Can you point to one thing you learned or practice technique that accelerated your learning curve in pool?
Once learned. . .
- Thread starter strmanglr scott
- Start date
No it has been many many things over many years.
Straight Pool
You should consider practicing straight pool. If you stick with the game it will teach you a lot about using all types of English. It will also teach you patterns, and how to manage clusters.
kollegedave
You should consider practicing straight pool. If you stick with the game it will teach you a lot about using all types of English. It will also teach you patterns, and how to manage clusters.
kollegedave
Put CB on spot, stroke to center diamond on far rail, CB should return to tip of cue if stroked and aimed properly. If you're new to pool, you may want to start this drill going across the table instead of length wise.
Throw out 3 balls at random, then run out as if 9 ball (pocket in order). Ball in hand to start. This drill is for CB control. Each subsequent shot should be an easy shot or you go back to the previous ball. If you can succeed at this 75% of the time, go to 4 balls. This is a drill from the Briesath DVD and can really help your game. When you're positioning the CB to hit your second shot, you also need to be thinking about the angle you want on the second ball in order to get position on the 3rd ball. Again, if you fail to get position on the second ball as planned, replace the first ob and cb, try it again until you do get the position you were trying to achieve. Same thing for 2nd ball. This allows you to experiment with some different techniques to get the position you're wanting so that you'll hopefully file away what you learned and can apply it in a game situation.
Throw out 3 balls at random, then run out as if 9 ball (pocket in order). Ball in hand to start. This drill is for CB control. Each subsequent shot should be an easy shot or you go back to the previous ball. If you can succeed at this 75% of the time, go to 4 balls. This is a drill from the Briesath DVD and can really help your game. When you're positioning the CB to hit your second shot, you also need to be thinking about the angle you want on the second ball in order to get position on the 3rd ball. Again, if you fail to get position on the second ball as planned, replace the first ob and cb, try it again until you do get the position you were trying to achieve. Same thing for 2nd ball. This allows you to experiment with some different techniques to get the position you're wanting so that you'll hopefully file away what you learned and can apply it in a game situation.
There are many things,but that being said there was one type of shot that would always seem to kill my runs .(Inside English shots)One of the toughest shots to master.Everything changes with speed and distance.
Also keeping my stroke straight at slow ,medium,fast motion.
I really don't think there's one thing that's going to make your game jump up a whole lot.I look back on my playing and I think it was the collecting of knowledge learned that has gotten me to where I am.(A lot of up and downs I can tell ya).
Always keep open minded about advice and keep what helps you.
I should introduce myself here, my apologies.
I'm Scott, live in Michigan close to Lansing.
I started palying when I was about 10, when I developed an understanding of the basics up through grade school. When I got into college I started playing more and taking the game more seriously. I developed into a good bar player, and played a couple nights a week for a few hours. I cooled off on the game up until about 6 years ago when I got bit with the bug and I've been a fanatic ever since. I usually play for 15-20hrs a week. I'm a student of the game and always interested in learning. I've been on a league for 4 of the last 5 years. Took a second place, missed first by like 4 balls
, and took third this last season. Personally I can't stand league play. I only did it this last time for a good friend. I'm a decent shot but no master player. I used to hang out at pool.bz, made a few blog entries and posted quite a bit, but since that's now toxic I've been reading a lot here. A lot of knowledge and skill here and for the most part a real good culture.
I understand where you are coming from, there is no simple answer to playing good pool. Once you learn, it needs to be practiced and sometimes it takes a ton of practice to learn.
Two things though that I can point to, if I may violate my own question. First learning pocket speed and still being able to get shape, and draw. Got a friend who just floats around the table, usually doesn't move the ball much on the table but always gets great shape. I've seen no one run the table as often as him. Once I learned draw well, I could control it, then controlled follow fell into place with some practice. Incredibly critical imo.
I'm Scott, live in Michigan close to Lansing.
I started palying when I was about 10, when I developed an understanding of the basics up through grade school. When I got into college I started playing more and taking the game more seriously. I developed into a good bar player, and played a couple nights a week for a few hours. I cooled off on the game up until about 6 years ago when I got bit with the bug and I've been a fanatic ever since. I usually play for 15-20hrs a week. I'm a student of the game and always interested in learning. I've been on a league for 4 of the last 5 years. Took a second place, missed first by like 4 balls
, and took third this last season. Personally I can't stand league play. I only did it this last time for a good friend. I'm a decent shot but no master player. I used to hang out at pool.bz, made a few blog entries and posted quite a bit, but since that's now toxic I've been reading a lot here. A lot of knowledge and skill here and for the most part a real good culture. I understand where you are coming from, there is no simple answer to playing good pool. Once you learn, it needs to be practiced and sometimes it takes a ton of practice to learn.
Two things though that I can point to, if I may violate my own question. First learning pocket speed and still being able to get shape, and draw. Got a friend who just floats around the table, usually doesn't move the ball much on the table but always gets great shape. I've seen no one run the table as often as him. Once I learned draw well, I could control it, then controlled follow fell into place with some practice. Incredibly critical imo.
It seems there were so many lessons that needed a lot of practice to sustain a particular ability it would be more than difficult to establish a most important, but to correctly apply all that experience was a hurdle I just couldn't get over until I gained a significant amount of information about moving between the conscious and subconscious. For the most part, my greatest improvement came from a good friend and coach as well as many AZ threads on the mental game.
