Path to being a successful pool player.

puertorociii

puertorociii

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been taking pool very very very seriously for the past yr. I have invested a lot of time and money into this sport. (In between working a full time sales job, father of 2 very active boys and the home projects lol) I love the sport of pool because of the competitiveness and I just flat out can't get enough of it. I aspire to one day be an open/pro speed player. Any one out there share going thru or went thru the same thing? I am just looking for some good advice with good results to get me their the right way. Even open to some suggested training options.

Sent via Samsung hand held device.
 
D

De$action

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Time

Play as much as possible. And after that play some more. Instruction is always good as well. I've taking instruction from the gentleman above. It's an awesome game and def. can consume you if you let it. Find a happy median and you will make out ok
 
scottycoyote

scottycoyote

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
definitely some instruction (randyg's pool school would be a great choice), and read everything you can get your hands on.
 
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Jude Rosenstock

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
puertorociii said:
I have been taking pool very very very seriously for the past yr. I have invested a lot of time and money into this sport. (In between working a full time sales job, father of 2 very active boys and the home projects lol) I love the sport of pool because of the competitiveness and I just flat out can't get enough of it. I aspire to one day be an open/pro speed player. Any one out there share going thru or went thru the same thing? I am just looking for some good advice with good results to get me their the right way. Even open to some suggested training options.

Sent via Samsung hand held device.
Click to expand...

I think the first job, especially for someone who has been playing a while, is to ask yourself a very basic and simple question - what's holding you back? Pool isn't rocket science. There is rarely brilliance exhibited on the table. For the most part, it's about making balls, knowing when you can't and what to do, keeping control of your cueball. Start by figuring out what your biggest flaw is and address it. If it's missing, take a step back. Forget everything you know and start from the beginning. If you were teaching someone how to shoot, what would you tell them? What's most important? How would you get them to align themselves?

Prior to making a big jump, I asked myself, "Why do I miss?" During a practice session, I tracked misses by whether I over-cut or under-cut, missed to the left of target or right of target. I deduced I wasn't getting properly aligned with where I wanted the cueball to go. I was only at the table for a couple of hours that day but when I was done, I was a much better player.

In sum, be honest with yourself. Keep it basic. Don't get carried away with all the bullshit that's out there. Try to learn more about yourself and why it is you fail and address it. Something to remember, the majority of lower-rank amateurs I know often lose games because they missed a shot well within their capabilities. Always try to minimize the avoidable mistakes and allow for mistakes outside your comfort zone. From there, increase your comfort zone.
 
CreeDo

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
Are you still doing full time work + kids? It's gonna be tough to find the time to reach that speed.
Unless you're nearly there already.

What I'd recommend is:

- Figure out if there are holes in your game, fundamental flaws, etc, by getting feedback from
pro instructors, the best you can afford.

- Work on fixing these weaknesses as many hours as you can without pissing off your family.
Maybe get a table at home if possible. You're looking at hundreds of hours of practice.
Practice everything you might have neglected - jumping, off hand shooting, banks, whatever.

- Once you feel you've got all the knowledge and the straightest stroke you can have,
do drills that test your playing ability. A pretty practical, useful test is to play the ghost.
Start out trying to beat the 9 ball ghost in a short race to 5 then gradually increase the length
of the race. If you can't beat the 9b ghost in a short race you gotta go back to steps 1 & 2.
If you can beat it in a race of any length, you have a shot. Move up to 10 ball.

- Once you have the knowledge and practice, you still need to learn how to play under pressure,
which means playing in as many tournaments as possible (even the ones you can't win)
and possibly gambling if you can afford it. This can't really be simulated at home.

Good luck!
 
Kim Bye

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
All of the above + study other players, you learn a lot from watching matches live or on youtube.
Oh and one more thing: If the pool room you play at allows it, film yourself playing.
 
puertorociii

puertorociii

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks gents. I am finalizing my table replacement soon as my original 9 footer was trashed in hurricane sandy. I'm going for the diamond 9 footer this time around. My goal is to stay in stroke as time allows and practice practice practice and then maybe jump on local tours when time permits.

Sent via Samsung hand held device.
 
