I could be really really good, if I followed a pre shot routine 😢

[judochoke]

i am a good player. If i follow my preshot routine, taking my time, looking at the shot, thinking of the shot, getting into my shot line, slowly bending down, readjusting, taking my time, two practice strokes, pause, then shoot, i rarely miss.
Normally, i can keep up this preshot routine for a while, maybe 6 or 7 shots. Then, BOOM, its gone. I look, think, bend down and shoot. MISS. And I’m like WHY DID YOU DO THAT????????? And i go back to my pre rountine, after a few shots, its gone again. I’m moving quickly, not setting up, not taking my time, ect, ect.

WHY DO AMATEURS PLAYERS DO THIS???????? WHY CANT WE STICK TO OUR ROUTINE?????

And it works every time. If i break a 9 ball rack, and stick to my pre-shot, thinking of each shot, thinking of the next shot, taking 30-40 seconds between shots, i normally run out. Any deviation from my pre-shot, and MISS.

whats the Secret??????

 

[Bob Jewett]

...

whats the Secret??????

Hard to say, but I'll guess that you need more competition or tougher competition. One issue with that is that if you take 40 seconds per shot, no one will want to play you.

 

[judochoke]

Well that was probably just a guess. But i do take some time. I know my biggest problem is that i dont play anyone, ever. I just play at home, alone. Don’t like bars to much, dont like to be out late too much, have not found a sparring partner yet. I went to a senior 8 ball tourament last month, really my first tournament, had a bye the first round, which totally sucked, as i had to sit and watch for 45 minutes. My first match, i only missed a few shots, race to three, was relaxed, played a older guy than me, and he was really good at safey play, which I wasn’t. He won when i took two stupid low % shots trying to impress the guys watching, bad idea. Lost. I know i need to play more people.

 

[FranCrimi]

Well, first of all, you're acting like you never miss as long as you follow your PSR. We know that's not possible. So what do you blame it on when you follow your PSR and you miss?

 

[judochoke]

Of course i am Exaggerating a bit. But I’m very happy with my game after 5 years. Usually just some little speed control, too slow or too fast to past the next position. my misses i blame on my fat fingers, sometimes small movement on my bridge hand. I have always had movement, but with getting set, one practice stroke, pause, one more practice stroke, set, pause and shoot, the movement has been diminished.

 

[pagaspoling]

A routine is something we do automatically without reflection. What you're describing sounds more like a pre shot checklist where you actively go through the steps you describe. In order for something to become a routine you have to control it first so it sounds like you're on the correct path. If you continue to go through the steps your routine will become better and more automatic.

I think that for the really good players a PSR is a very intuitive process where they first go find the information needed for the shot then execute the visualized shot. It will also change depending on what shot it is and the situation in the match. They know which steps they need to do and what they can leave out.

 

[Pin]

Your description sounds to me like you concentrate very intensely, then let up and relax. Which is inevitable—we can only concentrate for so long.
(The book Willpower by Tierney & Baumeister has a lot of good information about this, if you're particularly interested.)

With sustained practice over quite a long time, your routine will become more automatic, which might help solve the problem or might not.

One idea is to cultivate a 'less intense' mode where you accept you're not bearing down so hard and so might miss more. If you're playing a long session, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

(I'm not an instructor.)

 

[FranCrimi]

Of course i am Exaggerating a bit. But I’m very happy with my game after 5 years. Usually just some little speed control, too slow or too fast to past the next position. my misses i blame on my fat fingers, sometimes small movement on my bridge hand. I have always had movement, but with getting set, one practice stroke, pause, one more practice stroke, set, pause and shoot, the movement has been diminished.

Do you have any idea how much practice it takes for you to be able to execute to your highest level naturally, without much thought? People forget that just because pro pool players aren't in the high earning league like pro golfers or pro tennis players that they don't have to work as hard. You're not in that league. You can't compare yourself to a player who has played 10 hours a day for at least 5 years.

 

[judochoke]

I see your point Fran. 5 years of 3 hours a day for 5 years doesn't guarantee anything. Compared to a pro. So what your saying is pretty much like jack Nicholson said in The movie THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS. so for me, at age almost 66, this is as good as It’s going to get for me. I can accept that. But i seem to be hitting another stage after 5 years, just enjoying the game and practicing listening to music. Slowly getting better. i will take it.

