How long does it take to see positive results?

Neil said:
When practicing, don't just shoot the balls in the hole. Pay attention to EXACTLY what you are doing. --Where you hit the cueball for example. Not where you thought you hit it, but where you DID hit it. What speed was used? Where did it go after the hit? Get my point?

That is great advice, thank you! And to everyone else many thanks for helping me out, it was frustrating me pretty badly.

I heard that if you get bored of practicing that you should STOP IMMEDIATELY and do somthing esle.

What do you guys think about that, what if you get extreamly bored of practice? Should you keep going or stop and take a break.

Thanks again.:)
 
8-Ball Player said:
Just got a new table about a week ago, now I am putting an average a 5 hours of practice a day on it. ( 8 hours stright the first 3 days) Its been a week now, Im not really seeing any inprovment, my stroke is a little smoother, and my shot is a little better. But for the amount I have practiced I should be seeing a little more positive results, dont you think? How long does it take before you know your game is improving?

Thanks in advance.

Hmm, thats a hard question. I personally don't even remember when I started playing pool. I know that I'm fairly obsessed with the game and I want to be the best I can be and beyond. Therefore from the beginning, I've put in rediculous amounts of time in practice AND in study. I read books and I find everything I can on the internet to help my game. My friends joke that I only stop playing pool to eat, and go to work. So almost 2 years have gone by if not more and I've improved my game greatly, even beating the people that would run rack after rack on me before.

But to better answer your question, I think that you'll get out of pool everything that you put into it. So like everyone else says, when you practice, be sure to pay attention to whats going on and when you miss a shot, find out why and fix it until your game is rock solid. And be sure in those practices to note where you're weak and work on those shots. Before you know it, the only thing that will cause you to miss while you autopilot is an equipment malfunction, and with the quality of cues being put out on this forum alone I don't see that happening too often. :D
 
Inzombiac said:
Hmm, thats a hard question. I personally don't even remember when I started playing pool. I know that I'm fairly obsessed with the game and I want to be the best I can be and beyond. Therefore from the beginning, I've put in rediculous amounts of time in practice AND in study. I read books and I find everything I can on the internet to help my game. My friends joke that I only stop playing pool to eat, and go to work. So almost 2 years have gone by if not more and I've improved my game greatly, even beating the people that would run rack after rack on me before.

But to better answer your question, I think that you'll get out of pool everything that you put into it. So like everyone else says, when you practice, be sure to pay attention to whats going on and when you miss a shot, find out why and fix it until your game is rock solid. And be sure in those practices to note where you're weak and work on those shots. Before you know it, the only thing that will cause you to miss while you autopilot is an equipment malfunction, and with the quality of cues being put out on this forum alone I don't see that happening too often. :D

Thank you, thats great advice. I do have a few books about pool, and I am on this website. I just get bored of practicing sometimes, I like to compeate.
 
8-Ball Player said:
I just get bored of practicing sometimes, I like to compeate.

So compete with yourself. Play sets of the game used for the DriverMaker tournament (see http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=45710).
I also play rounds of golf on a pool table (it's like 18 different games of 3-ball , but with 2 or 3 or 4 balls racked in different patterns).

Keeping score in practice changes things entirely, or so I've found anyway.

Dave
 
DaveK said:
So compete with yourself. Play sets of the game used for the DriverMaker tournament (see http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=45710).
I also play rounds of golf on a pool table (it's like 18 different games of 3-ball , but with 2 or 3 or 4 balls racked in different patterns).

Keeping score in practice changes things entirely, or so I've found anyway.

Dave

Wow, thats a great idea, thanks man!
 
jay helfert said:
This reminds me of my standard line years ago, when asked how long it would take to become a good player.

I used to say it takes about a year to learn how to make balls and three years of OBSESSION to really learn how to play.

Five hours of practice is good, but 8-10 is even better. Nearly every top player (maybe all) went thru a period in their life where they played Pool to the exclusion of all else. I mean like every waking minute was spent hitting balls.

