Is no practice better than bad practice?

Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Alright guys - last night was probably the worst night I spent playing pool in my life.

I got to the poolhall, grabbed a table, and started to practice. Within the first 10 minutes I knew it was going to be bad. Something was off but I couldn't figure out what, every shot felt uncomfortable despite me taking my usual stance. Maybe it was my jeans, or shirt, or something but I really felt uncomfortable with every shot.

So, I did what I usually do. I focused on keeping my stroking arm in-line, and stepping into my shot, following through, and staying down after stroking... but it did nothing. I was missing balls by half a diamond and I wasn't sure what was going on.

Then, my buddy came in and wanted to play some one pocket and I decided to play. Was still shooting horribly and after 2 games I had to pack it in and call it quits. I was aggravated, irritated, and confused so I decided to go home and relax.

So - is no practice better than bad practice? Is it better to go home and take a break from pool in times/situations like this?

-Richard
 
Except you were not practicing. You were playing a game against an opponent.

You should have stayed. You're not always gonna have your best stuff, so you need to try something else to try and win the game. Thus, more safety's, shooting only ducks, otherwise "duck" some more.

Try and figure out what you are doing wrong, so if you're ever playing in league, you can self diagnose, and correct before the match is over, not after it is over, imho.

Freeze after each shot, and see if you can diagnose the prolblem. Is the tip going down, is the elbow not dropping (much), is the cue tip going in a direct path as the intended target, did you jump up, did you take your eye off ob looking at your position, did you poke the ball, did you follow your pre-shot routine exactly, etc. etc. etc.
 
"So, I did what I usually do. I focused on keeping my stroking arm in-line, and stepping into my shot, following through, and staying down after stroking... but it did nothing. I was missing balls by half a diamond and I wasn't sure what was going on."


How can we expect to pocket balls when we are focusing on other things.

Any day of the week, no practice is better than bad practice.

randyg
 
In such days you have to put more effort, and try to do your best, keep focus even you have bad rolls. We all have bad days so you should learn how to manage them.
I prefer bad practice, than no practice.
If you realize that is a though day, you had to come down to fundamentals and practice them.
The way you dress for pool hall is also very important, you should feel comfortable at the table.
 
Zphix said:
Alright guys - last night was probably the worst night I spent playing pool in my life.

I got to the poolhall, grabbed a table, and started to practice. Within the first 10 minutes I knew it was going to be bad. Something was off but I couldn't figure out what, every shot felt uncomfortable despite me taking my usual stance. Maybe it was my jeans, or shirt, or something but I really felt uncomfortable with every shot.

So, I did what I usually do. I focused on keeping my stroking arm in-line, and stepping into my shot, following through, and staying down after stroking... but it did nothing. I was missing balls by half a diamond and I wasn't sure what was going on.

Then, my buddy came in and wanted to play some one pocket and I decided to play. Was still shooting horribly and after 2 games I had to pack it in and call it quits. I was aggravated, irritated, and confused so I decided to go home and relax.

So - is no practice better than bad practice? Is it better to go home and take a break from pool in times/situations like this?

-Richard
Click to expand...
Well the table will be there tomorrow and hopefully for years.So those days that everything go wrong its better to leave and do something else,like watching your idols at youtube for example a match between Earl and Efren or what ever you like.
Even pros dont practice those days.
Good luck and good shootin:wink:
 
One day you're going to be in a situation like a tournament when this happens. You are going to want to turn it around as you may have people depending on you to do well or you just don't want to throw away your tournament entry with poor play.

This is why you have to stick with it when this happens.

Do:
  • Try something different
  • go back to basics
  • shoot with your opposite hand. - studies have shown when you engage the opposite side of your brain for a task, you are more likely to have a breakthrough
Do not:
  • repeat the same thing you normally do
  • go home with out feeling good about some of the shots you made. low confidence is a killer
  • play others for money when in a slump - shouldn't even have to say this
  • switch cues or look for other stupid magic bullets
 
When my game just feels off, I like to practice stuff like 2- and 3-rail banks (i.e. one-pocket shots). All I'm trying to do is get more experience with the bank angles and CB position possibilites, and it's okay if I come up 1/2-diamond long or short.

All the "tough it out" and "work through it" advice is probably right, but I'm not trying the win the US Open. I'm just having fun.
 
Zphix said:
Alright guys - last night was probably the worst night I spent playing pool in my life.

I got to the poolhall, grabbed a table, and started to practice. Within the first 10 minutes I knew it was going to be bad. Something was off but I couldn't figure out what, every shot felt uncomfortable despite me taking my usual stance. Maybe it was my jeans, or shirt, or something but I really felt uncomfortable with every shot.

