Playing better!

bobroberts

bobroberts

Pool player
Silver Member
It seems that you practice and play and then one day it kind of sneaks up on you and all of sudden you are making every ball.It just falls into place.I know this has happened to me recently.I was playing better competition and held my own.This made me feel better about myself.So I had more confidence to be able to play better.I guess like many other things it's between the ears that matter most.
 
Practice

So good to here someone is improving with their game,keep up the good work young man!Its a great game enjoy it every day.I had a set back with a shoulder injury 13 days of not playing is the longest period in many years.Looking foward to healing up and playing again.CONFIDENCE IS KEY !
 
nice!:thumbup: i'm still waiting to get to that point, i'm going to play tonight with a buddy of mine, th emore people i get hooked to this game, the more fun i'll have:D
 
bobroberts said:
It seems that you practice and play and then one day it kind of sneaks up on you and all of sudden you are making every ball.It just falls into place.I know this has happened to me recently.I was playing better competition and held my own.This made me feel better about myself.So I had more confidence to be able to play better.I guess like many other things it's between the ears that matter most.
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i never get any better. it's pretty frustrating
 
RobDeBank said:
We all feel like that sometimes, just take it a day at a time bud.
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Agreed,I noticed that when I really bear down and do my drills for about a week straight,the next time I play someone I can really see the improvements.It's actually kinda scary seeing your game jump up a level or so!!
 
I started noticing my improvement when i played against much better players and I was able to stay with them as long as they didn't run out on me.Plus in my house my confidence has shot up when just setting up different shots.
I only started playing again for the past few years after a very long time of not playing.I still have trouble at times due to a bad back and now eye glasses.LOL
 
poolplayer2093 said:
i never get any better. it's pretty frustrating
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Look at what your doing and try to change things up a bit. It may be in your mechanics, routine, thought process, patterns or even approach to practicing. There are others, but any of these can have noticeable effecto on your game.

Recently it occured to me that I wasn't really practicing properly. I was doing the same routine I usually did, but I wasn't making conscious attempt at improving anything. Usually I recommend going to each practice session with a goal in mind (something specific you want to work on). So I decided to smooth out some kinks in my stroke and I've been hitting them better for over a month now.
 
Better!

For me i kept playing and playing and all of a sudden I was crushing guys who used to beat me. I dont know that i felt like i was better its just that I was beating and playing better players. hey I guess the results speak for themselves. Then I overheard others saying how good i was playing. Once again i didn't feel like I was that much better. But I did notice I was starting to win a lot more.
 
I learned a trick the other day and maybe this will help someone else.hold the cue in your hand where you normally grip it.Now position your body to face the way your holding the cue.It makes a big difference.I think it was Thorsten Holman who i saw doing this on you tube.You can probably find it in their search.Hope this helps others.
The clip im talking about is the grip and distance. Thorsten & mike massey.
 
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Pool comes in waves. There was a time in the 80's when i would get the 7 from a world class player in Jersey.And we would battle.Then came a stretch when my game stepped up and the 7 went away and i got the 8.We would battle.Then that stretch went away and it was back to the 7.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Look at what your doing and try to change things up a bit. It may be in your mechanics, routine, thought process, patterns or even approach to practicing. There are others, but any of these can have noticeable effecto on your game.

Recently it occured to me that I wasn't really practicing properly. I was doing the same routine I usually did, but I wasn't making conscious attempt at improving anything. Usually I recommend going to each practice session with a goal in mind (something specific you want to work on). So I decided to smooth out some kinks in my stroke and I've been hitting them better for over a month now.
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What about when it's the table.. and you keep getting on the 50 yard line, or on the rail... or when every time your opponent misses you get left kicking, and he sure as hell didn't mean to leave you that way intentionally.

What's your fix for this situation?
 
Good job Bob.
The great golfer Bobby Jones once said. "The hardest course you'll ever play is the one between your ears." :thumbup:
 
paksat said:
What about when it's the table.. and you keep getting on the 50 yard line, or on the rail... or when every time your opponent misses you get left kicking, and he sure as hell didn't mean to leave you that way intentionally.

What's your fix for this situation?
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Its like jordan complaining because he's double teamed at the 3 point line. Extremely hard shot if even possible to get off.

I practice the hard shots over and over over until I get em!
 
to the OP: Congrats on your success it feels awesome when you see the results of all the hours of practice you put in!

For those who may be struggling: I've been practicing my butt off and I feel I have gotten better BUT come league night I keep losing! strange I know. In the 2009 fall season I played 14 matches and won 12 of them. In the 2010 Spring season I am 0-3 and I could/should have won all 3 matches but didn't. Just gave them away with critical misses, mental errors, bad play. Outside of league play (like when we play pickup matches after the league is over) my game steps up tremendously. It's a strange thing to see and it makes my teammates scratch their heads.

I have searched for help in many places to improve my game/skills, (talked with people, in the process of setting up lessons with an instructor, bought books to read etc). On top of doing all that a light bulb went on in my head and I had a flashback from when I played High School Baseball. When I was in a hitting slump and I couldn't even foul tip a ball at the plate come practice my coach would make me go back to basics, I'd soft hit a ball off a tee, I'd have a buddy soft toss balls and hit them into a fence. In no time my slump would end. I figured if this worked for baseball let me try to apply this to pool. So yesterday I made the commitment to go back to basics. I went to the pool hall and for about an hour I just worked on hitting the Cue ball straight up and down the table (you know the drill hit it up the table let it come back to the tip)after that I spent half an hour addressing the Cue ball at different points on the table (stance practice just getting down on a shot). My last half hour I spent shooting the Cue ball from one corner of the table into the opposite Corner Pocket trying to hot center pocket each time and never letting it rattle in. (did the same thing again today didn't even attempt one single shot in the 2 days of practice) These 3 things are so basic it makes you laugh (even the guy at the table next to me was giving me a strange look). I have no idea how or if it will help me come league night this week but sometimes a trip back to square one is all you need to get things back on track again.
 
paksat said:
What about when it's the table.. and you keep getting on the 50 yard line, or on the rail
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Sounds like an issue with cue ball control and/or adapting to the table.

paksat said:
or when every time your opponent misses you get left kicking, and he sure as hell didn't mean to leave you that way intentionally.
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Luck evens out if you let it.

paksat said:
What's your fix for this situation?
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Was this a serious question?
 
wrong

I practice the hard shots over and over over until I get em![/QUOTE]

You should spend most of your practice time on ordinary shots that you make over and over again in game situations. Games are lost on shots that are missed that the player was supposed to make. A great quote is ," Amateurs practice a shot until they can make it. Pros practice a shot until they can't miss it."


In your Jordan example you forgot the 50 or so everyday jumpers, layups,
and dunks that got him in a winning position.
 
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