to practice or not

Do you have a goal to measure your progress?

You are dedicated to improving, but don't feel like playing. The two do not go together. Sounds a little more like, "I want to get better, but don't want to do what it takes". Can't have it both ways. Improvement takes hard work. If you really want to improve, the desire to play will be there.

Neil said:

You are dedicated to improving, but don't feel like playing. The two do not go together. Sounds a little more like, "I want to get better, but don't want to do what it takes". Can't have it both ways. Improvement takes hard work. If you really want to improve, the desire to play will be there.

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Bingo ... excellent post. :thumbup:

fasted71465 said:

I have a home table and I try to play at least an hour a day. Some days I am not in the mood to play or just don't feel like it. I am trying to improve so do I make myself shoot or only shoot when I am in the mood? I think it may be harmful to make myself play. Most of the time I play the ghost or do some drills other times I throw out balls and shoot them in order. I do know that I usually don't do well if I am not in the mood. I am dedicated to getting better and I will make myself if it does help.

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Even if you don't feel like playing...you should at least pick up a stick and just shoot for ten or 15 minutes.

Don't make things so tough. No need to shoot the ghost or shoot balls in order unless you want to lose your confidence.

Just shoot balls.:smile:

fasted71465 said:

I do want to improve and do what ever it takes just some days I don't feel like getting out of bed. My goal is to never miss a makeable shot. Not having a desire for a few days doesn't mean I aint dedicated because I have practice a lot before when I didn't want. MY QUESTION IS DOES IT HARM YOUR GAME IF YOU PRACTICE IF YOU ARE NOT WANTING TO THAT DAY? It seems I do poorly and hurts my confidence when I force myself to play.

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Only you can answer that.

First off, you have to find it within yourself to want to practice. Don't just go, "Well, I'm supposed to practice to get better, so here goes." And then just pick up your cue and start hitting balls. That will only cause drudgery and help kill any motivation.

Instead, have a little talk with yourself first. Tell yourself that you really want to improve, will do what it takes to improve, and are looking forward to that journey. Don't just look forward to the day that you finally play at the speed you want to, look at the whole journey. Improvement is a series of small improvements. Rarely will you have an improvement that is large at the time. After you have that talk with yourself, don't be surprised if you find yourself getting a little excited about practicing.

Also, understand that it is hard work, it takes time. No room for laziness. So, if that is now a problem, deal with that first. Cherish each day, you never know when your last one is.

fasted71465 said:

I do want to improve and do what ever it takes just some days I don't feel like getting out of bed. My goal is to never miss a makeable shot. Not having a desire for a few days doesn't mean I aint dedicated because I have practice a lot before when I didn't want. MY QUESTION IS DOES IT HARM YOUR GAME IF YOU PRACTICE IF YOU ARE NOT WANTING TO THAT DAY? It seems I do poorly and hurts my confidence when I force myself to play.

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Once you become good, you will never loose your confidence. There are secrets to pool you must know all of them, otherwise you will shoot good one day and bad the other.

What will hurt you the most is practicing with wrong techniques and lack of very advance knowledge. But i assure you once you become good, you will not leave the table.

fasted71465 said:

I do want to improve and do what ever it takes just some days I don't feel like getting out of bed. My goal is to never miss a makeable shot. Not having a desire for a few days doesn't mean I aint dedicated because I have practice a lot before when I didn't want. MY QUESTION IS DOES IT HARM YOUR GAME IF YOU PRACTICE IF YOU ARE NOT WANTING TO THAT DAY? It seems I do poorly and hurts my confidence when I force myself to play.

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It's tricky. I'm in a similar boat to you, but I go to the pool hall instead of playing at home. I often get ten mins in and have missed enough balls to want to call it a day. If I was at home, I would certainly go and do something else, but it's different if you lug your gear into town to play. I tend to grind through it until it becomes easier and less frustrating.

Poolguy's advice is good - just pot easy random balls for 30 mins or so, before moving onto the more challenging stuff. Switching my brain off and subduing irritation is the key to a more rewarding practice session, at least for me.

naji said:

Once you become good, you will never loose your confidence. There are secrets to pool you must know all of them, otherwise you will shoot good one day and bad the other.

