Looking for encouragement

B

bbb

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pool is like a jig saw puzzle to me
lots of stuff to learn and perfect to put all the pieces together for the total package
my stroke is improving (scott agrees:smile:)
i some times jaw balls which stop my run out
or i stroke too pure and get more spin/speed than i expected
which stops my run out
i try to cheer myself up with the positive
(hey larry you hit that great)
but im frustrated to not being a run out player yet
your comments are appreciated:smile:
 
You might be spoiling your own enjoyment of the game by expecting perfect all of the time. Some days you are great, some days not so great.

Adjust your expectations according to your actual competence that day. On good days, play with a more aggressive attitude. On bad days, play more safeties with a defensive attitude.

And when you got nothing on the table, make sure to play a shot that leaves your opponent with nothing.
 
You are not alone.

I repeat, you are not alone. I get rather frustrated with my lack of progress, too.

Humbling game, this pool.
 
I am quite capable of running a rack, but if I got frustrated every time it didn't happen, I would hate this game. Play the best you can, and let that be your goal. The run-outs will come.
Steve
 
What he said, Larry! :D Great to see you again! You've come a long way already! Keep up the good work! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

pooltchr said:
I am quite capable of running a rack, but if I got frustrated every time it didn't happen, I would hate this game. Play the best you can, and let that be your goal. The run-outs will come.
Steve
Click to expand...
 
Shameless plug:

Allan Sand's books will take you next level! He has drills and techniques that will GREATLY enhance your consistent play at the tables.
 
Larry,

I feel your pain. We all jaw balls, as long as it doesn't happen constantly I'd rather jaw balls than miss by several inches or more. I'm lucky to have always had pretty good speed control, but even then will under or overrun position, or just not look when I should at details, and you just have to adjust and play safe and maybe file it away for further practice if certain shots or routes become an issue.

For me, I'm a perfectionist, and there just isn't enough time in the day or week to work on what I want. I'm getting better at accepting things but also putting in more time so I can play closer to my goal more often. Balancing fundamental work, drills, practice play, and competitive play is a challenge but all are needed when trying to get to that next level. And even once you get there even pros still take time out to work on their stroke and certain drills.

Good luck, I know Scott was just down there so hopefully you got some confirmation on what you are doing right and/or some new stuff to focus on. Give me a call if you want to chat.
Scott
 
BilliardsAbout said:
Shameless plug:

Allan Sand's books will take you next level! He has drills and techniques that will GREATLY enhance your consistent play at the tables.
Click to expand...

I just ordered 3 of Allan's books this past weekend:

"The Art of War vs. The Art of Pool"

"Psychology of Gamesmanship - How to Manage Mind Games and Tricks"

"Advanced Cue Ball Control Self-Testing Program: Break-through reality
checks for dedicated players"


Looking forward to seeing if they increase my mental game and position play.
 
scottjen26 said:
Larry,

I feel your pain. We all jaw balls, as long as it doesn't happen constantly I'd rather jaw balls than miss by several inches or more. I'm lucky to have always had pretty good speed control, but even then will under or overrun position, or just not look when I should at details, and you just have to adjust and play safe and maybe file it away for further practice if certain shots or routes become an issue.

For me, I'm a perfectionist, and there just isn't enough time in the day or week to work on what I want. I'm getting better at accepting things but also putting in more time so I can play closer to my goal more often. Balancing fundamental work, drills, practice play, and competitive play is a challenge but all are needed when trying to get to that next level. And even once you get there even pros still take time out to work on their stroke and certain drills.

Good luck, I know Scott was just down there so hopefully you got some confirmation on what you are doing right and/or some new stuff to focus on. Give me a call if you want to chat.
Scott
Click to expand...

thanks to all who have posted thus far
i know this scott too so
i can ask him
how did the table turn out??
will call to chat
thanks for posting
larry
 
bbb,

We've all been there for sure. One thing that put things into perspective for me was some advice on probability from a great player.
It went something like, "Say you break, make a ball and leave yourself a makeable shot on the 1 with 90% chance to make it and get shape. Then you work through the rack, leaving yourself very good with 90% makeable shots everytime. Even if you can do that, mathematically, you have a less than 50% chance to run out. Throw in one 50% shot and you've just cut your chances of running out in half."

So instead of focusing on trying to run out in practice, I spent time on raising the percentages of my weak shots and learning to play shape closer to the next balls, and eventually the runouts started coming more and more often. Good luck!
 
victorl said:
bbb,

We've all been there for sure. One thing that put things into perspective for me was some advice on probability from a great player.
It went something like, "Say you break, make a ball and leave yourself a makeable shot on the 1 with 90% chance to make it and get shape. Then you work through the rack, leaving yourself very good with 90% makeable shots everytime. Even if you can do that, mathematically, you have a less than 50% chance to run out. Throw in one 50% shot and you've just cut your chances of running out in half."

