New System that covers tickies, zigzags, and umbrellas
- Thread starter zensteve
- Start date
zensteve;380It is a full proof system
I joke but I am serious. This system pertains to 99.9 % of us. Once in a generation there may be a prodigy that picks up a cue and seems to understand caroms immediately and performs as if they had played for ever. This is not about them. This is about the rest of us. The 99.9%
My caveats: Have good equipment...Read several books...Watch videos of the pros...Play people better than you. Thats it.
There are no magic cues. There is no mysticism or earth-shattering epiphany. There is no perfect full (fool) proof system EXCEPT practice. Two other things that can help. 1. practice 2. practice
Did I forget to mention practice?
My caveats: Have good equipment...Read several books...Watch videos of the pros...Play people better than you. Thats it.
There are no magic cues. There is no mysticism or earth-shattering epiphany. There is no perfect full (fool) proof system EXCEPT practice. Two other things that can help. 1. practice 2. practice
Did I forget to mention practice?
practice with benefits
Steve is right!, practice is the answer and even more practice is the better answer! How many carom players get on the table to improve their game and play for hours missing the same shot over and over again. Why do we shoot shots that are not possible?, shots that would have to go beyond the laws of physics in order to score. Do we do that because we want to see how close we can come to the point ball?, maybe! Or maybe it's because in the back of our minds there is something that tells us that if we shoot that same ridiculous shot over and over at some point in time it will turn out good!, well it never does, probably not a good practice habit! Practice is something that is not banging the balls around the table and subconsciously thinking that the more time spent doing that will produce something good. A friend of mine recently started playing three cushion and he enjoys the game very much, he said that one of the reasons he likes it because he doesn't have to rack balls like in pool. He told me that although he enjoys the game he doesn't seem to be improving very much. I suggested that he set up a missed shot and shoot it until he consistently becomes proficient at it. He claims doing that is too much to do about nothing! With an attitude like that one would think that improvement is not attainable and that one might be considered lazy. In his case I understand that his goals are really not to become a better then average player but to play and be able to enjoy the game his way and socialize and that alone is enough for him!-------------Now, there are some of us who have greater ambitions and really want to improve our game and the advice I give sometimes comes from a statement attributed to Torbjorn Blomdahl. I have been told he once said that if you shoot a shot 5000 times you might make it more often. That is practice taken to the limit!, it is hard work with benefits. There is no guarantee that practicing the right way will make you even close to perfect but I believe it should help your game!
"SHOOT STRAIGHT WITH ANGLES"
Dan Bennicas
Steve is right!, practice is the answer and even more practice is the better answer! How many carom players get on the table to improve their game and play for hours missing the same shot over and over again. Why do we shoot shots that are not possible?, shots that would have to go beyond the laws of physics in order to score. Do we do that because we want to see how close we can come to the point ball?, maybe! Or maybe it's because in the back of our minds there is something that tells us that if we shoot that same ridiculous shot over and over at some point in time it will turn out good!, well it never does, probably not a good practice habit! Practice is something that is not banging the balls around the table and subconsciously thinking that the more time spent doing that will produce something good. A friend of mine recently started playing three cushion and he enjoys the game very much, he said that one of the reasons he likes it because he doesn't have to rack balls like in pool. He told me that although he enjoys the game he doesn't seem to be improving very much. I suggested that he set up a missed shot and shoot it until he consistently becomes proficient at it. He claims doing that is too much to do about nothing! With an attitude like that one would think that improvement is not attainable and that one might be considered lazy. In his case I understand that his goals are really not to become a better then average player but to play and be able to enjoy the game his way and socialize and that alone is enough for him!-------------Now, there are some of us who have greater ambitions and really want to improve our game and the advice I give sometimes comes from a statement attributed to Torbjorn Blomdahl. I have been told he once said that if you shoot a shot 5000 times you might make it more often. That is practice taken to the limit!, it is hard work with benefits. There is no guarantee that practicing the right way will make you even close to perfect but I believe it should help your game!
