Need help, quickly

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Williebetmore

Member, .25% Club
Silver Member
I'm helping a professional friend prepare for an upcoming tournament. I usually help the pro do drills for a while to warm-up; then we play 14.1 (races to 250 or 500). For just the 2 weeks prior to the tournament, we are playing about 7-12 hours a day (my wife would never allow this if it wasn't to help a friend).

My problem is that I just can't find my best stroke on the first shot or two when I succeed in getting back to the table - I often sit 20-60 minutes between shots. It is EXCEEDINGLY discouraging to sit for an hour, get up, run 1 ball, and miss or get out of line immediately. I have occasionally found a groove, but it is very difficult (the table is a very tight Diamond - which does not bother the pro at all, but is like a torture instrument for me).

Yesterday I had 4 runs between 24-31, which was my best day of pool ever; but I also had a couple of 2 hour periods where I never made more than a ball or two. When I finally find my stroke, it feels great.

How do you "get in gear" immediately when it is finally your turn to shoot??????????
 
Willie the best way to get in gear is to not play players who keep you in the chair for an hour at a time.

No, no, no.....keep your money....this pearl is on me.



:D


Please tell the pro I said hello and that I have something for them.

PM out.
 
Wllie, I may not be qualified to answer but I can add what I do. I make sure I "cinch" the first few balls using dead center cb and play area position instead of trying to get perfect right off the get go. This allows me to get the feel with a few strokes under my belt and then try to zone in from there.
 
selftaut said:
Wllie, I may not be qualified to answer but I can add what I do. I make sure I "cinch" the first few balls using dead center cb and play area position instead of trying to get perfect right off the get go. This allows me to get the feel with a few strokes under my belt and then try to zone in from there.
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ST,
I like your idea.

I will definitely try it out when possible. Problem is that I am rarely given an open table. Almost all of my runs must start with a very difficult shot at the end of a safety battle. In fact, usually the first 2 or 3 shots demand some sort of heroic pocketing or positioning to get going - my opponent is a superior, old-school safety player.
 
Willie, I think it's all in the attitude. You need to adopt a "first it was your turn, now it's my turn" belief. I have a feeling (and this is not based on anything I know about you personally, but on how players sometimes perceive themselves when playing stronger opponents) that when it finally is your turn at the table, you go up there with a mentality of "I hope I don't miss this shot"/"I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my opponent"/"I want my opponent to respect my game so I better run some balls here".

Straight pool is all about firepower. When someone runs a bunch of balls on you, can you come right back and unleash a barrage of your own? Of course you can; I've seen you play. If you feel you are less likely to do so after an opponent's run than you are if your opponent gives you a bunch of open chances, then you must be approaching the table differently depending on what your opponent just did.

I don't think I have to tell you how detrimental such an attitude is. Yes, the physical act of making the first few balls can be a little tougher when you're "cold", so take a little more time on them. Other than that, just start adopting the "OK, now it's my turn" attitude.

- Steve
 
Steve Lipsky said:
Willie, I think it's all in the attitude. You need to adopt a "first it was your turn, now it's my turn" belief. I have a feeling (and this is not based on anything I know about you personally, but on how players sometimes perceive themselves when playing stronger opponents) that when it finally is your turn at the table, you go up there with a mentality of "I hope I don't miss this shot"/"I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my opponent"/"I want my opponent to respect my game so I better run some balls here".
Straight pool is all about firepower. When someone runs a bunch of balls on you, can you come right back and unleash a barrage of your own? Of course you can; I've seen you play. If you feel you are less likely to do so after an opponent's run than you are if your opponent gives you a bunch of open chances, then you must be approaching the table differently depending on what your opponent just did.

I don't think I have to tell you how detrimental such an attitude is. Yes, the physical act of making the first few balls can be a little tougher when you're "cold", so take a little more time on them. Other than that, just start adopting the "OK, now it's my turn" attitude.

- Steve
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Steve,
Thanks for the input. Unfortunately for me, you are exactly on target with the attitude assessment (even my opponent has criticized this on occasion).

