I've spent way too much time perfecting my fundamentals...Don't be like me.

[SEB]

God, this is such good advice. I started going down the fundamentals rabbit hole 3 years ago. My game completely stagnated. I mean completely. For years. I was told by a VERY good player that the only way to get to pro speed was to [insert laundry list of stroke bs]. By the time the dust settled i had a completely different stroke…to the point of using completely different muscles in my shoulder, arm, and wrist. My stroke was now effortless and required little to no concentration on tip placement or backswing. Because the brunt of the stroke was now in my wrist instead of my elbow I would just get down and shoot. If i was shooting stun shots or anything beneath center axis my percentages were high and unbelievably consistent. But I couldn’t roll balls in, jack up, or use this stroke in any fashion off the rail. I have spent years trying to get this new stroke to do these basic things that i used to have no issues with. But no dice.

A few weeks ago i got a repetitive use injury in my shooting wrist from practicing too much. I took a day off but couldn’t stand not playing and went back to my old stroke just so i could hit balls. This old stroke requires concentration. A lot of it. I have to really focus on tip placement and backswing length to make balls and get position. Definitely not effortless like my wrist stroke but this old stroke is solid for all types of shots. But the thing that bothers me about it is the random misses. With my wrist stroke, i would never miss random bunnies. With my old stroke i am susceptible to random misses on routine shots.

It’s maddening. My wrist stroke is super consistent but limited on what types of shots i can use it on. My old stroke is versatile but not consistent.

I went down the rabbit hole of trying to perfect my fundamentals and came out the other side confused on how i even want to shoot a random 5 foot shot. Meanwhile, instead of working on my weaknesses, a good portion of my practices over the last 3 years have been dedicated to this stroke bs that’s left my game in shambles.

I’m so disappointed in myself for going down this detour. I wish i would have never learned about “fundamentals” and instead just practiced straight in shots for a few minutes a day to keep things tight.

My advice to anyone regarding this that is a serious player: Do not go down this road. It’s a bottomless pit. There are soooo many more productive things to work on. You can get to your goals with what you’ve got.

 

[straightline]

Technique is to facilitate an action or actions as efficiently as possible. That does require the learner knows and understands the problems and knows and understands how to develop the solutions. Diligent practice is only a trap for the ignorant.

 

[bbb]

God, this is such good advice. I started going down the fundamentals rabbit hole 3 years ago. My game completely stagnated. I mean completely. For years. I was told by a VERY good player that the only way to get to pro speed was to [insert laundry list of stroke bs]. By the time the dust settled i had a completely different stroke…to the point of using completely different muscles in my shoulder, arm, and wrist. My stroke was now effortless and required little to no concentration on tip placement or backswing. Because the brunt of the stroke was now in my wrist instead of my elbow I would just get down and shoot. If i was shooting stun shots or anything beneath center axis my percentages were high and unbelievably consistent. But I couldn’t roll balls in, jack up, or use this stroke in any fashion off the rail. I have spent years trying to get this new stroke to do these basic things that i used to have no issues with. But no dice.

A few weeks ago i got a repetitive use injury in my shooting wrist from practicing too much. I took a day off but couldn’t stand not playing and went back to my old stroke just so i could hit balls. This old stroke requires concentration. A lot of it. I have to really focus on tip placement and backswing length to make balls and get position. Definitely not effortless like my wrist stroke but this old stroke is solid for all types of shots. But the thing that bothers me about it is the random misses. With my wrist stroke, i would never miss random bunnies. With my old stroke i am susceptible to random misses on routine shots.

It’s maddening. My wrist stroke is super consistent but limited on what types of shots i can use it on. My old stroke is versatile but not consistent.

I went down the rabbit hole of trying to perfect my fundamentals and came out the other side confused on how i even want to shoot a random 5 foot shot. Meanwhile, instead of working on my weaknesses, a good portion of my practices over the last 3 years have been dedicated to this stroke bs that’s left my game in shambles.

I’m so disappointed in myself for going down this detour. I wish i would have never learned about “fundamentals” and instead just practiced straight in shots for a few minutes a day to keep things tight.

My advice to anyone regarding this that is a serious player: Do not go down this road. It’s a bottomless pit. There are soooo many more productive things to work on. You can get to your goals with what you’ve got.

