I don't like to practice.

Get a hold of this DVD (link below); it will transform your practice sessions -- and not least, your skill level. It's one of the best tools I've ever used; a real game improver no matter what your favorite pool discipline may be:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Robert-Byrnes-POWER-POOL-WORKOUT-DVD-Volume-5-FREE-SHIPPING-/310488397804

IMHO, one of the best 16 bucks you'll ever spend towards more productive and actually pleasurable practice sessions. Plenty of other Internet places also carry the DVD at various prices. I feel like I'm evangelizing for Byrne, but in fact I've seen how these particular workouts *do* bring long-lasting results. And I sure do love this sport of ours.

Btw, after my first viewing of the DVD I was immediately convinced of its value and spent about 8 hours making very clear "mini-diagrams" of the 40 or so skill-builders Byrne discusses and demonstrates. It's a convenient take-to-the-table way of having each element right at hand. It came to 4 pages that I've shared continually with friends (or anyone) wanting to improve via Byrne's well considered workout material he developed.

Just PM me and I'll freely email my 4-page pdf of the diagrams to anyone interested. Here's a jpeg of the DVD's front and back cover sheets:
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byrnedvd5.jpg

Enjoy.

Arnaldo
 
master_cueist...Not every teacher believes in what you're saying. What you're talking about is the HAMB theory. If you have ways to measure what you're doing, shooting something 50-100 times is unnecessary (and sometimes overkill). You can get enormous feedback from shooting a shot 5-10 times, if you set it up, and shoot it, EXACTLY the same way.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

master_cueist said:
Every pro, coach, and/or teacher I have ever talked to or seen things they have said about this subject they all say to shoot a shot you are having trouble with 50 times until you make it consistently, then shoot it 50 more times.
Click to expand...
 
pt109 said:
I'm with ctyhntr here......try straight pool.
Give yourself your best break ball, like the 14.1 challenge...
...and keep trying to beat your high run.

You'll not only improve your stroke and pattern play....
...you'll feel the same pressure as a match.

Many martial artists, regardless of their favorite discipline, practice tai chi.
Straight pool is the tai chi of billiards.
Click to expand...

I like this!

I've studied many martial arts, but Tai Chi is the only one I've stuck with. Tai Chi goes back to Taoist times, and is the Mother of modern martial arts. Straight pool is the Mother of pockets billiards. Hopefully, my 14.1 abilities will one day match my Tai Chi abilities.

I despise any sort of drills. Life is too short to obsess about becoming a ball-potting machine. I love just opening up a rack and seeing what I can do with it. Without the stress of continual improvement, I am free to stroke the ball any way I choose. This gives me great pleasure. Isn't that what life is all about?
 
Switch drills! This is how I practice... I throw balls randomly or break and just try to pot them all in one go(Straight pool-style). Or I try to pot them all in numeric order 3 times in a row. Try alternating drills with specific set ups too.
 
I agree with many. "Practice" must be fun. Therefore I dont practice. Its not fun. What I do is play pool with myself as much as possible.

Play 8 ball for 10-15 racks. Get bored. Switch to 9 ball. Repeat. Get bored. Start ****ing around. Realise I need a break and take one. Come back and repeat.

Realise that when your playing by yourself your shooting an awefull lot constantly for an extended period of time. That can wear on you quicker than competition because theres no break for your brain.

Most days pool for me is not even playing. Its close to mediation. Wake up grab a shower throw on some music and become one with yourself lol.

NOTHING is more soothing to me than getting off work playing good tunes and just warming up the elbow crackin the shit outta balls. Its a very cathardic(sp?) experience. Great stress relief.

Everyone needs time to dwell inward with themselves. Think about your day your future. You know unwind. Somedays I'm barely aware of the fact that I'm playing pool and somedays I fat and content with life and I barely realise an outside world exists. You need both to maintain a healthy balance.

I dont worry about practicing and almost everyday I improve but I swear I start to itch if I haven't played some pool in the last coupla days.

If you really really want to get better you have to shoot alot. You probably DO need to shoot a shot 100 times to "own" it. Not neccessarily at the same time. I'm just building my foundation extremely wide before I go tall so to speak. I'm not prefect at anything but I'm getting quite good at a whole lot in general.

Good Luck!
 
14.1

Play straight pool by yourself. It'll expose everything. You'll get addicted. I don't even like playing other people anymore... its become meditation instead. Like playing a musical instrument. It'll become zen one day.
 
duckie said:
First, do whatever makes you happy playing pool. Do not lose the fun factor by thinking one has to always improve. If you are happy where pool is fitting in your life, then what's the issue? Don't listen to what others are saying about what you need to do. The worst thing that can happen is to lose the pleasure you find in playing pool at whatever level or league.

I'm the opposite. I wonder if I practice too much at times. Its been two days since I've been at the table and I'm hurting for a fix. Last time, I lost two very close 14.1 games and I'm wanting to get to the table to practice the shots that lead to the loses.

