Practice Makes Perfect... No Not Really.

bigshooter

bigshooter

<--vs Chuck Norris on TAR
Silver Member
The saying goes "practice makes perfect" which is nonsense.

Perfect practice makes perfect. I see too many guys knocking balls around for an hour with no plan or purpose and call it practice.

Body builders don't go the gym thinking "I'll just randomly lift some heavy stuff and see if I get stronger" they target a specific muscle or group of muscles.

If you are going to spend your time and money on pool then make a practice plan and regimen. Work on your weak spots, shoot with the opposite hand, practice drills over and over until they are second nature. Buy some books, DVD's or use the internet as resources.

If you bang balls around and call it practice you are a banger. That's just the way it is. :cool:
 
I have said almost the same thing for a long time but; practice is only part of the "getting better cycle" you practice, compete and see if you got better and then repeat.
 
So very true! I got friends that think i am crazy for having a scheduled practice session. ( Like 15 min practicing the break, 10 min on bank shots etc.)

I keep note on my games weaknesses as I am playing so I know what to work on when I practice.

What to know how to get better faster, then make your practice time efficient.

Good post bigshooter.
 
If you practice hitting baseballs with the wrong end of the bat, you'll become perfect at hitting balls with the wrong end of the bat.

Perfection is a process, not a goal.
 
bigshooter said:
The saying goes "practice makes perfect" which is nonsense.

Perfect practice makes perfect. I see too many guys knocking balls around for an hour with no plan or purpose and call it practice.

Body builders don't go the gym thinking "I'll just randomly lift some heavy stuff and see if I get stronger" they target a specific muscle or group of muscles.

If you are going to spend your time and money on pool then make a practice plan and regimen. Work on your weak spots, shoot with the opposite hand, practice drills over and over until they are second nature. Buy some books, DVD's or use the internet as resources.

If you bang balls around and call it practice you are a banger. That's just the way it is. :cool:
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Thank God Mosconi, Hall, Crane, Mizerak, Varner, and the other greats had internet and videos.

Practice, yes. But I want to make sure that nobody misses the point since you mentioned "resources". READING AND WATCHING VIDEOS IS IN NO WAY EVER POSSIBLY PRACTICE BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION and NEITHER IS PERSONAL INSTRUCTION.




.
 
Very well said. I practice staying down, a light grip, a smooth follow through and the disciplines that define a good straight pool player. It's consistency, speed control and great decisions that make a winner. In a difficult situation, realize your options while chalking and decide what to do before you get down on the shot. An amazing jump shot that creates cheers and phenominal 5 rail position play, won't make you a winner sooner. It does take practice and discipline.
 
Great post. I disagree, though. Practice may make perfect... but only "directed practice".

Hitting balls and staying focused is one form of directed practice... working on your weaknesses is another! :)
 
This is another topic that comes up from time to time that I take a slightly different take on.

Of course I agree that your practice time should have some sort of goal in mind. However, at this point some people (most instructors) go so far as to say that 30 minutes of very structured practice is better than 3 hours of unstructured practice. This is where I always pause for a minute to reflect on that.

If you look at ALL (and I mean ALL) of the great pool players one thing they all have in common is that in their formative years they would play and practice for a ridiculous amount of time (8-10 hours a day or more). This point should not be overlooked when this subject comes up.

If we could go back in time to when SVB was just beginning to get serious about pool there would be people shaking their head at him as he was banging balls around for hours on end. It's not possible (or nearly impossible) to maintain a very strict practice regime for this amount of time. What these guys were doing wasn't strict practice like so many on hear recommend. What they were doing most of this time was just burning this game of pool into their subconscious. This is a very important part of pool.

I don't have all the answers on this but there's something to be gained from "banging" balls around. For me personally, this is the part that has been the most lacking in my game lately and I think it's why I have such a hard time finding the proper rhythm with my game. Too much structured practice and not enough banging of balls has made my game too mechanical and right now I suck!:eek:

***I reserve the right to completely change my mind on this***:grin-square:
 
A long time ago, I was dating this girl who ran collegiate a capella competitions. I'd help out where I could and so when the finals were held at Carnegie Hall, being a New Yorker, I decided to help with fielding calls about directions.

"Hi, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"

"Practice. Or, the R train to 57th Street."


lol, it never got old.
 
It depends on the player. I became an APA 7-8 and a BCA A player 2 years after picking up a cue for the first time by being what you call a "Banger." I've tried to spend time practicing as you describe, but all it does for me is make me overly conscious of my mechanics. It hurts the game. I'm a natural player with natural feel, and the best way for me to advance my game is to just run racks and practice stroke shots. Drills and repetitive shots only hurt my game and take away from the fun. For more robotic or calculated players, that kind of practice is necessary. I just can't see Rodney or Larry practicing drills and stop shots lol. In my opinion it boils down to your balance of natural talent and acquired skill. Some of us will only get better by rolling with our natural talent, and some of us can take huge steps through calculated practice. It's impossible to group everyone, as everyone's approach to the game is different. There is one way of practice that is guaranteed to make anyone better though, in my opinion. Slam ball! Big stroke shots with lots of juice. Banging as you describe it. When a crucial shot comes up in a match requiring a huge draw stroke or a jump shot something of that nature, I'm not afraid because I'm a "banger" and was probably shooting that same shot earlier in the day.
 
spindoctor9 said:
It depends on the player. I became an APA 7-8 and a BCA A player 2 years after picking up a cue for the first time by being what you call a "Banger." I've tried to spend time practicing as you describe, but all it does for me is make me overly conscious of my mechanics. It hurts the game. I'm a natural player with natural feel, and the best way for me to advance my game is to just run racks and practice stroke shots.
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That's pretty strong. What did you do specifically? Any books or videos? How many hours a day 'banging'? Did none of the structured drills really help you? Maybe they helped despite being boring?

