Another drills vs playing thred

mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Someone just said on another thred "practicing drills make you good at drills" I've always thought playing real world racks,ether by yourself or with some one, is actually better. Not only are you focusing on shots/shape/stroke (like a drill) you've got the extra benifet of playing a little nervous about getting the win. And since losing sucks your interest level stays higher! Another benifet is practicing the breaks! After playing a few hrs I will take a shot I missed or blew shape on and hit it a few dozen times, but I really don't call that a drill. Or with out telling my buddy I will work on one part of my game like safeties and look for good opportunities to throw them in.
Any new thoughts on this age old debate?
 
mvp said:
Someone just said on another thred "practicing drills make you good at drills" I've always thought playing real world racks,ether by yourself or with some one, is actually better. Not only are you focusing on shots/shape/stroke (like a drill) you've got the extra benifet of playing a little nervous about getting the win. And since losing sucks your interest level stays higher! Another benifet is practicing the breaks! After playing a few hrs I will take a shot I missed or blew shape on and hit it a few dozen times, but I really don't call that a drill. Or with out telling my buddy I will work on one part of my game like safeties and look for good opportunities to throw them in.
Any new thoughts on this age old debate?
Click to expand...

By this logic, then no professionals would practice. IMHO you refine your fundamentals in practice so that you don't get as nervous in competition. Practice making your weakness into strengths and you will perform better. Take Ray Allen for example, I know he's a basket ball player, but he would practice 1,000 three pointers before every game, so that means in a year he is going to practice the same shot 82,000 times so that the one time it comes out in a game everything is executed perfectly, he is subconsciously competent at what he does. That is what drills can refine in your game, IMO. Then when you go into competition you play your best against the best, that's when iron sharpens iron.
 
I prefer playing, but that's mostly because of where I'm at in my life as a pool player.
Were I starting out I might use practice drills, but it's hard to say.
They (drills) tend to be long and tedious and require a certain temperament that would allow a person to do them over and over. Patience is a virtue when it comes to practicing a set of shots. :smile:
 
You're assuming that a player doesn't focus and concentrate as much while shooting a drill as he would while playing a game. That's an easy assumption to make...but it's all in the mind of the player. One could just as easily practice focus and concentration while doing a drill.
 
My old buddy Tom "Dr Cue" Rossman put it rather bluntly to me one time. And he is quite correct. If you want to become a pool player you have to do something most people don't like to do. You have to WORK at it!

If people find working on mechanics, various shots, speed control, etc, as tedious and boring work, well, then, its unlikely you are ever going to become a really good player.

As Edison said, Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

Work on those drills.........

r/DCP
 
It's important to understand how to use drills to learn. It is most certainly correct that simply going through the motions and playing a drill won't do much good. It doesn't serve much purpose to complete a drill when half the shots in the run out are trick shots.

Ideally, you want to understand what positional shots or techniques a drill is focusing on and learn them. Practicing long straight in shots won't do much good unless a player makes the necessary adjustments to correct any flaws that cause them to miss.

As you improve at these drills, the trick is to actively identify the positional shots you've worked on in the course of a normal game.

If you take this drill from Darren Appleton for example, the balls will never land in a box layout like this. But the positional shots he plays come up all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHoYo81xHfU

When approaching a new drill, I prefer to find an example of it on youtube being performed by a professional or top amateur, and see how they approach it and I'll try to emulate what they do as best as possible. To end a practice session I'll play few solo games and consciously try to identify the positional shots during the course of the game that I've practiced in my routines.

A drill is only as useful as the player makes it. There are certainly examples of players reaching a high standard without using drills, but the benefit of routines is they are the same every time making it easy identify and practice areas of weaknesses. Whereas playing racks of 9 ball, you can have days where the balls keep coming up in easy positions and you feel like you are on fire, despite the fact you keep getting cosmos. Other days the balls aren't cooperating, which is great practice except you need to have the self-control to reset and practice mistakes until you get it right.
 
BurritoBandido said:
By this logic, then no professionals would practice. IMHO you refine your fundamentals in practice so that you don't get as nervous in competition. Practice making your weakness into strengths and you will perform better. Take Ray Allen for example, I know he's a basket ball player, but he would practice 1,000 three pointers before every game, so that means in a year he is going to practice the same shot 82,000 times so that the one time it comes out in a game everything is executed perfectly, he is subconsciously competent at what he does. That is what drills can refine in your game, IMO. Then when you go into competition you play your best against the best, that's when iron sharpens iron.
Click to expand...

When I see pros practice I see them running racks or practicing certain shots which may be giving them trouble.

I suppose it depends on how you define "drills" but that doesn't fit my definition of drills.
 