Seems to me you devoted alot of time to an imperfect stroke
rather than mastering a better one
jmho
icbw

 

[Ratta]

You don t need to take this word "pause" too serious- it s not about how long a pause is: It is just about a smooth transition from back to forward. So you finally don t "rush" during the transition. ( rushing anyway sth you don t want- not backwards and not forward ).

Look at Niels Feijen-- there are not many who are able to work with his extremely extended pause at his backswing. Just think about, that you ll have a smooth transition- it s personal, always.

 

[ShootingArts]

Those that genuinely don't have access to a quality instructor, video is the next best thing. Video straight from the front, straight from the side, and straight from the back.

Now, consider this: About one inch of our stroke matters! Everything before, everything after, only matters as to how it affects this inch while the tip and cue ball are in contact. Allen Hopkin's little short stroke is one of the finest in pool. Somehow he has mastered speed control and let's face it, not much to go wrong in a six inch almost straight stroke compared to a much longer arc we are trying to convert to a straight line when discussing the ever popular pendulum stroke. The pendulum is almost impossible if we can't get low to the table which has the effect of anchoring the shoulder somewhat. A full arm stroke works as well or better but is harder to teach and troubleshoot for an instructor. How often do we use the motion involved in the pendulum stroke? How often do we use the motion of the full arm stroke? Try walking with your arms held rigidly at your side!

With the slightest up and down motion or simply slight changes in the wrist or grip the stick does not have to pause at the end of the back stroke. This myth is only true of something moving back and forth in a perfectly straight line.

Pause, no pause, it doesn't matter. What is important is a gentle transition and a gentle start forward. We want a smooth acceleration into the cue ball, attempting to accelerate through it.

Testing fundamentals is pretty simple. We all know the thing we learned very early, hit from the headspot or further back to the center diamond on the foot rail and back to our cue tip. The problem is that it is easy to learn to compensate for slight flaws and get the result while still having a flawed stroke. To avoid this put up a gate. Put a ball against the foot rail even with the center diamond. Now put a ball about a quarter inch from this ball on either side and a quarter inch off the cushion. Move the ball from the center position and start the drill. Many will find they consistently hit one side of the gate or the other. We aren't striking the ball perfectly on center line.

This is the time to focus on your stroke too, for me, gently back, a smooth transition, and forward. I don't like a pause for every shot. I do like practicing one stroking shots. Tip at cue ball to aim, straight back, a smooth transition, gentle acceleration into the cue ball. There are physiological reasons for a gentle acceleration rather than a constant speed or deceleration.(Yeah, science guys I know, no such thing as deceleration but everyone knows what I mean!)

When we do go through the gate cleanly and come back within an inch of the tip either side five or ten times in a row, stop fundamental drills and start shooting drills. You can't make tough shots without good fundamentals so all these shots are practicing fundamentals too. Which reminds me, any drills not perfectly symmetrical shoot them to both the right and left. The same practicing hard shots, don't get one sided where you are more comfortable shooting to the right or left.

Now for the most important drill of all. Hit balls for thirty minutes or an hour a day, shoot straight pool, or challenge yourself playing one pocket. I recommend only playing to seven, you can set yourself up to go crazy playing yourself to eight. Playing right hand against left and giving the left hand a spot is good practice to strengthen weak hand shooting. However, the main purpose of this is to have fun! We can work on fundamentals and drills until we forget to have fun.

Hu

 

[chas1022]

That's called progressive practice. It keeps you at the edge of your comfort zone. Here's a booklet about it:

http://www.sfbilliards.com/Misc/progpract.pdf

Is the book available to buy Bob?

 

[Woodshaft]

That "stroke pause" thing is unnecessary, as many have said (Including Neils). Just be aware not to "jerk-stroke" your shot. The pull back motion is one of the most important parts of your overall stroke.
The key to achieving a good overall stroke imo is to go backwards slower than you intend to go forward. You don't need to pause much, just transition forward naturally. Act like you're a pendulum-- it doesn't pause much at the top of it's swings.
The backstroke is the build up to the forward stroke. Like in golf, wind up slowly, then accelerate forward smoothly at the desired speed. Golfers don't "pause" at the top of their swing btw, that's an optical illusion as the club bends and changes direction. The hands are moving.
And, contrary to popular belief, you don't need a LONG back stroke to succeed. Watch the great Kelly Fisher, for example.
Remember the saying "Different strokes for different folks"? It works in billiards too!