Maniac

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
puertorociii said:
Thanks gents. I am finalizing my table replacement soon as my original 9 footer was trashed in hurricane sandy. I'm going for the diamond 9 footer this time around. My goal is to stay in stroke as time allows and practice practice practice and then maybe jump on local tours when time permits.

Sent via Samsung hand held device.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind me asking, where do you rate your speed at the present time?

If you are a ways down the list (like a C or D player), or even if you're a bit above those, I would set goals that are fairly easily attainable with hard work and take it one speed at a time, using all the above mentioned advice.

Maniac
 
N

naji

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
puertorociii said:
I have been taking pool very very very seriously for the past yr. I have invested a lot of time and money into this sport. (In between working a full time sales job, father of 2 very active boys and the home projects lol) I love the sport of pool because of the competitiveness and I just flat out can't get enough of it. I aspire to one day be an open/pro speed player. Any one out there share going thru or went thru the same thing? I am just looking for some good advice with good results to get me their the right way. Even open to some suggested training options.

Sent via Samsung hand held device.
Click to expand...

Cannot have it all it is impossible. Either kids or being a pro at pool.

Table at home will definitely sharpen your skill, but will have to wait until kids are into college to venture out seriously, i am talking about staying away from home for 7 days tournament!! two or three times a year! best of luck.
 
Ratta

Ratta

Hearing the balls.....
Silver Member
Jude Rosenstock said:
I think the first job, especially for someone who has been playing a while, is to ask yourself a very basic and simple question - what's holding you back? Pool isn't rocket science. There is rarely brilliance exhibited on the table. For the most part, it's about making balls, knowing when you can't and what to do, keeping control of your cueball. Start by figuring out what your biggest flaw is and address it. If it's missing, take a step back. Forget everything you know and start from the beginning. If you were teaching someone how to shoot, what would you tell them? What's most important? How would you get them to align themselves?

Prior to making a big jump, I asked myself, "Why do I miss?" During a practice session, I tracked misses by whether I over-cut or under-cut, missed to the left of target or right of target. I deduced I wasn't getting properly aligned with where I wanted the cueball to go. I was only at the table for a couple of hours that day but when I was done, I was a much better player.

In sum, be honest with yourself. Keep it basic. Don't get carried away with all the bullshit that's out there. Try to learn more about yourself and why it is you fail and address it. Something to remember, the majority of lower-rank amateurs I know often lose games because they missed a shot well within their capabilities. Always try to minimize the avoidable mistakes and allow for mistakes outside your comfort zone. From there, increase your comfort zone.
Click to expand...

Great posting jude. Tells much about your attitude!
Bw

Ingo

Gesendet von meinem GT-I9100 mit Tapatalk 2
 
S

(((Satori)))

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
To go from where you are to where you want to go you need to practice, but practice only on the days that you eat.
 
thelmstetter

thelmstetter

Tomcat
Silver Member
Take the time to develop solid fundamentals in the beginning. It is much harder and more painful to correct these after you have them drilled in.
 
B

bankoutallday

Banned
A few things

Get a table for your home. A used gold crown is a money saver over all the table time you will be spending in a room. You can hit balls whenever you like, even at 5am just to practice playing tired.

Find some sparring partners who are better than you. You need to compete for something so you play your best game.

Learn as many games as you can, they all teach you different shots and strategies. Plus it's nice to break things up and play a different game

Lots of good materials out there to read and study. The Henning Pro books are great and for me early on the Cappelle books are full of strategies that take years to learn by playing.

Good luck and mostly try to stay motivated, remember why you play and be sure you are enjoying yourself.
 
flyvirginiaguy

flyvirginiaguy

Classic Cue Lover
Silver Member
I went through all of this at an early age. I just noticed early on College was the best route at the time. I still love the game, and play a lot on my home table, but certainly no desire to be pro or the like.