If the APA or some other entity started a "Drills" league, would it be a major step towards catching-up with Europe and Asia?
 
mvp said:
Someone just said on another thred "practicing drills make you good at drills" I've always thought playing real world racks,ether by yourself or with some one, is actually better. Not only are you focusing on shots/shape/stroke (like a drill) you've got the extra benifet of playing a little nervous about getting the win. And since losing sucks your interest level stays higher! Another benifet is practicing the breaks! After playing a few hrs I will take a shot I missed or blew shape on and hit it a few dozen times, but I really don't call that a drill. Or with out telling my buddy I will work on one part of my game like safeties and look for good opportunities to throw them in.
Any new thoughts on this age old debate?
Click to expand...

Doing drill basically teaches you how to make that ball and play shape for your next shot. This is very good practice for a beginner. Once you know how to do a shot, there is no reason to shoot it 100 more times.

Playing against an opponent will put more pressure on you and teaches you how to relax under these circumstances. This is especially true when playing for money....

Both of the above are important if you want to do well in pool.

To me, and this is just my opinion, it seems like the most important thing is to play often. This keeps your rhythm and muscle memory constant. It is also important to have that "feel" of how hard to hit the ball on a certain shot. Playing a lil each day, even if it's only 15/20 minutes, will keep you in tune with the table.

Look around the pool hall the next time your there. Who are the better players? How often do you see them there and how long do they usually play? Some may have tables at home that they practice on......

Now look at your own game, could you improve? Do you have more time each day to play? Realistically, how good do you think you can get?
 
tucson9ball said:
Doing drill basically teaches you how to make that ball and play shape for your next shot. This is very good practice for a beginner. Once you know how to do a shot, there is no reason to shoot it 100 more times.

Playing against an opponent will put more pressure on you and teaches you how to relax under these circumstances. This is especially true when playing for money....

Both of the above are important if you want to do well in pool.

To me, and this is just my opinion, it seems like the most important thing is to play often. This keeps your rhythm and muscle memory constant. It is also important to have that "feel" of how hard to hit the ball on a certain shot. Playing a lil each day, even if it's only 15/20 minutes, will keep you in tune with the table.

Look around the pool hall the next time your there. Who are the better players? How often do you see them there and how long do they usually play? Some may have tables at home that they practice on......

Now look at your own game, could you improve? Do you have more time each day to play? Realistically, how good do you think you can get?
Click to expand...

It's hard to gain an appreciation for all the minor details and nuances when you're just playing... Too much margin of error and percentage play not enough fine tuning.
 
i am sorry i havent read the other replies..:o:o:o:o
here is my 2 cents
drills reinforce the abiity to shoot a certain shot and get the cue ball to a specific place
so when you see the similar layout in a game your subconcious says
OK I HAVE PRACTICED THIS A BUNCH
NO PROBLEM...:)
playing gives you experience to handle nerves
judgement on when to shoot and when to play a safe
and what do you do after HE played safe on you
BUT
the drills give you confidence in the shot situations you have practice..:thumbup:
jmho
icbw
 
Here's something I posted a number of years ago. Just as applicable today as it was then.

Doing fundamental drills will "groove" your stroke. Without a repeatable, straight stroke, all else is nothing more than a crap shoot.

Doing pocketing drills will increase your confidence and ability in making balls. It will also show you which shots are low percentage for you.

Doing pocketing drills combined with positional drills will increase your confidence and abilities in pocketing and positional play.

Playing the ghost will enable you to take your individual skills and combine them. It will teach you pressure. It will teach you how shots tie in together. It will teach you the best routes to take to make things as simple as possible.

Doing drills will enable you to set up the same shot, and see exactly where you had a problem with it. Is it a shot that you feel you should make most of the time, but in reality you actually make less than 50% and didn't even realize it?

In any case, drills, or playing the ghost, will do you little good if your goal is just to perform the drill a set number of times. The drills are to reinforce your muscles and your subconscious on how exactly to perform it. So that under pressure, you will perform as you trained. During drills, you should be paying very close attention to details. ALL the details, so you can actually learn something and improve.

To those that think drills are a waste of time- good luck with that. Don't be surprised when in 10 years you find out you aren't much better than you are now.
 
Drills, done correctly, should be short in duration, with focus on your preshot routines, and with with a measurable way to provide improvement. Doing something 1000's (or even 100's) of times is redundant and counter productive to quick improvement. For drills to provide any real benefit, you have know three things: why you're doing the drill, what you expect to gain from doing the drill, and a way to measure your results so you can see your own improvement.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Tramp Steamer said:
Were I starting out I might use practice drills, but it's hard to say.
They (drills) tend to be long and tedious and require a certain temperament that would allow a person to do them over and over. Patience is a virtue when it comes to practicing a set of shots. :smile:
Click to expand...
 
