Coming back off a long layoff is TOUGH

[Mensabum]

I switched over to 9-ball in practice recently because I think it does more to get my pocketing, cueball control and stroke sharp. Once I feel a bit more confident in all that I'm going to switch back to 14.1 and see if I can break out and at least run a 40. Not running a 40 in so long has been very frustrating.

When I started playing again, I was frustrated at my lack of run numbers.
I have some solid high runs and these little packs I was stringing together did more to frustrate than help. It was hard to keep at it, but glad I did. 14:1 is my fave discipline, but I enjoy a 9 ball stroke. What I mean by that is I like to let the horses run now. I can goof around and enjoy. Not so good a way to approach 14:1, however.

 

[Mensabum]

Some problems I have to deal with after a long layoff:
1. Forgetting that targeting & breaking up clusters isn’t enough…you have be aware of where the balls will end up.
2. It takes so much concentration (being rusty) to make difficult combinations, I forget to expend enough effort on CB position.
3. I have a tendency after a layoff to revert to the bad habits I developed when a kid just learning. It takes awhile to warm up and just force myself to start watching the OB again.

As a 14:1 player, I fear no cluster. Actually enjoy working thru all the possibles. A touch of English can totally alter the paths of balls coming out of clusters.
The main problem I have is speed control. Seems I'm always a tad long, no matter how much I let off the gas. There's a slow build up going on I have to really watch out for. Jumping back and forth between nice diamonds and old worn cloth GCs doesn't make it any easier.
My ability to adjust quickly seems to have left the same building as Elvis.

 

[Wayne Crimi]

I finally had a breakthough. Normally I only have time to play once a week. This week I had time to play Monday, Friday and then again yesterday. Yesterday, I could tell almost immediately I had way better feel with the cueball and I wasn't as afraid of tougher shots. I wound up running a 48, miss, 28. The miss was a fairly easy shot that I should not have missed. I just had one of those mometary lapses in concentration. So I came very close to really nice high run. It was encouraging in that I feel like if I had a chance to play almost every day for a couple of hours instead of just 30-45 minutes once a week I could probably get back close to my best form even though I'm 65.

 

[Mensabum]

I finally had a breakthough. Normally I only have time to play once a week. This week I had time to play Monday, Friday and then again yesterday. Yesterday, I could tell almost immediately I had way better feel with the cueball and I wasn't as afraid of tougher shots. I wound up running a 48, miss, 28. The miss was a fairly easy shot that I should not have missed. I just had one of those mometary lapses in concentration. So I came very close to really nice high run. It was encouraging in that I feel like if I had a chance to play almost every day for a couple of hours instead of just 30-45 minutes once a week I could probably get back close to my best form even though I'm 65.

You can't expect to regain form if you're only able to play once a week bcuz you're always playing catch up.
3x a week is the minimum if you're wanting to improve from where you're currently at and that's the minimum. Unless you're one of those fortunates that has achieved the level of play where a quick tune up is all you need to get it done. I'm finding that a 15 minute tune up ain't doing the job anymore.
Rust creeps. Moreso w age. Sad fact.

 

[Mensabum]

You can't expect to regain form if you're only able to play once a week bcuz you're always playing catch up.
3x a week is the minimum if you're wanting to improve from where you're currently at and that's the minimum. Unless you're one of those fortunates that has achieved the level of play where a quick tune up is all you need to get it done. I'm finding that a 15 minute tune up ain't doing the job anymore.
Rust creeps. Moreso w age. Sad fact.

Nice little runs btw...

 

[ChrisinNC]

You can't expect to regain form if you're only able to play once a week bcuz you're always playing catch up.
3x a week is the minimum if you're wanting to improve from where you're currently at and that's the minimum. Unless you're one of those fortunates that has achieved the level of play where a quick tune up is all you need to get it done. I'm finding that a 15 minute tune up ain't doing the job anymore.
Rust creeps. Moreso w age. Sad fact.

So what gives you a better chance of maintaining / improving? Playing twice a week 3 hour sessions total of 6 hours vs playing 6 days a week 1 hour sessions for a total of 6 hours?

 

[Mensabum]

So what gives you a better chance of maintaining / improving? Playing twice a week 3 hour sessions total of 6 hours vs playing 6 days a week 1 hour sessions for a total of 6 hours?

As long as you've got some table time in on a relatively frequent basis, I think you'll be fine.
I never liked word problems, so those numbers went over my head.
Math is Greek to me.

 

[ChrisinNC]

I finally had a breakthough. Normally I only have time to play once a week. This week I had time to play Monday, Friday and then again yesterday. Yesterday, I could tell almost immediately I had way better feel with the cueball and I wasn't as afraid of tougher shots. I wound up running a 48, miss, 28. The miss was a fairly easy shot that I should not have missed. I just had one of those mometary lapses in concentration. So I came very close to really nice high run. It was encouraging in that I feel like if I had a chance to play almost every day for a couple of hours instead of just 30-45 minutes once a week I could probably get back close to my best form even though I'm 65.

At 65, it doesn’t sound to me like you are that rusty at all, if you can follow up a 48 with another immediate 28!