Sorry, but that's the bad news. There just doesn't seem to be a substitute for hitting many, many thousands of balls.

I have to agree with Jay here and maybe add something else.

There is no exact formula. Different people catch on in often different ways and in different amounts of time. It is tedious and often seems hopeless, but only you know if you have the talent and determination to get where you want. You have to study by watching closely to what better players do. One really has to be a student of the game and want it badly.

Draw shots are important and it takes a good stroke to play this game, but more importantly is learning to play the Right shot. This should all be figured out within at least the next 10-15 years.
 
crawfish said:
Play people better than yourself. Watch matches and how players get from A to B. Some people can be awesome within a year. Some will just never get it after thirty years. Put yourself around action and tournaments, not recreational stuff. No offense to some people but some league play, people just don't care if they get any better. They just like the comradery and s$^$. If you want to be a player, be consumed by it. Live it. But it still will take time. Scwarzenegger didn't become Mr Olympia in one year; but, he was competing in his first year. Make sense? There are guys who play every free moment in hopes of one day knocking off one of the big guys. After knocking off a good player, it can become even more obsessive. I know all of these drills help stay in stroke and stuff but by playing an opponent better than yourself, you'll eventually get the idea and just plain get tired of getting beat on. Get in there and mix it up. I've lost thousands of dollars at two and five bucks a game, but you might "click" one day and start getting it all back. Who knows, maybe even in one night. That first thousand dollar hit is better than two hot twins, a glass top table and a feather.

Nice post. You seem to really get it.

Practice won't make you a champion, but you won't stand a chance without it.
 
You are wasting your time unless you get lessons. You can't see the problems with your stroke, stance, etc. Get help. Don't waste your time. Find out where there is a good teacher and drive there.
 
Gregg said:
Nice post. You seem to really get it.

Practice won't make you a champion, but you won't stand a chance without it.

Thats from the book called, "A Mind For Pool" right? maybe not...

To JimS: Where do I find a instuctor, I live in Utah where pool is scarce, and there is a total of 3 pool halls in the entire state.
 
Yokel said:
Best post so far :D

Takes that long eh? Makes me feel like crap when I see the front page of AZbilliards and see 18 year old kids with huge tropheys, if it takes 15 years then they would have started at the age of 3. Hardly the height of a standard pool table..:D
 
8-Ball Player said:
J... How long does it take before you know your game is improving? ...
There are lots of drills that are set up to be progressively more difficult. The more you can push those, the more you have improved. See the "Basic Clinic" handout at www.sfbilliards.com -- it's free.

No one here can see what horrible fundamental faults you have in your game. Maybe you don't have any. Maybe you have this habit of putting your left foot behind your neck when shooting. We can't tell from behind our screens. Most beginning players think they aren't doing anything wrong, fundamentally. Most of them are wrong. Some of them fix the problems naturally as they play more. Most never do.

Video tape yourself playing. Compare to players with solid fundamentals. This is the point in the discussion where someone will jump up and say, "If you play OK with your foot behind neck, ignore those preachers of orthodoxy!" I'd just ask that you try to play with both feet on the floor for a little while to see if it works better.
 
Bob Jewett said:
There are lots of drills that are set up to be progressively more difficult. The more you can push those, the more you have improved. See the "Basic Clinic" handout at www.sfbilliards.com -- it's free.

No one here can see what horrible fundamental faults you have in your game. Maybe you don't have any. Maybe you have this habit of putting your left foot behind your neck when shooting. We can't tell from behind our screens. Most beginning players think they aren't doing anything wrong, fundamentally. Most of them are wrong. Some of them fix the problems naturally as they play more. Most never do.

Video tape yourself playing. Compare to players with solid fundamentals. This is the point in the discussion where someone will jump up and say, "If you play OK with your foot behind neck, ignore those preachers of orthodoxy!" I'd just ask that you try to play with both feet on the floor for a little while to see if it works better.

