Practice or training?

[Travis Bickle]

Do you think of these as two words for essentially the same thing? Or do they mean different things to you?

The word has come up in a couple of ph conversations lately, and it has gotten me to thinking ... maybe I oughta be training instead of just practicing, or more often, "working on a couple of things."

When I played tennis seriously, I would drag out the ball machine and hit 100 forehands, 100 backhands, 100 overheads, 100 volleys, then maybe a basket's worth of some trouble shot, like an inside-out short slice up the line. But I haven't taken this sort of approach with pool yet ... and I'm not making the kind of progress I'd like to make, no big surprise.

 

[ScottW]

"Training" to me is more a term to do with physical training - i.e. working out, running miles, etc.

"Practice" is more like working on improving one's ability to perform a particular task through repetition etc.

That's just how I see things.

As far as your tennis example - apply it to pool. Pick a shot you have trouble with, shoot that shot a bunch of times, track your hit/miss record, whether you overcut or undercut, figure out what you're doing wrong, adjust.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

Yeah, I went into pool-training - Got that ball-machine and had it set to shoot-out centennials at 100 mph. I mean, it did take some getting used to and thank God I used my friend's Cue-Tec (not ONE ding) but I managed to hit a few right out of the park.

 

[Travis Bickle]

Jude, you're right. Gotta stop goofing around with stationary balls. Need to work on them wing bank shots.

 

[VIProfessor]

Jude, you're right. Gotta stop goofing around with stationary balls. Need to work on them wing bank shots.

Actually, I learned years ago that spending a little bit of time on wing shots can be beneficial to your game in terms of learning to trust your setup, your stroke, and your sense of aim. Bob Lisciotti, Larry's first cousin and competitor when they were younger, encouraged me to do this every now and then. I found that when I'm fretting over the shots too much, spending a few minutes shooting wing shots tends to loosen me right up, and to instill a renewed sense of confidence and trust.

On the topic, however, there is no question that the type of training that you do in tennis can and should be applied to our sport. Just as you hit hundreds of forehands to develop and groove the stroke, so should you also hit a hundred stop shots to maintain and improve your ability to accurately and smoothly deliver the cue through the intended path. We could go on and on, but drills, combined with practice and competitive play, are the quickest way to bring your game up quickly, and most important, solidly.

 

[Voodoo Daddy]

Good question

Do you think of these as two words for essentially the same thing? Or do they mean different things to you?

The word has come up in a couple of ph conversations lately, and it has gotten me to thinking ... maybe I oughta be training instead of just practicing, or more often, "working on a couple of things."

When I played tennis seriously, I would drag out the ball machine and hit 100 forehands, 100 backhands, 100 overheads, 100 volleys, then maybe a basket's worth of some trouble shot, like an inside-out short slice up the line. But I haven't taken this sort of approach with pool yet ... and I'm not making the kind of progress I'd like to make, no big surprise.

You have sports background with Tennis, what did you pratice or train for? To get better? Better preperation for tournament or match play? Pool isnt that much different...I believe the difference between a player and a champion is the player will "practice" a shot until he/she can make it...a champion "trains" until he/she doesnt miss it. I feel a trained professional is a step above a practiced one but what do I know...

 

[Travis Bickle]

Voodoo,

I used to play some amateur tennis tourneys, 35 and over. Just for glory and satisfaction, really. Of course, there are no handicaps (and rarely money) so it can get pretty brutal when you're up against some ex-Davis Cupper or even just Mats Wilander's ex-doubles partner. In such cases, your only ambition is to do a few things well, win a game or two, or at least one more than a friend of yours did against the guy. These tennis "shortstops" wouldn't even bother taking off their sweats for matches against middling players like me ... even though I could win matches against some guys who teach the game for a living.

After a few years of getting tortured by being outrunned and gunned, I got burned out and switched over to pool, which I'd always played, but more casually.

Now I hesitate to go crazy on the pool "training" but I am sick of getting close but not quite getting there in tourneys. I tend to roll over the average C players, but don't take advantage of my chances against stronger B players and above.