 

[Mensabum]

I used to play pool every day when I was younger (from about age 16-20 and then again from about 30-35) . I haven't played much in close to 30 years. When I left off, my high run was 93, but I was still improving noticeably year to year. I think I can comfortably say I was playing well enough to run 100 balls. It just hadn't happened yet. Recently, I started playing again a couple of times a week. I'm kind of shocked at how badly I'm playing relative to my peak. My mechanics are terrible. They break down badly enough to miss many shots I would have been more than 95% to make in the past. Some of the shots I struggled with as a beginner but eventually got better at are a disaster again. Even when I make shots I often don't make them cleanly. So I lose the cue ball due to it coming off the object ball at a different angle and speed than I expected. All the knowledge is still there, but I can't run more than 25 balls anymore even though I used to string 50s once in awhile and run 60s and 70s fairly often. I guess 30 years is a LONG layoff, but I laid off 10 years one other time and got back in stroke within weeks and went to a new peak fairly quickly. I'm not even sure what I am asking here. Maybe someone has an insight into layoffs like this and whether I just need to lower my expectations permanently.

Slow down. Lower your expectations and be happy with incremental improvements. It will gel soon enuf if you get out of your own way. Becoming frustrated is an advancement killer.
You may never get back to your peak, but there's no reason why you shouldn't continue to work at it and for heavens sake, try to enjoy the journey!!
Took me over 2 years to get most of my stroke back and due to age related difficulties, I had to make some adjustments. I'll never have my old stroke again. That's what long layoffs and age do to your game. Accept and move on or drive yourself batshit trying to regain something you may not be able to.
Doesn't mean you can't play well again, just that you'll play differently.
And that's ok.
I like my new game. It's Solid. My perception has changed.

 

[Mensabum]

I showed some signs of life today.

I started with a break shot, ran 14, had a nice break shot, but missed it. In typical fashion there was some kind of bad breakdown in the mechanics in my right hand. I either twisted my wrist or my elbow came out???? Whatever it was it was bad breakdown because I missed badly. I set the shot up again, made it, and ran a nice 20 before running into trouble with no shot. Then I switched over to 9 ball. When I practice 9 ball I break and if I have a good shot on the 1 I continue, otherwise I give myself ball in hand and try to run out. I ran out once from the 1 off the break and once with ball in hand out of 5 racks. In the other racks I was stopped by position errors (I don't have my feel back at all yet) . Anyway 2 out of 5 is not bad. This was the best I've felt since I started playing again a bit. I had to stop and get to appointment after that. There's hope?

Absolutely!!!
Your speed will be all over. I'm short and long more than I ever was. I had to watch the power closely. Need more table time. Lol.

 

[Island Drive]

Chris, I'd first correct all the things that you knew you needed work on when you were in your prime.
Getting better at this game quickly is not going to happen.

I've got an out bldg with my pool table, and play about 1.5 hrs a day and I work out 3 days a week (I'm 10 yrs your senior).
It took me a long time to get some resemblance of a game back, and finally, after about 4 yrs I'm now (last 30 days) playing good.
I sold my Gold Crown and purchased a new Valley bar box.

I can win on this size table, and there's very few big semi pro events on a 9 footer.
I finished 17-24 twice in the US Open 9 ball in Virgina.
Would of done better but got cheated/by Jimmy Reid/Big surprise eh. NOT
Now..............is all 40'' x 80" play surface area..... 7 foot bar table events.
The demographics in this particular setting with liquor/loud music/and some youngsters threatening me twice in the past 2 yrs.
They hate getting beat by someone 2-3 times their age.

bm

 

[Wayne Crimi]

I finally had a breakthough. Normally I only have time to play once a week. This week I had time to play Monday, Friday and then again yesterday. Yesterday, I could tell almost immediately I had way better feel with the cueball and I wasn't as afraid of tougher shots. I wound up running a 48, miss, 28. The miss was a fairly easy shot that I should not have missed. I just had one of those mometary lapses in concentration. So I came very close to really nice high run. It was encouraging in that I feel like if I had a chance to play almost every day for a couple of hours instead of just 30-45 minutes once a week I could probably get back close to my best form even though I'm 65.

I ran another 48 today. I had a good beakshot to get to the next rack but missed it. I think my stroke broke down a little and I ovecut it. Just getting to that next break shot was a positive. If I made that shot I was really off to the races. I was playing really well.

This was the best I've played in a long time. It was a very clean 48. I was pocketing well, controlling the cueball better than usual, not afarid of the "correct tougher shot" and there weren't any bank shots or dead combos in the rack that bailed me out. I played solid 14.1. It felt really good mentally and emotionally to know I can still get my concentration up to that level and execute well even if I can't do it regularly without a lot more practice time.

 

[Mensabum]

I ran another 48 today. I had a good beakshot to get to the next rack but missed it. I think my stroke broke down a little and I ovecut it. Just getting to that next break shot was a positive. If I made that shot I was really off to the races. I was playing really well.

This was the best I've played in a long time. It was a very clean 48. I was pocketing well, controlling the cueball better than usual, not afarid of the "correct tougher shot" and there weren't any bank shots or dead combos in the rack that bailed me out. I played solid 14.1. It felt really good mentally and emotionally to know I can still get my concentration up to that level and execute well even if I can't do it regularly without a lot more practice time.

Nice!!