How to stop missing
- Thread starter Andrew Manning
- Start date
I think I read somewhere (or more than one somewheres) that Willie was known to be nearly violently angry at times while playing. I was also pretty sure that was the whole reason for the series on ABC where he played Fats, because he was angry at statements Fats had made. Doesn't seem to indicate satori...
bsmutz said:
I hadn't read those accounts. Thank you. Here's one that dismays me greatly:
Willie, looking like he was fit to be tied, pointed his cue at a young boy in the stands and said something to this effect - If you can't make that little brat sit still, you ought to leave him at home. Immediately the crowd looked at the little boy, who by now had tears in his eyes, then they began to boo and jeer Willie, the owner of University Bowl tried in vain to appease the crowd, but they all left, including myself, disappointed, some were even taunting Willie, calling him names...
And quite rightly.
Willie was not a Zen Cueism adept, it seems.“This is a most amusing game. When you play badly it amuses me, and when I play badly and lose my temper it certainly must amuse you.” ~ Mark Twain
I've been playing straight pool. Previously, after my drills, I'd start playing 9 ball but now I've switched to straight pool. I tell myself I want to run a certain amount of balls before I quit and I stick to it. Can't miss any easy shots or I'll never get home.
How not to miss easy shots:
Besides the preshot routine and stroke, you must improve your concentration.
Do some think 3 balls ahead drills. Scott Lee has a nice one.
Play the ghost at 9 ball. Take every shot seriously and think where you are tying to go before you shoot. Maintain this level of concentration and I guarantee your game will improve. You WILL start missing LESS easy shots.
Play straight pool and try thinking 3 balls ahead. Do this EVERY shot.
Stop the 'just shooting' thing. Gamble and play in more tournaments. Anything to keep your mind active instead of staying mentally lazy.
Besides the preshot routine and stroke, you must improve your concentration.
Do some think 3 balls ahead drills. Scott Lee has a nice one.
Play the ghost at 9 ball. Take every shot seriously and think where you are tying to go before you shoot. Maintain this level of concentration and I guarantee your game will improve. You WILL start missing LESS easy shots.
Play straight pool and try thinking 3 balls ahead. Do this EVERY shot.
Stop the 'just shooting' thing. Gamble and play in more tournaments. Anything to keep your mind active instead of staying mentally lazy.
You think it's better to aim at the object ball that you might under-cut than over-cut it?
I'm trying to graduate from plotting my shot (lining up the contact point to the pocket) to having my experience dictates the shot.
I'm trying to graduate from plotting my shot (lining up the contact point to the pocket) to having my experience dictates the shot.
Last edited:
I was looking at Mel Gibson in "The Patriot" a few nights ago, and he said something that is so applicable to pool--"Aim small. Miss small." It is so important to really zero in on the smallest point on the object ball that you can manage.
One of the things that Max Eberle points out in his excellent e-book Zen Pool (weren't they talking about Zen and pool earlier in this thread?) is that to properly play position, you must play the object ball into a particular part of the pocket. It can be the middle of the pocket or it could be one side or another, but it must be a precise point. The particular point where the cue ball contacts the object ball, after all, determines the tangent line and the initial cueball path from which all position play flows.
Even on the most routine of shots, by aiming for a precise point, you will be induced to give your full attention to the task at hand. The bonus is that even if you don't hit the particular part of the pocket that you had targeted, your chances of making the ball will still be much greater than if you had just aimed for the pocket as a whole.
Aim small. Miss small. Miss less.
One of the things that Max Eberle points out in his excellent e-book Zen Pool (weren't they talking about Zen and pool earlier in this thread?) is that to properly play position, you must play the object ball into a particular part of the pocket. It can be the middle of the pocket or it could be one side or another, but it must be a precise point. The particular point where the cue ball contacts the object ball, after all, determines the tangent line and the initial cueball path from which all position play flows.
Even on the most routine of shots, by aiming for a precise point, you will be induced to give your full attention to the task at hand. The bonus is that even if you don't hit the particular part of the pocket that you had targeted, your chances of making the ball will still be much greater than if you had just aimed for the pocket as a whole.
Aim small. Miss small. Miss less.
ironman said:
The stopshot drill is very easy...both to accomplish, and to make an error!
However, because the CB & OB are close together, for each shot, and a very soft draw stroke allows the OB to be pocketed, this is a very repeatable process. Since you get ball in hand on every shot, you should never make a mistake...but most people do!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
VIProfessor said:
This is a textbook suggestion which is true, but if you are a regular player, you will notice that every shot that you will eventually shoot is something that you have seen/done before. As time goes on, the easy/routine shots should become something that you don't have to "textbook" aim at. Your eyes and body should start remembering those shots or else you are not really gaining skills.
crosseyedjoe said:
I know that experienced players "can" make routine shots without zeroing in on them, but that is not the point. The point here is consistency and control. How many times has a long run been ended on a relatively routine shot? How many times has a player made a terrific shot only to turn around and miss a routine shot immediately after?
The point is not to be able to make the ball, it is to make it. To achieve consistent results you have to execute consistently, which requires giving the necessary attention to each and every shot. Being in the zone demands and embodies focus and concentration. If you're not focused on exactly what you are doing, then what are you focused on? Part of what separates professional players from the rest of us is their ability to maintain concentration and to consistently make the shots they are supposed to make.
IMHO, the other reason why zeroing in is so important, as mentioned before, is control. The difference between good pool and excellent pool is the little tiny details and the ability to pay attention to them. If you know, as you do, that both the direction and the distance of cue ball travel is affected by the angle of the hit, then wouldn't it be obvious that precision in cue ball control begins with hitting a precise point on the object ball? Routine shots are your opportunity to put the cue ball exactly where you want it and really ensure that you keep yourself in your pattern. Too many players squander that opportunity by choosing that time to let down their concentration.
I'm saying not to aim at all. Your eyes and you body will start to memorize those contact points and subconciously position yourself for the shot. When you gain that skill you are progressing. You will exhaust yourself easily when you have to zero-in all the time specially in a long competition. Even if you don't quite notice it, your body will learn the shot, and if you second guess it, by forcing yourself to zero-in, now you are fighting yourself too. Yes, you will make it most of the time, but at what cost.
Last edited: