Effective practice time.

RDeca · Mar 30, 2020

How often you guys practice and what's the duration? By practice I mean alone. Pocketing balls over and over. I imagine alot of guys don't do this. But I believe it's the only way.

Recently back into the game and I'm hitting balls for an hour or two hrs every day now for the past three weeks.

I notice I don't have target anxiety or second guessing problem I had when I never practiced and just played league. Shots are becoming automatic...

When I miss I know why. Its usually a bad stroke pulling the ball off target.

I'm a lefty rigt eye dominant..when I miss it's usually left for whatever reason (usually stroke related). I started playing with a lighter cue (weight bolt removed)and a LD shaft (mezz w wx900) I'm really digging it.

Confidence in shot making is up. I'm not trying to get perfect shape and missing the shot. Because I'm confident I can make the shot as long as I can see the ball to make it.

Its kinda nice. Games coming along well

RDeca · Mar 30, 2020

I will say ...that i can't wait to get rid of the kamui brown soft tip and swap it for a triangle LePro or Water buffalo..I'm cheap tho and I'll play it till its down to the nub. Hoping I like it more in the last quarter of the tip. We will see.

Texas Carom Club · Mar 30, 2020

all this yr, i played on 3 league nights and 3 tournament nights a week
no time or energy to practice, all competition and i got pretty good

won 3 tournaments the last week i played
and i look forward to no more practice in the future, just to play when it matters

JessEm · Mar 30, 2020

I practice a couple hours a day. 95% is 8-ball against myself on a 7'. Rack after rack, negotiating through traffic. I'm kinda chasing break and runs. If I don't make a ball on the break I kinda lose interest in the rack. But keep shooting until the next rack, albeit haphazardly with lesser care on my shots, which can become somewhat counter productive.

I *should* be doing more drills, there is however five basic shots I practice. Stop, draw, follow, stun run, and stun back. From about 1/2 table distance, dead straight into the corner. About 10 of each to warmup, or whenever shot selection starts getting blurry.

There's not substitute for practice OR playing matches.

Bavafongoul · Mar 30, 2020

Gentlemen,

A famous pool player offered me this very sound advice almost 60 years ago.

“Always practice with a purpose in mind or don’t even bother hitting any balls.”

So embrace that philosophy or don’t call it practice. Think of it as passing time.

Matt B.

straightline · Mar 30, 2020

As a long time practitioner of a mixed bag of skills, I know to go for the weaknesses. At least you know _what_ to work.

BC21 · Mar 30, 2020

I just got back into practicing again. I use 4 cut shots (2 left, 2 right) and a straight in shot, each with 3 different position options. I shoot each shot and corresponding position until I get 10 successful results in a row. Sometimes it's the first 10, sometimes it takes 20 shots or more to hit 10 in a row. It ends up being around 200 total. My goal is to hit a perfect 150, which is hitting each shot correctly the first 10 times.

I split it up into 2 sessions, about 30 minutes each. One session as soon as I get home from work, and another before I go to bed. If I'm on a perfect roll, scoring 10's, I'll just do the whole session at once.

I've read that it's good to study or practice in short but effective, anti-monotonous timeframes. I could do the entire practice in an hour or so, but it's more beneficial to focus on quality rather than quanity. And it's more effective to set precise practice goals that are just outside the tips of your fingers, rather than beating in some predefined time limit called "practice".

Tin Man · Mar 30, 2020

Good post and great replies.

If I had to draw up a pie chart for most players I'd say it should look something like this:

50% sparring, playing with friends a little better or similar speed
25% competition, tournaments or matching up
10% practice
10% watching pro players
5% miscellaneous (reading books, AZBilliards, etc)

If players have the opportunity to compete against the world's best then they can do this all through competition without much solo practice. Mostly playing, watching their opponents, and trying things in between sets and chatting with other pros.

For most players they do benefit from some practice. The problem is too many people forgo competition thinking they can practice their way to perfection or greatness. But let me tell you, you fun faster when someone is chasing you, and you simply develop faster in competition than you do on your own.

That all said, I've got a great deal of respect for practice. Particularly as you become better than those in your surrounding area. Then you have to push yourself and focused practice can be better than playing weaker players. I've seen other players get to the next level through hard practice and I have as well.