Three things that helped me most...
1. Visualize successfully executing the shot during PSR...visualize the ball going in the pocket and visualize what you want the cue ball to do...seriously, do it and mean it.
2. Bear down a little harder on your bridge hand...you'd be surprised how light and unstable your bridge hand is until you do this. That instability makes a HUGE difference in your consistency.
3. Lighten up on the speed...biggest mistake people make is shooting the shots harder/faster/with more muscle than needed. If all you need is pocket speed to make the shot and get the leave you want, then why drill it into the back of the pocket?
just kidding, it was 4 things...
4. Don't run into balls you don't want to...I know that sounds obvious, but even some VERY good players tend to not really care about bumping balls...choose the path that has the least traffic, if you can...every ball you run into without wanting/meaning to is a disaster and 90% guarantee of end of inning...if not now, within a shot or two.
1. Visualize successfully executing the shot during PSR...visualize the ball going in the pocket and visualize what you want the cue ball to do...seriously, do it and mean it.
2. Bear down a little harder on your bridge hand...you'd be surprised how light and unstable your bridge hand is until you do this. That instability makes a HUGE difference in your consistency.
3. Lighten up on the speed...biggest mistake people make is shooting the shots harder/faster/with more muscle than needed. If all you need is pocket speed to make the shot and get the leave you want, then why drill it into the back of the pocket?
just kidding, it was 4 things...
4. Don't run into balls you don't want to...I know that sounds obvious, but even some VERY good players tend to not really care about bumping balls...choose the path that has the least traffic, if you can...every ball you run into without wanting/meaning to is a disaster and 90% guarantee of end of inning...if not now, within a shot or two.
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Yes, when I developed a consistent stop shot and learned where the cue ball was going to go after contact with the object ball, my game went up exponentially.
For sure! Isolate the technique and work on only that for 5 minutes a day.
randyg
For me, going over Robert Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots turned me from an APA sl4 to an sl6 in just a couple of months. Of course coupled with the reading of the book came lots of practice specifically playing the shots in the book. The inspiration and ideas from the book spurned many hours of practice and the two worked together to help me see the game differently.
the one thing that helped my game is not around anymore. when i became addicted there was a poolroom that had a constant high-level game of one pocket from 11 am to 6 pm. i wasn't good enough to play but i watched and watched and ... these men aren't around anymore and that truly is sad but i watched and i learned. the best advice in any field or endeavor that you want to excell: watch and learn.
TheThaiger
Banned
Once you've worked out where you want the CB to go, focus 100% on the pot.
A few things that have helped me a lot recently
1. Coming into the angle as opposed to across it. Allows a much larger margin for error.
2. Putting the cue under my dominant eye (left eye, right handed player). I know there's controversy about this, but it's really helped my aiming.
3. Slowing down my backstroke.
4. Making sure at the end of my stroke that I'm tightening my bicep against my forearm. Not sure how fundamentally sound this is, but when I do it, I really feel like I'm stroking instead of poking.
5. Always thinking about what's going to happen after I make contact with the CB. Where is the OB going? Where will the CB end up, and what will happen to any other balls on the table I may run into.
1. Coming into the angle as opposed to across it. Allows a much larger margin for error.
2. Putting the cue under my dominant eye (left eye, right handed player). I know there's controversy about this, but it's really helped my aiming.
3. Slowing down my backstroke.
4. Making sure at the end of my stroke that I'm tightening my bicep against my forearm. Not sure how fundamentally sound this is, but when I do it, I really feel like I'm stroking instead of poking.
5. Always thinking about what's going to happen after I make contact with the CB. Where is the OB going? Where will the CB end up, and what will happen to any other balls on the table I may run into.
Yo Scott, welcome to the forum.... its Dave Manasseri from pool.bz!
My vote is for embracing center ball. We all learn it first, but most move on to other things too quickly. (I know I did.) Get accurate with center ball, and you can focus more on contact points and contact throw. (Less unforced errors.) As a side effect, your stun game improves, your break improves, long distance draw too.
My vote is for embracing center ball. We all learn it first, but most move on to other things too quickly. (I know I did.) Get accurate with center ball, and you can focus more on contact points and contact throw. (Less unforced errors.) As a side effect, your stun game improves, your break improves, long distance draw too.
Improving your game
When I first started out: (early 60's)
1) Making sure I had good form and a good stroke.
2) Making imaginary dots on the cueball - 12 dots in total.
and shooting every shot cueing the cue ball with each of the 12 imaginary
dots. This is how I learned cue ball control.
Later on:
1) Learning to bank with different types of english (1,2,3, and 4 rails mostly)
2) Learning how to use inside english on shots and in banking.
3) Learning to kick.
When I first started out: (early 60's)
1) Making sure I had good form and a good stroke.
2) Making imaginary dots on the cueball - 12 dots in total.
and shooting every shot cueing the cue ball with each of the 12 imaginary
dots. This is how I learned cue ball control.
Later on:
1) Learning to bank with different types of english (1,2,3, and 4 rails mostly)
2) Learning how to use inside english on shots and in banking.
3) Learning to kick.