I'm DONE with instructional DVD's

The Peter Principle

I think many books, DVDs, instructors and practice are very good and hone us so we become what we can be. At some point we attain our level of incompetence. With a skillful player, they can reach the 95th percentile but that last 5% is difficult.. Us hard heads keep beating our heads against the wall waiting for the wall to break.

Al

Ya ya ya

tim913 said:

Secrets of the Pro's, NEVER before revealed, take your game to the next level??? Anxiously waiting by the mailbox day after day...it finally arrives..plant a juicy one right on the lips of the mailman for this soon to be life changing experience, and what's THIS? I have to PRACTICE, more and more DRILLS? I want to open the package, pop in the DVD, and 5 minutes later be able to run 150 and out(with the SECRET), but NO, I have to practice again. I practice all the time, and on the practice table I make the ball, meticulously draw the CB two rails to ever so lightly bump the 8 into the open to finish the game.The crowd at the bar gasps, women I've never met before are wanting to sleep with me, and the house pro is trying not to make eye contact.

In a regular match I miss the OB, CB takes flight changing course ever so slightly as not to miss the only table in the room where 17 draft beers along with a chorus of cheesy,dripping hot appetizers await the hungry palates of the local biker gang. I sheepishly retrieve the sticky orb apologizing as I offer to buy another round, return to my table with my tail between my legs, or as the hot babe in the corner kept telling everyone who walked by...look they gave that guy a cheddar wedgie. No more DVD's !!!

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You need a vacation, you might consider Colorado :idea2:

In my old days. You paid and paid and paid to the winner until you either quit or learned. The hard way is the only way IF you actually have the talent, temperment, perserverance, balls and inborn attributesl. Otherwise doomed to the railbird class forever. SIMILAR TO 4 hcp golfer !!! LOL Must play the best and your not amongst them.

Trapper - always gets the pelts

I want to laugh...,

Thomas McKane said:

That's the secret...practice. 8 hours a day, full time job, 5-6 days a week. It's a pro's job to play pool very well, otherwise they don't make a living at it and have to find a different job. An amateur will never just learn some pointers and then play as well as a top pro, not even close.

Try this, spend a full day, 8 full hours, shooting one shot over and over. Pick any shot that you don't make 95% of the time but should, in 9-ball there's plenty of those kinds of shots that come up a lot. Shoot that shot all day long, nothing else, just over and over and over until you want to puke (or quit pool entirely). Then see how good you get at that shot after doing this "drill". If that works for you, pick another shot and do it again. Congrats, you're on your way and you know the "secret".

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I want to laugh, there is humor in your replay, I think there is humor in there, but I can laugh because it hurts to much when I think of all the hours I put in to be able to walk in a Pool Room and have people whisper "that guy can play"....,

So your right, no more need be said, if you want to play good, just re-read this post!

tim913 said:

Obviously too old to learn new tricks, been playing for over 50 years...accomplished quite a bit actually as stated in an earlier post...mostly focus problems, not execution..sought help through personal instruction, and the one instructor who probably nailed it told me: Once you reach a certain level it's usually the mental game that causes all the inconsistencies...some can get through it, a lot never do. If we all got through it, we'd all be pro's. BTW did you get those DVD's I sent ya?

Thanks

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To the last question, yes, I got them yesterday. Thanks again. I looked at the Kicking Portion last night. a bit too 'technical' for me but I picked up on a mistake I may have been making. So, that may be a good thing just from that.

I've been playing for 48 years. One thing that I've noticed is that I now very often just play right above the level of my opponent. By that, I do not mean consciously, but I very often don't get focussed until I am sort of forced to do so.

That may be something for you to think about. Find some tough competition.

Best 2 You & Thanks Again for the DVDs,
Rick

I guess my opinion is a bit biased since I sell one pocket instructional DVDs but I know if you learn one shot or one thing that helps to improve your game it is worth the $30-$40 because think of paying table time just hitting balls and not learning those things.

There should be an IV you could transfer knowledge like a blood transfusion

Books and DVDs serve one purpose, to transfer information and knowledge from one mind to another.....this isn't difficult, it's the action that creates the issues....who wants to put in the time and effort? There should be an IV you could transfer knowledge like a blood transfusion.... until then we'll just have do it "the ole fashioned way"..

Specific knowledge is the only real "short cut" I've found. This means someone needs to not only explain why it works, but also how you go about doing it consistently as a human being.

Getting to caught up in the physics and complex explanations is unnecessary. I seriously have my doubts that anyone actually better by understanding spin/squirt ratios. The physics of the Game are simple, the geometry is slightly more difficult, and the mind/body/cue relationships are the most important.

The systems are simple, if willing to learn the basic foundation of the Game. You must have a system to set up the same relative to the "line of the shot" every time and build on that in levels. I've described it as a "7 Layer Cake", and it all starts at the feet.

If you aren't able to get your feet in the same place relative to the shot, then you will have no chance of getting the rest of you body set correctly. Pocket Billiards has such slim margins for error I believe it's essential to concentrate on your the basics. It will make the more sophisticated aspects of the Game much easier and playing at a high level well within your reach.

Jaden said:

The quick and simple of it is this.

Pool is a game of little epiphanies building on each other.

Jaden

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Well said ... and you'll never experience those epiphanies practicing the same way over and over and over.

IMO practice isn't the secret. Experimenting is the secret. Finding where the grease fitting is in that elbow of yours is the secret. How loose can you hold the cue without dropping it? Try different things.

Practicing over and over might very well be getting good at doing the same thing wrong.

Experiment with strokes, english, speed, do different things, let your brain absorb new experiences.. loosen up the old elbow .. exaggerate english on shots ... fire balls in with high inside ... Pick a particular shot, maybe a foot or two from the pocket, and the CB a foot or two away from the OB ... fire it into the pocket with all the various englishes, pay attention to the results.

Do it again only with a soft stroke ... all the englishes .. but ... try to drip the OB into the pocket.

I see way too many pool players approaching the table with exact rhythmic consistency. Every step, every movement, every motion, stroke, chalking ... so mechanical, so repetitive, so practiced, like a machine, and yet .. not a clue .... not a clue. No concept of creativity, not enough stroke to prevent going broke.

Experiment and let the experiences register in your mind.