Motivation to play/practice alone?

G

gxman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Before I drop a ton of money into fixing up the garage and getting a home table, the thought of lacking motivation while playing alone came to mind.

At the pool hall, I can play with the same person for 5-7hrs no problems and really enjoy doing so. But if its shooting around by myself for anymore than an hr, I'll get bored.

Maybe its b/c I dont have a define set of drills to practice on. I just rack up 8b/9b and try to run out. I'm a C+ caliber player hoping to become B+++. I currently go to the pool hall about twice a month with a buddy. I'm always very eager to play or watch pool online.

Anyone else have a hard time practicing/playing alone ?
 
For me,, my motivation comes from desire and the solitude helps me to focus more. I play on my campus where very few people can bother me. My desire is to become a AA rated player (currently a mid level B) drives me, as does my want to be better than the master players I play with now.
Realistically though (because I don't think my above answer helps you) motivation is a habit, and most people do not know what motivates them. Motivation is a habit, and it's something that needs to be practiced. My answer is to slowly build yourself up to playing longer and longer solo. I can currently last about 6 hours.

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My desire to practice comes and goes but I can pretty much always play at least an hour before I get disinterested. Just an hour a day is enough to justify having a table if you ask me.

I've found the key is having something to look forward to, be it a tournament, an upcoming matchup, or even just a league session that matters to you. You have to have something out there on the horizon that keeps you motivated.
 
I like to think of how fun it is to beat people with a stick...especially people that used to be better than you... And tournaments are super fun when you're winning.
 
practice

gxman said:
Before I drop a ton of money into fixing up the garage and getting a home table, the thought of lacking motivation while playing alone came to mind.

At the pool hall, I can play with the same person for 5-7hrs no problems and really enjoy doing so. But if its shooting around by myself for anymore than an hr, I'll get bored.

Maybe its b/c I dont have a define set of drills to practice on. I just rack up 8b/9b and try to run out. I'm a C+ caliber player hoping to become B+++. I currently go to the pool hall about twice a month with a buddy. I'm always very eager to play or watch pool online.

Anyone else have a hard time practicing/playing alone ?
Click to expand...

I never much liked practice when I was younger.

Later, I began to add more variety to my practice sessions. Different drills, different games, etc. I tried to add one new shot or skill every session.

I also gave my myself goals like making ten 8' straight in shots in a row. If this didn't keep up my focus, I gave myself challenges with rewards, like...I can't eat lunch till I run four racks of 9-ball from the break!

Interest in practice increases as one sees the improvement in one's game...
 
I think playing alone is a very important part of becoming a better player. When you're playing against an opponent you probably shoot 1/4 of the amount of shots you can shoot in the same amount of time by yourself. When you're playing in a match you tend to only shoot the shots you're comfortable with otherwise you play safe. While practicing you can shoot a difficult shot 50 times in a row until it becomes easy.

I like to play a match against somebody and take notes on what I need to practice the next day. Then when I get to the practice table I know exactly what I need to work on and I can get the most out of my practice. It's a lot easier to motivate yourself to practice alone if you see a big improvement from doing so. This is why you always want to make the most out of your practice time. Whenever I practice too long I'll end up finding myself just lazily cracking balls into the rail, that's when it's time to stop because there isn't' much interest or benefit from continuing to practice.
 
One way to get motivated is remembering your goals. Do you have a particular person you want to beat? Is there a tournament you want to win?
 
20 or 30 min. at a time can help a lot,especially if you practice in a good way. Here at home,I only practice about 20 min. at a time and I get bored also.

Remember,it's perfect practice that makes perfect..not just bangin balls around.

Helps to set little goals while you are practicing too. Or big ones for that matter.Good luck,hope that helps. John B.
 
I take shots or do drills overtime I walk by the table. If I use the table for 15 minutes or an hour it is best piece of furniture in the house. You know you want one...get one.
 
It really depends on my mood and how I'm feeling but when I am home I definitely play every time. Sometimes in an evening I'll play for 20 minutes..go watch tv and come back and play more. Sometimes I'll spend the whole evening playing with no distractions. On the weekends I play a few hours on Saturday and Sunday. I play pool every day but some days I just don't want to spend much time at the table...some days I can't put the cue down. If you can get a table and love the game I think it's a no brainer. Good luck and enjoy it!
 
For myself, motivation comes from a 100 mile trip to the nearest pool hall.
A 75 mile trip to the nearest players that care and a Diamond pro sitting in a awesome man cave.

Cuebuddy is used to being alone.
 
I play alone most of the time. I don't know many players except for a few I've met at the pool room and who I play with on occasion. But I can play for 4-5 hours by myself without problem. I don't really just practice though...I usually spend a little while warming up just shooting, then I'll run a few practice drills, then I'll just start playing by myself either 9 ball, 10 ball, or straight pool. All are games that are easy to play by yourself. Depending on how I feel I might keep track of how I'm doing in some way or I might not. I just don't seem to get bored when I'm at the pool table and playing by myself means I'm always at the table.
 
gxman said:
Before I drop a ton of money into fixing up the garage and getting a home table, the thought of lacking motivation while playing alone came to mind.