The other advice I give most people is QUIT SHOOTING SO HARD!!!! Modern tables roll fast, and the pockets are tighter than ever. I bet half the shots in pool are missed due to hitting the balls too hard lol. If you've plateaued, try shooting softer and "rolling" the cue ball for shape. One or two rail shape is a player's best friend. If I see a guy relying on draw a lot, I've already won lol.
Also most-- even advanced-- players rely on draw too much imo. "Draw for the show, follow for the dough."
(These are just my observations/experiences over 39 years of playing at a shortstop level/mentoring, results may vary).

 

[Woodshaft]

Remember, lots of guys can "shoot", but only the best can "play".

 

[Bob Jewett]

Is the book available to buy Bob?

Just print the PDF from the website.

 

[Fatboy]

When I first started coming up in the pool world I was always surprised by how much time people spent on their fundamentals. Guys that have been playing their whole lives were still putting the majority of their effort into achieving perfect fundamentals. At the time, I thought of fundamentals as beginner stuff, and once you have the basics down you should move on.

Years later, my skill level hit a plateau and I was struggling to make much improvement year to year. My practice routine consisted almost entirely of just playing races against the ghost at home (which was my real problem). After not seeing much improvement against the ghost, I convinced myself that it was my fundamentals that were holding me back.

My fundamentals were actually pretty solid at the time but there was room for improvement in a few areas. So I started making some simple corrections to my fundamentals and I liked the results. I wasn't necessarily performing better but my stroke felt better than ever and I felt like I was on the pathway to big improvement. Every time I corrected a fundamental flaw, I would find another two or three areas of my fundamentals that I wanted to fine tune as well. Down the rabbit hole I went chasing perfection, just like the guys I mentioned above in the 1st paragraph.

This has been the past 2 or 3 years for me. I haven't been competing much and I've just been hitting balls alone in my basement working on fine-tuning my stroke. The good news is, my stroke feels great. The bad news is, my game hasn't improved nearly as much as I expected at the start of this whole journey.

This past weekend I had an major epiphany. I was checking out Niels Feijen's YouTube channel and I came across his 60 minute tournament prep workout (

). It's mostly a series of shooting drills that he compiles together into a workout. So I gave it a try and quickly realized how inconsistent my shotmaking was on most of these drills. I was really struggling and I quickly realized how much time I've wasted dwelling on my fundamentals and only playing against the ghost.

I realized that all of the time I spent playing the ghost mostly involved short easy shots that I was comfortable with. I wouldn't face many long, tough shots until several balls later in the run when I would get out of line. So for every rack of balls I ran, only a few of the shots would really challenge me. I wasn't consistently challenging myself on every shot. The rest of my practice time typically involved aimlessly running balls with all of my focus on my stroke mechanics.

I now realize that my time would have been much better spent working on pure execution of difficult shots. Just from the few hours I spent on Neil's shotmaking drills this weekend, I can already see massive improvements. My focus on stroke fundamentals was certainly beneficial but it's gone way overboard and I need to get back to actual execution and consistency training. Putting in the hard work that is rarely enjoyable.

My outlook on fundamentals has officially come full circle. Fundamentals really ARE beginner stuff. Perfecting them is important but it's not the end-all/be-all. There is so much more to this game that needs to be mastered. At some point you need to accept what you've got and move on to other areas of development.

Dwelling too much on a tiny fundamental flaw will hold you back way more than the actual flaw ever will. Nobody has a perfect stroke. Nobody ever will have a perfect stroke. There comes a time to stop chasing perfection and work with the tools you've got.

I wonder how much I would have improved if I never started tweeking my fundamentals at all and I just went straight into practicing these shotmaking drills every day. I sure feel like that would have been a better use of my time. The same goes for playing the ghost all the time. Both seemed to have majorly derailed my learning curve. Regardless, I'm back on track and ready to put in the hard work to step up my game. Let's go!

This is a great thread and contains some great information.

What I can add is a very general observation which is a conclusion that took me over 20 years to come up with. I’m not a slow learner-it’s experience gained over time, hence the 20 year +/- timeline.

I’ve played pool over 40 years now, 37 at the pool room around champions. First few years at the arcade and peoples houses etc.

Here’s my conclusion:

This shit takes forever, unless your born with something special.

The guys in this thread are all giving excellent advice. Some play much stronger than I do, some I play better than they do. But for the most part we have all played way too many hours of pool. Dedicated decades and made sacrifices to play less than pro level pool. Why? We love pool.

