My training schedule...looking for suggestions

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JDP12

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now that the school year is essentially over..It's time for me to start getting serious about my pool. THis is what I had in mind, and I'm sure it's not perfect so I'm looking for some suggestions.

1) For a couple weeks or so, work mainly on position play and figuring out english and how to correctly apply it. Every day I would work on that for about an hour or so, as well as playing multiple racks- the question is how many- i was thinking maybe 10 or so a day? Looking for suggestions on that, as well as any good position drills that you may know of.

2) After I have that down, work on bank shots. Continue playing racks. Looking for drills.

3) Play as much as possible all summer... I hope to find a league near me and start playing in fall.

Now I have a general question. Would you say it is better to do drills or just play? I have a feeling it will be a combination of both, perhaps with a stress on playing... because I get a more real-life feel from it.. But what do you think?


Looking for any recommendations for a serious training schedule. Thanks all for all the help you've been giving me lately
 
JDP12 said:
now that the school year is essentially over..It's time for me to start getting serious about my pool. THis is what I had in mind, and I'm sure it's not perfect so I'm looking for some suggestions.

1) For a couple weeks or so, work mainly on position play and figuring out english and how to correctly apply it. Every day I would work on that for about an hour or so, as well as playing multiple racks- the question is how many- i was thinking maybe 10 or so a day? Looking for suggestions on that, as well as any good position drills that you may know of.

2) After I have that down, work on bank shots. Continue playing racks. Looking for drills.

3) Play as much as possible all summer... I hope to find a league near me and start playing in fall.

Now I have a general question. Would you say it is better to do drills or just play? I have a feeling it will be a combination of both, perhaps with a stress on playing... because I get a more real-life feel from it.. But what do you think?


Looking for any recommendations for a serious training schedule. Thanks all for all the help you've been giving me lately
Click to expand...




I've never done any drills personally, I'd just play a lot and my game improved very rapidly that way.

I used to play the 9 ball ghost for 4 or 5 hours a day and just try to be ahead at the end of the day, rather than playing to a specific race. I usually would have played about 60-70 racks in a typical session.

Also, for straight pool I'd set up a break shot and run until I missed and the start over, I'd keep track of the runs on a pad.
 
Getting good quickly...

I took my biggest jump in play from practicing over the last couple months.

I start my day by putting OB on spot and hitting them firm into pocket from different angles... this is to loosen the arm.

Depending on my practice day, potting, shape, speed, spin, break or safeties I select my games and drills.

Potting: I place an OB middle table and pot ball, spot, and play shape to keep potting from the middle until I miss.

Shape: I practice balls I missed shape on in games.

Speed: I practice by using diamonds. I like to know my stroke for 1,2,3,4,5 etc diamonds forward and backward.

Spins: I practice potting using spin. I do long pots, around 3 rails etc. I set shots that come up in games.

Safeties: Practice rolling behind balls, kicking, leave OB safe etc.

games I practice to go with days practice. I like to play race to 30 8-ball, race to 30 9-ball, 14.1 to 150 counting how many innings, and just started 1 pocket few weeks ago for safety play. 3-4 hours a day more on weekends
 
JDP12 said:
now that the school year is essentially over..It's time for me to start getting serious about my pool. THis is what I had in mind, and I'm sure it's not perfect so I'm looking for some suggestions.

1) For a couple weeks or so, work mainly on position play and figuring out english and how to correctly apply it. Every day I would work on that for about an hour or so, as well as playing multiple racks- the question is how many- i was thinking maybe 10 or so a day? Looking for suggestions on that, as well as any good position drills that you may know of.

2) After I have that down, work on bank shots. Continue playing racks. Looking for drills.

3) Play as much as possible all summer... I hope to find a league near me and start playing in fall.

Now I have a general question. Would you say it is better to do drills or just play? I have a feeling it will be a combination of both, perhaps with a stress on playing... because I get a more real-life feel from it.. But what do you think?


Looking for any recommendations for a serious training schedule. Thanks all for all the help you've been giving me lately
Click to expand...

Spend some significant time each session working on your stroke and alignement. Long straight in shots do the trick. Watch out for any side spin imparted on the OB, you want to the ball to stop dead in it's tracks.

If your stroke isn't consistent you won't be able to execute anything else you are practicing consistently.
 
OK thanks guys. Today is my first day that I'll really get to start practicing seriously.... at least 4 hours...maybe even more..

So my plan is this for today.

