HI All,
This thread is for questions for the rest of us instructors. Everyone, feel free to ask away and all instructors are welcomed to jump in with a response.
Fran,
For an APA 5-6 level player, what particular drill or drills would you like to see that player incorporate into his daily practice session?
thanks,
BJ
I started a thread about practicing position/exercises. Anything you would like to share would be much appreciated. I'm looking for ideas/dvd's/books ect.
I'm afraid I can't answer that specifically without knowing your strengths and weaknesses. But in general, figure out what your weaknesses are and work on incorporating exercises that will help you to strengthen them. If you know what your weaknesses are and care to share them, I'll be happy to try to suggest a few things.
I'm afraid I can't answer that specifically without knowing your strengths and weaknesses. But in general, figure out what your weaknesses are and work on incorporating exercises that will help you to strengthen them. If you know what your weaknesses are and care to share them, I'll be happy to try to suggest a few things.
Let me get more specific with this question if I can. I'm a 5-6 level player and just a couple of the things I struggle with are combinations and shooting over balls. I try to avoid these situations whenever possible, but sometimes they come up and you have to be able to shoot them. The shooting over balls is especially bad for me. I feel like it makes me a 80-20 underdog at least when it comes to making the shot.
Generally, my biggest weakness is shot-making consistency (or lack thereof). For instance, on some days I am 85-90% on spot shots, and then on other days I am less than 50% and I have little idea why. Is there a good shot-making drill you could suggest?
And for a more specific issue, I miscue much too frequently on extreme/power draw shots. On occasion, I could line up 10 power draw shots and miscue on literally half. On more modest draw shots, I rarely miscue.
thanks,
Generally, my biggest weakness is shot-making consistency (or lack thereof). For instance, on some days I am 85-90% on spot shots, and then on other days I am less than 50% and I have little idea why. Is there a good shot-making drill you could suggest?
And for a more specific issue, I miscue much too frequently on extreme/power draw shots. On occasion, I could line up 10 power draw shots and miscue on literally half. On more modest draw shots, I rarely miscue.
thanks,
I find that the solution offered of "just practice the things that you struggle with", is an inadequate answer.
Until you know what you're doing wrong, how can you fix it by "practicing".
An instructor can show your your faults and how to go about correcting or eliminating them.
I know a young man who opts not to take lessons because someone told him the best way to learn is by trial and error. Sounds good but it doesn't work. Or if it does it will take forever to learn much of what there is to know.
You can spend lots of money on table time for practice, but if you really want to improve, by far the best investment is lessons from a real instructor.
Karen Coor was asked a few years back about who she learned from, and I believe she said she'd been to more than thirty instructors! Now that's an extreme, but it makes my point...take advantage of the knowledge of those who have mastered (to varying degrees) the game and even seek more than one teacher, as we have our different viewpoints, methods and specialties.
I improved the most in my game when I practiced. Sorry, but most players don't practice enough. They just want answers. The answers are found when you hit the tables and put in the work.
Just like you know people, so do I. I know people who keep going to different instructors to find answers. They are trying to find solutions that will enable them to get better with less practice. It's just not going to work. You have to put in the time and get to know yourself at the table.
Been there. Done it. It works.
As for Karen, I just spoke with her day before yesterday. I'll have to ask her about those 30 instructors.
I think Donny's point was that it's better to know what to practice. If a player is having fundamental problems, it's no good to just tell them to keep working at it.
A better suggestion might be to hit the CB straight up and down the length of the table, or to practice long straight in stop shots.
I had a great guitar instructor when I was younger. He didn't just give me a list of scales to practice. He made sure I was practicing them correctly, and in different ways (ascending, descending, in 3rd's, 4th's , 5th's, etc..) so I would master them.
Matt we should have practiced yesterday at the league tournament. Tough loss for you guys. Who finally won the second place tourny.
Anyway, we should get together at On the Snap and practice. I just do not know what to practice. I cannot figure out why I am missing combos. I keep checking my aim. Everything looks perfect. I shoot and miss.
When playing an object ball off another object ball into the pocket, it's fairly easy to send the first object ball down the tangent line to the pocket with speed, when the two object balls are fairly close together.
If the distance between the two object balls is greater, and the first object ball begins rolling, I'm having difficulty determining the contact point on the second object ball to send the first object ball to the pocket. Is there a way to find the contact point on the second object ball that will send the first object ball to the pocket?
Do you know of any material either in print or video that gives some pointers on playing combinations. I have been practicing these and have a lot of trouble seeing the shot. If I miss i make adjustments, but if I set up another shot I still seeing the exact place to hit the first ball.