But you can't let go of competition. It is all important and gives clarity, purpose, and motivation to keep growing.

mikemosconi · Mar 31, 2020

Tin Man said:
Good post and great replies.

If I had to draw up a pie chart for most players I'd say it should look something like this:

50% sparring, playing with friends a little better or similar speed
25% competition, tournaments or matching up
10% practice
10% watching pro players
5% miscellaneous (reading books, AZBilliards, etc)

If players have the opportunity to compete against the world's best then they can do this all through competition without much solo practice. Mostly playing, watching their opponents, and trying things in between sets and chatting with other pros.

For most players they do benefit from some practice. The problem is too many people forgo competition thinking they can practice their way to perfection or greatness. But let me tell you, you fun faster when someone is chasing you, and you simply develop faster in competition than you do on your own.

That all said, I've got a great deal of respect for practice. Particularly as you become better than those in your surrounding area. Then you have to push yourself and focused practice can be better than playing weaker players. I've seen other players get to the next level through hard practice and I have as well.

But you can't let go of competition. It is all important and gives clarity, purpose, and motivation to keep growing.

I like this pie chart concept for developing oneself into a very good competitive player. I also agree 100% that one needs some meaningful competition in order to discover any weaknesses in their make-up and to fine tune all the elements of their game. With that said, I believe that your practice sessions should feed off your competitive play so that you use practice to iron out any faults in pre shot routine, final focus, cue ball movement, and aiming decisions. Practice at some point is more about hard wiring yourself through repetition of correct set up and delivery of the cue to the cueball in the way that results for you in the highest % of shotmaking with resulting cue ball placement than anything else.

You can use the viewing of pro players and reading material to develop effective game strategies, shot selections, safety strategies, etc.

Get comfortable with your equipment with some degree of trial and error; but I would also urge you to settle on cue weight, tip preference, shaft selection, etc. and then just stay with that choice. I believe that constant changes or questioning / experimenting with equipment will create constant resets in your progress and you will spend more time fiddling with cues than actually working on your game.

brigeton · Mar 31, 2020

I'm in about the same boat as the OP. I started playing again last year after a few years off. I watched Mark Wilson's clinic about 6 weeks ago and started trying to incorporate that into my game.
Lately I have just been rolling all 15 balls out on the table and shooting them in, sets of 5 racks or 75 balls as suggested by Brian from FX billiards. It takes me about 45 or 50 minutes to do a set and I do about 10 sets a week keeping score on my misses. My misses have steadily come down each week for the last month and my stroke is starting to feel much smoother. I work on speed drills or something else a little in between.
Before the lockdown I was playing local bar tournaments and finishing in the money about 1/2 the time. There are several players there about the same speed as me and a couple that are clearly better. I'm hoping that with my practice during the shutdown I will narrow that gap a little.
By the way, I'm 67 but in pretty good health and I don't think my age is really holding me back.

BC21 · Mar 31, 2020

brigeton said:
I'm in about the same boat as the OP. I started playing again last year after a few years off. I watched Mark Wilson's clinic about 6 weeks ago and started trying to incorporate that into my game.
Lately I have just been rolling all 15 balls out on the table and shooting them in, sets of 5 racks or 75 balls as suggested by Brian from FX billiards. It takes me about 45 or 50 minutes to do a set and I do about 10 sets a week keeping score on my misses. My misses have steadily come down each week for the last month and my stroke is starting to feel much smoother. I work on speed drills or something else a little in between.
Before the lockdown I was playing local bar tournaments and finishing in the money about 1/2 the time. There are several players there about the same speed as me and a couple that are clearly better. I'm hoping that with my practice during the shutdown I will narrow that gap a little.
By the way, I'm 67 but in pretty good health and I don't think my age is really holding me back.

I like rolling all the balls out and shooting them in for a warm up, to get in stroke, to work on timing or the psr. But if I had a problem with a certain shot, or a particular type of shot, or dealing with clusters, etc...this type of "practice" won't fix it. If I had intermittent stroke flaws, this type of practice wouldn't iron those out. Instead, I'd simply be reinforcing those flaws or trouble areas through repetition.

