Amateur Brain - Seeing the Table - Help

S

Steve C

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Grasshopper to Master Po - How is it that you know these things?
Master Po to Grasshopper - How is it that you do not?

Having just watched John Schmidt's new dvd the above exchange could easily be between myself and John substituting the word "see" for the word know.

My game has been critiqued, and I unfortunately still agree, to be plagued by an very amateur brain.

Even if one had the shotmaking skills of John for recoveries and shots after the break shot, which I do not, excellent straight pool players simply see the table differently.

I can throw fifteen open balls on the table and run them off quite consistently without touching another ball and still can. Since returning to the game after a layoff however, my runs above twenty are dismal.

My question and search then is how might one improve thier ability to recognize the patterns and see the table.
If you could transfer one golden nugget to respond to that query what would it be?

Thanks in advance for the courtesy of your replies.
 
Steve C said:
Grasshopper to Master Po - How is it that you know these things?
Master Po to Grasshopper - How is it that you do not?

Having just watched John Schmidt's new dvd the above exchange could easily be between myself and John substituting the word "see" for the word know.

My game has been critiqued, and I unfortunately still agree, to be plagued by an very amateur brain.

Even if one had the shotmaking skills of John for recoveries and shots after the break shot, which I do not, excellent straight pool players simply see the table differently.

I can throw fifteen open balls on the table and run them off quite consistently without touching another ball and still can. Since returning to the game after a layoff however, my runs above twenty are dismal.

My question and search then is how might one improve thier ability to recognize the patterns and see the table.
If you could transfer one golden nugget to respond to that query what would it be?

Thanks in advance for the courtesy of your replies.
Click to expand...

Dear "amateur brain" - give me a call...

PM sent.

Also, be like water.
 
> Think backwards from the breakball. Once the balls are spread, identify the breakball and think the key balls backwards. This helps in identifying a pattern and keeping in it.
 
Preface. Played pool as a kid and only progressed to being a shot maker. Started playing again about 6 or 7 months ago after 20+ years off and struggled. Straightened out my stroke, really, regained my eye and aiming technique and regained some small shape making ability. A area I was never very good at. But when it comes to reading the table I'm lost.

I'm actually quiet happy with my progress so far but my opponents are not. It seems I'm taking the break shots during my runs and frustrating 2 of them? It's really not my problem per say but I now need help moving to the next level. After being told I'll never be a good straight pool player by them I'm now more motivated then ever to prove to them and myself their wrong. I'll be working on trying to see at least 3 shots ahead and paying closer attention to potential break balls and the key ball or balls today.
Like Steve C, "my question and search then is how might one improve their ability to recognize the patterns and see the table."
"If you could transfer one golden nugget to respond to that query what would it be?"
I'm watching How To Run 112 Balls At Pocket Billiards while I composed this.

Thank you.
 
Jim Rempe says in his 100 run video to toss all 15 balls out on the table, no closer to the rail than 5 or 6 inches and no closer than 5 or 6 inches from each other. Take cue ball in hand and start running balls.....oh, you're not allowed to hit a rail with the cue ball. He says if you do that 2 hours a day for 2 weeks there's no way you won't up your level of play and seeing patterns. Pretty tough exercise though. I've cleared them all a few times but not so many times that I feel like I can say that "I can do this!" with regularity. It's a tough tough exercise. But you do pick up patterns, no doubt about that.
MULLY
 
mullyman,

I'll assume your advice was directed at Steve C and myself; thank you.
I guess I spent so much time getting my stroke and shot making back I neglected putting more time into reading the table. In my defense it took most of 6 months for those two above mentioned things to come together. Yesterday while I did not practice the drill you mentioned, I will and thank you.
Yesterday I did I think start seeing the break shots early, finding the key ball or balls and looking 3 shots ahead. I guess I needed a wake up call and now understand why my opponents were so irrigated or POed with my game!
I also plan on taking 4 of your 5 tips from your You know.... thread to the table today. I already learned to make little or no noise with my chalk.
Thanks again.
 
selftaut said:
Here is the nugget :)

insurance insurance insurance
Click to expand...

Since when I'm playing an opponent my mind doesn't work fast enough to study the patterns at the table and choose the absolute perfect shot, I play this way quite often. I go to insurance-filled zones. I've seen Mizerak and Sigel play this way a lot on the accustats tapes. They may pick out an end pattern and break ball, but most of the time they don't seem to be thinking more than 3 balls ahead. Of course they take care of clusters, and I may be wrong, but they go to zones that allow for more than one direction off of more than one ball, and in doing so are automatically presented with paths to those clusters, problem balls and bumping opportunities. Unless it's a gimme leave, they usually have multiple easy shots to shoot.
 
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