Consistency In The Game

B

Benny

~BeN~
Silver Member
hi peeps...how do you people maintain your consistency in the game? care to share how often you train per week and what are the things that can help you improve?

sometimes i jus go on losing the ability to see the "line" from the object ball to the pocket, hence making me confused on which pt to hit. sometimes i look at the contact point and whack, the ball pot, however when i was making that shot, i could not visualise where the object ball will go (ie. will it pot?) . i've been trying to rectify this problem by changing my standing position, my arm's position but still there are alot of days which i cant play, esp recently. has it got to do with my eye alignment? can anyone enlighten me? it is kinda hard to play in this situation...there are kinda like good days and bad days for me for the past 3mths with the same problem...
 
this is why i rely on my aiming systems cause times i feel the familiarity of the shot just doesn't do it sometimes. For the consistency part of the game is my hardest part also so for pointers there i can't help but the pros should be here soon enough to answer that. But when i find myself in slumps i just work hard on my weaknesses at the table by doing alot of drills and when i ain't up to par with my opponents and know i am going to lose i never give up this by never sitting down or putting away my cue cause if i do that then i already lost.

TheConArtist..... waiting for some input on consistency also......
 
Benny said:
hi peeps...how do you people maintain your consistency in the game? care to share how often you train per week and what are the things that can help you improve?

sometimes i jus go on losing the ability to see the "line" from the object ball to the pocket, hence making me confused on which pt to hit. sometimes i look at the contact point and whack, the ball pot, however when i was making that shot, i could not visualise where the object ball will go (ie. will it pot?) . i've been trying to rectify this problem by changing my standing position, my arm's position but still there are alot of days which i cant play, esp recently. has it got to do with my eye alignment? can anyone enlighten me? it is kinda hard to play in this situation...there are kinda like good days and bad days for me for the past 3mths with the same problem...
Click to expand...

How long have you been playing? If not very long then it is understandable that you are up and down. One thing I notice with players who have been playing for 10 years and more is that they are very consistent with their game. They may not be great players but I know what to expect every time I play them.

Ideally if you want to be very good at this game you should be playing 20 hours a week. But that is not very realistic for a lot of people, especially if you don't have your own table.

You should try and practice every day if possible, between an hour to two hours a day. Playing everyday will start to make your game second nature.
 
It is my opinion that even with the best aiming system, and a great mental and strategic mindset, without a consistant stroke, your game will suffer.

The best alignment process for cue ball to object ball to pocket is useless unless you can deliver the cue tip to the desired spot on the cue ball to execute the shot.

I practice 'stroke shots' in all my drill sessions. I practice difficult drills (for me) focusing on inside english. Inside english doesn't come up that often in many games, but when it does, I want to have the confidence to execute. I also have found that to be able to execute these drills, my stroke has to be consistant. Keeping my stroke consistant is my way of keeping my game consistant.

No stroke, no reliable aim, no reliable pocketing and the result is 'leave' instead of 'shape'.
 
Benny said:
hi peeps...how do you people maintain your consistency in the game? care to share how often you train per week and what are the things that can help you improve?

sometimes i jus go on losing the ability to see the "line" from the object ball to the pocket, hence making me confused on which pt to hit. sometimes i look at the contact point and whack, the ball pot, however when i was making that shot, i could not visualise where the object ball will go (ie. will it pot?) . i've been trying to rectify this problem by changing my standing position, my arm's position but still there are alot of days which i cant play, esp recently. has it got to do with my eye alignment? can anyone enlighten me? it is kinda hard to play in this situation...there are kinda like good days and bad days for me for the past 3mths with the same problem...
Click to expand...

Benny, It would be very hard for the readers of this forum to evaluate your problem based upon your description.

Perhaps you should consider some professional instruction to ensure that your fundamentals are correct, and also to work on the other problems such as aiming that you may have.
 
Time is the only way to develop consistency. The more time you can spend, the more consistent you will get. The only shortcuts are lessons and drills. If you are still changing your stance and stroke, I would suggest studying the available material on the web about stance and stroke combined with a lesson from a professional teacher to help you find the most consistent preshot routine for you. I would imagine that your routine is inconsistent at this point. The longer you go on being inconsistent in this area, the harder it will be for you to change it later on. It doesn't really matter what kind of aiming system you use if you can't deliver the ball to the aim spot. There are a ton of exercises you can do to check your stroke. Shoot straight at a piece of chalk on the rail or a diamond and have the cue ball come back and hit your cue tip. Try it across the table first, then switch to the length of the table. Stroke in and out of the opening of a bottle. Stroke along the cushion and watch your tip, making sure that it remains parallel to the cushion throughout the full length of your stroke. Practice shooting straight in table length shots with varying distances between the cue ball and object ball. These are just a few of the many exercises you can do to make sure that you are delivering the cue stick to the right spot on the cue ball and have a nice straight stroke. Look around, you'll find more. Get at least one lesson as soon as you can.
 

