Speed Control

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 20, 2013

Okay, i think i have finally reached the conclusion that the #1 weakness i have right now is simply speed control. Usually when i dont run a rack its because my speed control is off and i put myself in a difficult position.

Now, granted, every now and then i will miss a shot. Every now and then i will get fooled by where the CB is going. But, i've been noticing alot more lately that getting on the wrong side of the next OB and missing position is because of speed control being off either by several inches or perhaps just an inch or two.

At this point i think i am going to focus 75% or more of my practice time on doing nothing but working on speed control. Nothing specific, just set up shots and practice getting the CB where i want it as far as speed goes.

Mike

Okie · Feb 20, 2013

DrCue'sProtege said:
Okay, i think i have finally reached the conclusion that the #1 weakness i have right now is simply speed control. Usually when i dont run a rack its because my speed control is off and i put myself in a difficult position.

Now, granted, every now and then i will miss a shot. Every now and then i will get fooled by where the CB is going. But, i've been noticing alot more lately that getting on the wrong wide of the next OB and missing position is because of speed control being off either by several inches or perhaps just an inch or two.

At this point i think i am going to focus 75% or more of my practice time on doing nothing but working on speed control. Nothing specific, just set up shots and practice getting the CB where i want it as far as speed goes.

Mike

Another thing to remember is shot selection. Sometimes we choose the shot which makes us travel across the line between the next ball and the desired pocket. Whenever possible choose the shot which allows you to travel along the line between the next object and it's pocket. It gives you a bigger margin for error.

If you have to cross the line then try to cross it a little further from the object ball as this will increase your margin for error as well.

Ken

BilliardsAbout · Feb 20, 2013

Be sure to begin this practice (which is a super idea, by the way) the smart way, by taking your typical medium and other speed strokes at different spots along the vertical axis rather than trying to control/overly control your stroke speed with your stroke arm.

Natural Roll/Vertical Axis Work

FranCrimi · Feb 20, 2013

DrCue'sProtege said:
Okay, i think i have finally reached the conclusion that the #1 weakness i have right now is simply speed control. Usually when i dont run a rack its because my speed control is off and i put myself in a difficult position.

Now, granted, every now and then i will miss a shot. Every now and then i will get fooled by where the CB is going. But, i've been noticing alot more lately that getting on the wrong wide of the next OB and missing position is because of speed control being off either by several inches or perhaps just an inch or two.

At this point i think i am going to focus 75% or more of my practice time on doing nothing but working on speed control. Nothing specific, just set up shots and practice getting the CB where i want it as far as speed goes.

Mike

I didn't see a question in your post but nonetheless, I think speed control is a good topic.

I think it's one of the last pieces of the puzzle in developing a strong pool game. Some people think you can start to develop it early on. I don't. I think it's one of the last things to develop in a player's game because it's pure 'feel.'

Drills can help, but you need to put yourself in real playing situations, where you have to move the cb around other balls. It's when you have to be creative where a good sense of speed control really comes in handy.

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 20, 2013

FranCrimi said:
I didn't see a question in your post but nonetheless, I think speed control is a good topic.

I think it's one of the last pieces of the puzzle in developing a strong pool game. Some people think you can start to develop it early on. I don't. I think it's one of the last things to develop in a player's game because it's pure 'feel.'

Drills can help, but you need to put yourself in real playing situations, where you have to move the cb around other balls. It's when you have to be creative where a good sense of speed control really comes in handy.

I agree.

However, as a local hotshot told me once.....if you make the shots you should make and get the position you should get, thats the big key to playing at a high level.

For example, i think it was the 2001 Challenge of the Champions. Strickland and Bustamante. It was all tied, and Earl was down to the last 3-4 balls on the table. He makes a bad shot and runs into the 6-Ball and misses position. The result - he loses $50,000. A position play he had probably executed so many times he could do it in his sleep, but not this time.

My speed control is off just a little. Not much, but just enough to keep me from running out more than i currently do.

