Average Number of Shots

Jonathan01 said:
My end goal is to run it in 15 shots, but if I can get it down to 20 shots right now I will be happy.
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It all comes in stages. But to put you in prespective, when I play as you indicated in post 1, I average 17-18 shots and I happen to be a strong APA 6.
 
MitchAlsup said:
It all comes in stages. But to put you in prespective, when I play as you indicated in post 1, I average 17-18 shots and I happen to be a strong APA 6.
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Yes, I agree with the stages, if I can go from 30 shots and work my way down 2 shots at a time, to get to 20-22 shots that would make me happy. My team has a 8 ball match thursday, I will practice some before the match, and if I play this week, I will let yall know how it goes. I should play this week, as the team we are playing this week has 7 sl 3s and 1 sl5.

Thanks
 
Johnathon I have a question do most of your problems come from not having a good shot or missing a shot you think you should make. Here is a thought for you to try break the balls open maybe do it more than once when you have a good open table with no clusters then try to run it out. Take ball in hand notice the bal you are shooting and does it line up with another ball if so so shoot a stop shot so the next shot is easy. Try to have a close cue ball to object ball distance. Try to not have to much angle on shots. As you shoot balls make shot choices to clean out pockets and rails early. The pockets being cleared out open them to other balls, balls on the rail are not good to save till late in the rack. Try to not bump into other balls as you might create issues. It might be easier for you to start with 10 balls rather than 15. Take ball in hand every time you miss and try to make a plan to run out when you place the cue ball. Train with success do not train with difficult shots and miss constantly it will not help you improve unless of course you have a plan to learn something from it but training with success is the more direct route to improvement.

If you got the cash a lesson from a good teach ala Scott Lee, Randy G, Mark Wilson or Stan Shuffet any and all of these can accelerate your game like you cannot believe from your current level.

Good luck buddy you can run that table.
 
Today I did your drill, just for the fun of it. I was on an 8' GC5 table, simonis cloth. I know exactly where I stand in the pool world. I've been playing this game for 15 years, gambling against all caliber of players the entire time. I'm a high C player, with ranges of B on my good days. If I go to a bar or predominately banger pool room, people there will say to me "you should play on the pro tour". Those poor souls have no clue, lol. In a "player's" pool room, I'm at the bottom of the pack of real "players". Below are my scores for 10 racks. Note, I counted the break shot as a stroke, took BIH after the break, and did not penalize myself for scratches on the break (I never scratched during the run outs).

Rack, Ball on break, Scratch on Break, Misses, Total Strokes, Comments
1, 0, Yes, 1, 17, Missed 1st ball
2, 1, Yes, 3, 18, All misses were last ball
3, 1, No, 3, 18, Missed 1st ball
4, 0, Yes, 1, 17
5, 0, No, 1, 17, made one 2 for 1 shot
6, 2, No, 0, 14
7, 0, No, 0, 16
8, 0, No, 1, 17, Missed 1st ball
9, 1, Yes, 2, 17, Missed last ball
10, 1, No, 0, 15

Average number of strokes to clear all 15 balls over 10 racks: 16.6

You can see I had 3 of 10 racks where I missed zero balls. I had 3 racks where I missed the first ball, which was BIH. This is because I was trying to do something fancier to break out a cluster in order to run the whole table. Also a couple racks I missed the last ball. Its easy to "run out of position", and it comes back to bite you towards the end of the run. You can also see that my break sucks, as I made a ball only in 5 of 10 racks, and had scratches on 4 of the breaks. No worries, as I prefer to play one pocket:)

A top local player (A level), will easily have zero misses almost every rack.
 
Most of my problems do come from not having a good shot or having a 6' shot between the CB and OB. I do not have good CB control yet, so position is most of my problems. I am pretty good at stop shots, but sometimes they draw.

I do think 10 balls instead of 15 will help me too. i plan too try playing bowlilards are sugessted. Also, i will look into the costs of the lessons and see if i have the cash for them.

I really hope I can start running the table, it feels so good when i run 5 balls right now.

Thanks
 
iusedtoberich said:
Today I did your drill, just for the fun of it. I was on an 8' GC5 table, simonis cloth. I know exactly where I stand in the pool world. I've been playing this game for 15 years, gambling against all caliber of players the entire time. I'm a high C player, with ranges of B on my good days. If I go to a bar or predominately banger pool room, people there will say to me "you should play on the pro tour". Those poor souls have no clue, lol. In a "player's" pool room, I'm at the bottom of the pack of real "players". Below are my scores for 10 racks. Note, I counted the break shot as a stroke, took BIH after the break, and did not penalize myself for scratches on the break (I never scratched during the run outs).