Thank you sir, this post is much appriciated! Rep for you! I will start using those drills soon enough.
 
99 critical shots

8-Ball Player said:
Just got a new table about a week ago, now I am putting an average a 5 hours of practice a day on it. ( 8 hours stright the first 3 days) Its been a week now, Im not really seeing any inprovment, my stroke is a little smoother, and my shot is a little better. But for the amount I have practiced I should be seeing a little more positive results, dont you think? How long does it take before you know your game is improving?

Thanks in advance.

That book will keep you constructively busy.
 
8-Ball Player said:
Thats from the book called, "A Mind For Pool" right? maybe not...

To JimS: Where do I find a instuctor, I live in Utah where pool is scarce, and there is a total of 3 pool halls in the entire state.

Don't remember, but I do have the book, so I would guess so.
 
8-Ball Player said:
Thats from the book called, "A Mind For Pool" right? maybe not...

To JimS: Where do I find a instuctor, I live in Utah where pool is scarce, and there is a total of 3 pool halls in the entire state.

Pm Scott Lee. He travels the country giving lessons and putting on exhibitions. He used to live in Montana so he's established in the west and I know he does work in the west.

Scott is regarded as a top teacher and he can get you going on the right track. Without this you just won't be able to diagnose what you are doing that might be keeping you from quicker improvement.

Even with lessons and lots of practice it takes years.... yep years (!) to become a good player. Of course as you improve your definition of a "good player" changes considerably. You can see a good player now and when, in a few years, you reach that level you will no longer consider that a good player and you'll see much more distant horizons to be reached. That's the fun of it... the challange of it. You NEVER get good enough.
 
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8-Ball Player said:
Takes that long eh? Makes me feel like crap when I see the front page of AZbilliards and see 18 year old kids with huge tropheys, if it takes 15 years then they would have started at the age of 3. Hardly the height of a standard pool table..:D

One of the best statements I ever heard concerning this game was made by a fellow named Rich Martin in a newspaper interview. He said," Pool is so much more complex than most even realize. I can teach you to play this game in about 20 minutes and you may very well spend the next 30 years trying to perfect it".

Don't be discouraged, It isn't going to happen overnight. It is just like any other spport, it takes time and work. I guess it is supposed to be hard or it wouldn't be appreciated. After all this time and after all the great players who have come and gone the argument about who was the best goes on and on, but still, there is only one Efren. I've always felt that the beauty of his game is that at 40 years old he continued to improve, and he continued to challenge himself. He has attempted shots that IMO, few have dreamt about.
How old would you guess Efren to be when he started to play? I don't know, but my guess is quite young. Don't you think he ever got discouraged? I;m betting he did. Enjoy yourself and work hard at it. I wish you well.
 
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ironman said:
One of the best statements I ever heard concerning this game was made by a fellow named Rich Martin in a newspaper interview. He said," Pool is so much more complex than most even realize. I can teach you to play this game in about 20 minutes and you may very well spend the next 30 years trying to perfect it".

Don't be discouraged, It isn't going to happen overnight. It is just like any other spport, it takes time and work. I guess it is supposed to be hard or it wouldn't be appreciated. After all this time and after all the great players who have come and gone the argument about who was the best goes on and on, but still, there is only one Efren. I've always felt that the beauty of his game is that at 40 years old he continued to improve, and he continued to challenge himself. He has attempted shots that IMO, few have dreamt about.
How old would you guess Efren to be when he started to play? I don't know, but my guess is quite young. Don't you think he ever got discouraged? I;m betting he did. Enjoy yourself and work hard at it. I wish you well.

That is true, I guess Im just expecting results right now.... which is absurd considering the difficulty of pool. Thanks for the encouragement.

To JimS: I will seriously contact him if I can afford his lessons, I have heard that they were quite expensive.
 
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