So, I did what I usually do. I focused on keeping my stroking arm in-line, and stepping into my shot, following through, and staying down after stroking... but it did nothing. I was missing balls by half a diamond and I wasn't sure what was going on.

Then, my buddy came in and wanted to play some one pocket and I decided to play. Was still shooting horribly and after 2 games I had to pack it in and call it quits. I was aggravated, irritated, and confused so I decided to go home and relax.

So - is no practice better than bad practice? Is it better to go home and take a break from pool in times/situations like this?

-Richard
Click to expand...

This type of thing happens to everyone. We all have days where we go to the table and just have some type of hitch that is throwing things off. Sometimes we can figure out the problem, and sometimes it just won't go away until we leave the table for a while. What I would do in this situation, is go to some very basic stroke drills, concentrate on your basic pendulum stroke with a light grip, and shoot the drills with a slow to medium stroke. If that does not help, I would probably leave the table for a while, and try again later.

I don't think it will hurt to keep playing in that situation, except to frustrate you, so continuing to play probably isn't a big deal. That is unless it has become your norm to make that smae mistake. In that case, you need to have someone look at your stroke and fix it before it becomes a habit.

Everyone will have off days. For me, the problem causing it is usually gone the next day that I come to the table.

I would also mention, that I don't think you should start practice or play until you have done a few basic stroke drills to groove your stroke and grip. Kind of like hitting a few balls at the driving range and putting on the green before playing a round. You should have a few drills that each focus on a basic part of your stroke to get that going well. Do those for a few minutes as the first thing you do every time you hit the table. That will groove your stroke, and will show you if you are doing any part of the stroke wrong to start with.
 
Last edited:
You were simply concentrating on the wrong things in this particular circumstance. Concentrating on stepping in, having the arm aligned and so on causes a brain freeze on what is actually at hand...making the ball and getting position. Concentrating on getting the arm aligned should be done without hitting a ball, as should stepping in. Constantly step in, get down, check everything is how it should be, get back up and repeat as often as you can. That's how it becomes second nature. Then when it it is second nature you can concentrate on making balls. Its probably not what you want to hear, but its how I've been taught, and it becomes second nature quicker than adding ball pocketing into the equation.
 
Get on a 3 cushion or snooker table if you can. It's good to try something different even if it's hard, you can just have fun with it. It sounds like there is some good advice here.
 
Last edited:
supergreenman said:
play others for money when in a slump - shouldn't even have to say this
Click to expand...

lol. as if winning or losing when money is on the line makes any difference at all. In general there are a few ways you will most likely ever win a match in your lifetime against people that are within a couple skill levels of each other.

  • - your opponent shot badly and gave you more games than you truly earned
  • - you accidentally got a few good rolls
  • - your opponent accidentally got a few bad rolls
  • - you accidentally slopped in shots
  • - you accidentally made a couple high percentage shots (by which I mean shots that are basically coin flips)
  • - more breaks worked in your favor than for your opponent (rolls again)

In general that's about how probably 99% of all pool matches are won. Very rarely, and only at the pro level, are matches won simply on skill alone. There's always a luck factor and it's just a competition on who got the most good, and/or the least bad luck.

If it makes you feel good winning matches like this and want to put money on it by all means...
 
I'm glad this thread has generated some action - seems like it's been a while since a thread has gotten people active.

When I play pool now - I shouldn't say I focus on stepping in, aligning arm, etc. More or less I run through a checklist before finally executing a shot:

-Does my shoulder feel in place (I consciously know when my shoulder is in alignment based on feel, and if I don't feel it then I know I'll be stroking off-center)
-Did I step into the shot for proper alignment?
-Does my pre-stroke feel fluid?

If those 3 questions are yeses then I'm ready to shoot - and once these are addressed I focus on potting the ball and getting shape. Obviously, I approach the table with the shot and shape in my mind but I don't execute until I run through the checklist because it's my way of knowing whether I'm stroking straight or not.

Anyway - I think my jeans made me uncomfortable last night, and the hall was hotter/buggier than usual. Whenever I stepped up to shoot my jeans felt like they were cutting my groin area (ouch). Even when I open-bridged something still felt off in the bridge - it was weird...

I can't say for sure what happened but even while trying to self-diagnose I couldn't find what was wrong - and I self-diagnose after missing a few shots because I know that something is wrong somewhere - usually it's my shoulder dropping but last night I have no idea what it was. I walked into the poolhall happy as a clam so I didn't have a bad mindset while I was playing (in the first 10 minutes anyway)...