 

[evergruven]

I see your point Fran. 5 years of 3 hours a day for 5 years doesn't guarantee anything. Compared to a pro. So what your saying is pretty much like jack Nicholson said in The movie THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS. so for me, at age almost 66, this is as good as It’s going to get for me. I can accept that. But i seem to be hitting another stage after 5 years, just enjoying the game and practicing listening to music. Slowly getting better. i will take it.

not an instructor, but I disagree that you can't continue to improve
you yourself identified both the problem and the solution, so..?
as suggested above, concentration takes practice to master
you've improved with time, and work, so just keep going..

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Secret is not secret, people who play at professional level for most part work at their game full time 70-90 hours a week.

Friend son is hot shot general surgeon, has sub speciality in oncology surgery. 90-100 hour is easy week, most are 100 plus hours. Now he heading to Huston for another year of fellowship in related surgery . Oncology - Pancreas / Liver Specislist.

 

[BC21]

I see your point Fran. 5 years of 3 hours a day for 5 years doesn't guarantee anything. Compared to a pro. So what your saying is pretty much like jack Nicholson said in The movie THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS. so for me, at age almost 66, this is as good as It’s going to get for me. I can accept that. But i seem to be hitting another stage after 5 years, just enjoying the game and practicing listening to music. Slowly getting better. i will take it.

It's been proven that the plasticity of the mind is still functioning into later years of life, meaning we can always learn and develop skills. We can always program our minds.

The problem is, with age we often start to have trouble with eyesight and memory. So trying to develop or improve skills that require good eyesight or solid memory becomes more challenging -- not impossible, just more challenging.

 

[LightsOut]

Don't practice your mistakes...every motor skill is learned from repetition and ALL reps count equally. Your individual PSR is 100% required for 100% consistency, less application yields less consistent results as you experienced.

It's common to dramatically underestimate the actual work it takes to be really great (at anything) and few people have the complete physical and emotional makeup to perform perfect practice.

Ideal state of mind at the table is a dance between left and right brain ...
If you find yourself choosing shots to impress the audience you are not in a free state to create the outcome visually in your mind and then materialize it into existence. Any dialog (words) dissolves your ability and momentarily strips you of the required skills to successfully 'perform '.

I've spent years playing casually and also practicing under professional instruction and supervision. Speaking for myself here, real practice is the hardest work I've ever done in life. I mean that to include the knowledge and acceptance of what constitutes real practice and the application of that knowledge into my past, present and future with this sport we all love.

Recommend reading 'Zen and the art of archery', very good material that translates well.

 

[FranCrimi]

I see your point Fran. 5 years of 3 hours a day for 5 years doesn't guarantee anything. Compared to a pro. So what your saying is pretty much like jack Nicholson said in The movie THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS. so for me, at age almost 66, this is as good as It’s going to get for me. I can accept that. But i seem to be hitting another stage after 5 years, just enjoying the game and practicing listening to music. Slowly getting better. i will take it.

It's not as good as it gets for you. You will continue to improve as long as you continue to play. It's pretty much a guarantee. When a player comes to me for help for the first time, I let them warm up for awhile. But I'm also observing them, particularly their response when they miss a shot. It's important, because it helps me to know whether or not they have a realistic view of what to expect at their level. Most don't have any idea that missing difficult shots are common all the way up to pro level. They think they're supposed to make them every time when the reality could be as low as 10%, depending on their level.

But sometimes, having an unrealistic view of your game can help you progress, as long as that unrealistic view doesn't frustrate you.

 

[tableroll]

Well that was probably just a guess. But i do take some time. I know my biggest problem is that i dont play anyone, ever. I just play at home, alone. Don’t like bars to much, dont like to be out late too much, have not found a sparring partner yet. I went to a senior 8 ball tourament last month, really my first tournament, had a bye the first round, which totally sucked, as i had to sit and watch for 45 minutes. My first match, i only missed a few shots, race to three, was relaxed, played a older guy than me, and he was really good at safey play, which I wasn’t. He won when i took two stupid low % shots trying to impress the guys watching, bad idea. Lost. I know i need to play more people.

Our league starts at 7 PM and ends at 10 PM. Not too late.