Sure, eventually you face the trouble shots enough times to maybe figure out what you're doing wrong, but I think it would be much more effective to pick 2 or 3 shots that you know you don't hit well, and practice those. An honest self evaluation is needed, along with the discipline to work on things that you admit or realize need to be worked on.

mikemosconi · Mar 31, 2020

brigeton said:
I'm in about the same boat as the OP. I started playing again last year after a few years off. I watched Mark Wilson's clinic about 6 weeks ago and started trying to incorporate that into my game.
Lately I have just been rolling all 15 balls out on the table and shooting them in, sets of 5 racks or 75 balls as suggested by Brian from FX billiards. It takes me about 45 or 50 minutes to do a set and I do about 10 sets a week keeping score on my misses. My misses have steadily come down each week for the last month and my stroke is starting to feel much smoother. I work on speed drills or something else a little in between.
Before the lockdown I was playing local bar tournaments and finishing in the money about 1/2 the time. There are several players there about the same speed as me and a couple that are clearly better. I'm hoping that with my practice during the shutdown I will narrow that gap a little.
By the way, I'm 67 but in pretty good health and I don't think my age is really holding me back.

If you stay in good health, physically fit, are blessed with some good genes in terms of delayed normal aging factors, you can play real well into your eighties. I am also 67 and , I am now playing the best pool of my life, even though I no longer have an in home billiard room. Retirement from the normal daily work requirements can free the body and mind to adopt to higher levels of achievement in many areas- thankfully one of them is the game of billiards! I have played against a few guys in their eighties over the past few years and it still takes a strong B level game to beat them on a scale of A B C D.

336Robin · Mar 31, 2020

Practicing Spin by Distance

The most effective practice that I do is confined to 2 things.

I practice Spin Shots by distance between the Cue Ball and Object Ball in diamonds
lengths. I start close up 1 diamond and then extend it. I try to use the entire cue ball
all tip positions and even vary the strokes and I shoot those shots at 3 angle groups.
Under 45 deg, 45 degrees and about 60 to 65 degrees. With those shots being able
to make them with varying shot pressures helps a lot of things. Spin and Cue Ball travel distance.

RDeca said:
How often you guys practice and what's the duration? By practice I mean alone. Pocketing balls over and over. I imagine alot of guys don't do this. But I believe it's the only way.

Recently back into the game and I'm hitting balls for an hour or two hrs every day now for the past three weeks.

I notice I don't have target anxiety or second guessing problem I had when I never practiced and just played league. Shots are becoming automatic...

When I miss I know why. Its usually a bad stroke pulling the ball off target.

I'm a lefty rigt eye dominant..when I miss it's usually left for whatever reason (usually stroke related). I started playing with a lighter cue (weight bolt removed)and a LD shaft (mezz w wx900) I'm really digging it.

Confidence in shot making is up. I'm not trying to get perfect shape and missing the shot. Because I'm confident I can make the shot as long as I can see the ball to make it.

Its kinda nice. Games coming along well

BC21 · Mar 31, 2020

336Robin said:
The most effective practice that I do is confined to 2 things.

I practice Spin Shots by distance between the Cue Ball and Object Ball in diamonds
lengths. I start close up 1 diamond and then extend it. I try to use the entire cue ball
all tip positions and even vary the strokes and I shoot those shots at 3 angle groups.
Under 45 deg, 45 degrees and about 60 to 65 degrees. With those shots being able
to make them with varying shot pressures helps a lot of things. Spin and Cue Ball travel distance.

I like this. CB control is always a great practice routine.

kollegedave · Mar 31, 2020

RDeca said:
How often you guys practice and what's the duration? By practice I mean alone. Pocketing balls over and over. I imagine alot of guys don't do this. But I believe it's the only way.

Recently back into the game and I'm hitting balls for an hour or two hrs every day now for the past three weeks.

I notice I don't have target anxiety or second guessing problem I had when I never practiced and just played league. Shots are becoming automatic...

When I miss I know why. Its usually a bad stroke pulling the ball off target.

I'm a lefty rigt eye dominant..when I miss it's usually left for whatever reason (usually stroke related). I started playing with a lighter cue (weight bolt removed)and a LD shaft (mezz w wx900) I'm really digging it.

Confidence in shot making is up. I'm not trying to get perfect shape and missing the shot. Because I'm confident I can make the shot as long as I can see the ball to make it.