"SHOOT STRAIGHT WITH ANGLES"
Dan Bennicas
Last edited:
Dan says it more eloquently than I. There is a best selling book entitled Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. One of the points he makes is that success is based on 10,000 hours ( if you can put a number on things). Most of us don't have that luxury of time but the point is still spot on. Bill Gates is not a billionaire by fiat. It was 10,000 hours.
Dan; If a a novice player doesn't know the correct concepts and techniques of 3 cushion billiards, He's just spitting in the wind practicing!
All that player is doing is compounding bad fundamentals and bad shot selections to be ingrained in their game, this is one of the main reasons that sometimes it's difficult, as an instructor it can be difficult to change some bad habits of long-time mid-level players. The first thing I tell students, "You are going to go backwards before we go forward" with progress.
The C or -B players cannot take full advantage of all the GREAT videos we have now of the BEST players in the World because, they just don't know the proper techniques and concept of the "Modern Game" of 3 cushion!
Proper "Professional" instruction is the key to the advancement of play by American players. Playing better players without instruction from them is only going to let them get beat by them in tournaments. A players in the same tournaments as C and B players is only going to insure their advancement into the Finals, because they need to beat the lesser players as badly as they can to advance, and, in many cases, demoralize the lesser players!
WE should keep apples with apples and oranges with oranges! The entry fees for A players is high enough to ensure decent prize funds, also there are enough A players in North America where it would be exciting, and not a predetermined outcome!
Just keep in mind, this IMHO!
Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
http://mr3cushion.com
i like this statement. it's not saying you "learned" that shot and you will never miss but merely improving its percentage. that's what we all want to do for the shots that are most common in the game.
help!
Bill, I agree with you,"PROPER PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION" is probably the best way to learn how to play carom billiards. Also, I agree about the difficulty of grasping knowledge from books and videos we experience. The problem some of us have is there are no professionals in our immediate area to teach us one on one. Most of our lessons come from .500 players, if there are any, teaching .400 players teaching .300 players teaching .200s. You see the picture! Then we take what we learn and the next time we go to the table we persist in our folly until our decisions make some sense.----- We experiment with a method of learning called "Trial and Error" and we fail often. By definition, learning doesn't happen from failure but from analyzing the failure, making a change, and trying again.------ It would great to have a pro such as yourself to teach us how to practice and learn the game but because of our location, it becomes difficult. Just in the last year or two we now have a poolroom in Savannah with two carom tables thanks to Southside Billiards and the promotions of Jamie Sibley. ----I live an hour away from Savannah so I taught what little I know about 3-cushion to a group of 9-ball players just so I could have someone to play with at my residence. At the time it may have been for selfish reasons but after seeing how some of the players have progressed, I now know something good has come of this. I am far from being a pro so you may understand my dilemma, we all become frustrated with this game and I often wonder why so many of us love it so much. I wish this game could be easier to learn! Maybe the rules could be easier for beginning players!----------------- Food for thought USBA?
"SHOOT STRAIGHT WITH ANGLES"
Dan Bennicas
Bill, I agree with you,"PROPER PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION" is probably the best way to learn how to play carom billiards. Also, I agree about the difficulty of grasping knowledge from books and videos we experience. The problem some of us have is there are no professionals in our immediate area to teach us one on one. Most of our lessons come from .500 players, if there are any, teaching .400 players teaching .300 players teaching .200s. You see the picture! Then we take what we learn and the next time we go to the table we persist in our folly until our decisions make some sense.----- We experiment with a method of learning called "Trial and Error" and we fail often. By definition, learning doesn't happen from failure but from analyzing the failure, making a change, and trying again.------ It would great to have a pro such as yourself to teach us how to practice and learn the game but because of our location, it becomes difficult. Just in the last year or two we now have a poolroom in Savannah with two carom tables thanks to Southside Billiards and the promotions of Jamie Sibley. ----I live an hour away from Savannah so I taught what little I know about 3-cushion to a group of 9-ball players just so I could have someone to play with at my residence. At the time it may have been for selfish reasons but after seeing how some of the players have progressed, I now know something good has come of this. I am far from being a pro so you may understand my dilemma, we all become frustrated with this game and I often wonder why so many of us love it so much. I wish this game could be easier to learn! Maybe the rules could be easier for beginning players!----------------- Food for thought USBA?
