keep in mind that there is no "one" bridge length. The force of the hit is in part determined by the length of the bridge so be careful you don't find yourself over hitting the ball or unable to play short CB movement position.
You can keep your long bridge but use a short back stroke to compensate for having a shorter bridge, there are no definitive rules as long as results are had but it is the times when these habits or bandages fail us that we're trying to reduce.

True, the bridge will vary depending on a variety of factors. Close to the rail will require a shorter bridge and just off the rail may require a longer bridge since getting your hand on the table is too uncomfortable.

But what I mean is, all things being equal with your hand on the table and the cue ball around a foot or more away from the object ball, it's useful to maintain consistency in bridge length and grip hand position. Sometimes for me, and others I think, when things just aren't feeling right it may be due to inconsistency grip position, varying between slightly forward and behind 90 degrees, just enough to feel, weird. You can play well with your grip had forward (or behind) 90 degrees, so long as it is consistent. The easiest way for me (and Nic Barrow teaches this too) to manage this is to maintain a consistent bridge length on the majority of my shots.

As for speed control, I'll vary the length of the backstroke and maintain a fairly consistent acceleration on most shots. A 6 inch backstroke is typical for most shots and full 12 inch backstroke will generate as much power as I need. Using the same acceleration on almost all shots means that regardless of the speed, they all feel similar. So it's almost like just doing same thing over and over. Of course there is always some variation, otherwise my options would only be sending the cue ball 2 feet, 6 feet and 12 feet (for example).

Cameron Smith · Feb 13, 2017

7forlife said:
That's good that you noticed, it's a big piece to the puzzle. But just take a look and see as you may be doing it when cutting to a certain side. As I'm not familiar with the specifics of a snooker table i'd say set this shot up like this.
Place a ball about 12" or 1 diamond from the right corner pocket (one from the long rail and one from the short rail) now from about center table cut the ball in the pocket using only top/follow english having the CB roll back out to about center table at least then try your best (snooker table is tuff) to set this up using the same or similar angle to cut the ball into the left corner pocket. Do about 10 shots of each and see if the CB follows the same line coming off the bottom rail and ending to about the same place center table shot after shot.

Good idea, I'll give it a try. Thanks!

7forlife · Feb 13, 2017

Cameron Smith said:
True, the bridge will vary depending on a variety of factors. Close to the rail will require a shorter bridge and just off the rail may require a longer bridge since getting your hand on the table is too uncomfortable.

But what I mean is, all things being equal with your hand on the table and the cue ball around a foot or more away from the object ball, it's useful to maintain consistency in bridge length and grip hand position. Sometimes for me, and others I think, when things just aren't feeling right it may be due to inconsistency grip position, varying between slightly forward and behind 90 degrees, just enough to feel, weird. You can play well with your grip had forward (or behind) 90 degrees, so long as it is consistent. The easiest way for me (and Nic Barrow teaches this too) to manage this is to maintain a consistent bridge length on the majority of my shots.

As for speed control, I'll vary the length of the backstroke and maintain a fairly consistent acceleration on most shots. A 6 inch backstroke is typical for most shots and full 12 inch backstroke will generate as much power as I need. Using the same acceleration on almost all shots means that regardless of the speed, they all feel similar. So it's almost like just doing same thing over and over. Of course there is always some variation, otherwise my options would only be sending the cue ball 2 feet, 6 feet and 12 feet (for example).

I too was referring to all thing being equal, you won't or at least don't want to maintain a 12" bridge if you are going to be playing a touching shot as this is the cause for why most people over hit them. Take a look at Balkline if you want a good example of what i mean. Not taking away from anything you said or "just" trying to argue or create one I'm just saying that many focus a bit too hard on this "term" consistency just like with the pendulum arm thing but there's tons of proof that it's not all that crucial.
You can acquire totally different reactions (i.e. CB travel distance) but just adjusting the length of the bridge while keeping the same power level for the hit say a 3" vs a 7" vs a 12".
I guess the best example of what i was trying to say is which punch would hurt the most or would you be most able to control? If i said punch me as hard as you can from a distance or 3" vs being able to bring your hand back two feet and then I say punch this baby using only a two feet pull back as softly as you can. The result in the last one would be you being forced to use your muscles to slow that hit down in order to not hurt the baby, this is what happens in pool. By using a long bridge which result in a long travel distance from hand to ball the player is now forced to tense and use their muscles to slow the momentum of the swing when trying to play a soft touchy shot and almost always resulting in over hitting the ball.
But as i started off by saying before if it works for you then it works