1) Warm up by hitting one or two racks of 15 balls.

2) Work on my stroke alignment by stroking over the diamonds and watching to make sure I'm straight.

3) Set up some long shots down table... this is probably the area of my game right now that needs the most work. Practice hitting these.

4) Work on english and bridge position. (An interesting side note about this... I experimented a little and couldn't believe how much a difference bridge position made... it was like night and day)

5) Play racks....and more racks. I will probably do FARGO to see how I'm doing.
 
Look at some of Joe Tuckers stuff. It's worth while. The guy is a training machine...

Pete
 
JDP12 said:
Would you say it is better to do drills or just play?
Click to expand...

It is best not to confuse practice and play. They are for different purposes in the development of your game.

If you practice with you fully mental energy in use on each shot, you cannot help but get better. If you play with you full mental energy in use on each shot, you cannot help but get better.

If you practice without your full mental energy in use, you will not get better. If you play without your full mental energy in use, you will not get better.

If you do not practice certain shots (and new techniques) you will not be able to perform these shots when necessary and might not even know that that shot could have saved a game. Well performed practice develops the bredth of your game. {more options}

But you cannot fuly develop the 'whole' of the game without being in competition {Where it really does hurt if you miss a shot or even miss positioin}. Well performed play develops the depth in your game. {more toughness}
 
You didn't say anything about your game. Are you just getting started or are you a B player who just hasn't been playing much while in school?

As Cameron Smith said, your stroke and alignment are the foundations of your game, and if you don't get them right everything else will be harder and more susceptible to backsliding and slumps.

To get a perfectly straight stroke, practice straight shot and follow the cue ball into the pocket after the OB. As you get better, lengthen the shot. If your stroke and alignment are not straight, and if you do not hit the cue ball on the vertical center line, you won't be able to make the ball and scratch.

You can practice doing this with draw, also, by setting up the balls in line between the side pockets. When you can do that successfully at a high enough percentage, going corner to corner is the next step. As you get better, move the object ball further and further from the scratch corner and closer to the OB corner. You can also adjust the cue ball location appropriately.

These drills can get boring, but NOTHING I know of will build a straighter, truer stroke.

Getting lessons from a reputable instructor early in your game is also money very well spent. They can help you with the how and why of your stroke that drills cannot do. Drills are excellent in showing you what you can do and what you can't, but you need to know a great deal before they'll tell you why, and even then mostly they can't.

Target shooting is great for position training. Set up a shot, any shot, and put a target on the table where you want the cue ball to end up. You can use a napkin, or a piece of paper with a circle on it. You can use an OB or a dime, it doesn't matter. Shoot the shot until you can reliably make it and get the position you want. Then do another. One by one you'll build up an arsenal of shots you know well. You'll see them over and over in games, and every time you do you'll thank yourself for doing all your practicing.

You asked how to spend your time. I believe that you'll get better faster by spending more time practicing than playing. And the higher the ratio of practice time to playing time is, the more quickly you'll build skill.

There are downsides. Training requires discipline. It can get much more boring than playing. If you're not having fun, if you're not concentrating on what you're doing, you won't improve. Others in the pool room will often ask you to quit practicing and play them, and will often disparage what you're doing, etc.

Good luck on your road to improvement, I wish you the best. And don't forget to have fun on the way.
 
This post is quite close to my area of interest as I am also beginning my training for a local Pro event.

I would recommend the following:

1 - PRACTICE / TRAIN shots more then "playing racks'.

**this is a game of averages and percentages - Nevel might have the nastiest stroke to grace the table - but its the averages and %'s that count**

2 - identify what shots you miss in games - practice those shots - EVERYDAY - until you are confident and you dont miss it in a match.

3 - Practice various speeds on various shots. You need to be comfortable with hitting a ball and going 3 rails to get to your next ball - but also comfortable hitting the same shot, with the same english, but softer to get only 1.5 rails

4 - I personally practice close to the rail shots, over and over and over and over again ... long ones - 8 foot close tight cuts with throw moving my cue ball down table or drawing back .... I cant tell you how many times I have seen pro's make these shots like its nothing.

5 - depending on what game you are playing for (I am 9/10 right now) ... practice 1,2,3,4,5 rail kick shots for safeties .... and to make the shot.

6 - practice safeties, safeties, safeties, until it makes you hurt in the brain.


I am going to start adding into my training routine running straight pool racks to get a little action of both speed play but just standard "pot the damn ball practice".


