How to practice not missing?

[ldl01031]

Why do you think you need to practice longer periods of concentration when you admitted that you even miss ball in hand sometimes? Don't you think that maybe the reason is something else? Treat it like a puzzle. Figure out what's triggering you.

Missing with ball in hand is the ultimate 'take the shot for granted' miss (I'm mentally a couple of balls down the road when that happens). It has happened 2 or 3 times in the last year of intense play. That's just dumb. The misses that are after-the-fact realizations my focus lapsed is what I'm striving to reduce/eliminate.

Hmm, maybe that's a good clue. I might be a ball or two ahead when I should be focusing on the shot in front of me.

I have a friend (good competition) coming over in a few minutes. We'll play for four hours or so. I'll try to monitor it. The heck of it is, I am completely surprised when it happens. That is, as long as I think about keeping focus things go fine. That's why I was asking about longer periods of concentration. And I don't mean to say I leave the table every time with an 'unexplainable' miss. But it happens enough that I'm asking for advice

 

[straightline]

I presume you win anyway and therein lies the rub. You've developed the flow to keep scoring and the errors are a part of that process. I'd even like to say a functional part of that process but have no way of determining that. If you want to eliminate mistakes entirely, it's back to basics. Then you need to incorporate the new "competence" into the same old game; the same old brain; same old trial and error.
One thing I have noticed is people who hold their head old school - not down on the stick, tend to mis-see stuff and have those trainwrecks even if they normally play like machines. Pedantic seems to be everything when it comes to the big cash.

 

[FranCrimi]

Missing with ball in hand is the ultimate 'take the shot for granted' miss (I'm mentally a couple of balls down the road when that happens). It has happened 2 or 3 times in the last year of intense play. That's just dumb. The misses that are after-the-fact realizations my focus lapsed is what I'm striving to reduce/eliminate.

Hmm, maybe that's a good clue. I might be a ball or two ahead when I should be focusing on the shot in front of me.

I have a friend (good competition) coming over in a few minutes. We'll play for four hours or so. I'll try to monitor it. The heck of it is, I am completely surprised when it happens. That is, as long as I think about keeping focus things go fine. That's why I was asking about longer periods of concentration. And I don't mean to say I leave the table every time with an 'unexplainable' miss. But it happens enough that I'm asking for advice

The fact that you're completely surprised when it happens just means that the trigger is something subconscious. It's a habit. You will need to figure out what the habit is that you've fallen into. Once you can figure that out then you can start applying the fix. What I told you earlier about saying to yourself --- "easy shot, slow down," --- I sincerely meant that. It comes from my own experience with something similar. It's not something that came off the top of my head like other posters here do. I"m pretty sure there's a change in your rhythm that gets triggered, even if it's ball in hand.

 

[FranCrimi]

I presume you win anyway and therein lies the rub. You've developed the flow to keep scoring and the errors are a part of that process. I'd even like to say a functional part of that process but have no way of determining that. If you want to eliminate mistakes entirely, it's back to basics. Then you need to incorporate the new "competence" into the same old game; the same old brain; same old trial and error.
One thing I have noticed is people who hold their head old school - not down on the stick, tend to mis-see stuff and have those trainwrecks even if they normally play like machines. Pedantic seems to be everything when it comes to the big cash.

This person obviously has no clue as to why the great players of the past used to stand taller at the table. When I see responses like this, I feel bad for people who read them and take them seriously. Readers should always beware: Responses like this are coming from people thinking off the top of their heads with no basis in fact. People who are unwilling to put their names to their words are the ones you have to watch out for the most, because they won't be taking public responsibility for what they write.

 

[sixpack]

I'm going to tell you a secret. The best 14.1 players in the world don't go through a formal pre shot routine for every shot. In fact, some of them even stand in the same position from the shot before. Why? Because many of the shots are close together and are small shots. Believe it or not, it's sometimes better to stay there and just move your cue to the next shot sometimes and lean over a little to shoot, because getting up and back down again for each small shot increases the odds of fouling balls by touching them, or even the cue ball, which is also often surrounded by balls. But these players who run hundreds know how to keep their pace as they move through a rack so that their mind and body are in sync.


A good example is Lou Butera who ran 150 balls in 21 minutes. Those players have a mini version of a psr that works for them which probably involves setting the bridge hand and verifying the correct tip placement. But that's pretty much it. Now when the shot is difficult, you'll see them stand up and set themselves correctly. They know when a little extra time is necessary.

