Introduction and Quick Question

N

n33njah

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
First I want to take a second and introduce myself, Name's andrew from alabama, been a reader for several months.... in fact you guys kept me from going insane on graveyard shift many nights haha and I always want to say how much some of the greats from the forums will be missed. Smorg was an amazing person and I want that thrown out because I couldnt post during the time frame.

Anyway onward to my question. I've been playing seriously for a couple of years, working hard on the game when I have time. so the two questions I have are that I seem to have hit a wall at my current play speed, I can consistently run anywhere from six to a full rack [playing 9 ball] at any given point. But i am not seeing my progression curve grow to consistently running the rack, though I have began to see improvements in my safety play, as well as my kicking game. So is this natural that I get to the point of being capable of running out, and as a result people begin to play me differently?

Second question is basically how much time do you guys devote to practice, and do you have your own table that you do it on?

Thanks in advance for any helps suggestions or tips. :thumbup:
 
Welcome to our group Andrew. I'm sure you will recieve many answers to your questions. Have a great time.......SPF=randyg
 
Andrew, Welcome Aboard!

Your on course, It takes time, It took me five years to get it, and I played morning , noon and night. Starting at the age of thirteen helped a lot, no inhibitions. I didn't get a lot of help either. Information usually cost me. I spent a lot of my time watching better players. When I saw them do something that impressed me, I set up the situation and did it, until I did it at least as well as the person I saw do it, or better.

Find a good instructor. It could take a lot of time off the learning process.
 
Welcome to the forum! The only thing I can suggest is maybe slow it down a bit, give a shot a few more seconds, relax, and shoot.
 
n33njah said:
First I want to take a second and introduce myself, Name's andrew from alabama, been a reader for several months.... in fact you guys kept me from going insane on graveyard shift many nights haha and I always want to say how much some of the greats from the forums will be missed. Smorg was an amazing person and I want that thrown out because I couldnt post during the time frame.

Anyway onward to my question. I've been playing seriously for a couple of years, working hard on the game when I have time. so the two questions I have are that I seem to have hit a wall at my current play speed, I can consistently run anywhere from six to a full rack [playing 9 ball] at any given point. But i am not seeing my progression curve grow to consistently running the rack, though I have began to see improvements in my safety play, as well as my kicking game. So is this natural that I get to the point of being capable of running out, and as a result people begin to play me differently?

Second question is basically how much time do you guys devote to practice, and do you have your own table that you do it on?

Thanks in advance for any helps suggestions or tips. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

You need to analyze your game and determine your weaknesses. Simply playing 4 hours a day isn't going to lead to improvement. Every time you go to the practice table you need to pick one or two areas that you need to work on.

Where are your runs stopping? Are you losing position or missing easy shots?

Everyone's mechanics need tweaking here and there so that would be the first spot to look at. Try some loooong straight in potting. If you are about 9 out of 10, then your mechanics should be quite good. Less than that, you could probably use some work.

Yes, as you become a run out player people tend to play differently. Lower level players tend to get a bit more cautious when they know a mistake could cost the game. Ironically I find this tactic backfires in that they are trying not to lose, rather than trying to win.

I try to practice 10 hours per week. Which is essentially every day before work 5 days a week, about 2-3 hours at a time
 
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n33njah said:
Anyway onward to my question. I've been playing seriously for a couple of years, working hard on the game when I have time. so the two questions I have are that I seem to have hit a wall at my current play speed, I can consistently run anywhere from six to a full rack [playing 9 ball] at any given point. But i am not seeing my progression curve grow to consistently running the rack, though I have began to see improvements in my safety play, as well as my kicking game. So is this natural that I get to the point of being capable of running out, and as a result people begin to play me differently?

Second question is basically how much time do you guys devote to practice, and do you have your own table that you do it on? :
Click to expand...

First off, welcome.....

Second, if you can run 6-9 every time at the table, you play real good in my book.....couple of thoughts....vary your games....other games will help your play in 9-ball.....play some 8, some 10, 1pocket, and 14.1....also, check out some of the drills here and in books....the more you learn, the more you can grow....

Third, practice at least once a week for 30 minutes....actual practice, not games....work on one specific shot or concept and work to have it down solid at the end of 30 minutes.....then have fun and use what you've learned....if you can practice about 2 hours a week, and play at least 8, you should continue to grow IMHO....