You hear stories of pros getting good phenomenally fast, usually at an early age. I don't personally know anyone who jumped to A speed in 2 years. You must have learned some good fundamentals early on.

On another note - just sinking balls does contribute to your "HAMB count", but there's another thing that might make it worthwhile - if someone tries conventional drills and gets bored, they may quit doing them altogether. If they can bang balls around for an hour a day and not get bored, they won't quit.

Kind of like the difference between making small changes in your diet vs. jumping straight to salad 14 times a week.
 
I am not saying there is no merit in just cutting loose and banging some balls here and there. BUT if that's pretty much all you do then you are not gaining as much as you could be.

Personally I like to shoot drills or practice something challenging to me then take a break and play the ghost for awhile.
 
Chopdoc said:
Thank God Mosconi, Hall, Crane, Mizerak, Varner, and the other greats had internet and videos.

Practice, yes. But I want to make sure that nobody misses the point since you mentioned "resources". READING AND WATCHING VIDEOS IS IN NO WAY EVER POSSIBLY PRACTICE BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION and NEITHER IS PERSONAL INSTRUCTION.
.
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All the above names are the greats and much of what we know started with them and I completely agree with your point about just watching or reading.

Resources are simply that... resources. Use them to get ideas, strategies, drills, etc. and then practice.
 
bigshooter said:
The saying goes "practice makes perfect" which is nonsense.

Perfect practice makes perfect. I see too many guys knocking balls around for an hour with no plan or purpose and call it practice.

Body builders don't go the gym thinking "I'll just randomly lift some heavy stuff and see if I get stronger" they target a specific muscle or group of muscles.

If you are going to spend your time and money on pool then make a practice plan and regimen. Work on your weak spots, shoot with the opposite hand, practice drills over and over until they are second nature. Buy some books, DVD's or use the internet as resources.

If you bang balls around and call it practice you are a banger. That's just the way it is. :cool:
Click to expand...


"Perfect practice makes perfect." That`s exactly what Sa Bom Nim Yanki Hong used to tell us every day. :)
 
spindoctor9 said:
It depends on the player. I became an APA 7-8 and a BCA A player 2 years after picking up a cue for the first time by being what you call a "Banger." I've tried to spend time practicing as you describe, but all it does for me is make me overly conscious of my mechanics. It hurts the game. I'm a natural player with natural feel, and the best way for me to advance my game is to just run racks and practice stroke shots. Drills and repetitive shots only hurt my game and take away from the fun. For more robotic or calculated players, that kind of practice is necessary. I just can't see Rodney or Larry practicing drills and stop shots lol. In my opinion it boils down to your balance of natural talent and acquired skill. Some of us will only get better by rolling with our natural talent, and some of us can take huge steps through calculated practice. It's impossible to group everyone, as everyone's approach to the game is different. There is one way of practice that is guaranteed to make anyone better though, in my opinion. Slam ball! Big stroke shots with lots of juice. Banging as you describe it. When a crucial shot comes up in a match requiring a huge draw stroke or a jump shot something of that nature, I'm not afraid because I'm a "banger" and was probably shooting that same shot earlier in the day.
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So you don't think guys that shoot drills or practice safeties etc. have the ability to make a huge draw or jump a ball?

I've been around pool for 30 years and it's not the big stroke, slam it and ham it guys that impress or scare me. It's the guy that consistently runs out without having to draw three rails or make crazy shots that gets my attention.
 
bigshooter said:
The saying goes "practice makes perfect" which is nonsense.

Perfect practice makes perfect. I see too many guys knocking balls around for an hour with no plan or purpose and call it practice.

Body builders don't go the gym thinking "I'll just randomly lift some heavy stuff and see if I get stronger" they target a specific muscle or group of muscles.

If you are going to spend your time and money on pool then make a practice plan and regimen. Work on your weak spots, shoot with the opposite hand, practice drills over and over until they are second nature. Buy some books, DVD's or use the internet as resources.

If you bang balls around and call it practice you are a banger. That's just the way it is. :cool:
Click to expand...

There is at least 2000 possibilities of pocketing balls shots at one bridge location, add to that another 2000 shots with varying bridge location
you need to know how to shoot all 4000 shots to be good in pool
Therefore practicing anything but the 4000 shots is waste of time.

Take CB you can divide it into 9 tip locations at center and 8 english , say 1/4 tip, another 8 at 1/2 , and so on
Distance between OB & CB
Different angles
Different speed
Stun
roll
draw back
follow
bridge location
near rail shots

Multiply all factors above and you will get a very large possibilities, every time you practice introduce one of these variables until you are comfortable with all shots, pocketing balls becomes natural, and position play becomes much easier with all possibilities of shots in hand

Good luck
 
The majority of players at my clubhouse are ball bangers practicing banging balls. They are consistent. Same mistakes and missed shots over and over. And they think they are practicing.
It took 50 years to realize I need a drill routine set up by a qualified instructor. I've been working on it and feel improvement. My league starts mid Oct. I'll take the drills to the game. I'm upbeat this season. But prior I was a "Practicing Ball Banger". Does practice make perfect?.......it makes Better if the right things are practiced. Good thread. Thanks.
 
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