I know a lot of great players do that and I do that myself when I'm playing my best.

When I start missing easy shots though, I go back to a pre-shot routine and try to figure out why I've started missing them.

When I say pre-shot routine, I don't mean a rigorous, ponderous, tedious, inflexible series of movements and thoughts in order to get ready to shoot, although I know a lot of people think of that.

A good pre-shot routine is just something you use to trigger yourself to be in the right frame of mind to pocket the shot. For example, for me a key one is taking an extra second to let my eyes adjust to the shot before I shoot. That's it when I'm shooting well.

I've watched a lot of great players (not as many as you have) in that type of zone and there is a rhythm to their shooting. It usually is bang, shift to new position, take a short pause to ensure they are lined up, bang, repeat.

The short pause to ensure they are lined up is a pre-shot routine in my opinion. It's a final check to make sure they are focused on the shot. That final check minimizes the chances of them missing an easy shot.

I think that type of 'moment' would help the OP minimize missing easy shots carelessly.

 

[BC21]

Jerry Briesath live not far from me, he teaches pool well.

His lessons are not mumbojumbo, basic foundation stuff.

Guess he understands a house with crooked foundation is not strong.

Use to question Jerry method, but fundamentals, are important.

No strong fundamentals, no consistance.

Jerry is top notch. I did a banking exhibition with him in Vegas a few years ago. He is a great guy and a great instructor.

 

[BC21]

The fact that you're completely surprised when it happens just means that the trigger is something subconscious. It's a habit. You will need to figure out what the habit is that you've fallen into. Once you can figure that out then you can start applying the fix. What I told you earlier about saying to yourself --- "easy shot, slow down," --- I sincerely meant that. It comes from my own experience with something similar. It's not something that came off the top of my head like other posters here do. I"m pretty sure there's a change in your rhythm that gets triggered, even if it's ball in hand.

You always give the best advice! And yes, it's a habit. Everything we do is based on habits. And we can modify those habits if we don't like them.

 

[chefjeff]

Practice what you would do in a match after you miss.

That is, practice being in the chair and "watching" your opponent runout every time you miss.

When I miss during a practice runnout, I go sit down in the player's chair. I spend a few minutes there and "watch" my opponent runnout. It is excruciating.

It's no fun to do that, so it creates an incentive to not miss next time.

I call it practicing competing. Never hit the same layout after you miss. Always redistribute the balls. Always take the time in the chair.


Jeff Livingston

 

[straightline]

Missing with ball in hand is the ultimate 'take the shot for granted' miss (I'm mentally a couple of balls down the road when that happens). It has happened 2 or 3 times in the last year of intense play. That's just dumb. The misses that are after-the-fact realizations my focus lapsed is what I'm striving to reduce/eliminate.

Hmm, maybe that's a good clue. I might be a ball or two ahead when I should be focusing on the shot in front of me.

I have a friend (good competition) coming over in a few minutes. We'll play for four hours or so. I'll try to monitor it. The heck of it is, I am completely surprised when it happens. That is, as long as I think about keeping focus things go fine. That's why I was asking about longer periods of concentration. And I don't mean to say I leave the table every time with an 'unexplainable' miss. But it happens enough that I'm asking for advice

I presume you win anyway and therein lies the rub. You've developed the flow to keep scoring and the errors are a part of that process. I'd even like to say a functional part of that process but have no way of determining that. If you want to eliminate mistakes entirely, it's back to basics. Then you need to incorporate the new "competence" into the same old game; the same old brain; same old trial and error.
One thing I have noticed is people who hold their head old school - not down on the stick, tend to mis-see stuff and have those trainwrecks even if they normally play like machines. Pedantic seems to be everything when it comes to the big cash.

 

[straightline]

This person obviously has no clue as to why the great players of the past used to stand taller at the table. When I see responses like this, I feel bad for people who read them and take them seriously. Readers should always beware: Responses like this are coming from people thinking off the top of their heads with no basis in fact. People who are unwilling to put their names to their words are the ones you have to watch out for the most, because they won't be taking public responsibility for what they write.

Stop the meds again? Why are all the straight shooters way down on the stick?