So instead of focusing on trying to run out in practice, I spent time on raising the percentages of my weak shots and learning to play shape closer to the next balls, and eventually the runouts started coming more and more often. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Good advice Sir,

If the percentages can be increased (one step at a time), the success rate should increase as well.

Regards,
 
victorl said:
bbb,

We've all been there for sure. One thing that put things into perspective for me was some advice on probability from a great player.
It went something like, "Say you break, make a ball and leave yourself a makeable shot on the 1 with 90% chance to make it and get shape. Then you work through the rack, leaving yourself very good with 90% makeable shots everytime. Even if you can do that, mathematically, you have a less than 50% chance to run out. Throw in one 50% shot and you've just cut your chances of running out in half."

So instead of focusing on trying to run out in practice, I spent time on raising the percentages of my weak shots and learning to play shape closer to the next balls, and eventually the runouts started coming more and more often. Good luck!
Click to expand...

You may have seen this somewhere else, but I posted something similar here last year, and you are exactly right. It's actually how I think about the game, and it helps to explain choices to people when teaching.

If you are 95% on every shot in the rack to make it AND get reasonable position - don't underestimate this, I would consider this top pro level - your runout percentage is 63% for 9-ball. That means you can execute each shot in isolation 19 out of 20 times, pretty strong, yet that 1 out of 20 will come back to bite you and either result in a lower percentage shot somewhere in the rack, something requiring a safe, or a flat out miss.

If you include just 1 50/50 shot in the mix, the percentage drops to 33%. For a top player with 3 tougher type shots (say 75, 80, and 80), which is not unreasonable, it also drops to 35%.

For a top player with normal percentages - mixture of 98/99%, 95/96%, 90%, and some 85 - 88% - percentage is almost 50%.


So you can see the advantage of making balls on the break, improving your shot making and focus on not only tough shots but also the routine shots, and executing good decision making during a run out. You can also see how fricking hard this game is, and even though we all do it not to beat yourself up when you don't get out as often as you think you should. To beat the 9 ball ghost, if you never made a ball on the break, you have to stay pretty much in line all the time shooting high percentage shots to break the 50% mark that would be required to win a race.

Scott
 
Encouragement

Try not to focus on the result, but rather the execution. Take pleasure in all the small things, Perfect preshot routine, great follow through, and the results will come. Try to learn something everytime you play.

Take a notebook and each time you play and come across a shot you are not confident in (whether awkward cut, uncomfortable bridge, problem with position play) draw the shot and add a few notes. Each week spend 10-30 minutes working on these "Problem Shots" of yours. As you do this overtime you will have fewer and fewer problem shots, and play more confidently.

Be honest to yourself when assessing the %'s of making a shot and getting shape. Too often players say 'oh i can make that and get shape 95% of the time' but they are judging the shot incorrectly. Be honest to yourself, pay attention to these tougher shots and your shot selection. And don't come up with excuses on poor play, rather take something away from it (learning or a specific shot to practice until it is learned).
 
I really like this thread. I have been feeling something very similar. I have only been playing for about 8 months. I just started playing league. I am an APA 3. At week 12 I have been on a 4 game losing streak. After winning most of my games. I am practicing a lot more and seem to be playing worse. It has been making me crazy.
 
DanielDeTinne said:
I really like this thread. I have been feeling something very similar. I have only been playing for about 8 months. I just started playing league. I am an APA 3. At week 12 I have been on a 4 game losing streak. After winning most of my games. I am practicing a lot more and seem to be playing worse. It has been making me crazy.
Click to expand...

it's not how much you practice...it's how you practice. As a beginner, it's possible that you have some fundamental flaws that you are practicing. If there are flaws, you may be re-enforcing them. A couple of hours with a good instructor might be what you need.
 
bbb said:
pool is like a jig saw puzzle to me
lots of stuff to learn and perfect to put all the pieces together for the total package
my stroke is improving (scott agrees:smile:)
i some times jaw balls which stop my run out
or i stroke too pure and get more spin/speed than i expected
which stops my run out
i try to cheer myself up with the positive
(hey larry you hit that great)
but im frustrated to not being a run out player yet
your comments are appreciated:smile:
Click to expand...

No such thing as stroking "too" pure. A consistent preshot routine (doing the exact same thing before every shot) will bring up consistence.

English is like salt. Too much of a good thing is not good. Use it sparingly. Speed control is more important, and this comes back to stroke.

As for jawwing shots, make sure you're looking where you are supposed to be looking when you pull the trigger. You should be looking at the target, not where you want the cueball to go. Many shots are missed because of small body motion towards the next shot. Finish the shot you are taking and then look to the next one.

:cool:
 
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