Here's My Practice Routine - Suggestions?

I take all 15 balls to one end of the table and put them in those pockets and then I shoot at least 60 straight in, diagonal corner to corner shots a day. I'm VERY methodical about this process focusing on preshot routine, on "THE PROCESS".

On any shot that is not straight in I go behind the ob to see the angle and in my mind draw a line between the point in the pocket I want the ob to hit, the center of the ob and a precise point on the rail closest to me and visualize that angle.

I go 3 ot 5 ft behind the cb, get my chin in line with the shot, re-visualize the shot line and get a clear picture of the angle across the table, visualize the ghost ball and the cb going where I need it to make the next 2 shots. This may take a few seconds as I make the shot plan come clear in my mind and get ALL the planning done.

I take slow, very measured, steps into the stance position, keeping my chin in line with the shot, placiing my left foot (I'm left handed) so that the toe is in line with where I want the butt of the cue to be and then place the right foot.

I place my hands on the proper positions on the cue with the back hand almost off the handle, VERY slowly lower my body and the cue into the shot line, making sure my right arm is straight out in front of me, that my body is turned so that the left arm has freedom to stroke through the shot, lower my chin to touch the cue seeing that my head is properly in line with the shot and then raise it a few inches.

I stroke 6 practice strokes...3 quick to loosen the arm and 3 slow to fine tune the aim, concentrating on the movement of the forearm as a pendelum hanging from the elbow, keeping the shoulder and upper arm motionless and noticing that my grip is light/loose and that my fist is moving exactly towards the line of my shot.

As these practice strokes are being taken I again find that ghost ball and fine tune it's positon noticing the precise spot in the pocket that I want to hit and the angle from that precise spot through the ob and the ghost ball.

Final practice stroke of the 3 slow practice strokes is very slow, pause at the back (llike Buddy or Allison) then stroke the shot (not HIT it....stroke it) and follow through fully with my fist coming to rest at my chest.

Then BE SURE to stay down until the balls have stopped rolling and notice where the cue tip has ended up, whether it is in line with the shot line and whether it is pointing down and notice the cb and whether it is spinning with unwanted and unplanned english and did it have draw or follow on it (I have a "measles" cue ball so it's easy to see the spin).

Then do it all again, VERY METHODICALLY, knowing that if I repeat every one of the very necessary steps a few thousand times then each step will become a habit and I'll have good habits that will perhaps win a game and match.

I take time to do all of these steps, VERY METHODICALLY for at least 60 and sometimes up to 300 potted balls a day, taking from 1 to 5 hours if I feel that something is not right in "THE PROCESS". I think of each shot as a "Process" with very specific and precise steps being NECESSARY to complete the Process correctly.

When I'm done and happy with how THE PROCESS has been accomplished I'll go on to play some 4 or 5 or 6 ball run out throwing out from 4 to 6 or 7 balls leading up to the nine and attempting to run out...usually not with ball in hand but allowing some positioning of the cb on the first shot to allow room to see and make the first shot.

I practice at least 2 hours a day and sometimes 5 or 6 hours.

I've always believed that every shot taken on the pool table should be taken very seriously, never just "knocking some balls around", but Mark said it best in the November edition of BD....."Complete every stroke of the cue to perfection, regardless of how simple or difficult the shot may be. Make no distiction between the difficult or less difficult shots, but apply yourself completely to each opportunity to strike a pool ball."

APPLY YOURSELF COMPLETELY TO EACH OPPORTUNITY TO STRIKE A POOL BALL!!!!!!! I love it!!

ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE PERFECTION KNOWING THAT PERFECT OUTCOME COMES FROM PERFECT PROCESS.
 
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Zims Rack said:
Great points vapoolplayer! I'm aware of different stroke techniques. The "slip stroke" you referred to is still used with a pendulum, all strokes are on a pendulum. How good of a pendulum is up to the player!

