How often should a person shoot pool, if you want to get good. I shoot about 4 times a week is that enough?
How often?
- Thread starter mikev_wvufan
- Start date
i think it's more about quality time than quantity time. the more you focus during practice the faster you'll see results.
A good buddy of mine once told me "I get better when I don't practice." I used to think this was silly, but then in dawned on me, if you never play, you never lose! In fact, before I ever picked up a cue, I was the greatest player in the world. Not even Effing Reyes could beat me, because I wouldn't play him.
However, now that you've started playing and destroyed your perfect record
, I'd say that 4 times a week is plenty. The goal is to have fun, after all... unless you're a pro like me... then the goal is to ruin everyone else's fun.
However, now that you've started playing and destroyed your perfect record
, I'd say that 4 times a week is plenty. The goal is to have fun, after all... unless you're a pro like me... then the goal is to ruin everyone else's fun.
I agree. If you're playing 4 times a week but most of the time you're just banging the balls around the table, your improvement will be slower. If you're spending that much time trying to improve your mechanics then your improvement will be much faster. It's really a lot about repetition, the more mechanical you get the more consistent you become.poolplayer2093 said:
You said you play 4 times a week. How many hours per session?
When I first started playing, I played 10-12 hours per day, seven days a week. I did this for about ten years. (Needless to say, I am on my second marriage)
A player I met a few years back, Norm, is a high school math teacher with a family at home. He plays to a strong semi-pro level and seems to move the cue ball like it's on a string. I asked him once how much he practices to keep in shape. He plays 5 days a week, 15 minutes a day. He has a kitchen timer in his pool room in the basement and once a day he sets the timer for 15 minutes. During that time he works on focusing only on pool and gives it his all.
I would have to say with regards to how much is enough depends on how much you need. I agree with the previous comment that it isn't quantity rather quality that you need to be mindful of. Avoid frustration and perhaps play one day less but put MORE into the other three days that you previously did with more constructive practice.
I would have to say with regards to how much is enough depends on how much you need. I agree with the previous comment that it isn't quantity rather quality that you need to be mindful of. Avoid frustration and perhaps play one day less but put MORE into the other three days that you previously did with more constructive practice.
Like I was saying I play 4 times a week probably 4-6 hours a day. When I was in my teenage years I played all day everyday at least 10-12 hours a day. For 9 years. I didn't play much when I was in the service. Now I have more time on my hands I want to get back into it again and possibly do some league play. I need to find a league in my area.buzzsaw said:
I bought my own (Joss) cue in August of 1994 and began playing a few hours a week. Prior to that I played 1-2 hours a month.
Within 6 months of buying my Joss I was playing 4-5 hours every day...and going to Engineering classes.
Within a year I was in full addiction and would play 8-10 hours every day...I mean every day including Xmas & such. Most days I would be waiting at the door for the room to open. How I juggled graduate school is a mystery to me now.
I progressed very quickly and began winning my share of local (handicapped & non-handicapped) tourneys. Many people could not believe I hadn't been playing for many years.
This went on for another 2 years and I thoroughly burned out by 1997. I began playing worse and worse and I all but gave up.
Today, I play once or twice a week for maybe 4-5 hours total. It keeps my game alive...gasping for breath...I would need a lot of practice to get in top shape. Problem is, I can only practice alone for a 1/2 hour or so before looking for something else to do.
Why did I go through this long story? Only to tell you to pace yourself. Don't burn out like I did. Limiting my play to a few hours a day could have been better for me as I may be a better player today if I had paced myself.
Within 6 months of buying my Joss I was playing 4-5 hours every day...and going to Engineering classes.
Within a year I was in full addiction and would play 8-10 hours every day...I mean every day including Xmas & such. Most days I would be waiting at the door for the room to open. How I juggled graduate school is a mystery to me now.
I progressed very quickly and began winning my share of local (handicapped & non-handicapped) tourneys. Many people could not believe I hadn't been playing for many years.
This went on for another 2 years and I thoroughly burned out by 1997. I began playing worse and worse and I all but gave up.
Today, I play once or twice a week for maybe 4-5 hours total. It keeps my game alive...gasping for breath...I would need a lot of practice to get in top shape. Problem is, I can only practice alone for a 1/2 hour or so before looking for something else to do.
Why did I go through this long story? Only to tell you to pace yourself. Don't burn out like I did. Limiting my play to a few hours a day could have been better for me as I may be a better player today if I had paced myself.
gpeezy
for sale!
Most important
I beleive the most important thing is to make the most of your practice. Find you some instructional tapes that include drills for fundamentals and practice them. Your pool game is like a house. It needs a good foundation. I would suggest to play 2 hours a day. When I was learning I would play 2-12 hours a day. I wish I could have kept that up but life hits eventually.
