Ho long did it take you to go from D to C player?

pmata814

pmata814

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just curious how long it takes a player who dedicates time and effort to improving their game (by this I mean practicing 2 hrs a day) to go up in levels? For example how long did it take you to go from D to C player?

I remember when I picked up tennis I went from a 0 to a 3.0 in about 8 or 9 months. Then it took me 2 yrs. to go from 3.0-3.5! And that's where I stayed. In tennis the higher up the ladder you go the longer it takes. Am I correct to assume that it's the same in pool?

For those advanced players on the forum it would be great if you could share how you progressed from a D player to where you are at now (in terms of how long you practiced and how long it took you to get there). If you can remember back that far :)
 
I'm midway through my 6 year plan to becoming a C. I figure the transition to pro there after should be easier.

But people who can play twice a week+ and get a lesson here and there should go from D to C in 8 months to a year maybe.
 
Take the first week of training from an SPF instructor, you will be amazed at the rate of your improvement if you stick to what you learn there.
 
Take lessons from a pro or at least someone who is a lot better than you are.
 
it didn't take long to go from d to c, maybe a year. but you are correct the better you want to get the longer between the levels. going from c to b has not been quick or easy. i am still not quite at b speed and i was playing 4 to 6 times a week for a few hours a day and lately that has dropped to once or twice a week for a few hours a day:eek: i can only imagine at that rate i will only maintain not get better:angry:
 
if you are practicing a couple hours every day, you shouldn't take long at all to get to a level c player in my opinion.

buy some instructional pool dvd's. jimmy reids stuff and the mastering pool set would probably be good for you.
 
It depends a LOT on:

- your genetic coordination for the game


Ask John Schmidt. He was a D player for @ 17 minutes. He probably looked at someone who could play and via osmosis and gifted eye/hand, he just blew right by D status. His rise to B and A and then Pro obviously got progressively more difficult, but it all came easy to him (by his own admission).

Some people I've seen hold a cue should just forget about ever being good, they just didn't get the gene. People have different "maximum ceilings" IMO.

Everyone is different. Yes - quality lessons, studying, intelligent practice, competitive situations, deductive reasoning, 5 hours a day on AZB ;) and passion count too.

GL!
 
Thanks for all the responses so far. I know it's different for everyone. That's why I was hoping people would share how long it took them personally to advance. Thanks again and keep'em comin' :)
 
pmata814 said:
I remember when I picked up tennis I went from a 0 to a 3.0 in about 8 or 9 months. Then it took me 2 yrs. to go from 3.0-3.5! And that's where I stayed. In tennis the higher up the ladder you go the longer it takes. Am I correct to assume that it's the same in pool?
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Yes, you're correct.

pmata814 said:
For those advanced players on the forum it would be great if you could share how you progressed from a D player to where you are at now (in terms of how long you practiced and how long it took you to get there). If you can remember back that far :)
Click to expand...

I'm not sure whether I should answer (depends on how you define "advanced"), but:
I went from D to C in a pretty short amount of time. Went from a beginner to an APA 6 (probably a C player, depending on your exact definition) in 4 seasons of league (1 1/3 years). I was not practicing 2 hours a day. I practiced several hours on league night, as well as playing a match, and I practiced for a couple hours one other day during the week usually.

From APA 6 to B player (where I'm at now), was another 4 years. I made my APA 7 not that long after my 6, but then didn't really improve that substantially for a long time. Eventually what got me off my plateau was just switching game and format. I went from 8-ball league to 9-ball tournaments, and my game started improving again. In hindsight, I think playing 8-ball against weaker players is really not the way to make your game get up and go anywhere.

Last night I almost played like an A player for my last set of 9-ball. Race to 7 against a player who has historically always beaten me, I ran out most of the times I should, played decent safes most of the times I couldn't run out, and broke and ran the hill-hill rack, which is something I've struggled a lot with (avoiding the dreaded choke).

Maybe someday I'll get there.

-Andrew
 
When I think of a 'D' player I think of an SL2 in the APA.

I therefore must have started as a 'C' player and in about a year was an SL5. Ran 42 balls of straight pool in my second year playing about 6 hours a week. In the first year I hardly played. And this was done with those old hard contacts that slid down your eyeballs just as your were shooting. Them were the days.
 
Yup, pool is the same way. D to C is pretty easy. C to B will take longer. B to A may not ever happen for a lot of people.

I guess the difference is a C player has run a rack at least once in his life, but it's very rare. Whereas the D never ran a rack and probably never even came close. So with that in mind... hrm... I probably didn't run my first rack for 2-3 years. Memory is hazy.

It depends on whether getting good at pool is a goal or if you just play it cuz you enjoy it, and also on the quality of the practice. I know people who went directly to C+/B- in two years.
 
I grew up playing against alot of strong A players - I was fortunate to be able to learn from them - I would say I went from a D to a C in about 2 months and 400 dollars. The toughest transition I had was about 2 years ago bridging the gap from B+ to A.

I have played APA as a 7 in 8 ball and 9 in 9 ball ( we use 9 foot tables for the APA 9ball). I would have to say going from a D to a C could take very little time if you want to dedicate your time to the game. I find the people who want to get better and play better players generally accelerate faster than those who wont play the better players because "their going to destroy them". Most of the time you can get a better player to play cheap and they will give you input all the while.
If you stay playing with d's and c's generally your just banging balls around and picking up bad habits.

Just my 2.5 cents..
regards

Chris
 
If you find a good teacher who knows what hes talking about and you have average hand eye coordination, 2-3 months or less isn't out of the question. If you lack either of those, it will probably take longer.
 
alstl said:
Therein lies the flaw in the question. How do you define C or D player?
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If you break dry and the balls are all open, if there's a C player stepping to the table, some part of you is a little worried he might run out. If there's a D player stepping to the table, you're thinking there's no chance, and you're looking forward to your turn to clean up what he leaves you.

-Andrew
 
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