Mike

FranCrimi · Feb 20, 2013

DrCue'sProtege said:
I agree.

.....However, as a local hotshot told me once.....if you make the shots you should make and get the position you should get, thats the big key to playing at a high level. .....

Mike

Absolutely, and it's harder to do than it sounds, particularly when you're under the pressure of competition. I imagine I'm not saying anything you don't already know.

A great player once told me that most players automatically lose 30% of their game as soon as they step into competition. It's the ones who can hold it together that win time and again.

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 20, 2013

FranCrimi said:
Absolutely, and it's harder to do than it sounds, particularly when you're under the pressure of competition. I imagine I'm not saying anything you don't already know.

A great player once told me that most players automatically lose 30% of their game as soon as they step into competition. It's the ones who can hold it together that win time and again.

Amen.

Larry Bird grew up 25 miles from me. Obviously i followed his career in college and with the Celtics. He was a clutch player. When the game was on the line he wanted the ball.

They always say that Earl is a money player, when the stakes are the highest thats when he excels. The above example the exception, of course.

I've been telling myself i need to play more like Larry and Earl play. Just play fearless. I approach shots with a timid attitude, hoping i dont miss instead of being confident i'll make and get position.

Mike

ENGLISH! · Feb 20, 2013

Mike,

I played alot of team sports including pool. I use my fear of letting my team mates down as a motivating factor to make myself play better so that there is no chance that I will be the goat.

It's a fine line, play timid & you probably will mess up. Play with over confidence & you can certainly mess up. I play with fear of messy up & will do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.

I don't know if you or anyone can adapt my mind set to your advantage but I just thought I would throw it out, just in case it could help.

Best Regards & Luck to You &

scottjen26 · Feb 20, 2013

FranCrimi said:
Absolutely, and it's harder to do than it sounds, particularly when you're under the pressure of competition. I imagine I'm not saying anything you don't already know.

A great player once told me that most players automatically lose 30% of their game as soon as they step into competition. It's the ones who can hold it together that win time and again.

Funny you mention that, it's the same exact percentage I heard from Ralf Eckert. He was talking about practicing perfect stop shots, replacement shots, and short follow/draw shots. Said that you should strive for perfection in practice, and be as precise and demanding as possible, since when you are in competition if you hit 70% of a perfect stop or replacement shot you will still usually be okay. But if you are sloppy in practice, and then are at 70% of that, maybe not so good...

Scott

FranCrimi · Feb 20, 2013

scottjen26 said:
Funny you mention that, it's the same exact percentage I heard from Ralf Eckert. He was talking about practicing perfect stop shots, replacement shots, and short follow/draw shots. Said that you should strive for perfection in practice, and be as precise and demanding as possible, since when you are in competition if you hit 70% of a perfect stop or replacement shot you will still usually be okay. But if you are sloppy in practice, and then are at 70% of that, maybe not so good...

Scott

Wow, that's interesting, Scott. I guess that's a good number, then.

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 20, 2013

I used to say this on here alot and seemingly everybody disagreed with me. Anyway, here goes - again.

One of the few things i ever agreed on with Bob Knight was his comment that you should make practice harder than games. I used to take that idea to the pool table and set up shots where i had to be so precise it was like landing the CB on a dime.

Many on here - including instructors - said that was the wrong approach. I'm just not sure why. Unless they felt i was becoming a nervous wreck by not being able to do it and therefore losing any confidence when i missed that dime position by an inch or two.

Mike

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 21, 2013

Forgot to ask, not sure why i didnt ask in the first post of this thread.

Anyway, does anybody have any good speed control drills?

Mike

Scott Lee · Feb 21, 2013

Mike...You already have the best speed control drill there is...but you refuse to "learn" it, because you personally cannot see the benefit. You've said this many times...even though many others who have studied the same drill have expressed it's success for them.

