Practice Drills...

[Jason Robichaud]

You spend the hours learning how to make the most of that 15 minutes of perfect practice.

Knowing how to practice is what makes it possible to maximize your practice time.

Steve

I would love to play anyone that is just learning the game and only practising 15 min a week . I think that would be a perfect match for me to move all-in on.

If I set a shot up and shoot it 300 times, which I have done, I think it is better than 15 minutes of the 'perfect way'. By practising for hours, I got my game way beyond my abilities. I haven't been able to practice for a year or so, and still compete at a high level. I can grab a cue and hit balls for 10 or 15 minutes and be in a grove. This grove isn't improvement, its just the feel that hours of practising allow me. If I want to get better, I can't do it with 15 minutes. A newer player asking about practice doesn't stand a chance in hell of improving quickly on 15 min. Can he beat everyone in his local room at the end of the year, probably not, but If he practices for hours, he can beat all the 15 minute guys.

I watched Shane set up shots down the rail and shoot it for 10 min or more. I'm guessing he had 15 minutes in him on that one shot. That is a top level pro with thousands of hours of practice under hit belt still shooting one shot for 10 or 15 minutes. Someone better let him know about the perfect practice.

 

[pooltchr]

I would love to play anyone that is just learning the game and only practising 15 min a week .
.

Who said anything about 15 minutes a week???

Someone asked how much I practice, and I answered. That 15 minutes is done every time I walk into a pool room before I start playing. That 15 minutes is just to make sure I am in stroke before I start to play.
That 15 minutes is my stroke, alignment and speed drill (Usually. If I have been running into problems, I might have to shift my focus for practice until I fix the problem)

After the 15 minutes of practice, it's time to play. If I'm by myself, play consists of shooting shots, or running racks. Some may call this practice, I think of it as playing alone.

Believe me, I spend more than 15 minutes a week at the table. But on an average week, I probably put in an hour or two of serious practice.

Steve

 

[TheOneGnat]

So if I am drilling or practicing 1 to 2 hours a day, am I hurting my game? I typically will spend 15- 30 minutes drilling a set of shots (ie. long straight in shots with stop, follow and draw, or certain postion shots) for an hour to an hour and a half a night then play the ghost for a half hour or so.

 

[pooltchr]

Unless you are practicing and drilling bad habits, no time spent at the table is going to hurt your game.

The reason we use the 15 minute rule is because we want to have intense focus on the goal of our practice session, and limiting the time spent encourages us to focus on perfection for that short period of time.
Too much time spent on the same thing will allow you to get sloppy. If that happens, all you are doing is practicing sloppy play.

Steve

 

[stljohnny]

So if I am drilling or practicing 1 to 2 hours a day, am I hurting my game? I typically will spend 15- 30 minutes drilling a set of shots (ie. long straight in shots with stop, follow and draw, or certain postion shots) for an hour to an hour and a half a night then play the ghost for a half hour or so.

No; as long as you're not practicing bad things or unless you're trying to learn new things every 15 minutes, for that entire time... you have to give your brain time to process and make permanent the new information gathered by your shot practice. if you practice 15 new shots in 2 hours, chances are you won't remember all of them. if you already know them and are working on your stroke - you have to know what to look for - alignment, speed, smoothness, etc.

Randyg and pooltchr and... everyone else is right when they say you have to know how to practice and what to practice; otherwise you could be building bad habits; and in affect hurting your game.

 

[TheOneGnat]

No; as long as you're not practicing bad things or unless you're trying to learn new things every 15 minutes, for that entire time... you have to give your brain time to process and make permanent the new information gathered by your shot practice. if you practice 15 new shots in 2 hours, chances are you won't remember all of them. if you already know them and are working on your stroke - you have to know what to look for - alignment, speed, smoothness, etc.

Randyg and pooltchr and... everyone else is right when they say you have to know how to practice and what to practice; otherwise you could be building bad habits; and in affect hurting your game.

That's what I thought. I only incorporate a couple new things a week on a normal basis. I didn't really start practicing until about 6 months ago, was just played tournaments and league. I wasn't sure where to start other than drills out of "The Pro Book" and things I found online until I came here.
Thanks all! :smile:

 

[acura9418]

i don't think you can practice too much, when i can't go out and play i will practice at home and do all kinda of drills.