I will definitely work on the attitude. It's a fine line though between having confidence and a positive attitude, or just having bravado and false-confidence. If the table was looser I believe I could change my attitude more easily - my shotmaking is definitely improving steadily, and I'm getting more used to playing in the presence of a strong player (though it's still a bit intimidating - especially with the inevitable trash talk thrown in - with the handicap we use, every match is hotly contested, and my opponent HATES to lose).

I'll let you know how it goes tonight.

The other aspect of attitude, is trying to avoid getting down on yourself when you do miss. The punishment for a miss often lasts an hour. Usually I handle it fairly well; but after pulling off several really difficult runs last night, I just got discouraged when I missed some very makeable shots. I will change this.
 
Williebetmore said:
The punishment for a miss often lasts an hour. .
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To clarify for the members; my opponents runs are NOT routinely lasting an hour (even Willie Mosconi would find that quite a feat). It is, unfortunately, extremely common for it to be 30 to 60 minutes (and sometimes more:( ), before I find myself back at the table with an easy shot and balls spread, and the opportunity to get back in stroke (I don't count the safety battles; they don't seem to preserve my stroke very well).
 
3andstop said:
Willie, this calls for drastic measures. I say shark the #$^@$ out of him. :)
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Stop-man,
FINALLY SOME SOUND ADVICE!!!!! I knew I could count on the forum to deliver some practical suggestions.

P.S. - unfortunately for me, 14.1 is (and should always be) a gentlemen's game; so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and practice some more. Damnit.
 
LOL Willie, haven't you ever seen how nice the folks are and how gentlemanly they are when they screw you at car dealerships ... just do it like that. :)
 
I'm surprised to hear that the safety shots you do get don't help you get in stroke. Perhaps you need to approach every opportunity at the table as a chance to get in stroke. You are in complete control every time its your turn to shoot - don't forget that!

Set a reasonable goal for the safety shot, and consider it a success if you execute correctly and meet your goal. That might help your mental outlook a little so that when you do get to the table with a tough shot, you just finished executing a few successful shots only moments before.
 
Steve Lipsky said:
Willie, I think it's all in the attitude. You need to adopt a "first it was your turn, now it's my turn" belief. I have a feeling (and this is not based on anything I know about you personally, but on how players sometimes perceive themselves when playing stronger opponents) that when it finally is your turn at the table, you go up there with a mentality of "I hope I don't miss this shot"/"I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my opponent"/"I want my opponent to respect my game so I better run some balls here".

Straight pool is all about firepower. When someone runs a bunch of balls on you, can you come right back and unleash a barrage of your own? Of course you can; I've seen you play. If you feel you are less likely to do so after an opponent's run than you are if your opponent gives you a bunch of open chances, then you must be approaching the table differently depending on what your opponent just did.

I don't think I have to tell you how detrimental such an attitude is. Yes, the physical act of making the first few balls can be a little tougher when you're "cold", so take a little more time on them. Other than that, just start adopting the "OK, now it's my turn" attitude.

- Steve
Click to expand...

Great advice Steve. I started adopting this attitude this week actually. And it helped a lot. Since picking up the game once again a couple of months ago, I found that I would run twice the number of balls during practice than I would when playing a decent opponent. There was no reason for this except nerves and overcaution. My mind would be focused on "what if" rather than running balls on MY table. Also I wasn't giving myself enough time between shots to plan ahead. I would go at the same steady pace at which I would normally practice, but since my mind wasn't focused I actually should have been taking MORE time than usual in order to plan properly. But not wanting to play too slowly I would shoot before I was truly ready.

This week I did two things that made me play my best so far this year. First, I did much of what Steve says to do. I played with confidence. When it was my turn, it was MY table. I also took my time. And although it's a tough habit to break I did pretty well to not think about missing. I shot with the assurance that the balls were going in. And they did more than ever. I simply played the right shot at the right time with the right attitude. If I happened to miss, it wouldn't be because I played tentatively. My aim might be off, but I would still decide on a single positive line on which to shoot and go 100% at it with no doubt. Doing this worked wonders for my shotmaking and confidence.

