Jay Helfert says 'Every other day to keep your speed up'...
- Thread starter cycopath
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For me, if I'm trying to keep my game up, I'd say that 1 1/2 to 2 hours every other day would suffice, but I've also got to be in competition at least a couple of days a week as well. For me, at least, practice without competition doesn't keep my game sharp.
Half hour just about gets most good players warm and loose. Johnnyt
I thought about that. But on the other hand, if someone is mainly a tournament player -- I think that developing a good fundamentals and form where you can play well cold is also important. I'm one of those players that needs to hit a full 30 balls (2 racks) before I'm dialed in though.
I will add to that by saying that any improvement in your game will only come after a good two hour warm up period, and that is only if you have been maintaining your game all along. The really important improvements typically happen during a long hard session of pool, whether in heads up competition or tournament play. This may occur after eight hours or more of constant play.
Interestingly enough, often times we make small or minor adjustments in our game when we are tired. We find a more efficient way to do something and something just clicks in our brain and body when it works. A few long hard sessions with another player who is your equal or slightly better will do wonders for your game. You don't want to play too much with someone who is far superior to you. You need time at the table to improve and racking the balls won't do it. :smile:
Notice I didn't say anything about gambling. IMO gambling is not necessary to improve your game. You can be playing with a buddy for dinner or just to see who can beat the other guy. I used to like to play three or four sets of Race to Eleven 9-Ball and that would take several hours to complete. On the other hand playing someone $5 or $10 a game 9-Ball for eight to ten hours will sharpen you up as well. I saw a lot of guys who could grind it out in all night sessions and come back from being stuck ten or even twenty games once they found their stroke. I once won over $300 at $5 a game. We started in the afternoon and finished the next day in the afternoon. It was close to a twenty four hour session. I realized early on that this guy would play until he lost everything he had in his pocket and I wasn't about to quit and make him angry. I just dug my heels in and played. Of course, I was about 24 or 25 back then. Ha Ha
Interestingly enough, often times we make small or minor adjustments in our game when we are tired. We find a more efficient way to do something and something just clicks in our brain and body when it works. A few long hard sessions with another player who is your equal or slightly better will do wonders for your game. You don't want to play too much with someone who is far superior to you. You need time at the table to improve and racking the balls won't do it. :smile:
Notice I didn't say anything about gambling. IMO gambling is not necessary to improve your game. You can be playing with a buddy for dinner or just to see who can beat the other guy. I used to like to play three or four sets of Race to Eleven 9-Ball and that would take several hours to complete. On the other hand playing someone $5 or $10 a game 9-Ball for eight to ten hours will sharpen you up as well. I saw a lot of guys who could grind it out in all night sessions and come back from being stuck ten or even twenty games once they found their stroke. I once won over $300 at $5 a game. We started in the afternoon and finished the next day in the afternoon. It was close to a twenty four hour session. I realized early on that this guy would play until he lost everything he had in his pocket and I wasn't about to quit and make him angry. I just dug my heels in and played. Of course, I was about 24 or 25 back then. Ha Ha
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Some interesting comments on how long each session should last for results.
I practice 3-7 separate sessions throughout the day, but I normally don't play for more than an hour at a time (Max maybe 2 hours).
My theory has always been, to know if something "stuck" I want to come back to the table fresh and see if a potential improvement really worked, or if maybe something changed with my form for the prior session that was not repeatable.
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I practice 3-7 separate sessions throughout the day, but I normally don't play for more than an hour at a time (Max maybe 2 hours).
My theory has always been, to know if something "stuck" I want to come back to the table fresh and see if a potential improvement really worked, or if maybe something changed with my form for the prior session that was not repeatable.
Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
True...especially if you know what and how to practice correctly. :thumbup:
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
People are different. When I was coming up my mentor told me that in rotation games you really need to hit balls daily, if even only for an hour or you were only going to play at 70% of your true speed. I've seen players that defy this though, seemingly never practicing yet losing nothing, Vernon "Bernie" Elliot was one of those.
I usually do drills for 30 - 45 min. first ... then just shoot some balls for a while ... then finish up with about 30 min to an hour of drills.
I'm not going to profess to be an expert on the best practice routine. I'll leave that to guys like Scott and Randy, both of whom I respect. As for me, when I was playing a lot of pool (and gambling every day) I liked to just throw all nine balls on the table and try to run them out. I would shoot rack after rack like that, throw them out, run the balls and do it again. When I felt like I was sufficiently warmed up (after maybe an hour or two) I would return the balls, pay my time, sit back, and wait for my first customer of the day. :grin:
Every once in a while, I would practice Straight Pool, just so I could work on my cue ball. I would shoot racks until I could put together two or three racks (maybe 35-45 balls). That was good enough for me. There were no money games at 14.1. It was just a good practice game imo.
Once I got in stroke (and stayed there) it was no problem to play One Pocket or Banks or any other game for that matter. I felt prepared.
Every once in a while, I would practice Straight Pool, just so I could work on my cue ball. I would shoot racks until I could put together two or three racks (maybe 35-45 balls). That was good enough for me. There were no money games at 14.1. It was just a good practice game imo.
Once I got in stroke (and stayed there) it was no problem to play One Pocket or Banks or any other game for that matter. I felt prepared.
I never do drills, only play games.
I use all the balls and shoot em in order an will also play 1p.
The one "drill" that I do regularly, if you want to it call it that, is to shoot long straight draw shots over and over to ensure consistent pocketing.
That is the one shot I've found that once dialed in, I'm ready to go.
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That is the one shot I've found that once dialed in, I'm ready to go.
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Good one too!
Cann we really trust helfert?
Posting before 8am? Is he really a pool player?
Posting before 8am? Is he really a pool player?
I'm not a great player but when I watch live streams and see world class players practicing between matches they run balls. If they missed a particular shot they will set it up and practice it but mostly they run balls. I don't ever remember seeing a guy doing drills.