I'm stuck, please help!

[simplestroke]

I'm a decent player but I'm trying real hard to get to the next gear. I've taken a couple of years off of shooting and am getting back into things. I recently purchased a table (7ft) and have been shooting quite a bit for the past couple months or so. I seem to have picked up where I left off as far as my ability goes but now that I have a table and some time I'm committed to get to the next level. Just a little reference on my current speed for what it's worth:
-My last league ranking was AA and I was in the upper half of league scores. I have a hard time competing with the better master class shooters.
-Best against the 8 ball ghost (past month) 5 in a row.
-Best against the 9 ball ghost (past month) 7 in a row.

I have the ability to play pretty well BUT in between my strings against the ghost I may go 10 games without a win. The majority of practice I do is against the ghost. I do very little drills outside of shooting a particular shot that I'm having trouble with a dozen times or so. I feel my weaknesses are 1) seeing patterns/taking the right shot, 2) banks (still can't get use to how short my table banks), 3)seeing multiple rail options for kicking and potting.

Please help, I'm stuck in gear!

 

[Maxx]

I think Mark Wilson's book "Play Great Pool" is a bargain.
Woking through it has greatly improved my consistency.

http://playgreatpool.com/InstructionBook.aspx

 

[jburkm002]

Tons of free videos on YouTube. You could watch whatever game you like being played on a Barbox since that appears to be what you play on. After the break you can pause and see the layout. Imagine what you would do. Hit play and see what the pros do and why. See if it's the same as your. Now remember they make tough shots seem routine and their position is outstanding. So they may play things a little different but most layouts should be similar. Try what they tried and see if you can repeat. If not see where you messed up. Which for most it's position. I wanted the cue ball here but it went there so now I need to change my easy layout to a tougher one. I sucks and this is what I would work on. That shot you work on. I would suggest adding position always. Practicing the shot you struggle with while playing various positions. I personally would never practice a shot without adding position.

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[Kim Bye]

Play 10 ball and straight pool. Don't spend too much of your time banging away, find some challenging drills and stick with them until you nail them most of the time.
Record yourself while playing and analyze your stroke, stance bridge etc.
Spend time working on your break, thats a weakness for most players..

 

[Jimbojim]

Do yourself a favor and buy the Zero-X Billiards videos...its cheap and is by far my best investment in pool instructional material.

Where are you ranked AA?

 

[Neil]

I'm a decent player but I'm trying real hard to get to the next gear. I've taken a couple of years off of shooting and am getting back into things. I recently purchased a table (7ft) and have been shooting quite a bit for the past couple months or so. I seem to have picked up where I left off as far as my ability goes but now that I have a table and some time I'm committed to get to the next level. Just a little reference on my current speed for what it's worth:
-My last league ranking was AA and I was in the upper half of league scores. I have a hard time competing with the better master class shooters.
-Best against the 8 ball ghost (past month) 5 in a row.
-Best against the 9 ball ghost (past month) 7 in a row.

I have the ability to play pretty well BUT in between my strings against the ghost I may go 10 games without a win. The majority of practice I do is against the ghost. I do very little drills outside of shooting a particular shot that I'm having trouble with a dozen times or so. I feel my weaknesses are 1) seeing patterns/taking the right shot, 2) banks (still can't get use to how short my table banks), 3)seeing multiple rail options for kicking and potting.

Please help, I'm stuck in gear!

Trying to figure out how can run a 5 pack in 8 ball and a 7 pack in 9 ball with the problems you say you have.

I'll second getting Wilson's book.

 

[simplestroke]

Jimbojim: I'm located in Southern MN. The ranking system is for VNEA if I'm not mistaking.

Neil: That's a good question. I may be being a little hard on myself or maybe those runs were flukes. I was struggling to put 3 packs together last night which prompted my post.

I appreciate all the advice so far!

 

[MitchAlsup]

-My last league ranking was AA and I was in the upper half of league scores. I have a hard time competing with the better master class shooters.
-Best against the 8 ball ghost (past month) 5 in a row.
-Best against the 9 ball ghost (past month) 7 in a row.

I have the ability to play pretty well BUT in between my strings against the ghost I may go 10 games without a win.

The only thing this can be is concentration--as in you lose concentration for a <long> while before getting your head in gear.
a) pre-shot routine
b) think while standing
c) execute down on ball
d) keep notebook on missed shots

 

[bbb]

I'm a decent player but I'm trying real hard to get to the next gear. I've taken a couple of years off of shooting and am getting back into things. I recently purchased a table (7ft) and have been shooting quite a bit for the past couple months or so. I seem to have picked up where I left off as far as my ability goes but now that I have a table and some time I'm committed to get to the next level. Just a little reference on my current speed for what it's worth:
-My last league ranking was AA and I was in the upper half of league scores. I have a hard time competing with the better master class shooters.
-Best against the 8 ball ghost (past month) 5 in a row.
-Best against the 9 ball ghost (past month) 7 in a row.

I have the ability to play pretty well BUT in between my strings against the ghost I may go 10 games without a win. The majority of practice I do is against the ghost. I do very little drills outside of shooting a particular shot that I'm having trouble with a dozen times or so. I feel my weaknesses are 1) seeing patterns/taking the right shot, 2) banks (still can't get use to how short my table banks), 3)seeing multiple rail options for kicking and potting.