Another thing I did was when it was his turn, I ran his table in my head. It kept me sharp when I got to the table. Usually I drift away during someone else's run, and when I get to the table the balls look like a bunch of foreign objects. Maybe to keep the stroke fluid during the wait, you can use your stroking muscles slightly to stroke the shots with him. Almost like he's not there and you're running the table from your seat.

So much of this game seems to be confidence. Even if we have no reason to be confident, we need to be confident.

Jeff
 
Hello williebetmore, i have an answer to your dilema let me play this guy I will slow him down - no seriously when I lived in Wisconson I would practice with Jeff Carter and Ron Dobazinski watching them run out on me was tough but I knew I could train my mind to focus on the oppurtunity at hand if and when I did get a shot. A real tight table is best for games such as One Pocket or rotation pool, if you do choose to practice with this pro I would play him on a table that is more suited for 14.1 and make him play 100 no count. This is what Jeff would do with some of the locals, this puts pressure on both players. Thanks again for keeping score for our TAr all-around match, will you be coming to MO at the end of April for the rematch?
Sincerely, CDH
 
Right its my turn to reply....oh I havent been on here for a while, I dont know what to say now my minds gone blank. I see there have been lots of good replies before me, eek!

hope this helps willy ;)
 
Noncrookedpool said:
Hello williebetmore, i have an answer to your dilema let me play this guy I will slow him down - no seriously when I lived in Wisconson I would practice with Jeff Carter and Ron Dobazinski watching them run out on me was tough but I knew I could train my mind to focus on the oppurtunity at hand if and when I did get a shot. A real tight table is best for games such as One Pocket or rotation pool, if you do choose to practice with this pro I would play him on a table that is more suited for 14.1 and make him play 100 no count. This is what Jeff would do with some of the locals, this puts pressure on both players. Thanks again for keeping score for our TAr all-around match, will you be coming to MO at the end of April for the rematch?
Sincerely, CDH
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NCP,
I didn't know there was a re-match scheduled; but if it is in the KC area I will definitely try to attend if I don't have work scheduled (we have relatives in Lawrence, and lots of friends in KC - I did my residency there at KU).

Thanks for the advice, it helps.
 
Many thanks to jondrums, bluepepper, Steve Lipsky, and Blackjack. This is all very helpful.

I did better yesterday with attitude and focus per Steve's recommendation; got behind 243-228; and won 2 bitterly contested safety battles to get out in 2 innings (games to 250). Not only is the positive attitude helpful in reducing the pressure; but also it made the game more fun for me. The first time I have ever won from behind against this opponent.

As my focus is to help the pro with their game (my job is to point out any swing flaws as they occur), it is difficult to really focus on my own game. In addition, as all my time has been spent assisting for the past week and a half; I have not practiced at all (the longest I have spent without working on my stroke since I took up pool 6 years ago). I have periods where I lose my stroke. I guess this type of competition will be a good opportunity to learn how to find my stroke during a game.
 
Years ago, the advice for that was to find a ball you can really DRILL. We don't often recommend excessive speed, but hitting the first shot or two harder - in fact, much harder - than usual does seem to help bring back your rhythm. GF
 
George Fels said:
Years ago, the advice for that was to find a ball you can really DRILL. We don't often recommend excessive speed, but hitting the first shot or two harder - in fact, much harder - than usual does seem to help bring back your rhythm. GF
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GF,
Many thanks, I will keep it in mind.

It is odd that you mention it, because last night, at the end of the game I needed 11 balls to win with quite a few balls loose from the rack. To start I had to choose between a 60 degree cut shot on a ball about 3 feet away from the pocket, or a very slightly angled shot on a ball 7 feet away, but closer to a corner pocket. The long shot would have to be pounded very hard to come 2 rails back to center table. I chose the longer shot for just the reason you mentioned and was successful. The delicate cut shot scared me.
 
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