Good luck...
 
n33njah said:
First I want to take a second and introduce myself, Name's andrew from alabama, been a reader for several months.... in fact you guys kept me from going insane on graveyard shift many nights haha and I always want to say how much some of the greats from the forums will be missed. Smorg was an amazing person and I want that thrown out because I couldnt post during the time frame.

Anyway onward to my question. I've been playing seriously for a couple of years, working hard on the game when I have time. so the two questions I have are that I seem to have hit a wall at my current play speed, I can consistently run anywhere from six to a full rack [playing 9 ball] at any given point. But i am not seeing my progression curve grow to consistently running the rack, though I have began to see improvements in my safety play, as well as my kicking game. So is this natural that I get to the point of being capable of running out, and as a result people begin to play me differently?

Second question is basically how much time do you guys devote to practice, and do you have your own table that you do it on?

Thanks in advance for any helps suggestions or tips. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Welcome aboard N33!! I agree with Tom. Getting some lessons from a good instructor will speed the process. Randy G who posted above has one of the best schools around!

Good luck to you!

Ray
 
Ditto!...and if you can't get to Dallas, Randyg, myself, pooltcher, and some others do some traveling to teach. One of us can surely get to you, if you're interested. :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Bigtruck said:
Welcome aboard N33!! Getting some lessons from a good instructor will speed the process. Randy G who posted above has one of the best schools around!

Good luck to you!

Ray
Click to expand...
 
We have a Pool School in Huntsville this Fall. That should be real close to Andrew....SPF=randyg
 
I play a lot and I have my own table. Lots of practice, not just banging balls around, but real practice with goals.

I've found that just about any progressive drill you can come up with is a good thing.

Get the 3 PAT books, endorsed by Hohmann. They rule.
 
Welcome to the forum.

I like to practice anytime I have a table to myself. I've often been told by players that practice is boring, 'let's play' I usually give in and play a few games or sets.

To the players that tell me that practice is 'boring' I ask them what their two worst trouble shots are. They usually can set up these shots in a quick minute and explain all the problems they are having making that shot. That is when I set it up for them and keep setting it up over and over until they start to FEEL the stroke better or SEE the line better.

Buddy practice takes the time out of setting up the shot and lets the shooter FEEL and SEE the shot better and usually gets quicker results. Try it next time you and your buddy are just hitting them around... set up your 'trouble shot' and share the table with your practice partner.
 
Hey

Great to have a fellow North Alabamian on the forum (actually there are several from here)

I missed the pool school they taught last year, mebe things can work out this time around, but I think its a great investment in your game I would go for the lesson instead...well before, that nice stick that calls your name. I have a couple splice point McD's I could trade towards enrollment, btw :thumbup:
(I wanted to send em to my daughter for college expenses but she didn't go for it)

If you are in the Huntsville area of North Alabama, try to get to Shooters on Monday or Tuesday nights. Free Pool !!! and they have all Diamond 7' with 4-9' Diamonds.

Welcome
 
Thanks for the support.

I appreciate the welcome everyone threw my way, and i'll go ahead and start the "dreaded alabama war" and state that I am a fan of auburn when the iron bowl rolls around. Though I am an alabama fan on every other game other than when it can affect auburn ;).

Thanks and I'll definitely try to make it to one of the schools, and i'm not a great player, it's just that in a break and run out practice drill i generally run six to a full nine set of balls. Recently in games where it matters i've seen that i'm generally running out from roughly the 3 or four without having too many trouble spots. My problem areas tend to be getting out of line, though the recently month long lay off seems to have affected my cutting ability as I dogged several balls tonight.

I believe alot of it is the way i've began to stop thinking when I play, alot of that is hurting and helping my game. Because before i saw this "wall" in progress, i was basically capable of running 3-6 without trouble though I tended to get out of line a lot more than I do now. It's extremly hard to describe what I feel and mean in the sense of it. Like i play smarter and do less when I just let instinct guide me as opposed to saying "Alright to get shape on the 6 from the 5 i have to shoot med stroke hard low left english" where as now I decide and pull the trigger, but that also leads to lapses in concentration.

Btw I appreciate the tip on the drills, I actually found a joe tucker book in the library in the area.

My location is cullman, so huntsvegas as it's called really isnt that far of a drive, i generally play out of the rack and cue in C-town, so if your ever out that way and see a big dude with facial piercings that's me, come say hi and chat it up.

Once again Thanks for the support and help guys. :D sorry for the rambling lol
 
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