Please help, I'm stuck in gear!

if you can do a 7 pack in 9 ball go enter the us open
any problem you have is mental toughness
jmho
icbw
i am an apa 6/7

 

[simplestroke]

if you can do a 7 pack in 9 ball go enter the us open
any problem you have is mental toughness
jmho
icbw
i am an apa 6/7

The thing is I never play 9 ball. I was frustrated maybe bored/losing concentration with the 8 ball ghost when I switched over to 9 ball. It was refreshing having a defined next ball (one ball shape) and it just felt easy. That was when I ran 7. I can NOT do this regularly. I would get my a $$ handed to me at the US open, lol.

 

[simplestroke]

Ps- I'm not too familiar with the APA ranking system.

 

[daphish1]

if you can do a 7 pack in 9 ball go enter the us open
any problem you have is mental toughness
jmho
icbw
i am an apa 6/7

Big difference between a 7 pack on a big table and running out with ball in hand after the break on a bar box

 

[One Pocket John]

As posted by another, Look at Zero-X you won't be sorry.

John

 

[Raecarmia]

Progress....

Hi, I think you are on the right track seeking advice...more players should...That's what being apart of the pool community is all about....Ok, with that being said, I think every post so far is pointing you in the right direction, it seems your abilities on the table are very high and you are capable of playing very well, better than most. However, being a player with those skills you should already know the answer to your own question I would think. If you can play at that level against the ghost and sometimes you "don't get there" ask yourself some serious questions....a "check up from the neck up".... ask if you are measuring your game or your abilities?....are you not winning against the ghost because you are running most of the rack and get out of line?, did you miss position and it snowballed into an unrunable rack? or did you miss critical balls near the end of the rack or the first few balls of the rack?. These things may seem trivial to most but the can tell you alot about your abilities..When you do some proper analyzing of whats going on it will be easier to find a real solution....One thing I would suggest that has helped me tremendously and raised my came to a new level was and is this, when I watch a video on pool, I try to pick out one thing from the video that the Pro's do that I think will help my game, and then I take it to the next level...I visualize myself doing it when I'm playing the ghost ((and then this is the big secret write it down in a small notebook)) and take it to the table the next time you play the ghost and flip thru it and try to emulate how you saw yourself using it. I allows you to stay focused on techniques rather than the outcome or score...it has helped me a lot. Any time you have a table to yourself it becomes harder and harder to rate your abilities because the natural tendancy for perfection becomes lax'd...unless you are committed to a program designed for continuous improvement, and can track your progress its very hard to stay on track. There are tons of great videos online to help with patterns, fundamentals, and shotmaking....try to learn something from every one of them. Hope this provides some helpful insight....Good luck in your pursuit. Gary

 

[caff3in3]

I'm a decent player but I'm trying real hard to get to the next gear. I've taken a couple of years off of shooting and am getting back into things. I recently purchased a table (7ft) and have been shooting quite a bit for the past couple months or so. I seem to have picked up where I left off as far as my ability goes but now that I have a table and some time I'm committed to get to the next level. Just a little reference on my current speed for what it's worth:
-My last league ranking was AA and I was in the upper half of league scores. I have a hard time competing with the better master class shooters.
-Best against the 8 ball ghost (past month) 5 in a row.
-Best against the 9 ball ghost (past month) 7 in a row.

I have the ability to play pretty well BUT in between my strings against the ghost I may go 10 games without a win. The majority of practice I do is against the ghost. I do very little drills outside of shooting a particular shot that I'm having trouble with a dozen times or so. I feel my weaknesses are 1) seeing patterns/taking the right shot, 2) banks (still can't get use to how short my table banks), 3)seeing multiple rail options for kicking and potting.

Please help, I'm stuck in gear!

I highly recommend taking the billiard university exams if you haven't tried them before. They test almost every aspect of the game and give you something solid to use to track progress.

Have you seen them before?

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[Tramp Steamer]

Learning to play pool is relatively easy. Learning to play it well is a different matter entirely.
Books, DVD's, even instruction can be beneficial. Nothing wrong with a good foundation. But, when all is said and done, there is no substitute for hitting balls and lots of them. Many, here, call it HAMB.
Drills, in my opinion, are a waste of time. If you are struggling with one particular shot, a very thin cut up the side rail from across the table, for instance, then do what the pros do. Shoot it over, and over, until you can make it with a reasonable amount of certainty.
Currently you may be at a plateau where your pool play has flattened out, and you seem to be stuck. Don't worry. We've all been there. Continue what you're doing and in time you'll move on to a higher level.
I would be remiss if I didn't suggest that you learn One Pocket. Not only will your playing abilities rise, but over time they will soar. It's a game that will give you pleasure, and satisfaction, (and sometimes heartburn) for the rest of your life. Ask Dick, and Lou.
Good luck. :smile:

 

[simplestroke]

Thanks for all the advice! I plan to try everything that everyone suggested.

 

[KenRobbins]

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[Tennesseejoe]

I'd contact Scott Lee, 773-551-7473, to inquire about a lesson. He travels around the USA and is great. It would be more expensive than a book but his video recording of your stroke and suggestions will improve your consistency. At least contact him. I can't say enough about how valuable it would be. He may even have a group lesson in your area.

 

[KenRobbins]

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