"SHOOT STRAIGHT WITH ANGLES"
Dan Bennicas
Last edited:
Doug says: Contrary to conventional wisdom practice does NOT make "perfect"... if you work hard... it merely makes "permanent."
You have to start right before you can get it right.
The platitude "practice makes perfect" is not intended to be taken literally.
By definition "perfect" is unattainable. The platitude is intended to instill a "work ethic" when wanting to improve whatever your endeavor.
If you are suggesting that practicing in and of itself regardless of the methodology...your point is well taken. I think that is where the videos, books, emulating better players etc....should start you on the right path.
But if none of those things were available and all you had was YOU to improve....I would argue that practicing, tenacity, and sheer will trumps other components that can accelerate your progress.
You have to start right before you can get it right.
The platitude "practice makes perfect" is not intended to be taken literally.
By definition "perfect" is unattainable. The platitude is intended to instill a "work ethic" when wanting to improve whatever your endeavor.
If you are suggesting that practicing in and of itself regardless of the methodology...your point is well taken. I think that is where the videos, books, emulating better players etc....should start you on the right path.
But if none of those things were available and all you had was YOU to improve....I would argue that practicing, tenacity, and sheer will trumps other components that can accelerate your progress.
Words Of Wisdom
ZenSteve, Your vocabulary is a wonderfull Words Of Wisdom. I'm taking up English and I'm buying a Dictionary so I can keep up with you. FastEddief.
ZenSteve, Your vocabulary is a wonderfull Words Of Wisdom. I'm taking up English and I'm buying a Dictionary so I can keep up with you. FastEddief.
Yes the importance of practice cannot be stressed enough...
I am not a very good player. I have only started this game very recently but love it. So I have a question... what is the best way to practice?
Of course each person's 'best' practice habits are different, and of course it would be great to have an instructor. However as another poster said, sometimes it's a bit difficult to find one, so I make do with anyone willing to teach me what they know. And I am grateful so many are. Sometimes it's really hard to catch any bad habits if you are unaware of them or did not know they were so undesirable, so you might be practicing the 'wrong things'. One of the kind people that teaches me occasionally tells me to just pick a couple of people you trust will show you the best way, because if I try to follow everything everyone tells me (and man am I told different things), it will just get confusing. Although that just sounds like common sense, since I am new to this myself I did not know who did things the 'best way'. Of course, watching professionals in videos is always both entertaining and useful.
I am not a very good player. I have only started this game very recently but love it. So I have a question... what is the best way to practice?
Of course each person's 'best' practice habits are different, and of course it would be great to have an instructor. However as another poster said, sometimes it's a bit difficult to find one, so I make do with anyone willing to teach me what they know. And I am grateful so many are. Sometimes it's really hard to catch any bad habits if you are unaware of them or did not know they were so undesirable, so you might be practicing the 'wrong things'. One of the kind people that teaches me occasionally tells me to just pick a couple of people you trust will show you the best way, because if I try to follow everything everyone tells me (and man am I told different things), it will just get confusing. Although that just sounds like common sense, since I am new to this myself I did not know who did things the 'best way'. Of course, watching professionals in videos is always both entertaining and useful.
anyone have a video link of an umbrella shot?
This is the best I could find on short notice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q2A2hQ_sJI
The shot at 1:50 is an umbrella.
The name comes from the pattern made by the path of the cue ball: the path from the initial position to the long cushion and then to the short cushion looks like the top of an umbrella, and the path afer hitting the first object ball looks like the handle of an umbrella.
If both the cue ball and the first object ball were closer to the first long cushion, the pattern might be more apparent.