Cameron Smith · Feb 13, 2017

7forlife said:
I too was referring to all thing being equal, you won't or at least don't want to maintain a 12" bridge if you are going to be playing a touching shot as this is the cause for why most people over hit them. Take a look at Balkline if you want a good example of what i mean. Not taking away from anything you said or "just" trying to argue or create one I'm just saying that many focus a bit too hard on this "term" consistency just like with the pendulum arm thing but there's tons of proof that it's not all that crucial.
You can acquire totally different reactions (i.e. CB travel distance) but just adjusting the length of the bridge while keeping the same power level for the hit say a 3" vs a 7" vs a 12".
I guess the best example of what i was trying to say is which punch would hurt the most or would you be most able to control? If i said punch me as hard as you can from a distance or 3" vs being able to bring your hand back two feet and then I say punch this baby using only a two feet pull back as softly as you can. The result in the last one would be you being forced to use your muscles to slow that hit down in order to not hurt the baby, this is what happens in pool. By using a long bridge which result in a long travel distance from hand to ball the player is now forced to tense and use their muscles to slow the momentum of the swing when trying to play a soft touchy shot and almost always resulting in over hitting the ball.
But as i started off by saying before if it works for you then it works

I think we are mostly in agreement. I certainly use shorter bridge positions for certain shots, especially anything that requires a very light touch. Last year I had a bit of coaching and he set up a red near the corner pocket and the cue ball along the rail as a fairly thin cut. He had me try to make the ball and get position on the black. My first couple of tries, I was overrunning position. He then had me shorten my bridge and use a slow and short backswing, allowing me to float the red in and hold for the black. Amazing, I never thought that was even possible.

I also agree that an overly dogmatic approach to consistency can be limiting. But when there is a variance from the norm I try to ensure a consistent approach to those positions. Of most importance for me though, is a consistent head position and a 90 degree back arm. Anything else feels off.

Mkindsv · Feb 14, 2017

I had a kind of embarrassing loss at the beginning of the most recent TAP session in January...played a 3, he destroyed me (a 5) in two games, I made 4 balls...sometimes that is the way the cookie crumbles but it set me on fire a little bit. I have had Tor Lowry's ball pocketing drills for about a year now, but after that particular match I started doing them (they came with the videos and I just hadn't gotten to them yet.)

So lately I have been trying to get through 1 page of the ball pocketing drills (sometimes 2) each time I arrive at the pool hall. I go 2 to 3 times a week for 3 hours. So these ball pocketing drills combined with a fair amount of half table pattern play have really helped my game. I'm seriously shooting better than I ever have, since that embarrassing loss I have played 5 matches in 8 ball, I have won all five matches in dominating fashion and can't emphasize how much the drills have helped.

Next week I plan to add some defensive drills, as I believe this is the only part of the game left where I am a true novice (kicks and banks more than one rail could fall into that category as well I suppose) but defensive shots (if anything) are my bugaboo now. So guess I will add a half hour a session of practicing those.

7forlife · Feb 14, 2017

Mkindsv said:
I had a kind of embarrassing loss at the beginning of the most recent TAP session in January...played a 3, he destroyed me (a 5) in two games, I made 4 balls...sometimes that is the way the cookie crumbles but it set me on fire a little bit. I have had Tor Lowry's ball pocketing drills for about a year now, but after that particular match I started doing them (they came with the videos and I just hadn't gotten to them yet.)

So lately I have been trying to get through 1 page of the ball pocketing drills (sometimes 2) each time I arrive at the pool hall. I go 2 to 3 times a week for 3 hours. So these ball pocketing drills combined with a fair amount of half table pattern play have really helped my game. I'm seriously shooting better than I ever have, since that embarrassing loss I have played 5 matches in 8 ball, I have won all five matches in dominating fashion and can't emphasize how much the drills have helped.

Next week I plan to add some defensive drills, as I believe this is the only part of the game left where I am a true novice (kicks and banks more than one rail could fall into that category as well I suppose) but defensive shots (if anything) are my bugaboo now. So guess I will add a half hour a session of practicing those.

great to hear that you're hitting them good again and winning.
My $0.02 would be to not spend too much time on safety plays during practice, I am sure there are far more bigger problems that exist than you not hitting a safety. See i view it like this... If a person is able to play shots that require the CB to move very little after contact what we call "holding the ball" this skill translate into being a better safety player and that skill comes up more times in playing than it ever will in having to play a safety.
You master that CB my friend and your safety will be jam up.

So How Was Practice?

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