FTR, in this thread, SPF instructors believe that speed control is an essential element of overall quick improvement, and it is taught immediately, as a part of a pre-defined strategy in helping poolplayers refine their personal process. It is most certainly a "feel" thing, and part of the student learning what their natural range of motion is, coupled with the other proper fundamentals, for each individual student.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

DrCue'sProtege said:
Forgot to ask, not sure why i didnt ask in the first post of this thread.

Anyway, does anybody have any good speed control drills?

Mike

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 21, 2013

Scott Lee said:
Mike...You already have the best speed control drill there is...but you refuse to "learn" it, because you personally cannot see the benefit. You've said this many times...even though many others who have studied the same drill have expressed it's success for them.

Is that MD5, where you roll the ball down the table and try and land it between two diamonds? If so i still do that every now and then. But, admittedly, not very much since i can just about do it in my sleep nowadays and it never really benefitted me.

At times i will even ask myself before a shot what MD5 speed i should hit this shot. Unfortunately, however, it doesnt help me much as i still struggle with speed control. Thats why i am practicing, for the most part, nothing but speed control on shots.

Like somebody said......often times its better to be a foot long on the right side than one inch short on the wrong side.

Mike

Scott Lee · Feb 21, 2013

Mike...No, MD 4 is where you shoot the stripe from the spot up to the center diamond, on the short rail, and then have it come back to your tip (this also trains you in where your cue lines up, under your face, when you perceive your sght line on the shot).

MD 5 is the speed control drill, and trains your brain and your arm to be able to accelerate from a stop to any speed (1-10) from a lag to a break. The CB does go up and down the centerline, but does not interact with any other balls. Your past comments were that you couldn't see a benefit from a drill where you have no interaction between CB & OB.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

DrCue'sProtege said:
Is that MD4, where you roll the ball down the table and try and land it between two diamonds? If so i still do that every now and then. But, admittedly, not very much since i can just about do it in my sleep nowadays and it never really benefitted me.

At times i will even ask myself before a shot what MD4 speed i should hit this shot. Unfortunately, however, it doesnt help me much as i still struggle with speed control. Thats why i am practicing, for the most part, nothing but speed control on shots.

Like somebody said......often times its better to be a foot long on the right side than one inch short on the wrong side.

Mike

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 21, 2013

I worked on speed for 2-3 days and since it was snowy and icy out in SW Indiana tonight i said what the heck, i am going to break a few racks. So, i end up hosing a handful of runouts and each and every time it was because i left myself tough due to my speed being off 2-4 inches.

I guess I am going to be a pool loser my whole life.

Mike

bbb · Feb 21, 2013

DrCue'sProtege said:
I worked on speed for 2-3 days and since it was snowy and icy out in SW Indiana tonight i said what the heck, i am going to break a few racks. So, i end up hosing a handful of runouts and each and every time it was because i left myself tough due to my speed being off 2-4 inches.

I guess I am going to be a pool loser my whole life.

Mike

with that attitude yes
with more diliberate practice no

im not an instructor

DrCue'sProtege · Feb 22, 2013

bbb said:
with that attitude yes
with more deliberate practice no

im not an instructor

I am going to keep trying though. The game brings me to my knees quite often. I guess if it was easy then everybody could play like Nick Varner.

Mike

Taco · Feb 22, 2013

I think hitting the CB up and down table with no OB is probably a worthwhile drill. The first shot in Kim Davenport's Target Pool is playing the CB from the foot spot and leaving it on the head spot without running into a rail. Try it - it's a *****.

IMO, it gets a lot harder to control speed when you’re running into an OB. In a ¼-ball hit the CB is going to travel a lot farther than in a ½ ball hit (where the CB & OB will travel the same distance). If you add English into the equation it gets more complicated still. Running English will make the CB fly off the rail and I tend to over-hit those shots because I know I have to hit it hard enough to have the spin intact when the CB hits the rail, but softly enough so it doesn’t fly out of control. That’s finesse, and some people got it and others don’t (I wish I had it).

Taco · Feb 22, 2013

I meant b*tch, not *****.

Speed Control

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