How long before you got it

CGM

CGM

It'd be a lot cooler if you did.
Silver Member
Ive been playing like everyone else, recreationaly in the bar and a few pool hall visits here and there for most of my life but until the first of this year, never really took it serious. I have really been bitten by the bug and I feel like I am obsessed with the game. I am just wondering how long it took you before you were a consistent shot maker. I know it takes a ton of practice and im not looking for any magic solution, Im just curious to know how long it took before you felt like you were decent.
 
How long before I got it? I'd say about a week to ten days. In the beginning I felt a burning sensation. Later I notice a odorous discharge. Towards the end I could.see...oh. That's not what you're talking about, is it?

The answer, as I see it, is never. Your progression as a pool player is always in a forward direction (even though sometimes you feel as if you're going backwards). Not only will you see your improvements by your win percentage, but you will feel your improvements by your ever increasing level of confidence.
Practice, yes, but you must play a lot, as well. Hang around your local pool room. Sit quietly and watch good players play. Play someone who is at least your equal, or better.
And, for God's sake, learn to play One Pocket. You'll thank me and Grady, later. :smile:
 
Tramp Steamer said:
How long before I got it? I'd say about a week to ten days. In the beginning I felt a burning sensation. Later I notice a odorous discharge. Towards the end I could.see...oh. That's not what you're talking about, is it?

The answer, as I see it, is never. Your progression as a pool player is always in a forward direction (even though sometimes you feel as if you're going backwards). Not only will you see your improvements by your win percentage, but you will feel your improvements by your ever increasing level of confidence.
Practice, yes, but you must play a lot, as well. Hang around your local pool room. Sit quietly and watch good players play. Play someone who is at least your equal, or better.
And, for God's sake, learn to play One Pocket. You'll thank me and Grady, later. :smile:
Click to expand...

Tramp you nailed it. I would add that you will plateau and go backward but when you break through each plateau you will be a better player. You never really fully get it. That's the beauty of the game. As you begin to "see" the table better your improvements will come in smaller increments.
 
Difficult question.

Which time? LOL!

Keep playing, it will come...and then improve...than you'll lose it...then it will come again...and so on...

Consistent shot making is only part of the game. Shot selection, position, and more are so important.

And then there is the mental side of the game.


Keep practicing. Run drills. Play people better than you and learn.


:thumbup:



.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
How long before I got it? I'd say about a week to ten days. In the beginning I felt a burning sensation. Later I notice a odorous discharge. Towards the end I could.see...oh. That's not what you're talking about, is it?

The answer, as I see it, is never. Your progression as a pool player is always in a forward direction (even though sometimes you feel as if you're going backwards). Not only will you see your improvements by your win percentage, but you will feel your improvements by your ever increasing level of confidence.
Practice, yes, but you must play a lot, as well. Hang around your local pool room. Sit quietly and watch good players play. Play someone who is at least your equal, or better.
And, for God's sake, learn to play One Pocket. You'll thank me and Grady, later. :smile:
Click to expand...

Did you eyes get big when he pulled out the rubber mallet and told you to lay it on the table?
 
Allen Brown said:
Did you eyes get big when he pulled out the rubber mallet and told you to lay it on the table?
Click to expand...

Did they!? I'm telling you, I cried like a baby. But, I wasn't the only one either.
When I walked into the doctors office he had six cases of VD. Of course he's felling a lot better now, but... :thumbup:
 
CGM said:
Ive been playing like everyone else, recreationaly in the bar and a few pool hall visits here and there for most of my life but until the first of this year, never really took it serious. I have really been bitten by the bug and I feel like I am obsessed with the game. I am just wondering how long it took you before you were a consistent shot maker. I know it takes a ton of practice and im not looking for any magic solution, Im just curious to know how long it took before you felt like you were decent.
Click to expand...
It took about a year before I could beat all of my friends consistently. They didn't play very well, but that was when I started to think I could play a little. The problem at pool is that there are many, many levels of play. There are shots pros can make fairly routinely that you may never be able to make once.

On the other hand, you probably already play better than most people who will play pool this year.

If you want to get better, I urge you to pay special attention to your fundamentals/mechanics, including pre-shot routine (PSR) and stroke. An hour or two lesson focusing only on mechanics including video analysis could be very useful because many players like yourself, who have sort of wandered into the game over a long time, tend to pick up very bad habits. A lesson like that might cost around $100 but could save you a lot of wasted effort if you try to work around your current flaws.
 
Took me about 1 year to get where I was a run-out player and pocket balls with a lot of confidence.The much bigger mountain for sure is getting to where you can play very good players and be competitive with them without your game going down.When you get to a point where your opponent is the table and the balls and is not the person you are playing then you have reached a very mature stage.It's just polishing and seasoning from there.These levels can take a lifetime to get to for some and come fairly quickly for others that are blessed with high levels of talent and concentration.
 
