What signified you turning the corner in advancing your game?

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BigJohn89

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Just curious as to what happened or happened more frequently in your game that made you realize that you had really improved? I'm a non league person so for me it's harder to distinguish "leveling up" so to speak.

I'm nowhere near great but my first sign of real improvement was when I missed shape and had to bank a ball....I would always hit way to hard. I'm not just talking about leaving pitiful shape on the next ball. I'm talking so many rails it looked like Mike Massey trick shots :)

Long story short...I noticed my first real step in significant advancement when I could bank a ball and only use the 1 rail the object ball was on for shape. Now I know sometimes it's necessary to use more than 1 rail but 1 rail was never an option for me.

What do yall got?
 
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BigJohn89

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I remember when my putting got like that for a little bit. If you remember some of the older tiger Woods golf games...it would give you a "cheat line" showing exactly how and where the ball would roll. I got that for about a 6 week stretch. God let me see what real golf was like. I was about a 5 handicap at the time so I was shooting good already. That was a feeling I'll likely never have again.
 
mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I watched a high level amateur play, and remember thinking what's taking him so long to look at the table and then he proceeded to run the rack. And he did it again and again. That's when it really clicked that I was playing without a plan!
 
Bank it

Bank it

Uh Huh, Sounds Legit
Silver Member
BigJohn89 said:
I got that for about a 6 week stretch. God let me see what real golf was like. I was about a 5 handicap at the time so I was shooting good already. That was a feeling I'll likely never have again.
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Why? Here's the thing, pool, golf, you've got to put in the work, even the savants, just not as long.

Once you've acquired the requisite physical skills then it's a matter of getting out of your own way. Trusting in your ability, seeing it first in your mind & then observing your own physical mastery, it's very freeing.
 
WildWing

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
I retired, and practiced more. There's no substitute for constant practice.

All the best,
WW
 
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BigJohn89

Registered
Bank it said:
Why? Here's the thing, pool, golf, you've got to put in the work, even the savants, just not as long.

Once you've acquired the requisite physical skills then it's a matter of getting out of your own way. Trusting in your ability, seeing it first in your mind & then observing your own physical mastery, it's very freeing.
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It's not that I could never be there. At that time I was playing every day. I was on the range every day Monday-Saturday and played rounds on Friday and Saturday. I worked at the course so it was accessible for me and I had no kids. Now I have 5 kids and have not played but 1 time in the last 6 years. I still like it but I had my clubs stolen and my cues when my car was stolen 2 years ago. Easier to pick a stick off the wall than to buy new clubs. Money is not easy with 5 kiddos. Lol
 
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one stroke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bank it said:
Seeing it, perfectly, in the minds eye
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A lot of truth there ,, anytime I get back into it I know when I'm there when the patterns just jump out to me no thinking about it it's just there , , now much older I have to put a lot of time in it before I get there

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HawaiianEye

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm old and blind now, but, when I was younger, I had really good eyesight and I could see angles very well, without having to look or think too much. That allowed me to see and make a lot of shots, even very difficult shots.

Once I was able to do that, I think the biggest hurdle I conquered was learning to "keep a leash on the cue ball". I could spin the ball and get some fancy position along with the best of them, but once I "tamed" the ball down some, I became much more consistent. I still used multiple rails for position when I needed to, but I learned to "float" the cue ball around instead of spinning it.
 
Cornerman

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
BigJohn89 said:
Just curious as to what happened or happened more frequently in your game that made you realize that you had really improved?
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I suppose winning more :) I remember playing a weekly bar tournament and winning or coming in second six weeks in a row until some of the players politely requested that I get barred. Yeah, it was a nice wake up that at the small pond, I became that guy.

But for specific shots, I still say that my first "level jump" came when I got a handle on squirt and inside english, long before low squirt shafts were in vogue. I thank Grady Mathews (RIP) for the lesson squirt in 1989. Understanding both sides of the cueball made the game so much easier, easier to get the right angle. My break and run percentage in 8-ball went up so much higher (for an amateur). It's one of the reasons I say that amateurs who can actually make ball should learn how to use spin and not shy away from it. Usually it's a lesson or three.

Since then, I've had a few other level jumps.


Freddie <~~~ for real
 
PoolBum

PoolBum

Ace in the side.
Silver Member
For me it was being able to measure my game against a great player in George SanSouci. I had the chance to play George many times at Amsterdam Billiards (when it was on Amsterdam Ave. on the Upper West Side) back in the early 90's, and just watching him and being able to compete against him improved my game a lot. He was gracious enough to play me cheap sets with a spot, and what signified my improvement was that I went from losing consistently getting the 7, to being fairly competitive getting the 8, over about a year and a half's time of playing him.

So, I would say if you have the opportunity to play someone better than you take advantage of it and it should definitely improve your game.
 
De420MadHatter

De420MadHatter

SicBiNature
Silver Member
Beating the ghost. The first time I ever heard the term, "Beat the ghost", I had no idea what it meant. Being new in pool and almost a yr of league play on 3 different teams I was pretty sure I was closing in on the pros, and I was fairly certain I knew as much or more than pros. After all, I went from a C player to a b player in about 8 months, and B's are just under the pros right :). Anyway, the ghost was explained to me, and I was sure I had his number. Yeah, anyways you know what happened. It was pretty brutal. Realized I sacked, and that started a fire to get better and beat the ghost. Took me almost 8 yrs but finally the drills, practice, fighting with the girlfriend, having no money paid off lol. The first time was special though. I felt like I accomplished something, and knew that I had the ability to run out racks. Prior to that, everytime I played a game of 9ball it seemed like, I just knew I would find a way to screw it up.
 
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OnDaSnap

Banned
one stroke said:
A lot of truth there ,, anytime I get back into it I know when I'm there when the patterns just jump out to me no thinking about it it's just there , , now much older I have to put a lot of time in it before I get there

1
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The best way to advance in a person's game is to not One Stroke it.
 
HawaiianEye

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JC said:
Effective use of inside english was a milestone.

JC
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FWIW, I think this is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome in a lot of good players' games.

Inside, to most people, is quirky and a lot of people try to avoid using it as much as possible, if they can. At least, that is what I have noticed for decades.

Once you learn to confidently use and control inside, the other stuff becomes much easier.

I'm one of those people who go against what the majority do, and I try to position myself where I can go natural angles using a TOI for every shot. To keep the arguments down, I'll admit that I use whatever is "necessary" to get me back in TOI line if I screw up or get out of line. Once I'm back in line, I go back to my TOI method.

I'm not saying this method is for everyone, but I think learning how it works will put another tool in your tool box.
 
U

us820

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Letting the white ball go up and down the table instead of trying to hold it with a delicate touch and learning to control spinning 2 or 3 rails.
 
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Wald0

Registered
For myself being a new player to the competitive scene where I live, here are a few major things that helped me at least get a foot in the door for more serious pool:

1. head still regardless of what type of shot.

2. understanding my own cue, since I use a tiger x shaft I learned I can parallel side-English and not deflect as long as I hit it nice and soft, and smooth. Simple things I know, but it took me a while to really understand this.

3. Visualizing the shot. When I find my line standing up and then drop down, I imagine the cue rolling straight ahead on my aiming line and do my best and trying to "feel" if its the right angle to pot the ball. Small adjustments to get the right feel. This has probably done the most for my game out of the 3 and increased my confidence. Feels nice finally knowing I can trust myself to pot a more difficult shot when needed.
 
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