 

[ldl01031]

The fact that you're completely surprised when it happens just means that the trigger is something subconscious. It's a habit. You will need to figure out what the habit is that you've fallen into. Once you can figure that out then you can start applying the fix. What I told you earlier about saying to yourself --- "easy shot, slow down," --- I sincerely meant that. It comes from my own experience with something similar. It's not something that came off the top of my head like other posters here do. I"m pretty sure there's a change in your rhythm that gets triggered, even if it's ball in hand.

Thanks greatly, Fran. To be honest, I got a bit excited the first time you replied. I remember you from when I was running around with Kim Davenport and Johnny Archer in Modesto back in the early 90's. I will take this to heart. I agree that it has become some type of habit. "Trigger" is an interesting word. I'll see what I can do with that.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... Does anyone use other activities (not necessarily pool) to help build longer and longer periods of concentration?

Get a physical exam if you haven't had one. Get more sleep. Eat better. Have your eyes checked. Exercise. If there is a problem in your life apart from pool, resolve it.

Beyond that, no one knows, except maybe for the OP, whether the OP has some major problem with fundamentals. maybe he puts his left foot up flat on the cloth every shot. We don't know. More realistically, maybe his bridge hand moves half an inch on some shots when he subconsciously realizes that his alignment is wrong. We don't know. This is true for a lot of players who ask for help here -- it's impossible for us to say what they really need.

 

[FranCrimi]

Thanks greatly, Fran. To be honest, I got a bit excited the first time you replied. I remember you from when I was running around with Kim Davenport and Johnny Archer in Modesto back in the early 90's. I will take this to heart. I agree that it has become some type of habit. "Trigger" is an interesting word. I'll see what I can do with that.

Wow! Great! Well, it's nice to hear you're back playing. Once the game gets under our skin, it never really goes away, right? Even when we're not playing, there's always this little hammer in our heads --- tapping away at us to play again. Well, welcome back to the game and keep us posted and post your questions at things come up. Much of the advice here is good. Some is bad, but considering the company you kept, I think you can tell the difference.

 

[FranCrimi]

I know a lot of great players do that and I do that myself when I'm playing my best.

When I start missing easy shots though, I go back to a pre-shot routine and try to figure out why I've started missing them.

When I say pre-shot routine, I don't mean a rigorous, ponderous, tedious, inflexible series of movements and thoughts in order to get ready to shoot, although I know a lot of people think of that.

A good pre-shot routine is just something you use to trigger yourself to be in the right frame of mind to pocket the shot. For example, for me a key one is taking an extra second to let my eyes adjust to the shot before I shoot. That's it when I'm shooting well.

I've watched a lot of great players (not as many as you have) in that type of zone and there is a rhythm to their shooting. It usually is bang, shift to new position, take a short pause to ensure they are lined up, bang, repeat.

The short pause to ensure they are lined up is a pre-shot routine in my opinion. It's a final check to make sure they are focused on the shot. That final check minimizes the chances of them missing an easy shot.

I think that type of 'moment' would help the OP minimize missing easy shots carelessly.

You're logic isn't wrong. It's just that by doing it that way there are possible consequences. One is that you're going totally conscious for all shots --- all because of a few missed ones. So for that duration, you can throw any sense of rhythm out the window as well as any chance of falling into the zone. Then at some point, do you let it all go and then try to just play again? These are tough questions and the answers won't come easy. It will definitely take some kind of conscious effort to break the habit. But I would rather try to isolate that one little problem before putting a player's entire game on the line.

My simple suggestion of "easy shot---slow down" isolates a particular situation and has minimal interference with the player's shooting routine. I think it would be a good start to finding out the cause. Once you change a player's personality on the table, they may never be able to go back to where they were. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes it's not.

 

[sixpack]

You're logic isn't wrong. It's just that by doing it that way there are possible consequences. One is that you're going totally conscious for all shots --- all because of a few missed ones. So for that duration, you can throw any sense of rhythm out the window as well as any chance of falling into the zone. Then at some point, do you let it all go and then try to just play again? These are tough questions and the answers won't come easy. It will definitely take some kind of conscious effort to break the habit. But I would rather try to isolate that one little problem before putting a player's entire game on the line.

My simple suggestion of "easy shot---slow down" isolates a particular situation and has minimal interference with the player's shooting routine. I think it would be a good start to finding out the cause. Once you change a player's personality on the table, they may never be able to go back to where they were. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes it's not.