At the pool hall, I can play with the same person for 5-7hrs no problems and really enjoy doing so. But if its shooting around by myself for anymore than an hr, I'll get bored.

Maybe its b/c I dont have a define set of drills to practice on. I just rack up 8b/9b and try to run out. I'm a C+ caliber player hoping to become B+++. I currently go to the pool hall about twice a month with a buddy. I'm always very eager to play or watch pool online.

Anyone else have a hard time practicing/playing alone ?
Click to expand...

Sometimes. Then I just walk away and come back at another time. Once you have a table that you can regularly practice on, you're going to see improvements and those improvements will motivate you to continue to practice. (You're not going to improve much playing 10-14 hours a month against another person. Improvement comes from practice, not play.)

But I keep saying this when this stuff comes up: unless you're going to try to make a living at pool, you need to maintain your enjoyment of playing. No amount of improvement will make up for not enjoying the journey. Sure you may improve rapidly but if you find that you can't look at a table without dread, what's the point?

So I love my table and I have never regretted buying it. I do drills when I feel like it. Run racks when I feel like it. Play Bowlliards, Fargo, Cowboy, etc., when I feel like it. Don't play at all when I don't feel like it. I'm not improving nearly as fast as I technically could, but I have fun every time I'm at the table and to me that's the most important part. I will now get off my soapbox.
 
Change up the games. I know you said you shoot 8 and 9 ball, throw ten ball in there.

Race the ghost. Depending on how you play there are many ways to do it so it's challenging yet fun.

Grab a patch or make a target using paper or something and try some skill shots. Make your ball and say this is where I'm going to leave the cb. You can even score it like golf- Easy way you get 3 chances. First chance is -1 2nd is 0 3rd is +1. Or you can score it off the difficulty of the shot.

I love turning on some music and shooting by myself for hours on end. For some reason it just relaxes me.
 
I chose to purchase my first house because of the huge living room. A pool table was purchased a week or two after closing. I did not play much, as I was too easily bored with shooting racks. I also did not know anyone near by that would give a challenge. I sold it about two years later.

Now, if I were to get a table, I would keep stats on whatever I could to motivate me to improve and track the progress. Bowlliards would be a good game. There is another system posted here a while back to gauge what level you are at. Break a rack and with ball in hand, shoot until you miss and record the number of balls made. Total after 10 racks is what is used to rate a player.

7-Up would be another good game to play.
 
I could never find the motivation to run an hour a day on my treadmill at home. I just hated it but I needed to do it to get my asthma under control. If I put on my favorite Blurays (Pink Floyd, The Who, Springsteen,Bonamassa) the hour went by super fast. Same thing applies to my practicing alone. I just finished a quick hour by myself while cranking out some great R&R. I do that every night before I leave work.
 
Same problem here, bored quickly with the drills and knocking balls around by myself. A friend introduced me to straight pool. Good game to play while alone, and it makes you aware of your weaknesses, which gives you something to practice. Also, I don't seem to get bored as quickly playing this game either.
 
to learn straight pool , that's the way i've choosed to stop being bored by my practice sessions... and believe me , it works -when you like this game- !!

I'm almost the only pool player in myclub , which is basically a carom & english pool club , so, i am forced to practice alone , since i got very few serious partners when it comes to pool .
To make drills, drills and and drills is boring IMHO , but when you're alone at the table , straight pool is an excellent way to improve your game . Not only because it's so hard, but because you can easily evaluate yourself your performances . dream of 100 balls , reality is 50 : so much remaining work to do :) , so much pratice needed , lessons needed , that's the reallity ...
 
I honestly practice alone 2 hrs before work by myself 2-3 times a week at a pool hall with an occasional holy shit its been six hours my gf is gonna kill me hahaha. (On the weekends and normally getting into random matches when that happens) Then have league night on sunday. I practice with my teammates for 2 hrs before league starts. I pesonally enjoy just practicing by myself. You have so many more shots when by yourself. Put the headphones on get in a flow and concentrate. Take everything slow and really think about my shots with no pressure. If i miss i get to put the balls back and understand why i missed. I think its a better learning experience. I do some routine drills. I understand my weaknesses and strengths and when i get to my league matches there are no what ifs. I know what i have to do. Its time to execute. I take pool very seriously. I love the competition and i love the experience. I learn something new everyday.There def has to be a drive though or you will just end up giving up. Mine is the love of the game and the challenge to see how good i can become. To me that is a lifetime endeavor. Im a young 26 and i have a goal set for 30. Well see.

Nice Post
Mike
 
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