What will hurt you the most is practicing with wrong techniques and lack of very advance knowledge. But i assure you once you become good, you will not leave the table.

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Go on then - what are the secrets?

Pathetic Shark said:

Go on then - what are the secrets?

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A straight and repeatable stroke, which everyone needs to work on. Should be the first thing you work on also.

Neil said:

A straight and repeatable stroke, which everyone needs to work on. Should be the first thing you work on also.

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Us Brits are born with a straight and repeatable stroke. :wink:

Naji is always tempting us with super duper tidbits -well let's hear em.

fasted71465 said:

I do want to improve and do what ever it takes just some days I don't feel like getting out of bed. My goal is to never miss a makeable shot. Not having a desire for a few days doesn't mean I aint dedicated because I have practice a lot before when I didn't want. MY QUESTION IS DOES IT HARM YOUR GAME IF YOU PRACTICE IF YOU ARE NOT WANTING TO THAT DAY? It seems I do poorly and hurts my confidence when I force myself to play.

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Many days I don't feel like getting out of bed, either, but then I'm 61 years old with a number of health issues. It actually hurts me to get out of bed many days. However, if you are still young, then that is a sign of possible clinical depression, in which case, you have a bigger problem than just your game.

I find that days that I don't feel like practicing are days where my confidence is already low. Nothing like spending 5-10 minutes just hitting balls around to make you realize that you are better than you feared you are. 99% of the time that's all I need to make me want to remain at the table.

One thing that always helps me is to leave the table on a high note. Maybe I'll do a simple position drill that parks the rock in the zones I'm trying for. This alone can make me leave the table feeling like a champ. Then, the next time I am ready to practice, I remember how well I played the time before and I am eager to repeat it.

Whatever your stumbling block is, it's worthwhile to take the time and try to figure out what's taking the joy out of it for you at times. No need to turn this into a job, it's supposed to fun, even when things aren't quite going the way you hoped they would. But if you really don't feel like playing and want to do something else, I can't see how missing a day now and then is going to affect your game in a measurable way.

Personal practice yes, is essential and yes, it can be boring.
Even top players still practice, not only to maintain their good stroke but also to study new possibilities that can be incorporated into their game.
Perhaps something I observed during my best pool years could help you:
I noticed that without realising it serious practice not only improved my technique skills but also made me take that valuable extra second at a shot during tournament play, it made me more patient and thus more accurate.
After a period of systematic practice it gets easier, there is a delicate balance though between an "overmechanical" approach and a "thinking process", the first will most possibly wear out a player's interest, the second will keep her/him going..

It's simple. Some have passion for this game and others don't. If you had the passion you wouldn't look at it like a chore.

fasted71465 said:

I have a home table and I try to play at least an hour a day. Some days I am not in the mood to play or just don't feel like it. I am trying to improve so do I make myself shoot or only shoot when I am in the mood? I think it may be harmful to make myself play. Most of the time I play the ghost or do some drills other times I throw out balls and shoot them in order. I do know that I usually don't do well if I am not in the mood. I am dedicated to getting better and I will make myself if it does help.

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Since when has playing pool become a chore to endure? I love to play and usually don't even have the time I would like to devote. I have my doubts whether you really enjoy the game. Most of us here can't get enough.

Things may not be that wrong as they seem to be, you may just be in a turning point at which you get tired due to practice but if you persist calmly and systematically, analyzing the whole process, you will most likely overcome this period.
It's natural to have periods of weak performance even though someone works, you need to accept that and move on.
Try keeping a few notes at the end of each day, what you think went right and what you think went wrong, just a few lines.
Have a look on those notes at the end of each week, your mind will work on these details even when you don't think about them..
Re-evaluate the situation after a few months, you need to compete on a regular basis and judge as accurately as you can, not soft or too hard on yourself.
Having instruction is also really good if possible, or at least discussion with other players that have a serious attitude and character for the game.
No need to give up, in the end this road is too personal and you have to find you way that works in getting you further.
Best of luck!