As usual, exellent post Neil! :thumbup: We've seen hundreds, if not thousands of players who have not significantly improved in 10, or even 25 years. The smart ones finally decide to come to pool school! The stubborn ones continue doing exactly what they have been...and getting the exact same results! :eek: LOL

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Neil said:
Here's something I posted a number of years ago. Just as applicable today as it was then.

Doing fundamental drills will "groove" your stroke. Without a repeatable, straight stroke, all else is nothing more than a crap shoot.

Doing pocketing drills will increase your confidence and ability in making balls. It will also show you which shots are low percentage for you.

Doing pocketing drills combined with positional drills will increase your confidence and abilities in pocketing and positional play.

Playing the ghost will enable you to take your individual skills and combine them. It will teach you pressure. It will teach you how shots tie in together. It will teach you the best routes to take to make things as simple as possible.

Doing drills will enable you to set up the same shot, and see exactly where you had a problem with it. Is it a shot that you feel you should make most of the time, but in reality you actually make less than 50% and didn't even realize it?

In any case, drills, or playing the ghost, will do you little good if your goal is just to perform the drill a set number of times. The drills are to reinforce your muscles and your subconscious on how exactly to perform it. So that under pressure, you will perform as you trained. During drills, you should be paying very close attention to details. ALL the details, so you can actually learn something and improve.

To those that think drills are a waste of time- good luck with that. Don't be surprised when in 10 years you find out you aren't much better than you are now.
Click to expand...
 
mvp said:
Someone just said on another thred "practicing drills make you good at drills" I've always thought playing real world racks,ether by yourself or with some one, is actually better. Not only are you focusing on shots/shape/stroke (like a drill) you've got the extra benifet of playing a little nervous about getting the win. And since losing sucks your interest level stays higher! Another benifet is practicing the breaks! After playing a few hrs I will take a shot I missed or blew shape on and hit it a few dozen times, but I really don't call that a drill. Or with out telling my buddy I will work on one part of my game like safeties and look for good opportunities to throw them in.
Any new thoughts on this age old debate?
Click to expand...



Drills all the way.....
Unless you just have endless time to kill or would like it to take
as long as possible to become good.
 
There are several good posts in this thread about the value of drills, and I don't have much to add to that. I woukd say that doing drills for drills sake is pointless. You do them because they help you work on specific facets of your game. I use the ones that help with specific weaknesses in my game or my fundamentals or mechanics. There is a reason athletes in other sports don't just scrimmage or play practice rounds.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
mvp said:
Someone just said on another thred "practicing drills make you good at drills" I've always thought playing real world racks,ether by yourself or with some one, is actually better. Not only are you focusing on shots/shape/stroke (like a drill) you've got the extra benifet of playing a little nervous about getting the win. And since losing sucks your interest level stays higher! Another benifet is practicing the breaks! After playing a few hrs I will take a shot I missed or blew shape on and hit it a few dozen times, but I really don't call that a drill. Or with out telling my buddy I will work on one part of my game like safeties and look for good opportunities to throw them in.
Any new thoughts on this age old debate?
Click to expand...

You need both. Why does it have to be one or the other?
 
anyone whos been great at at game locally , regionally or internationally has spent significant time doing drills of some sort. A golfer spends endless hours at the driving range working on his shots so that when he's out on the course he can execute them. A qb spends endless hours working on all the different throws he will need. A basketball player adds new shots to his skill set by working on that shot for hours until he knows when he needs it he knows it. Etc. etc. You need drills to learn the skills and shots necessary to play the game at a high level. You compete to test the knowledge and fundamentals you've worked on.
 
I agree drills are useful for learning new stuff,but most useful for warming up before the game.When it comes to that spot shot and you need it you only get one try in a game.
 
I gotta say this all seems a bit strange, it feel like a bit of a 180 turn from past threads about practice where a bunch of people all felt that gambling was the thing to do. Being a firm believer in practice some of these (no most to all) are absolutely amazing.
The key thing about practice for me is it helps retrain my brain and muscle into what to do, but there are a lot of technical things that go with it. As many have mentioned it's the quality of practice that counts next it's the type of person, see you could spend time doing the wrong thing and never knowing it, next you could be too caught up in books and videos where you're now changing things that don't need changing or picking up things that are not for you "well i see shane/earl/mika/appelton/etc play it like this" well you're not them and you're not at their level, practice should teach you how to perfect what "your game/style" is.
There needs to be a balance between playing and practicing but one has to know how to approach the both, you need to carry the same focus from practice into playing and you must accept playing sub par for the sake of progress. That is where a good coach be it an actual coach or good mentor.
To many amateurs rate success on "did the ball go in or not" hence why they choose play over practice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top