Oh - and the most important thing ... don't just go to the table and stroke each shot, make the ball, and be content. This is your opportunity to excel, to grow, to make yourself a legend - take your time, and train as serious as you can. Focus on what the point is, which is to be better.

If you keep your mind focused on the task at hand, work on what you are bad at, work on what you cant do already, work on what you can do (but could do better) you will hit the entire gammat of your range of ability and get each one stronger.

Depending on what level player you are now - you could take lessons from a local pro - but in my experience if you already know how to stroke well - then you wont get the best bang for your buck. spend the cash on table time and work out what you suck at already.

Wish the best for you!
 
Stuff to avoid:

1. Bank practice. I'm not saying never practice banks in your life, but it shouldn't be a typical part of your everyday practice session. Or if it is, make it a very small one. Of course this may vary depending on the game you want to focus on. Banking is huge in 1 pocket for example. But if you watch pros play 9 and 10 ball sets you don't see many banks. Whatever you think you want to put into banks... put it into practicing kicks instead. Give banks a few minutes per session and then move on to something more productive.

2. Just sinking balls. It took me a while to believe it, but this is truly the most useless form of practice there is. It's easy but it's lazy, and not even that fun. Don't devote even 1 minute to it. Every session should be a specific drill with goal. An alternative that is more fun and more useful: Roll out between 4 and 8 balls to random places on the table, no clusters. Pick up the cue ball. Now think very very hard on the absolute easiest possible way to run them. You are going to plan every single ball (including the pocket it goes into and the way you plan on getting shape for the next ball) before you shoot the first shot. Focus on doing it with as little cue ball movement as possible. There should be a couple of stop shots in there if you're doing it properly. No shot should require moving all the way across the length of the table. Rarely should the cue ball have to hit 2 rails.

If you get out of line on your intended position, you lose. If you have to play a ball in the wrong pocket, you lose. If you planned on using 1 rail for shape but now must use 2, you lose. Every ball must play exactly as you imagined before you started shooting. If you screw up, try to restore the balls to their original positions and try again. Give yourself a goal to complete (like succeed 10 times, even if you lose and have to reset a few times on the way) and if you can do it perfectly without resetting, add one more ball and try to do it again.

3. "Solitaire" pool games. I can't swear there's anything wrong with one-player practice games but I think races against the ghost are more productive. It cannot hurt to practice the games you'll actually be playing. If that will be mostly 8 ball or 9 ball, play races to 3 or 5 against the ghost in those games. Keep trying until you finally beat the ghost more than once in a session. When that happens it's time to move up and extend the race. A short race gives you a better chance of winning if you happen to be having a good day, but a long race (like 10) will prove you can run out more than 50% of the time consistently. And a very long race (like, say, 20) is a way of working on your focus over a long grinding series of matches, which is good if you think you might ever do some serious gambling. The ghost drills also force you to break every rack, and break practice is important. You'll also improve your runout planning, because not getting out is an automatic loss and you'll start to feel pressure to make it as easy as possible on yourself.
 
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Its gonna be tough to train without a trainer. Practice is VERY subjective, I have seen guys practice the wrong things for decades and if you even try to tell them otherwise your "bothering" them or your trying to milk them for money. Drill will help but without the keen eye of someone that "KNOWS" and sez they know will be the key in your quest for better pool. I would use Ray Martins 99 Critical, Blackjacks book, Joe Tuckers book and Banking with the Beard if I was starting from square one or in a training type mode.
 
just bumping this with a question...

It seems like the best overall way would be to set up 3-4 balls, increasing more as I go, and practice being able to play specific position on them.

Also shooting the shots that I have the most trouble with.

Just playing racks isn't going to help too much.

That's what I'm getting?

Thanks
 
Yup, you got it, the first one especially is strong :P

If you can't get the position you want in that drill with 3 or 4 balls, try it with someone knowledgeable watching. The big thing about this drill is the planning. It teaches you what's realistic and high percentage, and what's kind of flaky. A good player who is observing can reduce some frustration by pointing out planning errors that might keep you from getting out consistently. For example, you may already know this, but follow is much more controllable than draw. If you have to choose between following to a specific spot 12 inches away, or drawing, choose follow every time.

Also look for pairs of balls that work as "buddies" where doing a stop shot on one ball leaves you straight in (or at least very easy) on another ball. A good general rule is... the more stop shot patterns you can figure out for the group, the better your chances will be of winning.
 
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