am I too smart??

I constantly remind myself to just play, and to stop thinking. My current problem when it comes to my run outs is the money ball, I'm guessing that when I realize it's the last shot I can't help but think about everything. A couple of days ago I was practicing 9 ball and ran all the way down to the 9 three times in a row. So, basically because I missed three shots, I missed out on stringing those three racks together, and by the way I've never even strung 2 racks together! I've been playing pool for a little over a year and a half, and in an effort to learn and get better i quickly went into information overload. Now I am trying to get back to playing by instinct, but there are moments when what I've learned becomes instinct, such as when I notice that I just played a shot perfect to get perfect shape, etc.

Maybe DCP is just having a problem overthinking everything? We should just stop giving advice and telling him to watch videos, and just make him play. hehe I'll give him the 5 out if he promises not to complain if he gets a bad roll...

-J
 
That's the case with any sport/skill.

You "Practice" with all the right info/form/etc so when you "compete' your not thinking about anything but playing.

When your fully 'instroke' , your only thoughts should be your next shot and the winning score.

At MOST , you should have no more than a single shot thought during the shot. The rest should just flow (in best case).

After warm up , It's all about the mental game . :)
 
Hi Hu. I think you are a better player than I so I would never presume to tell you how to play etc. But maybe it's that you're thinkiing too much while playing?

I didn't play for about 40 yrs so when I began again I didn't have much that I'd learned back in the day. Consequently when I was shown how the stroke SHOULD be made, including stance etc, I was much like a beginner.

I potted thousands upon thouands of straight in 9 ft table length shots (potting 5 to 6 thousand a month) for about 2 or 3 years. Consequently I no longer have to think about anything but the shot. I no longer have to methodicaly and consciously (!) practice stepping into the shot in a methodical manner so that the cue will be over my back instep, of checking the length and angle of the grip, was the thumb pointing straight down, was the tip pointing down at the end, did I pause, did the handle go straight back over the diamond on the head rail while the tip went over the same spot on the head string and on and on and on and on. All this has become second nature. Now I'm free to play the game (if my shoulder and knee stop hurting).

Do you need more methodical practice on all that boring shit? There were many many days when I'd miss 15 or 20 straight in shots in a row because I was thinking so hard about where my feet were.... and/or other stuff. I'm glad I did it now and glad my coach insisted that I do it... may he R.I.P.
 
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Practice is what is annoying at times like this

Practice is what is annoying at times like this. When I am competing with someone the "A" personality takes over and jackslaps into submission any other voices trying to make themselves heard. I take care of business most of the time.

I almost never play on the Gandy's. That and near 100% humidity were no doubt issues but it still aggravates me that steering my stroke mightily was more effective than a nice clean stroke that should have been getting the job done. Today I am right back at smoothing out my stroke again but I'm thinking seriously about going scuff up some guys on the bar tables . . . cowboy style! :) The bar tables and the mud ball love the outlaw style of play.

Hu
 
lose the rearview mirror

I certainly remember playing better 25 years ago...
of course I also remember that 25 years ago I:
1. was quite a stud
2. was about the smartest person around
3. had a hell of lot more answers than questions
4. was bulletproof
5. didn't need 8 hours of sleep
6. thought a guaranteed weekly income was for the ovine inclined
The 25 years ago list just goes on and on but I do remember playing better than I do today...I think. :D
 
Confidence.

Like any sport, confidence is king when it comes to performing well. There can be no fear. Practice is purposeful for building confidence, but you have to turn off the pratical side of your brain to let your playing and creative side of your brain take over. I think it was Leonardo DaVinci that said "Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication".
 
IMO, you need to know everything yoy mentioned and need to know it inside and out. Otherwise you will never be a consistantly great shot maker. But, once you fully understand all the aspects of our game, you should play whatever way you play best. Playing naturally is different for everybody. Text book instruction is not for everybody... hardly anybody for that matter...

Knowledge is the key. Execution, with perfection, comes in many forms. Do what works for you and forget the way its *supposed* to be. That will hurt you. Just make sure you understand the knowledge and it won't matter if you have a *perfect* stance or shoot cross legged :)

Its true...
 
I too use to be very accurate when I was younger and running out seemed slightly easier at times (hard to remember since it was so far back). I believe it was easier becuase i didnt have that much knowledge and the one thing that i did well, the only thing i really knew how to do was pocket balls! How could i not have confidence in pool when there is only one thing to do? make balls! Then came english and deflection and the natural path of cue ball etc and slowly my shot making abilities deteriorated. I believe that more things we have to think about on the table the harder it is to execute. Kinda like chewing gum and walking at the same time (or on the table-pocket the ball in the corner while drawing and while using left hand engish).
Does this mean we should forego learning from the books and studying the videos and just rely solely on natural ability? OF COURSE NOT!
Unless you are just the adverage player looking to have a good time with friends on the weekend, (which you're probably not if you are on this site) you should learn as much as possible. There is always room for improvement, and knowledge usually beats out your opponent in the long run. Ever wonder why the next guy can run out more consistantly than you can? Is it because he/she is more talented than you? This is possible, but the majority of the time if the player is running out, it's because they have the knowledge of how to do so.

On a side note I saw Jude Rosenstock on this forum. I remember back in the day when he and I use to play even, and if i recall I had the better of him. Now, I heard through the grapevine he is an Open Player. I know Jude didnt just get that from natural talent. It's consistant playing and the knowledge obtained through the years thats got him to where he is today.
Congrats Jude, I'll be asking for 7 out from now on.