Thanks,
Zim

i was also referring to a "stroke slip" stroke as well also known as a throw stroke. i haven't seen many people use it. i do it on some shots, didn't even know it was a kind of stroke, i thought i was doing something wrong. its where during the final stroke you let go of the cue for a second, and it slides through your palm almost like a dart or spear. say if your hand was in the middle of the wrap, at the end of the stroke your had would be at the back end of the wrap. it differs from the slip stroke as where in the slip stroke you move your back hand before you let the final stroke go. it works very well for shots requiring a little extra acceleration, although its harder to control the speed of your shot than other strokes. i was naturally doing this on power shots totally by accident. i thought i was doing something wrong and was about to make an effort to stop until i read about it being a different kind of stroke.

as far as all strokes using a pendulum, you're going to have to explain that one to me as i don't understand it. case in point, a pendulum stroke versus a pump stroke. 2 strokes used by 2 great players. willie mosconi used a pendulum stroke, efren reyes uses a pump stroke. to make this as short as possible.......... according to literature in my pool library:

the pendulum stroke follows a definite arc pattern, as the forearm swings back and forth. the arc you make with your upswing and downswing should be the same length and speed every time, no matter how soft or hard you shoot. you must contact the cue ball with your tip when the arc is at its lowest point, basically the center of the swing.

in the pump stroke the wrist is moved in a circular motion, which produces a back and forth type action at the cue tip. the action at the tip is seen with a slight lifting and dipping with every pump. the cue remains slightly more linear than a pendulum stroke. usually the cue tip first starts out low on the cue ball and while the cue is pumped the tip is raised to the contact just before contact is made.

now i'm not saying you're wrong or that i'm right, this is just how i interpreted things, that the pendulum stroke is its own stroke, and differs from other strokes. please explain your point of view as i may be looking at things a different way.

thanks

sorry to have hijacked this thread........LOL
 
I've not studied Efrens stroke as I have always thought that the pump warm up he does is "incorrect" even though it works for him and a few others. I thought that he did the pump thing during warm up only and then a proper stroke when he actually stroked the shot. Maybe I"m wrong and need to watch what he does more carefully.
 
JimS said:
I've not studied Efrens stroke as I have always thought that the pump warm up he does is "incorrect" even though it works for him and a few others. I thought that he did the pump thing during warm up only and then a proper stroke when he actually stroked the shot. Maybe I"m wrong and need to watch what he does more carefully.


you are right jim, he does stroke "correctly" on the last stroke. in the definition above it says that the cue is brought up to the contact point on the final stroke. i just gave a book definition, i should have stated it more clearly. the point i was trying to make though is that it is different than a pendulum stroke, or at least different from my interpretation of a pendulum stroke. thanks
 
I think a pendulum stroke is one where the forearm swiings freely from the elbow down making a back swing and stroke/forward swing. I don't "know"....but that's what I think. That's what I mean by a "correct" stroke...i.e. one where the forearm swings freely without the upper arm moving.

Any comments from the good instructors and top players?
 
JimS said:
I think a pendulum stroke is one where the forearm swiings freely from the elbow down making a back swing and stroke/forward swing. I don't "know"....but that's what I think. That's what I mean by a "correct" stroke...i.e. one where the forearm swings freely without the upper arm moving.

Any comments from the good instructors and top players?


Pretty fair acessment Jim. Now as long as we don't need a bunch of disclaimers for the rocket scientists we're ok. LOL

Rod
 
Zims Rack said:
Great points vapoolplayer! I'm aware of different stroke techniques. The "slip stroke" you referred to is still used with a pendulum, all strokes are on a pendulum. How good of a pendulum is up to the player!

Thanks,
Zim

Wait I thought the proper stroke now adays is like a piston...
 
I think it is....with the hand/wrist acting as the wrist pin...but the piston does not stay on the same plane all the way through. It levels out through the striking area but then drops at the end of the power stroke....on a 4 cycle stroke that is :)
 
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