I can not explain this drive in me. I think you either have it or you don't. If you don't, don't try to cause it will lead you to hate pool and that's not a good thing. That's one of the great things about pool in that it can fit in anywhere in a person life. Don't force your growth in pool, let it develop to where it fits your lifestyle.

There maybe a time this will change for you. One day you may just go hmmmm, and just slowing start practicing more. If it is to come, let it come when the time is right for you.

Enjoy the game for what it brings you.
Click to expand...
Duckie has very good advice here I think.
I enjoy practicing for hours and hours day after day in my home room. I enjoy practicing drills or just playing the ghost. However, I try to do it "whole heartedly" and work myself into as deep a state of focus and concentration as possible.
These sessions are often more rewarding to me than playing out! But like duckie says, if you are not enjoying it, don't force it.
 
Sloppy Pockets said:
I like this!

I've studied many martial arts, but Tai Chi is the only one I've stuck with. Tai Chi goes back to Taoist times, and is the Mother of modern martial arts. Straight pool is the Mother of pockets billiards. Hopefully, my 14.1 abilities will one day match my Tai Chi abilities.

I despise any sort of drills. Life is too short to obsess about becoming a ball-potting machine. I love just opening up a rack and seeing what I can do with it. Without the stress of continual improvement, I am free to stroke the ball any way I choose. This gives me great pleasure. Isn't that what life is all about?
Click to expand...

Remind me to stay on your good side.

Some people think straight pool is boring....
...you just aren't trying hard enough...every shot is important.
Watch this guy work it out....
https://www.google.com/url?url=http...llenge&usg=AFQjCNHtRqg2Q0JNRXInoWcqH7YiwEf9mg
 
Im not one to give advice by any means, but one thing Im sure of from all ive seen and heard is this, you play others for fun or to compete, but you become a better player by yourself, that's a fact, theres no competing that gives you the same feedback like shooting a certain shot 200 times a day, ask any pro, I think to improve in a game like pool running drills is the only way to get better. I agree, it gets boring, but if you run a challenging drill successfully it can be more rewarding than beating an opponent.
 
Drills. I do enjoy practicing drills. It's that or stay the same level forever. I'll never be great but I'm closing more games and improving.
 
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I can sympathize, it can get a bit boring by yourself.

I go to the hall so 1, I get out of the house and 2, I get to drink a few beer.

There are times I like to go down and find someone that wants a few games and there are other times, I like the alone Me time and not be bothered by anyone.

Sometimes I am my own opponent and switch back and forth between solid and head bands.

Other times, I take the easiest shots on the table. See how many balls I can run.

Some games, I take the hardest shots on the table. Banks, kicks etc.

When I take the easiest shots on the table, I just shoot from where ever the cue ball ends up.

Other times, I am trying for shape. I pick my next shot and thats the one I am going for.

I usually end the night with different practice shot drills.

Sometimes banking, sometimes kicking etc.

I mix it up thru out the evening to give myself different challenges.

Maybe not the best way to go about a practice session bit it works for me.

Lately, I have been doing something that was on Tor Lawry's video. No left or right English. Just high, low, follow and draw. Wonderful.

Like Sunday night, right now, nothing else to do so I will be outta here in a few. Ya talked me into it. Thanks.
 
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pt109 said:
Remind me to stay on your good side.

Some people think straight pool is boring....
...you just aren't trying hard enough...every shot is important.
Watch this guy work it out....
https://www.google.com/url?url=http...llenge&usg=AFQjCNHtRqg2Q0JNRXInoWcqH7YiwEf9mg
Click to expand...

Ha, ha! No need to worry about that. I'm no more a threat out in the street than I am inside at the table. Martial arts has always been merely a spiritual pursuit for me. Besides, I'm too nice a guy to go around hitting people, just never saw any good in doing that. ;)

Thanks for the video link. I really love to watch Danny play. I watched him on the 10' table at DCC tonight. He uses economical patterns that are closer to the way the old timers played the game. He doesn't try to bust the rack all over the table. Just enough to open the rack up and then work on freeing problem balls and clusters while making mostly short and easy shots.

Some of the younger sharpshooters who aren't scared by distance like to spread the balls open and pick them off, but eventually they get into trouble that way. I think the 10 footer is a disadvantage to this style of player, while it's increase in real estate rewards the more deliberate player who will find it easier to pick apart a rack because of the reduced congestion. Harriman alluded to this in his commentary during an earlier attempt by another competitor.

I enjoy watching these challenge runs, but they don't give a true image of the game because by default there can't be any safety play. Safety play is one of the most demanding aspects of straight pool because they are more difficult to execute than in rotation games IMHO.
 