I agree with everything you say here. I rescind my advice of a pre-shot routine on every shot.

 

[ldl01031]

Practice what you would do in a match after you miss.

That is, practice being in the chair and "watching" your opponent runout every time you miss.

When I miss during a practice runnout, I go sit down in the player's chair. I spend a few minutes there and "watch" my opponent runnout. It is excruciating.

It's no fun to do that, so it creates an incentive to not miss next time.

I call it practicing competing. Never hit the same layout after you miss. Always redistribute the balls. Always take the time in the chair.


Jeff Livingston

I thought I was the only one who did that Yes, when I get really frustrated, that's exactly what I do. I recognize that in tournaments, my opponent would be somewhat upset if I simply shot again... Hence, I sit down and reflect for a minute, then come back to the table as the guy/gal who will be beating me because of my carelessness.

 

[ldl01031]

Wow! Great! Well, it's nice to hear you're back playing. Once the game gets under our skin, it never really goes away, right? Even when we're not playing, there's always this little hammer in our heads --- tapping away at us to play again. Well, welcome back to the game and keep us posted and post your questions at things come up. Much of the advice here is good. Some is bad, but considering the company you kept, I think you can tell the difference.

I so regret not playing for 30 years. I moved to Washington State and pool was zero (once in a while, an 8 ball tournament on bar tables with oversize cue balls), and I eventually just gave up. I recently become friends with Mika Immonen and he's spent dozens of hours playing at my house. Talk about a good way to get reinvigorated! As I told him, at 64 I know the big time is beyond me now, but that doesn't mean I can't terrorize the local tournaments. Thankfully, the pool situation here has greatly improved, though it's still pretty pitiful compared to other parts of the country. I just wish I had a way to help pool become what it should be.

 

[ldl01031]

Get a physical exam if you haven't had one. Get more sleep. Eat better. Have your eyes checked. Exercise. If there is a problem in your life apart from pool, resolve it.

Beyond that, no one knows, except maybe for the OP, whether the OP has some major problem with fundamentals. maybe he puts his left foot up flat on the cloth every shot. We don't know. More realistically, maybe his bridge hand moves half an inch on some shots when he subconsciously realizes that his alignment is wrong. We don't know. This is true for a lot of players who ask for help here -- it's impossible for us to say what they really need.

Hi Bob. I recognize my original question was almost impossible to answer (though I've received some very good food for thought). I actually thought this question (how might I improve concentration) was more straightforward. I am indeed paying a lot of attention to diet/sleep/exercise. But with this question, I was hoping for some type of activity (play this card game or video game, or meditate with some specific focus, or play nothing but 14.1 for a week, or 'something') that other people might recommend. Again, a long shot I know, but it seemed worth asking.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Hi Bob. I recognize my original question was almost impossible to answer (though I've received some very good food for thought). I actually thought this question (how might I improve concentration) was more straightforward. I am indeed paying a lot of attention to diet/sleep/exercise. But with this question, I was hoping for some type of activity (play this card game or video game, or meditate with some specific focus, or play nothing but 14.1 for a week, or 'something') that other people might recommend. Again, a long shot I know, but it seemed worth asking.

You didn't touch on your fundamentals. Many people who have problems with consistency have moderate to huge problems with their fundamentals.

 

[FranCrimi]

I so regret not playing for 30 years. I moved to Washington State and pool was zero (once in a while, an 8 ball tournament on bar tables with oversize cue balls), and I eventually just gave up. I recently become friends with Mika Immonen and he's spent dozens of hours playing at my house. Talk about a good way to get reinvigorated! As I told him, at 64 I know the big time is beyond me now, but that doesn't mean I can't terrorize the local tournaments. Thankfully, the pool situation here has greatly improved, though it's still pretty pitiful compared to other parts of the country. I just wish I had a way to help pool become what it should be.

Wow. Davenport, Archer and now Mika. You sure know how to pick friends! I got to know Mika a little and I have a lot of respect for his game. I think he's one of the best players when it comes to rhythm and timing. Rodney is another one. George San Souci (RIP) was another. Once these guys would find their groove, there's no stopping them. Hey, age is just a number. The more you keep thinking about it, the more it will affect you. Just play, and let go of all that unnecessary stuff in your head.