Great quote that lots of players need to read in an effort to speed up the game.

[Rusty in Montana]

Another historically slow player was Frank McGown when playing 14.1 or even 8 ball .
I'll admit I did see him bring it up another gear from time to time but not very often .
Yes I still miss my friend , rest well Frank !

 

[maha]

he was too slow to play with and too good to boot. but we both liked to go down to the big horn below the dam on the res. trout fishing.
he mostly moved to billings just for the outdoors.

 

[Rusty in Montana]

Yes he did , we were hunting partners for quite some time . Until I quit playing pool , I decided that I needed to be a dad for my kids and not spend as much time as I once did in either bars or the Corner Pockets in either Hardin , Billings and Sheridan Wyo .

 

[Sheldon]

Conversely, some players would benefit from slowing down just a little bit.

 

[Rusty in Montana]

Very true Sheldon , I'll never forget Frank telling me that playing someone who tries to run around the table shooting fast and loose chances are you'll beat them as snooker than later they'll miss giving you a chance to win or you're slower pace playing with take them away from them playing their game and then they're playing yours .

 

[middleofnowhere]

“The faster I shoot, the better runs I make. I’m steadier when making rapid-fire shots, too. It’s the speed shooting that I’m best at. If I deliberated over my shots I would be almost sure to play poorly. Natural ability may count for some of my success, but concentration and speed count most.” -- Ralph Greenleaf

Buddy Hall would disagree. I knew him when he was young. He even walked around the table slow. I actually agree with playing faster if you are an advanced player. When you are in stroke and moving around the table we'll, as soon as you put your hand down you are lined up so we'll you can just shoot.
In practice you can just mindless play and you surprise yourself what you can do. In sports like tennis and baseball you just react. When you throw a man out at second from center field you just do it.
One thing pool and golf have in common is that nothing happens till you make it happen. That is a process where your mind can become your enemy. From owning pool rooms and sitting with my feet up and watching thousands of hours of amature players. You can literally see when they are going to miss. They are playing fine then all of a sudden you see them get apprehensive. The brain kicks in and you can see it.

 

[westcoast]

I agree- faster play is often better for the player and the audience, but it obviously depends on the shot and overall layout- sometimes certain situations require deeper thought

 

[maha]

courtesy for your opponent and for the tournament or spectators depending on the venue you need to keep the game moving.
simple as that. it isnt about an occasional shot. if you cant, you should be not allowed to play. simple as that.

as far as playing too fast tell lou butera about that.

 

[BlueRaider]

I've found that my tip accuracy on the cue ball is often better when I speed up. Particularly when my warm-up strokes are more Efren-like (loose, floaty, and never coming to a pronounced stop) instead of SVB-like (with a very pronounced pause at the cue ball).

With the Efren-style warm-up strokes, there's no chance for tension to creep into my grip or elbow. It's very difficult to play that way in competition, though, because it feels like giving up some degree of control.

 

[maha]

in reality each person is different and must find what works best for them by experimenting,

and never try to do what some pro you idolize does. his choices work for him that is why he is a pro.

 

[book collector]

this thread is disconcerting to me. ive found myself agreeing with more than one of garczars posts.

either he is getting some sense or i am losing my mind.

Would you like an un involved opinion? lol, j/k

 

[Biloxi Boy]

Slow play around here is very often a shark move, and I cannot, or will not, put up with it. If you do everything fast but shoot pool slow, stay away from me. But some people are just slow about everything they do, and for some reason, their slow play at pool does not bother me. I think it is simply who they are.

 

[straightline]

Buddy Hall would disagree. I knew him when he was young. He even walked around the table slow. I actually agree with playing faster if you are an advanced player. When you are in stroke and moving around the table we'll, as soon as you put your hand down you are lined up so we'll you can just shoot.
In practice you can just mindless play and you surprise yourself what you can do. In sports like tennis and baseball you just react. When you throw a man out at second from center field you just do it.
One thing pool and golf have in common is that nothing happens till you make it happen. That is a process where your mind can become your enemy. From owning pool rooms and sitting with my feet up and watching thousands of hours of amature players. You can literally see when they are going to miss. They are playing fine then all of a sudden you see them get apprehensive. The brain kicks in and you can see it.

I've dabbled in musical instruments and even for the gifted, fast doesn't just happen. It's an incremental climb. Many musicians have no use for fast either. They're like, "I play notes that matter - with feeling.".

Here's the thing though; there's fast and there's quick and they're nearly separate entities that both have to be present in a performance. You can learn to blaze through stuff by leaving out the nuance and details; fast, no quick. Those notes that matter need special treatment and _<right _ now>_. No contented cows in that bunch.

Pool is no different. Picking up the pace tightens the process. The player thinks quicker, executes more concisely and with less latency.

 

[jay helfert]

“The faster I shoot, the better runs I make. I’m steadier when making rapid-fire shots, too. It’s the speed shooting that I’m best at. If I deliberated over my shots I would be almost sure to play poorly. Natural ability may count for some of my success, but concentration and speed count most.” -- Ralph Greenleaf

Mosconi never wasted any time either. Once he got the rack open he would take one look, figure out the pattern he would use and run the balls like he was in a hurry to get that rack out of the way.

 

[BRKNRUN]

It is not so much about speed as it is rythum.....IMO...the pace of play or "ryhthum" you play ideally will match your pace of speaking....If you talk fast...your pace of play is probably fast...If you talk slower... your pace of play will likely be slower....Look at Nick Varner...not really a fast talker....his rythum around the table is a bit slower paced then say Earl who talks faster and plays faster.

Worst thing you can do is get sucked into the other players rythum....beit slow or fast.

 

[hang-the-9]

And at the same time, many people say guys like Rodney would have played a bit better if they took a bit more time on some shots.

Not all ideas and methods do the same for everyone.

When I see bangers trying to show off to their girlfriends, they run around the table like it's a contest to see who can shoot the fastest and hardest, often missing 90% of the shots in the process.

 

[Rusty in Montana]

Or jumping up while the cue ball is just starting to roll away from the cue tip and they let out a bellowing scream of how could I miss such a easy shot ! From the top of their lungs ha ha

Then they stagger around like a drunken sailor on a 10 day leave !

 

[pwd72s]

Rodney Morris says he thinks fast, so he shoots fast. I do admire his style, shoots like a guy out having a few beers and no stakes games with friends.

 

[maha]

you bet a 100 a game. maybe one pocket. in action 5 days a week. say you can win 3 out of 4 games by making good games which you should.
not unreasonable.

play faster, get opponent to keep the game moving along, and get an extra 4 games total played that session. . that's all.

now that translates into an extra 50,000 dollars a year.
do the math for what you may get to bet, if you do bet.