Rack, Ball on break, Scratch on Break, Misses, Total Strokes, Comments
1, 0, Yes, 1, 17, Missed 1st ball
2, 1, Yes, 3, 18, All misses were last ball
3, 1, No, 3, 18, Missed 1st ball
4, 0, Yes, 1, 17
5, 0, No, 1, 17, made one 2 for 1 shot
6, 2, No, 0, 14
7, 0, No, 0, 16
8, 0, No, 1, 17, Missed 1st ball
9, 1, Yes, 2, 17, Missed last ball
10, 1, No, 0, 15

Average number of strokes to clear all 15 balls over 10 racks: 16.6

You can see I had 3 of 10 racks where I missed zero balls. I had 3 racks where I missed the first ball, which was BIH. This is because I was trying to do something fancier to break out a cluster in order to run the whole table. Also a couple racks I missed the last ball. Its easy to "run out of position", and it comes back to bite you towards the end of the run. You can also see that my break sucks, as I made a ball only in 5 of 10 racks, and had scratches on 4 of the breaks. No worries, as I prefer to play one pocket:)

A top local player (A level), will easily have zero misses almost every rack.
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My breaks are about what yours are, i always have at least two ball hit the head rail, but don't always make a ball.
 
elvicash said:
If you got the cash a lesson from a good teach ala Scott Lee, Randy G, Mark Wilson or Stan Shuffet any and all of these can accelerate your game like you cannot believe from your current level.
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Hey, I looked at these teachers' websites, and Randy G out of Dallas, TX is the closest to me. He had on his site, his 2010 prices, the two day beginner class is $399, and his three day Intermediate is $695. His school is about a 8 hour drive, 513 miles, from my house. I figure it would be about $100 in fuel there and $100 in fuel to get back, than about $200 a night for hotel and food. So, I would say that it would be about $600- $800 just for fuel, hotel, and food.

I really want to go, but right now i don't have the cash. The class fees are not what is too high, it's the other costs.

If i get some extra cash i will go for sure.

Thanks again
 
Hey, I played a few racks of 15 balls again last night. I am now down to 25 to 27 shots now instead of 30 to 32 shots. So, that's a little improvement.
 
alstl said:
Equal offense is a great game for learning how to run balls. Here are the rules.

http://www.billiardsforum.info/pool-rules/equal-offense-billiard-rules.asp

My advice would be not to worry about what "average" is, just try to improve your number. If you play often you will surprise yourself and be doing things you never thought possible.
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Thanks, I will try this. I like how it has the different levels of skill.
I will start at the beginner level and i wait till I score 120 three in a row times before I move up.

I play on one apa 8 ball team, and I try to practice one or two other days. I paid for a month of unlimited pool table time at a pool hall by my house. They have 8 or 9 8ft tables, and I think 1 9 ft table, also they have two coin op bar boxes. I have been playing on the 8 ft tables, the 9 ft table is always full.

I have been practicing 3 to 4 hours a week on the 8ft tables, and 2 to 3 hours on match night. Now that I have unlimited time, I should be able to play 8 to 16 hours a week there, and than about 2 hours a week before my match on 7ft tables.
 
Nice improvemnt.

These "tests" are fine for establishing a baseline of where you are, and maybe retesting them every few months. But I don't think they are all that great for learning or improving. To do that, you are better off shooting the same shot 10 times to learn it, or going through a drill book (Joe Tucker's Guarnateed Improvement is excellent, and only $11), or playing against much better players to see what they do, and then trying what they did on your own afterwards until you can do it.

Sounds like you got the pool bug! Best to you...
 
iusedtoberich said:
Nice improvemnt.

These "tests" are fine for establishing a baseline of where you are, and maybe retesting them every few months. But I don't think they are all that great for learning or improving. To do that, you are better off shooting the same shot 10 times to learn it, or going through a drill book (Joe Tucker's Guarnateed Improvement is excellent, and only $11), or playing against much better players to see what they do, and then trying what they did on your own afterwards until you can do it.

Sounds like you got the pool bug! Best to you...
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I really do see where these are test, and not really training, I plan on getting my own table hopefully within 6 months. I think I am going to get a 9 foot table. Once I have my own table, I will be a able to take my time, and lay out shots and drills on my table do them. One of my main problems is playing position.

Yes, I have been wanting a pool table snice I was about 10, but never had the space for one. I just got on a apa team this session, because I couldn't wait any longer to play pool. The first couple weeks of my league, I played really poor, so I needed to start practicing, so I started going about once a week for about 3 hours. Now, I just want play as much as I can, so I can reach some of my goals. Than once I am there, make new goals to reach. I plan on playing pool until I can't stand up any more.
 
Jonathan01 said:
Thanks, I will try this. I like how it has the different levels of skill.
I will start at the beginner level and i wait till I score 120 three in a row times before I move up.

I play on one apa 8 ball team, and I try to practice one or two other days. I paid for a month of unlimited pool table time at a pool hall by my house. They have 8 or 9 8ft tables, and I think 1 9 ft table, also they have two coin op bar boxes. I have been playing on the 8 ft tables, the 9 ft table is always full.