Guys born with something special get better faster and play at a high level when they reach their potential. SVB has played his whole life and he’s at his peak now, not 10 years ago. Right now.

It took me forever to become a half assed player by a pool room standard, and horrible by professional standards. But in a bar they think I’m a champion usually(only because they don’t know better).

Point is, there’s no rush. Keep refining your fundamentals, mental game, winning ways, or what ever you are looking for out of pool and enjoy the process. You’ll continue to improve.

Total immersion into the pool world and trading in years of your life will certainly help-I’m proof of that. But it won’t make you a champion. You’ll play to your potential.

Good luck and keep learning,

Best
Fatboy

 

[gerryf]

I believe that if you can't stroke straight consistently, you'll never be consistent, so I also believe that you have to pay attention to fundamentals forever. It's pretty easy for something to creep into your stroke that you'll only notice if you do some routine practice on fundamental strokes. I see people who seem to have changed their strokes over a short period of time, and developed a strong tilt of their head, or they're body is twisted differently, or they're feet are so close together that they have a sway develop between the time they get down and the time they shoot.

But the other thing I notice, particularly on snooker players, is how long they focus before they shoot. On a simple shot, from the time they get the tip of their cue in front of the cue ball, they spend 7 or 8 seconds before they shoot. I have to really force myself to stop 'getting the shot over with' in two or three seconds.

Even among pros, they frequently are doing something in their stroke that they're not aware of until someone tells them.

 

[IGotLucky]

When I first started coming up in the pool world I was always surprised by how much time people spent on their fundamentals. Guys that have been playing their whole lives were still putting the majority of their effort into achieving perfect fundamentals. At the time, I thought of fundamentals as beginner stuff, and once you have the basics down you should move on.

Years later, my skill level hit a plateau and I was struggling to make much improvement year to year. My practice routine consisted almost entirely of just playing races against the ghost at home (which was my real problem). After not seeing much improvement against the ghost, I convinced myself that it was my fundamentals that were holding me back.

My fundamentals were actually pretty solid at the time but there was room for improvement in a few areas. So I started making some simple corrections to my fundamentals and I liked the results. I wasn't necessarily performing better but my stroke felt better than ever and I felt like I was on the pathway to big improvement. Every time I corrected a fundamental flaw, I would find another two or three areas of my fundamentals that I wanted to fine tune as well. Down the rabbit hole I went chasing perfection, just like the guys I mentioned above in the 1st paragraph.

This has been the past 2 or 3 years for me. I haven't been competing much and I've just been hitting balls alone in my basement working on fine-tuning my stroke. The good news is, my stroke feels great. The bad news is, my game hasn't improved nearly as much as I expected at the start of this whole journey.

This past weekend I had an major epiphany. I was checking out Niels Feijen's YouTube channel and I came across his 60 minute tournament prep workout (

). It's mostly a series of shooting drills that he compiles together into a workout. So I gave it a try and quickly realized how inconsistent my shotmaking was on most of these drills. I was really struggling and I quickly realized how much time I've wasted dwelling on my fundamentals and only playing against the ghost.

I realized that all of the time I spent playing the ghost mostly involved short easy shots that I was comfortable with. I wouldn't face many long, tough shots until several balls later in the run when I would get out of line. So for every rack of balls I ran, only a few of the shots would really challenge me. I wasn't consistently challenging myself on every shot. The rest of my practice time typically involved aimlessly running balls with all of my focus on my stroke mechanics.

I now realize that my time would have been much better spent working on pure execution of difficult shots. Just from the few hours I spent on Neil's shotmaking drills this weekend, I can already see massive improvements. My focus on stroke fundamentals was certainly beneficial but it's gone way overboard and I need to get back to actual execution and consistency training. Putting in the hard work that is rarely enjoyable.

My outlook on fundamentals has officially come full circle. Fundamentals really ARE beginner stuff. Perfecting them is important but it's not the end-all/be-all. There is so much more to this game that needs to be mastered. At some point you need to accept what you've got and move on to other areas of development.

Dwelling too much on a tiny fundamental flaw will hold you back way more than the actual flaw ever will. Nobody has a perfect stroke. Nobody ever will have a perfect stroke. There comes a time to stop chasing perfection and work with the tools you've got.

