At what point does practice become counterproductive?

Bob...Most people make the mistake of equating tossing the balls on the table, and trying to run them...or playing the ghost...as practice. It is not...that is practicing playing, which requires a different mindset and sometimes a different skill set. IF Shane practices 12 hrs a day (I doubt it), then he is practicing "playing", which is very different from disciplined practice. Disciplined practice has a specific purpose, achievable goals, and measurable results. Someone can practice playing 24/7 if they choose to. Most of us have a short attention span that won't allow for too much high focus practice. If it's too easy, we get bored...if it's too difficult, we get frustrated or angry...if it's too 'tedious, we get fatigued. If I know what I am practicing, why I am practicing "it", and have measurable results that show me whether I'm correcting an error, or ingraining a process, high focus/short duration disciplined practice seems to work best for many players. Get it done...get the most out of it...and move on to something else. A serious practice session should always be followed by some playing (the fun factor).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Bob Callahan said:
In another thread, someone said they thought Shane practices 12 hours a day...it could be too much. He might do just as well with less. In most activities you need consolidation time...and too much practice can lead to staleness.

In your practice sessions do you notice a plateau, or--even worse--a decline in performance after awhile?

How long can you practice before you start to fade?
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A champion once told me not to burnout. I know now the importance of keeping your car in good condition. Makes sense right? I overheated my car and it took a flew blows. It cost time and money to fix something that could have been prevented. The mind and body depends on each other, burning out may put you on your ass for a while.
 
Is it possible shane doesn't practice 12 hours a day, but just stays in the pool hall 12 hours a day? Some guys are just like that, it's their home and you don't find them outside of it much.

You definitely need some downtime (lunch at least) in that 12 hour stretch.
There's probably no specific number where it's counterproductive but when you get bored or frustrated and stop trying, it's time to quit. Practice and not-trying are direct opposites. Which is why just hitting 'em around is not really practice.
 
I think a lot differently than most. The "resting" part comes in like this..... not sure how to explain it, maybe using a college test or say newspaper deadline as examples. They may have to work all night for 2 or 3 days.... but they are making serious progress, even if they don't realize it. After the deadline, yes they rest, but all that serious "pushing" and striving is what really got them somewhere. This is what I think is going on if shane hits balls for 12 hours. I feel if you do the same thing everyday for an hour, it is much harder to "progress," and it DEFINITELY takes longer. Maybe it's like your brain hits the reset button the next day, in a bad way. I used to see mark tadd miss a shot, and he'd shoot that ONE shot for an hour.... just that shot. And he'd start making some ungodly shot 8 or 9 out of ten and he'd stop...... but he'd do this routine after a lot of mistakes he made....... THAT is practice imo.

I also think the reason we feel a ton of practice isn't important is because we are practicing the wrong things. As another example, when a player gets more advanced and moves into one pocket, there is a whole new set of skills he needs that deal with only cb movement, but you rarely see them practice this.... they throw 9 balls out instead. So yes maybe an hour of that maxes you out, but that isn't the right practice. Further, there is ALWAYS something you need to be practicing a lot too, depending on the level you are at. In short, I think burnout is an issue, but it is one with an easy solution.... throw a 6pack in the cooler and head to the beach. I just strongly feel the real problem here in not practicing enough.
 
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The Chinchilla said:
I think a lot differently than most. The "resting" part comes in like this..... not sure how to explain it, maybe using a college test or say newspaper deadline as examples. They may have to work all night for 2 or 3 days.... but they are making serious progress, even if they don't realize it. After the deadline, yes they rest, but all that serious "pushing" and striving is what really got them somewhere. This is what I think is going on if shane hits balls for 12 hours. I feel if you do the same thing everyday for an hour, it is much harder to "progress," and it DEFINITELY takes longer. Maybe it's like your brain hits the reset button the next day, in a bad way. I used to see mark tadd miss a shot, and he'd shoot that ONE shot for an hour.... just that shot. And he'd start making some ungodly shot 8 or 9 out of ten and he'd stop...... but he'd do this routine after a lot of mistakes he made....... THAT is practice imo.

I also think the reason we feel a ton of practice isn't important is because we are practicing the wrong things. As another example, when a player gets more advanced and moves into one pocket, there is a whole new set of skills he needs that deal with only cb movement, but you rarely see them practice this.... they throw 9 balls out instead. So yes maybe an hour of that maxes you out, but that isn't the right practice. Further, there is ALWAYS something you need to be practicing a lot too, depending on the level you are at. In short, I think burnout is an issue, but it is one with an easy solution.... throw a 6pack in the cooler and head to the beach. I just strongly feel the real problem here in not practicing enough.
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I totally agree. When I used to really get into practicing, the good stuff would kick in after about the 6th hour for me. It's not that I didn't try the other 5, but I found my rhythm, my flow, things felt natural, and I could really feel the progress start to kick in at that point. It's like you have to break yourself down before you can start to build yourself up.

I know I'm not alone in this. I know many players over the years who felt this way.
 
Bob Callahan said:
In another thread, someone said they thought Shane practices 12 hours a day...it could be too much. He might do just as well with less. In most activities you need consolidation time...and too much practice can lead to staleness.

In your practice sessions do you notice a plateau, or--even worse--a decline in performance after awhile?

How long can you practice before you start to fade?
Click to expand...

I'd like to ask a variation of the Bob's question: Is there a point where too much practice (or playing) puts too much wear and tear on the body?

It seems to me that putting in 12 hours or even 8 hours daily might be putting too much wear and tear on the body...for which you'll pay for it sometime down the road with ailments like arthritis, tendinitis and other medical conditions caused by playing too much pool. Comments?
 
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I have seen steady improvement recently after I limited my practice sessions to 1 1/2 hours (average a little over an hour) or less. If I start to get bored or my attention starts to wane I will stop immediately and take at least a 2 hour break. I make a point not to exceed my 1 1/2 hour limit though. I also take a 2 or 3 day break every 10 days to let my mind reset.
 
stumpie71...That sounds like a perfect practice regimen to me! :thumbup: Do you also follow up your practice session with some fun play (actual competition)?

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

stumpie71 said:
I have seen steady improvement recently after I limited my practice sessions to 1 1/2 hours (average a little over an hour) or less. If I start to get bored or my attention starts to wane I will stop immediately and take at least a 2 hour break. I make a point not to exceed my 1 1/2 hour limit though. I also take a 2 or 3 day break every 10 days to let my mind reset.
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Scott Lee said:
stumpie71...That sounds like a perfect practice regimen to me! :thumbup: Do you also follow up your practice session with some fun play (actual competition)?

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Yes I play 3 to 4 league nights a week. Depends if they need me and I catch a 9 ball tourney every couple of weeks. Going to try and catch more tourneys for the next couple of months. Thanks for the compliment.
 
PoolSharkAllen said:
I'd like to ask a variation of the Bob's question: Is there a point where too much practice (or playing) puts too much wear and tear on the body?

It seems to me that putting in 12 hours or even 8 hours daily might be putting too much wear and tear on the body...for which you'll pay for it sometime down the road with ailments like arthritis, tendinitis and other medical conditions caused by playing too much pool. Comments?
Click to expand...

I do highly recommend the occasional marathon practice session. The frequency would depend on what kind of shape you are in, of course. 8 Or 12 hours a day, every single day is not practical, and probably not healthy. I think every player should try a marathon practice session. I think they'd be amazed at the benefits they can get from it. Once per week --- twice per month ---- whatever your body can handle.
 
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