I have been practicing 3 to 4 hours a week on the 8ft tables, and 2 to 3 hours on match night. Now that I have unlimited time, I should be able to play 8 to 16 hours a week there, and than about 2 hours a week before my match on 7ft tables.
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If you practice enough, assuming you have some natural ability, you will reach the point where you are using what they describe as level 4 rules and running 20 balls an inning on a regular basis.

The downside of pool is there is no money in it. My advice would be to not spend so much time in the pool hall that you are limiting your opportunity for success in life. Sorry if that sounds like a lecture.
 
alstl said:
If you practice enough, assuming you have some natural ability, you will reach the point where you are using what they describe as level 4 rules and running 20 balls an inning on a regular basis.

The downside of pool is there is no money in it. My advice would be to not spend so much time in the pool hall that you are limiting your opportunity for success in life. Sorry if that sounds like a lecture.
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I am not looking to make any money, I just want to win some of my league matches. I am not looking to spend 40 hours at the pool hall. I just fiqure instead of just lying around at home for 3 or 4 hours in the evening, I might as well go practice pool.

I understand that they have some people that don't have a job because all they want to do is play pool, or video games, or whatever else that they do that is more important to them them a job.

Just wanting to get better at pool that's all.
 
Another practice game.

One other game you might try that
is a lot like what you are already doing
is Fargo. You can google it for the rules.

Rules wise it is simple and straight forward.
It will give you a simple way to mark your
progress and put some occasional pressure
on you.

Have more than one practice game. If you
practice one game all the time it will soon
get boring and the quality of your practice will
fall off. Find two or three that you like and don't
hesitate to switch between them.

The very best thing you can do for yourself is
get professional instruction. It is much easier
to learn to do things correctly from the beginning
than it is to change bad habits.

Have fun and be happy when you play well.
 
Hey, I just found out I have been playing on 9 ft tables these past two weeks. I thought I was playing on 8 ft tables this whole time. No wonder the 7ft bar boxes looked so small. I found out I was on 9 ft tables, when they had a in house league at the pool hall, and was told that the 4x8 in the back was open to use. As soon as I put the rack of balls on the table I noticed it was smaller than what I was just on a few seconds ago.

9 ft tables make the long shots on the bar box seem like a normal shot. I am gald that I am playing on 9ft tables already, but I was planning on buying a 9ft table and thinking that it would be bigger, but I am already on the big tables.

Thanks for all yall help. I am doing some drills at the pool hall, but setting up the drills at the pool hall are hard, not being able to mark the table or put sticky dots on it. What I have been doing some is throwing 3 or 4 balls out at random and running them, sometimes in rotation, and some at random. Also sometimes I break a rack of 15, than take the 11 to 15 out and run the 10 balls at random. It have about 3 to 5 misses in the 10 balls, sometimes only 1 miss, but mostly 3 misses.

I don't really have any problems with making a shot anymore, it is mostly bad position that causes me a miss.

I will always play on the 9 footers now except for apa league nights on the bar boxes.
 
Jonathan01 said:
Hey, I just found out I have been playing on 9 ft tables these past two weeks. I thought I was playing on 8 ft tables this whole time. No wonder the 7ft bar boxes looked so small. I found out I was on 9 ft tables, when they had a in house league at the pool hall, and was told that the 4x8 in the back was open to use. As soon as I put the rack of balls on the table I noticed it was smaller than what I was just on a few seconds ago.

9 ft tables make the long shots on the bar box seem like a normal shot. I am gald that I am playing on 9ft tables already, but I was planning on buying a 9ft table and thinking that it would be bigger, but I am already on the big tables.

Thanks for all yall help. I am doing some drills at the pool hall, but setting up the drills at the pool hall are hard, not being able to mark the table or put sticky dots on it. What I have been doing some is throwing 3 or 4 balls out at random and running them, sometimes in rotation, and some at random. Also sometimes I break a rack of 15, than take the 11 to 15 out and run the 10 balls at random. It have about 3 to 5 misses in the 10 balls, sometimes only 1 miss, but mostly 3 misses.

I don't really have any problems with making a shot anymore, it is mostly bad position that causes me a miss.

I will always play on the 9 footers now except for apa league nights on the bar boxes.
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some easy way to mark the table is mark it with a little bit of chalk with an "x" or you could lick your fingertip and then touch the felt. it will leave a mark for a little bit and dry up.
 
rrich1 said:
some easy way to mark the table is mark it with a little bit of chalk with an "x" or you could lick your fingertip and then touch the felt. it will leave a mark for a little bit and dry up.
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Ok, thanks I will try the chalk tonight or tommorow.
 
Jonathan01 said:
random. Also sometimes I break a rack of 15, than take the 11 to 15 out and run the 10 balls at random. It have about 3 to 5 misses in the 10 balls, sometimes only 1 miss, but mostly 3 misses.
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Why not just rack a regular 10 ball rack? Same as 8-ball, but leave out the back row and rack the 10 in the middle. Save you some time taking out the balls.
 
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