I wonder how much I would have improved if I never started tweeking my fundamentals at all and I just went straight into practicing these shotmaking drills every day. I sure feel like that would have been a better use of my time. The same goes for playing the ghost all the time. Both seemed to have majorly derailed my learning curve. Regardless, I'm back on track and ready to put in the hard work to step up my game. Let's go!

I agree with most of your points. But I don't think spending time on fundamentals was a waste of your time. John Wooden was all about it. I think veering away from weak points in one's game was the missing piece. I warm up with a very basic Jerry Briesath drill on the foot spot shooting single balls into the corners working on my stroke. You're going to use your stroke the entire rest of the your pool life, why not spend some time working on it?

I like being well rounded. So that's where I divide my time. I work on fundamentals then go into drills afterwards.

At least you realized where your shortcoming was and started spending time on shooting drills. Just think if you had never come to this introspection.

 

[IGotLucky]

That's called progressive practice. It keeps you at the edge of your comfort zone. Here's a booklet about it:

http://www.sfbilliards.com/Misc/progpract.pdf

This is awesome! Thank you

 

[ShootingArts]

We need to spend some time on fundamentals, at least a quick check that no errors have snuck in. We need to spend some time on drills, to be sure our game is well rounded. We have to play too, to get into situations that all the practice in the world won't get us into. If we want to compete, we need to get out and do that too.

I have seen world class practice shooters that couldn't win a weekly tournament! They spent countless hours practicing, very little time in battle. One guy in particular was spectacular in practice and totally lost his mind in competition.

Gotta have balance. A little more focus on your weaker areas to achieve that balance but don't lose focus. I have seen people work on shots they might see once or twice a year on the table in competition. Great to know that shot but I would prefer spending hours on easier shots that I will see often than spending too many hours on a low percentage shot.

I watched a top instructor working with a pro. They were working on a shot that used to not be too tough with the old rails and cloth. On a modern table they put in about ten minutes each and neither executed the shot successfully. This is a shot I wouldn't worry about. You might have a chance to use it a few times a year but even then there would probably be other options. Better to spend your time making a 60% shot into an 80% shot than a 5% shot into a 15% shot!

Hu

 

[chas1022]

When I first started coming up in the pool world I was always surprised by how much time people spent on their fundamentals. Guys that have been playing their whole lives were still putting the majority of their effort into achieving perfect fundamentals. At the time, I thought of fundamentals as beginner stuff, and once you have the basics down you should move on.

Years later, my skill level hit a plateau and I was struggling to make much improvement year to year. My practice routine consisted almost entirely of just playing races against the ghost at home (which was my real problem). After not seeing much improvement against the ghost, I convinced myself that it was my fundamentals that were holding me back.

My fundamentals were actually pretty solid at the time but there was room for improvement in a few areas. So I started making some simple corrections to my fundamentals and I liked the results. I wasn't necessarily performing better but my stroke felt better than ever and I felt like I was on the pathway to big improvement. Every time I corrected a fundamental flaw, I would find another two or three areas of my fundamentals that I wanted to fine tune as well. Down the rabbit hole I went chasing perfection, just like the guys I mentioned above in the 1st paragraph.

This has been the past 2 or 3 years for me. I haven't been competing much and I've just been hitting balls alone in my basement working on fine-tuning my stroke. The good news is, my stroke feels great. The bad news is, my game hasn't improved nearly as much as I expected at the start of this whole journey.

This past weekend I had an major epiphany. I was checking out Niels Feijen's YouTube channel and I came across his 60 minute tournament prep workout (

). It's mostly a series of shooting drills that he compiles together into a workout. So I gave it a try and quickly realized how inconsistent my shotmaking was on most of these drills. I was really struggling and I quickly realized how much time I've wasted dwelling on my fundamentals and only playing against the ghost.

I realized that all of the time I spent playing the ghost mostly involved short easy shots that I was comfortable with. I wouldn't face many long, tough shots until several balls later in the run when I would get out of line. So for every rack of balls I ran, only a few of the shots would really challenge me. I wasn't consistently challenging myself on every shot. The rest of my practice time typically involved aimlessly running balls with all of my focus on my stroke mechanics.

I now realize that my time would have been much better spent working on pure execution of difficult shots. Just from the few hours I spent on Neil's shotmaking drills this weekend, I can already see massive improvements. My focus on stroke fundamentals was certainly beneficial but it's gone way overboard and I need to get back to actual execution and consistency training. Putting in the hard work that is rarely enjoyable.