Its kinda nice. Games coming along well

This is a great question that I believe too few players ask. Several years ago, I was fortunate to buy a house that accommodates a 9 foot table. I asked this question to myself: how should I practice? I searched youtube for some tidbits of information from pros. I think the best advice I heard was from SVB, when asked about what he practices on a TAR interview. He practices long shots, shots where the cue ball is frozen to the rail, and the break.

I think a good way to summarize this is: spend your time practicing portions of the game that are difficult for you and shots (like the break) that you know will come up in very often. I have found SVB's advice to be helpful.

Just my 0.02

kollegedave

duckie · Mar 31, 2020

Just turning 66, it is nice to see others in my age range with the same experience about playing really good pool. I was wondering if I was the only one.

One of my beliefs about practice is this.......if you are making all the shots......then you aren’t practicing the right shots.

There are all types of shots in pool......I mean a lot.....especially if you play more than one type of pool game.

For example........a simple cross bank shot into a pocket......Now, try a double cross bank.......

Put one OB on the table.....then practice kicking at it....

And so on......

One drill that will really help in developing CB speed control is pocket speed drill. This is stroking the CB in such a manner that just enough energy transferred to the OB so that the OB speed is just enough to make the pocket. It’s a hard drill cause it requires you to slow everything down which requires better muscle control than stroking faster.

Something not discussed is down time. Not playing at all for a period of time. To totally forget about pool.

I’ve found that when I do this......when I return to playing....my game is better.

rhinobywilhite · Mar 31, 2020

I noticed a Facebook post where Jeremy Jones was talking about practice.

He felt given the choice of a 5 hour session of practice or some 2 hour sessions, he felt more would be accomplished by playing the longer session.

CocoboloCowboy · Mar 31, 2020

Most people hate practicing, it is boring, repetive, and is not fun. It's like trying to diet, but if your over weight, you had better try a life style change. Life style change works to loose weight, and keep off.

The funny thing is about practicing is, one you work on your weaknesses. Say banking, banking shot become easier.

Most people who play pool good or great practice a lot. One of the better players I know works real hard on stroke. Cue ball placement post shot. He is always practicing doing drills.

If you practice one thing you do poor, and start burning out. Practice another skill that is weak. Soon you will see improvement, and that should be mental payback for time invested in practice.

You can spend lot of money on instructional DVD, but you got to watch em. It's like viewing a movie, if you watch it only one you miss stuff. You got to watch, and rewatch to see everything better.

MitchAlsup · Mar 31, 2020

RDeca said:
How often you guys practice and what's the duration? By practice I mean alone. Pocketing balls over and over. I imagine alot of guys don't do this. But I believe it's the only way.

With the raging pandemic, I am practicing (as you define) 3-5 hours per day.

Recently back into the game and I'm hitting balls for an hour or two hrs every day now for the past three weeks.

I notice I don't have target anxiety or second guessing problem I had when I never practiced and just played league. Shots are becoming automatic...

You should get to the point where you know what shot to shoot in a couple of seconds with 10 hours of practice

When I miss I know why. Its usually a bad stroke pulling the ball off target.

I miss primarily when I put too much or too little spin on CB; but that is just me.
Stroke errors are 1/3 of my misses.

I'm a lefty rigt eye dominant..when I miss it's usually left for whatever reason (usually stroke related). I started playing with a lighter cue (weight bolt removed)and a LD shaft (mezz w wx900) I'm really digging it.

Confidence in shot making is up. I'm not trying to get perfect shape and missing the shot. Because I'm confident I can make the shot as long as I can see the ball to make it.

That is one good thing about out pandemic: enough time alone to work out the kinks.....

Tennesseejoe · Mar 31, 2020

I have a home billiard room, am 76 years old, and I walk past my table 10 or so times a day. I always shoot one shot because it makes me concentrate. Some times it becomes a practice session. If I am not consistent with straight in shots, I can not be consistent with any other shot. This is my routine...

Put an object ball a few inches past the side pocket and one inch off of the rail. Then put the cue ball on the head string also one inch off the same rail rail. With the cue ball, using a stop shot, shoot the object ball straight in corner pocket. This will show if you are missing consistently on one side or the other. The problem is either in your aim or your stroke. Now use different speeds to see if that is the problem. Do this until you are proficient.

The next step is to try one type of English on this shot, such as a little low/right. You should be able to make the shot and leave the cue ball spinning in place. Do this until you are proficient. Now practice with another combination of English. Good luck.

Effective practice time.

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