KW
 
knowledge is key

I too use to be very accurate when I was younger and running out seemed slightly easier at times (hard to remember since it was so far back). I believe it was easier becuase i didnt have that much knowledge and the one thing that i did well, the only thing i really knew how to do was pocket balls! How could i not have confidence in pool when there is only one thing to do? make balls! Then came english and deflection and the natural path of cue ball etc and slowly my shot making abilities deteriorated. I believe that more things we have to think about on the table the harder it is to execute. Kinda like chewing gum and walking at the same time (or on the table-pocket the ball in the corner while drawing and while using left hand engish).
Does this mean we should forego learning from the books and studying the videos and just rely solely on natural ability? OF COURSE NOT!
Unless you are just the adverage player looking to have a good time with friends on the weekend, (which you're probably not if you are on this site) you should learn as much as possible. There is always room for improvement, and knowledge usually beats out your opponent in the long run. Ever wonder why the next guy can run out more consistantly than you can? Is it because he/she is more talented than you? This is possible, but the majority of the time if the player is running out, it's because they have the knowledge of how to do so.

On a side note I saw Jude Rosenstock on this forum. I remember back in the day when he and I use to play even, and if i recall I had the better of him. Now, I heard through the grapevine he is an Open Player. I know Jude didnt just get that from natural talent. It's consistant playing and the knowledge obtained through the years thats got him to where he is today.
Congrats Jude, I'll be asking for 7 out from now on.

KW
 
less than ten years ago

Catahula said:
I certainly remember playing better 25 years ago...
of course I also remember that 25 years ago I:
1. was quite a stud
2. was about the smartest person around
3. had a hell of lot more answers than questions
4. was bulletproof
5. didn't need 8 hours of sleep
6. thought a guaranteed weekly income was for the ovine inclined
The 25 years ago list just goes on and on but I do remember playing better than I do today...I think. :D
Click to expand...

Less than ten years ago I set local records and bettered a world record, unofficially on the world record so it doesn't mean a thing though. However I have never been one to look at the past with rose colored glasses. I listen to my old car owner's tales of my exploits on the circle track with some amusement, most of them never happened! Of course some of the wilder sounding stories are gospel however.

To compete you need to be optimistic but you also have to be realistic about your own capabilities. Since I have competed at something almost continuously throughout my life, I have looked at myself pretty hard. I know where I am at, and I know where I was.

Hu
 
sorry

Sorry for the double posting. can I get rid of one of them? New to site my apologies again.
 
When you're young a lot of things come naturally. The daughter of a friend of mine moved to NJ from Uruguay when she was 8 years old and within 6 months she was speaking English as well as I was. Pool came naturally to me when I was a kid. No one ever told me about deflection, yet I could make table length shots with english with no fear of missing. I had no need for an aiming system - at a glance, I spotted the contact point on the ob and I had no trouble hitting it with whitey. Unfortunately, after 38 years of not playing, my natural gifts disappeared. So, I'm thankful for those who have broken the game down into bite-sized components. No, not everybody needs that type of instruction; but, others do. Hank Aaron was a natural - he didn't need to read Ted Williams' treatise on hitting to get to the big leagues. He learned to bat by hitting bottle caps with a broomstick. There are other big leaguers, however, who had to rely on instruction and hard work.
 
I had a major problem with overthinking my game a few months back. I was just trying to tweak too many things at once & ignored my natural game. At first I thought "To hell with this" & just went back to playing normally. Since then every so often I'll notice some of the things I was trying have just crept into my game, slowly but surely. I just needed to get the balance right.

I still just play fired up & fast sometimes just to warm up, going for "silly" shots with ridiculous amounts of draw, follow & english. Sometimes it just feels good to get it out of your system, plus you know the shots are still there if you need them!
 
none taken and no apology needed

Catahula said:
No disrespect intended Hu.
Click to expand...

No offense was taken and no apology needed. I just wanted to point out it wasn't purely a case of "everything better in the good old days." A lot of truth in your statement about "everything" being better in memory but some things we do have benchmarks for. If we remember those benchmarks we can be somewhat accurate in our judgment of "the good ol' days" or as I usually refer to them, "the good ol' days when times were rotten!" The level of my play back then can be debated, the level of player I beat, at least on a given day, can't be because they were and in some cases still are known quantities.

Gotta ask about your name. I ran around Catahoula(sp) LA when I was in high school, knew a girl or two there. Of course the catahoula leopard cur is our state dog too. Are you from that neck of the woods?

Hu
 
eheh... I find that the more I think, the better I play. I was lucky to read about deflection, curve, etc... long before I really could shoot worth a damn, so now it doesn't feel like 'thinking' at all to account for that stuff.

I do think a lot about the tangent line and the effect of english. Maybe I don't make balls any better, but when I obsess over the leave, measure the tangent line carefully and come up with an appropriate english to move the ball off of that line... I find my shape is so much better, I run racks more, I can practically shoot every shot half scared and keep coming up with good easy shape. There are no surprises.

I feel bad for anyone who developed a funky stroke for several years (not long enough to make it work well, like kieth, but long enough to make it a deeply ingrained habit)... and now has to either commit to it for the rest of their lives or fight their own bad habits. Equally I feel bad for anyone who learned how to subconsciously account for stuff like deflection, and then they find thoughts about it intruding on their shotmaking.
 
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