My outlook on fundamentals has officially come full circle. Fundamentals really ARE beginner stuff. Perfecting them is important but it's not the end-all/be-all. There is so much more to this game that needs to be mastered. At some point you need to accept what you've got and move on to other areas of development.

Dwelling too much on a tiny fundamental flaw will hold you back way more than the actual flaw ever will. Nobody has a perfect stroke. Nobody ever will have a perfect stroke. There comes a time to stop chasing perfection and work with the tools you've got.

I wonder how much I would have improved if I never started tweeking my fundamentals at all and I just went straight into practicing these shotmaking drills every day. I sure feel like that would have been a better use of my time. The same goes for playing the ghost all the time. Both seemed to have majorly derailed my learning curve. Regardless, I'm back on track and ready to put in the hard work to step up my game. Let's go!

I think you have to develop your stroke and fundamentals first so you are hitting the cue ball accurately and every now and then work on like a tune up of them . Now for the drills I’m a big believer in them. My dad was a very good baseball player and later coached and he would have me do drills for baseball because it broke things down and you learned steps at a time. Neil’s The Terminator did drills with Bert Kinister and Neil’s has drills on YouTube channel for every part of your game, Tor Lowry has drills, Bert Kinister, Anthony Beeler and many others.Rempe has the brainwash drill well that drill has been around for years Richard RIggy ( spelling might be wrong) swore by this drill as many straight pool players. Now the problem I have with some of the drills that are shown is they can frustrate you because you have to be a pro or a really good player to do them. Now like a post earlier mention by Bob Jewett posted with progressive is actually a better way for me to learn. There is something about learning this way when a lot of instructors from Neil’s, Lowry, Beeler, Bob Jewett point this out.

 

[chas1022]

Just print the PDF from the website.

Thanks I went over it after you posted that . A lot of very useful drills . Thanks again Bob

 

[Bavafongoul]

The 2nd paragraph identified your problem which was never fundamentals. Instead, it was a one dimensional approach. Isolating yourself by practicing continuously alone, by yourself, is what Pogo warned us about. We have met the enemy
and he is us. You cannot rely upon your own practice routines and self assessment of your performance or improvement. Practicing ferociously all by yourself pretty much all the time becomes a limiting factor and you’ll wind up hitting a ceiling.

You need to face actual competition. You have to see how others strategize and play the game. You really need
to play a competitor who isn’t you. If you isolate yourself, you don’t have to cope with the noise, distraction, table
conditions that change from table to table, listening to music you might not have selected and at a volume you’d
prefer to be lower, the banter your opponent serves up, the knowledge that if you lose, you’re likely out of the
tournament or else lost some real money that you hand over, not imaginary wins and losses against yourself. That
can turn into mental masturbation if you do it too much. To become a much better pool player, you have to play
against much better players, not just people you might ask to come over for a game of pool. You master the basics,
i.e., fundamentals, practicing at home or maybe that tough shot you missed last night that caused you to lose. But
you have to seek out competition and not try rely on your home field advantage either otherwise you’ll just plateau.

 

[GentlemanJames]

Great post. Gets harder and harder to grow the better you get.

That's called progressive practice. It keeps you at the edge of your comfort zone.

Absolutely.

The further we advance in our pursuit of mastery over time, the flatter and longer the curve between the perceived increases of our performance.

These plateaus in growth occur naturally through-out our development; and, unfortunately, tend to last for longer and longer periods of time the higher we climb.

Breaking through to the next level of mastery requires: 1) Self-awareness and acceptance that we are in a growth plateau; 2) Remaining relaxed and embracing the truth that the plateau will pass, and we will break-through to the next level of performance - eventually - IF we remain focused, diligent, and do the right work; and 3) Attack our weakest areas with drills designed to expose, remedy, and hone our short-comings.

We should be thankful when we find ourselves in a growth plateau, for it is really telling us that we are now ready to begin the work to move onto the next level of personal development. And, avoid becoming frustrated; but rather, remaining relaxed, yet determined.

The opposite road sign to finding ourselves in a plateau, is finding ourselves comfortable with ourselves.

As BOB has pointed-out above, the moment we find ourselves feeling self-satisfied and comfortable - rather than coast-and-enjoy that wonderful feeling for too long - we need to make ourselves slightly less comfortable in our practice routines; so that we are always just pushing on the edge and limit of our skill-set.