But you have that desire so:
Certainly get a home table, nothing like just walking a few feet to practice. But don't let that be all you do. You still need that competition, nervous energy that tournaments or something gives you. Always play better players, even when practicing. If the player is not your speed, spot them heavily, in practice. This keeps you a bit more serious during that.
The main thing to making pro level though is dedication. You have to be dedicated to putting in very long hours just practicing all the drills. Long straight in shots, long cut shots, position play etc... Master the Diamond system and kicking game, even three cushion. Develop a pre shot routine that is the same every shot (no matter how easy the shot is), this brews a high consistency.
Lastly, try playing all the games. I try playing rotation, 9ball, straight pool, and even one pocket. Skills in each game help out in all the others.
Being pro means developing a smooth comfortable stroke, a great stable stance, hitting millions and millions of pool balls. You can go to the best instructors in the world, and they will not make you a pro level player.
 
Last edited:
center pocket

center pocket

It's just a hobby, but a fun one.
Silver Member
Jude Rosenstock said:
I think the first job, especially for someone who has been playing a while, is to ask yourself a very basic and simple question - what's holding you back? Pool isn't rocket science. There is rarely brilliance exhibited on the table.
Click to expand...

I disagree with how you down play the mastery of pool. It might not be rocket science but it is a definitely a "feel" science. Also you say there is rarely brilliance exhibited on the table. Have you watched Alex, Shane, or Dennis play lately??? All those outs they make look "easy" on cam are easily botched if you don't pay close attention to your CB control.

The rest of your post was good info. I live in reality and the reality is if you don't treat it like rocket science than you will end up being lazy.
 
randyg

randyg

www.randygpool.com
Silver Member
flyvirginiaguy said:
I went through all of this at an early age. I just noticed early on College was the best route at the time. I still love the game, and play a lot on my home table, but certainly no desire to be pro or the like.

But you have that desire so:
Certainly get a home table, nothing like just walking a few feet to practice. But don't let that be all you do. You still need that competition, nervous energy that tournaments or something gives you. Always play better players, even when practicing. If the player is not your speed, spot them heavily, in practice. This keeps you a bit more serious during that.
The main thing to making pro level though is dedication. You have to be dedicated to putting in very long hours just practicing all the drills. Long straight in shots, long cut shots, position play etc... Master the Diamond system and kicking game, even three cushion. Develop a pre shot routine that is the same every shot (no matter how easy the shot is), this brews a high consistency.
Lastly, try playing all the games. I try playing rotation, 9ball, straight pool, and even one pocket. Skills in each game help out in all the others.
Being pro means developing a smooth comfortable stroke, a great stable stance, hitting millions and millions of pool balls.

You can go to the best instructors in the world, and they will not make you a pro level player.[/QUOTE]



Of course they can't, only one person can do that.

An Instructor might be able to get you that smooth stroke before hitting a million balls.

randyg
Click to expand...
 
N

naji

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
randyg said:
flyvirginiaguy said:
I went through all of this at an early age. I just noticed early on College was the best route at the time. I still love the game, and play a lot on my home table, but certainly no desire to be pro or the like.

But you have that desire so:
Certainly get a home table, nothing like just walking a few feet to practice. But don't let that be all you do. You still need that competition, nervous energy that tournaments or something gives you. Always play better players, even when practicing. If the player is not your speed, spot them heavily, in practice. This keeps you a bit more serious during that.
The main thing to making pro level though is dedication. You have to be dedicated to putting in very long hours just practicing all the drills. Long straight in shots, long cut shots, position play etc... Master the Diamond system and kicking game, even three cushion. Develop a pre shot routine that is the same every shot (no matter how easy the shot is), this brews a high consistency.
Lastly, try playing all the games. I try playing rotation, 9ball, straight pool, and even one pocket. Skills in each game help out in all the others.
Being pro means developing a smooth comfortable stroke, a great stable stance, hitting millions and millions of pool balls.

You can go to the best instructors in the world, and they will not make you a pro level player.[/QUOTE]



Of course they can't, only one person can do that.

An Instructor might be able to get you that smooth stroke before hitting a million balls.

randyg
Click to expand...

Hi Randy maybe your opinion is biased, but the truth is, i very much regret the fact i did not use instructor, over the past 30 years, only the last few that i started listing to people and advise, i was doing it wrong all these years. Best advise is please, get instructor and listen to him/her, and apply even if you do not want to listen he/she can stand in front of you and tell you what you doing wrong.
Click to expand...
 
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