Sometimes I wish I had the same problem. If I could afford the practice time I would be willing to practice solo 10+ hours a day. Unfortunately, the poolroom I play out of doesn't have any big rate breaks for solo practice. I was able to practice about 3 hours today by myself and it was still $32. I envy some of the stories I hear about poolrooms with good equipment charging 10-20 per night of table time.

Regarding not getting into practicing. I like to think that the desire to practice and working on weaknesses is directly linked to that persons disdain for losing. If I didn't mind losing or missing or making a bad decision or not recognizing something I am sure that I wouldn't want to practice that much. I usually feel that I have to get down to the poolroom to see if there is any possible games for me so by the time I get there I am usually ready to play even when no games are there [which is most of the time]. Practice is more like work, the more you do it the easier it gets. Also, the more you do it the quicker you see progress which can make you want to practice even more.
 
If I had a table in my place, I'd put in more than the 2-3 hours I put in a day. I usually play a game of 9-ball against the ghost, 8-ball against the ghost, 10-ball against the ghost then run some pocketing drills, English drills, breaking drills them go back to playing the ghost. After those few hours have been used up, I'll play some 14.1 or 10 ball with ball in hand off the break.

I could play all day and never really call it practice. Maybe you should call it fun time on the table....?
 
Scott Lee said:
master_cueist...Not every teacher believes in what you're saying. What you're talking about is the HAMB theory. If you have ways to measure what you're doing, shooting something 50-100 times is unnecessary (and sometimes overkill). You can get enormous feedback from shooting a shot 5-10 times, if you set it up, and shoot it, EXACTLY the same way.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Granted that can be true. What I do know is, with that frame of mind and strategy of practice, I went from brand new beginner player to AA/AAA in VNEA in just over 5 years. It has always worked extremely well for me and everybody I have ever told it to. I like to make it 10 times in a row then change the way i try to get position, draw, follow, etc.
 
I never heard of AA/AAA in Valley leagues (at least at the national level)...only open or master level players. I would agree with your goal of being able to do something 10x in a row, as having 'mastered' a shot (the ultimate goal, of course, is to be able to do the shot perfectly, on demand, under pressure, in one try)...and then changing the shot to something else. That's not the same as shooting the same thing 100x. Even when training, I would still encourage the student to take 10 tries at whatever they're trying to do (and have a way to measure results), and then move on to another shot. Each day you get your 10x, but no more. Your first goal would be making it 1/10...eventually you'll get to 10/10. Much better use of practice time, imo.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

master_cueist said:
Granted that can be true. What I do know is, with that frame of mind and strategy of practice, I went from brand new beginner player to AA/AAA in VNEA in just over 5 years. It has always worked extremely well for me and everybody I have ever told it to. I like to make it 10 times in a row then change the way i try to get position, draw, follow, etc.
Click to expand...
 
The Bourbonator said:
I cannot sit alone in my basement and run drills. It's just terribly boring. I just want to play the game. I'm the same way with golf. Anything more than a warmup on the driving range bores me.

The closest I come to practice is playing the ghost, and I rarely do that. Sometimes I will punish myself by reshooting a missed or misplayed shot a dozen or two times.

Maybe I just lack the drive needed to improve myself. Maybe I just don't approach practice the way I should. Maybe I'm content with my skill level, or just lack the needed drive. Maybe I will just always need you to give me a couple balls.

I'm sure I'm not the only one.
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Me too I can't stand drills. What I like to do though is set up problems. I will set up tricky situations and figure out all the ways to play it. Here is a video of me practicing safeties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbjl_8wtcS8

This was born out of me trying to figure a better way to play tighter safeties.

As far as your lack of motivation I think it's different for everyone. When I was diving I couldn't stand the rote exercises but I could stay on the trampoline for hours working on tricks.

Lot's of people like to just play. Nothing wrong with that except that there are certain things you will have a harder time with since you didn't train yourself on what to do. For myself I like to know what all the options are and be confident in my ability to execute them.

But I hate drills.
 
Scott Lee said:
I never heard of AA/AAA in Valley leagues (at least at the national level)...only open or master level players. I would agree with your goal of being able to do something 10x in a row, as having 'mastered' a shot (the ultimate goal, of course, is to be able to do the shot perfectly, on demand, under pressure, in one try)...and then changing the shot to something else. That's not the same as shooting the same thing 100x. Even when training, I would still encourage the student to take 10 tries at whatever they're trying to do (and have a way to measure results), and then move on to another shot. Each day you get your 10x, but no more. Your first goal would be making it 1/10...eventually you'll get to 10/10. Much better use of practice time, imo.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Well AA/AAA is the highest division they use for regional and national VNEA tournaments. Vegas championships goes to regular, intermediate and master divisions based on how you have finished in Vegas before.
The reason it is listed as AA/AAA is because they play together with a 1 game spot from the AAA. The only way to become a AAA is to finish well in Vegas being a previous AA player and getting bumped up. You can not become a AAA from any other VNEA tournament finish.
 
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