CueTable Help



Here's a drill I found that will help with your accuracy, alignment and consistency. You'll have a very straight stroke, excellent alignment and see shots much clearer once you get done with it. It's also an excellent way to warm up before competition.

Start with the cueball on the first diamond. The object ball is halfway between the pocket and the cueball straight in. Switch sides on every other shot. Keep track with a coin. Move the coin one diamond for each shot. Start over when you miss. You cannot move to the next level until you can go all around the table with the coin without missing (18 times in a row).

First level is first diamond hitting soft, second level is first diamond hitting firm, Third level is second diamond soft... Keep doing this drill until you get all the way to the end of the table. The first few levels should be pretty easy then it will take a few sessions just to move to the next level.

Don't cheat and make sure you chalk good every time. Feel free to make changes to your stance, pre-shot routine and make sure you don't flinch or jump up so that you can make the ball every time. The tighter the table the better. I'm doing it on a 9' with 4 3/16" pockets. I'm working on the fifth diamond soft right now.
 
Tom hit the nail on the head. Consistancy comes from doing the same thing the same way every time. Get your fundamentals (grip stance bridge stroke etc.) so solid that you automatically do everything the same way on every shot. Once you have that foundation, your consistancy will improve. Watch Corr or Fisher...both of them look like machines repeating the same motion over and over on every shot.
Steve
 
Benny said:
hi peeps...how do you people maintain your consistency in the game? care to share how often you train per week and what are the things that can help you improve?

sometimes i jus go on losing the ability to see the "line" from the object ball to the pocket, hence making me confused on which pt to hit. sometimes i look at the contact point and whack, the ball pot, however when i was making that shot, i could not visualise where the object ball will go (ie. will it pot?) . i've been trying to rectify this problem by changing my standing position, my arm's position but still there are alot of days which i cant play, esp recently. has it got to do with my eye alignment? can anyone enlighten me? it is kinda hard to play in this situation...there are kinda like good days and bad days for me for the past 3mths with the same problem...
Click to expand...

Lots of good stuff here.

I am one not to practice, I just do not like to. However with this said I believe if someone already has the capability to shoot at a specific level, what stops them is the mental part.

I have seen pros shoot great one day to only shoot almost like an A player the next time (happens less often for pros). This stuff just happens.

There are some that can turn the mental game on faster than others. But, sometimes we are a little more tired and sometimes we have more on our mind that needs resolve or just forget playing well. Some can play through this. They say that former president Bill Clinton had an incredible ability to ignore personal problems and maintain focus on the task at hand.

I can tell you one thing for sure and that is if you learn how it feels (your whole body and mind) when you are playing your best it is much easier to re-visit that level more often. Usually it is not your stoke, grip or stance rather the awkwardness of these tend to be the result of your inner turmoil. IMO try to understand your body and mind when you are doing well and remember it each time. Then when you play you can then search for it and know how far away frfom that feeling you are.

I am understanding this thread is about a player already that knows what they are capable of and having achieved this level many times before. Not a thread were someone wants to improve to the next level, this would mean practice.
 
Benny said:
hi peeps...how do you people maintain your consistency in the game? care to share how often you train per week and what are the things that can help you improve?
Click to expand...

Two words:

Foundation

Perspective

You have to have good grounding in both, to improve on consistancy. Drills, as TCA stated, and a reputable trainer (Pro, if your pocketbook allows), as PSA stated will help you too.
 
Confidence is a prerequisite for consistency. Confidence is nothing more than having faith in your abilities. Faith that you can and will achieve a certain task or goal. Faith that you can and will be successful. Unless you are confident that you can and will be successful at the table, consistency will not happen. To achieve that confidence you first need to master the skills necessary to complete the task. Drills wont do you a bit of good unless you have the mental toughness required to perform at your best under intense pressure. When you start accomplishing your goals, you gain experience, confidence, faith your abilities and faith in your stroke and decision making. When this level is achieved you will then learn the difference between hoping to win - and expecting to win.
 
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