I beleive the most important thing is to make the most of your practice. Find you some instructional tapes that include drills for fundamentals and practice them. Your pool game is like a house. It needs a good foundation. I would suggest to play 2 hours a day. When I was learning I would play 2-12 hours a day. I wish I could have kept that up but life hits eventually.
It depends on what you want to get out of your game? I play once or twice a week, maybe a total of 3-6 hours at the table in one weeks time. I constantly beat guys who play 4 or 5 times a week but that is in my little world. Pool is a hobby for me but I do take it serious when I play. I never practice but I don't improve much either, my game has been the same for quite a while but I am happy with it.
pawnmon said:
Sure you can learn from those you beat! For example:
Bar tab after playing: Free
Lesson learned: drinking is fun and free
New shoes to replace ones worn from walking around the table: Free
Lesson learned: the more you stand, the cheaper replacement shoes are.
Full tank of gas: Free
Lesson learned: I can come back tomorrow.
See, lots of quality lessons to be learned!
I practice 3-4 hours a day 7 days a week 365 including all holidays. It's all mechanics, drills, and advanced practice routines, not ball banging. In addition I play tournaments. I thinks everyone is different, I've heard some top pros say they practice a few hours a week, and I've heard others say they play 9 hours a day. Is there any difinitive answer to this question?
How often or how long you spend at the table has little to do with how to become "good". You can spend 30 hours a week practicing doing things the wrong way, and all you have accomplished is becoming very good at doing the wrong things.
15 minutes of perfect, focused practice, on the right things, will bring much more improvement than 8 hours of doing the wrong things.
Steve
15 minutes of perfect, focused practice, on the right things, will bring much more improvement than 8 hours of doing the wrong things.
Steve
To date the best practice regiment I have ever heard was that of Stephen Hendry years ago. He would set his alarm and wake up at 7 am every day Monday to Friday. Get showered and dressed in the same attire he competes in. Have breakfast and report to his table at 9 am. He would take a 15 minute break before and after his half hour lunch break. He played till 5 pm everyday. He treated it the way most of us treat OUR jobs. He worked 40 hours a week and never called in sick.
To me, THAT is a professional approach to the game that few can say they can or have adhered to.
To me, THAT is a professional approach to the game that few can say they can or have adhered to.
10 hrs a day
i was waiting for some real estate to sell to free up cash to start my first jewelry store, and i played for 10 hrs a day for about 18 months. i would set the balls on my table with none touching, no clusters and none on the rails. i would take ball in hand and shoot the 15 balls in no order. set them up and repete. i believe pool is all about making all the easy shots consistently, the simplest way. i would shoot until i had made 100 in a row without missing. then i would hit the bars, looking a game. i played the best pool in my life in those 18 months. i suppose everyone is different but for me its hours and hours on the table.
i was waiting for some real estate to sell to free up cash to start my first jewelry store, and i played for 10 hrs a day for about 18 months. i would set the balls on my table with none touching, no clusters and none on the rails. i would take ball in hand and shoot the 15 balls in no order. set them up and repete. i believe pool is all about making all the easy shots consistently, the simplest way. i would shoot until i had made 100 in a row without missing. then i would hit the bars, looking a game. i played the best pool in my life in those 18 months. i suppose everyone is different but for me its hours and hours on the table.
If you want to compete successfully on a national level, probably 30-40 hours per week while you're improving. Maybe less to maintain your level. If you just want to play OK on your local league team, 1-5 hours per week ought to be plenty to see improvement, provided you pay attention.mikev_wvufan said:
i've never really had a set practice time, but then again i don't have a table at the house either. most of my time playing is at my buddy's bar, on the bar boxes. i don't really do any practicing at all except setting a few balls up to make in a pocket and hitting them different (draw, follow, using left and right english to get cueball positioned differently). after doing it with a house cue for a while since i don't have my own stick i've gotten pretty good considering like a year ago i had no clue how to do any that. the one thing that has helped me the most though was playing people that were ALOT better than me, watching how they approach shots, play patterns and stuff like that.
I used to play 4-5 days week and then at least a couple of hours playing snooker at the local hall on saturday night. That was 18 years ago. Just got cranked back up about 2 1/2 months ago and "No problem in two months I'll be back on top" Uhhh no. Still lagging behind. Biggest problem is my stroke and position play. Its not every time or every game but if I let my concentration slip for one second it happens. I just have to break that habit of swinging my arm to the inside on a firm stroke. I had it years ago and it was hard breaking it then now its back.