Onepocket73 said:
Took me about 1 year to get where I was a run-out player and pocket balls with a lot of confidence.The much bigger mountain for sure is getting to where you can play very good players and be competitive with them without your game going down.When you get to a point where your opponent is the table and the balls and is not the person you are playing then you have reached a very mature stage.It's just polishing and seasoning from there.These levels can take a lifetime to get to for some and come fairly quickly for others that are blessed with high levels of talent and concentration.
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This happened to me last night. I went up against a very strong player and I got very ratlled. I was playing extremely well (for me) all evening but when I got behind to said player I couldnt stop making mistakes. I really want to get good at this game. I am just seeing it in a different light than I ever did when I was a young man.
 
First time I played !

I think I got addicted the first time I played when I was 8 yrs. old. My Dad brought a little pool table home and I loved it and a couple of weeks later I was beating my older brother and his friends.

My Grandpa worked in one of our towns 3 pool halls when he retired. I was there as often as my parents allowed. When I moved to Alaska in 1965 I was always in the pool halls and worked in one while I went to high school. I shot so much pool I had a permanent callous on the big knuckle of my middle finger on my left hand.

I pretty much quit pool during a 4 year stint in the military during Viet Nam. I never got back into it until about 2011. Now I'm retired and have a good 9' table and Diviney cues.

I am a much smarter player then I was when I was a kid. But, I sure don't see as good as I used too!
 
I have one very memorable day that I always acreddit to being a turning point in my game. I went to the library and asked if there were any books on pool.( The library was 2 blocks from pool hall the only book they had was Mosconis book (the one with him shooting and a red background). He described using English to "help" or throw the balls in. That day I clicked a few levels after doing it for just a few hours. And over next year of playing and practicing my game had gone up from D to B speed.
 
It all depends on practice time and playing time. The more you play, the more quickly your skill level will rise. 3-4 years can get you better than most if you play/practice 4-5 days a week. Find a quality instructor and you will reach that level and beyond even faster.
 
For the first several years after starting to play my improvements came fairly often ( my skill level was low just starting out so there was a lot of room for advancement ). These were achieved mainly just by putting the time in on the table. As your skill level progresses jumps in skill are harder to achieve.

After getting to a certain level of skill I plateau'd maybe 3 or 4 times and these were very hard for me to break thru. What worked for me was actually unintentional and not planned out. On occasion I have taken a break from playing with varying amounts of time but I'd say 6 months at a minimum. For whatever reason after coming back from not playing for a good bit of time ( from 6 months up to a couple years ) and getting back in stroke for several weeks my game had jumped significantly.

Specifically; possibly most importantly, I was able to " see " things better than I was able to before - this includes shots, patterns, etc. Also my consistency jumped greatly. Also shots that had always been a problem for me were now easy. I always attributed it to be burnt out and lost enthusiasm for the game. After getting the " itch " after a layoff always came back with a renewed interest and drive.
 
I started playing at 13 years old. Mainly played straight pool.
I ran 101 balls at 16 years old.
So i guess i got it in 3 years.
 
I have been playing for about 2 and a half years. Recently I discovered my shooting ability. I have probably improved the most over the last 6 months.

When you start making long shots with speed of 4" pockets you are starting to get it.

The only advice I have besides fundamentals and mechanics is completely and totally lock in on the object ball before you shoot.
 
Onepocket73 said:
Took me about 1 year to get where I was a run-out player and pocket balls with a lot of confidence.The much bigger mountain for sure is getting to where you can play very good players and be competitive with them without your game going down.When you get to a point where your opponent is the table and the balls and is not the person you are playing then you have reached a very mature stage.It's just polishing and seasoning from there.These levels can take a lifetime to get to for some and come fairly quickly for others that are blessed with high levels of talent and concentration.
Click to expand...

You were a run-out player after playing for 1 year?
 
philly said:
Tramp you nailed it. I would add that you will plateau and go backward but when you break through each plateau you will be a better player. You never really fully get it. That's the beauty of the game. As you begin to "see" the table better your improvements will come in smaller increments.
Click to expand...

This is of HUGE importance and one aspect of the game that probably has sent more away from the sport than kept them playing.
Most sports do not have those periods where one has to get worse to get better.
Most new players are not told that this is a common occurrence and should not lead to discouragement.

I remember trying to work in English and take on more difficult shots, and lose many many times. This lead to regression and settling at a plateau which lead to breaks in my playing from six months to a year at a time.

It wasn't until I learned my fundamentals were horrid and had them corrected under proper coaching, now the learning curve has been accelerated and I'm having great fun.

I can only imagine how many pool players settled on the initial plateau, never learned proper fundamentals, and then eventually quit the game.
This sport is so complex with so many aspects needed to be worked on to find that switch that really brings out the enjoyment in spades.
 
Figuring out the 4 1/2 X 9' was quick and easy. It's mastering the 5"x8" sitting on top of your neck that slows most down,
 
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