An old coach of mine used to tell me back in the 80s: "As soon as you find yourself comfortable with where you are at with your skills, figure out how to make yourself uncomfortable until you become comfortable again, then, repeat the cycle; that is the surest road to continual self-improvement.".

Truly a terrific post by the OP - GJ

 

[Nyquil]

When I first started coming up in the pool world I was always surprised by how much time people spent on their fundamentals. Guys that have been playing their whole lives were still putting the majority of their effort into achieving perfect fundamentals. At the time, I thought of fundamentals as beginner stuff, and once you have the basics down you should move on.

Years later, my skill level hit a plateau and I was struggling to make much improvement year to year. My practice routine consisted almost entirely of just playing races against the ghost at home (which was my real problem). After not seeing much improvement against the ghost, I convinced myself that it was my fundamentals that were holding me back.

My fundamentals were actually pretty solid at the time but there was room for improvement in a few areas. So I started making some simple corrections to my fundamentals and I liked the results. I wasn't necessarily performing better but my stroke felt better than ever and I felt like I was on the pathway to big improvement. Every time I corrected a fundamental flaw, I would find another two or three areas of my fundamentals that I wanted to fine tune as well. Down the rabbit hole I went chasing perfection, just like the guys I mentioned above in the 1st paragraph.

This has been the past 2 or 3 years for me. I haven't been competing much and I've just been hitting balls alone in my basement working on fine-tuning my stroke. The good news is, my stroke feels great. The bad news is, my game hasn't improved nearly as much as I expected at the start of this whole journey.

This past weekend I had an major epiphany. I was checking out Niels Feijen's YouTube channel and I came across his 60 minute tournament prep workout (

). It's mostly a series of shooting drills that he compiles together into a workout. So I gave it a try and quickly realized how inconsistent my shotmaking was on most of these drills. I was really struggling and I quickly realized how much time I've wasted dwelling on my fundamentals and only playing against the ghost.

I realized that all of the time I spent playing the ghost mostly involved short easy shots that I was comfortable with. I wouldn't face many long, tough shots until several balls later in the run when I would get out of line. So for every rack of balls I ran, only a few of the shots would really challenge me. I wasn't consistently challenging myself on every shot. The rest of my practice time typically involved aimlessly running balls with all of my focus on my stroke mechanics.

I now realize that my time would have been much better spent working on pure execution of difficult shots. Just from the few hours I spent on Neil's shotmaking drills this weekend, I can already see massive improvements. My focus on stroke fundamentals was certainly beneficial but it's gone way overboard and I need to get back to actual execution and consistency training. Putting in the hard work that is rarely enjoyable.

My outlook on fundamentals has officially come full circle. Fundamentals really ARE beginner stuff. Perfecting them is important but it's not the end-all/be-all. There is so much more to this game that needs to be mastered. At some point you need to accept what you've got and move on to other areas of development.

Dwelling too much on a tiny fundamental flaw will hold you back way more than the actual flaw ever will. Nobody has a perfect stroke. Nobody ever will have a perfect stroke. There comes a time to stop chasing perfection and work with the tools you've got.

I wonder how much I would have improved if I never started tweeking my fundamentals at all and I just went straight into practicing these shotmaking drills every day. I sure feel like that would have been a better use of my time. The same goes for playing the ghost all the time. Both seemed to have majorly derailed my learning curve. Regardless, I'm back on track and ready to put in the hard work to step up my game. Let's go!

Good thread and insight especially for the home table owners that can really easily fall into this trap. The best thing I did to help my skill set was to get out my basement and join a league for a season. Your higher fargo rated players on your team can really help you out in practice and shed some insight on deficiencies. It's not all about ball potting. Playing real matches I learned to play the game in a much more calculated manner.

 

[336Robin]

General observation:

Very few instructors can give the common-sense advice that players can and there is a place for that kind of advice.

I played an instructor one pocket and had a shot when the ball was frozen to the rail that he couldn't stand the way I shot it
but I was always a high percentage to make a long straight in off the rail doing it my way where my cue left my bridge for a split second.

I changed because he kept hounding me now, I can barely make the ball. Doing it "the right way" for him wasn't worth it but
that doesn't mean he wasn't right.

I had a good friend that had a move that worked the same way as my rail shot. A great player and he was deadly with it.

You have to know when to comply with instruction.