Who knows...
 
Randy G is right on!!! Bad practice can lead into you developing more quirks in your game & then you'll have more to think about .... more problems.

As also suggested, do some concentrated drills ... 15 minutes on one then 15 min. on another etc., watch a good video, take a walk ... Don't do bad practice!!! If your problems continue, look-up a "Certified Instructor" or higher to help.

Good Luck!!
 
The answer lies within the person and is different for all. Some benefit from walking away and taking a break... others from correcting things until they 'get it right' there really is no right or wrong answer... its whatever works for you.
Takes a long time to get good at pool and even longer to understand your own game.
 
I actually kind of look forward to those days. Not because its fun to struggle (it's actually frustrating as hell), but because it makes me really focus and bear down in an attempt to figure it out and/or power through it. Granted, my bad days are due to the mental rather than the mechanical side of things - my mechanics aren't perfect by any stretch, but I've been doing it so long that what I do (good and bad) is bedrock consistent.

So I definitely wouldn't say it's necessarily good practice in a physical sense, especially if you are still grooving your stoke/stance/etc., BUT... if you play competitively, I think there is something to be said for learning how to work through this type of adversity - or maybe the trick is just proving to yourself that you are capable of working through it. Guys who win tournaments after suffering a bad first-round loss have worked up to that level of resilience somehow, and I doubt it was by walking away from the table when things weren't going their way. IMO, there has to be a benefit, even if only mental, from grinding it out.

What I tell people is that winning with your "A" game is easy - when you get to where you are able to win with your "B" game, you are really starting to figure the game (and yourself) out. I think grinding out these bad sessions is one way to start building a winning "B" game.

Aaron
 
Some of the times when I've played my best were right after times that were my worst.
If I had quit that would not have happened.

If you however just get aggravated, irritated, and don't continue to focus then I would agree it's better to stop.
What happens though when this happens in a tournament or match ? If you've worked through this in practice
or a match before then you are more well equipped to deal with it.
 
there are lots of little things to try, to get out of a bad spot while playing......to find the stuff that has a chance of working for you, you have to try and play thru the bad spells, and try different things in those spots to try and get back in line and playing better...i never find that stuff when im playing well, i find it when im struggling and and find something that gets me out of that spot.

Here's some stuff i try when im struggling. Is my back elbow in correct spot in space, in relation to my body when im down on shot? Is corect spot on my back shoulder over my cue stick? are my feet flat? (am i shifting weight from back edge of foot to front? bad ) is my bridge steady and not moving when i shoot?

if none of that works for me, im probably not getting my vision center over the cue stick. If you can figure out a quick fix for that, please tell me!
 
My rule is to never end practice on a bad note.

No matter what you have to do finish the practice session with something positive.

As to your question, I think no practice is the same as bad practice.

Zphix said:
Alright guys - last night was probably the worst night I spent playing pool in my life.

I got to the poolhall, grabbed a table, and started to practice. Within the first 10 minutes I knew it was going to be bad. Something was off but I couldn't figure out what, every shot felt uncomfortable despite me taking my usual stance. Maybe it was my jeans, or shirt, or something but I really felt uncomfortable with every shot.

So, I did what I usually do. I focused on keeping my stroking arm in-line, and stepping into my shot, following through, and staying down after stroking... but it did nothing. I was missing balls by half a diamond and I wasn't sure what was going on.

Then, my buddy came in and wanted to play some one pocket and I decided to play. Was still shooting horribly and after 2 games I had to pack it in and call it quits. I was aggravated, irritated, and confused so I decided to go home and relax.

So - is no practice better than bad practice? Is it better to go home and take a break from pool in times/situations like this?

-Richard
Click to expand...
 
It seems to me, if you were missing that badly, it had to be your vision. I take everything you say with a grain of salt however.

I would have set up a simple straight in shot to start to diagnose the problem. One diamond from pocket, one diamond between OB and CB. Shoot it. Did it go straight in center pocket? If so, move CB back 1/2 a diamond. Repeat until you miss. When you miss, start tweaking some things to see what takes you back to center pocket. Could be you came in and had unconsciously altered your head position. So you're aim is skewed. Perhaps you're rolling your wrists. If, as you say, you were missing all the shots by 1/2 a diamond, that is a lot. Should be easy with a few simple diagnostics to see where that is coming from.

Of course, you were the guy that was going to video yourself routinely hitting 5 bank shots in a row after starting with ball in hand, on a diamond 9 footer. How you can do this and then come in and be off 1/2 a diamond is puzzling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top