not playing.....

T-dog

T-dog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I havent been playing very much but I am constantly thinking about my game. I have come to a point where when practising at home I can run out all night. Now at tournaments or gambling I may hit 8 or 9 balls real well but then I hit a shot sooo bad my 6 yr could have made it. Some of this can be attributed to lack of a good pre-shot routine. I had also spent alot of time just whacking balls at home and not playing serious enough. This carried over to serious games. I have been thinking alot about my mental game and now when I hit'em i work mostly on my pre-shot routine. This has seemed to help and when I take my time I am making all balls that I am intending to. When I miss a ball I realise AFTERWARDS I did not take my time or readjusted while I was down on the ball. Why is this such a hard concept, Dont shoot until you are ready!!!! Afterwards I am like duh, and I know why I missed but I continue to make similar errors. Obviously this is just a phase and I will soon begin to start uping my table time. Has anyone used this method to step back an look at your own game and what helps the most. Any thoughts, suggestions?
Thanks,
T-dog
 
T-dog said:
I havent been playing very much but I am constantly thinking about my game. I have come to a point where when practising at home I can run out all night. Now at tournaments or gambling I may hit 8 or 9 balls real well but then I hit a shot sooo bad my 6 yr could have made it. Some of this can be attributed to lack of a good pre-shot routine. I had also spent alot of time just whacking balls at home and not playing serious enough. This carried over to serious games. I have been thinking alot about my mental game and now when I hit'em i work mostly on my pre-shot routine. This has seemed to help and when I take my time I am making all balls that I am intending to. When I miss a ball I realise AFTERWARDS I did not take my time or readjusted while I was down on the ball. Why is this such a hard concept, Dont shoot until you are ready!!!! Afterwards I am like duh, and I know why I missed but I continue to make similar errors. Obviously this is just a phase and I will soon begin to start uping my table time. Has anyone used this method to step back an look at your own game and what helps the most. Any thoughts, suggestions?
Thanks,
T-dog
Click to expand...

very very very common problem. i'm not sure why it happens, but people always get into the habit of shooting to quick. you're playing a match and before you know it, you've shot 3 shots and don't have position on the 4th because you just started shooting without thinking. or you just step over the table for an easy shot and miss because you shot too quick. again i'm not sure why people do this, but it is a tendancy everyone seems to have to overcome.

best way to avoid this is to dedicate yourself to EVERY shot you take in practice........you have to practice this SO MUCH that you do it every time and you are completely confident in your shot routine, selection, aiming, etc, etc. and the only thing you have to worry about after that is shape.

also while shooting or even while you're not shooting, visualize yourself at the table, figuring out the shot, steping into the shot, doing the perfect pre-shot routine, making the ball, and obtaining shape. basically you're "practicing" in your head while you're not physically practicing, and this will carry over to the practice table.

thanks

VAP
 
IMHO

This is attributed to focus, or a lack there of. You have to focus on every shot and every game. Lord knows Im as guilty as the next guy, but I have been shooting much better the past couple months and I attribute it all to learning to focus on the shot, dont let anything distract you.

I dont think I have learned any new techniques or have actually learned to aim better in the past two months, I just think think that I am learning to focus on every shot now and it has improved my game immensely.

Of course good basics makes all the difference, but if you are focusing on your game, then the basics are what you are actually what you are doing...so try and learn to do this seemingly simple thing. (Of course, we all know its not that simple.)

again, Just MHO.

Good Luck or rather Shoot Well!!
 
Distractions, Confidence, and Focus

To me...it's about distractions and confidence... Plently of practice and a good pre-shot routine are key. These two things will help you to be absolutely confident that you can make the shot. When you are under stress or pressure...I think that confidence can be lost rather quickly...

A story of mine...I was playing in a tournament, one game from the money...and was so aware of everything going on around me (not just the table and my shooting) that while I was down on a shot, I was listening to two guys talking about me. They were saying something like, "Hey, who is that guy...he shoots pretty good..." and the other guys says, "...he's a no name...haven't seen him playing in these tournaments before..."

Now that's BAD focus on the game... LOL...distractions won-out over confidence and pre-shot routine...
 
preshot routine is so crucial. For years my game would go up and down like a rollercoaster, never could learn anything new because i was too busy trying to figure out why i shot like a champ for 2 months and like a putz for a couple weeks later. Omce you get the preshot down it makes everything so much easier. Wish id have known this a year or two ago. At least youre on the right track, examining your game and the whats and whys.
 
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