Practice Routine

Big Perm

Big Perm

1pkt 14.1 8 Banks 9 10
Silver Member
Yes, I'm sure it has been asked before, but I want the new technology practice secrets :grin:

There are a number of posts about the New Year and resolutions, things people want to do better....

Well, I want to get back into the game and see some real improvement.....my previous practice routine looked like this:

About 45 minuntes of specific shots that Blackjack was kind enough to share with me during a lesson - varying cuts, english, and distances

About 45 mins of straight pool - everytime I missed, switch hands

About 45 minutes of 10 ball - again, switching hands everytime I miss

About 45 minutes of 8 ball, switching hands - I aways seem to hook myself when I miss left-handed, this might just be a good secret for safeties :D

I improved, but I'd like to look for recommendations and see what others are doing out there. Being recently married, time is tight, so I will have about two 3 hour practice sessions at most per week.

What do you like to do with your 3 hours? If it matters, I don't have a table at home and cannot play every day or split sessions....

Thanks in advance,

Jason
 
If time is tight I would sit down and REALLY put on paper the honest break down of what I need to work on. Sometimes we all like to go hit the shots we are good at.....which is OK for the Ego, but if you are trying to improve on a limited time schedule......you need to work on your weak areas IMO.

Don't forget when you get a little break at home.......VISUALIZATION!....it makes a world of difference, and doesn't take you away from the family.

good luck!
 
That's a good point.....plan ahead of time and make sure to work on weak areas....like banks....never did much visualization, need to research....

Thanks for the reply...
 
practice routine

Practice done properly is exhausting. I believe that anything past 20 min you lose your concentration. When practicing, everything is normally done in "slow" motion so as to re-enforce the process. I would suggest that you work on a specific item in your game each session ie, banks, cuts, finish, etc good luck
 
Race2-9 said:
Practice done properly is exhausting. I believe that anything past 20 min you lose your concentration. When practicing, everything is normally done in "slow" motion so as to re-enforce the process. I would suggest that you work on a specific item in your game each session ie, banks, cuts, finish, etc good luck
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I think this is good advice, and don't forget that to avoid further getting burned out, do practice a little of either what you like, or what you are good at. It does you no good to get discouraged by only practicing weaknesses.
 
Switching hands....

I'm not ambidextrous, so it's like incorporating another player...

Also, I prefer to be proficient with both hands....I hate bridges and feel I have more control left handed when I can shoot that way....
 
Big Perm said:
Being recently married, time is tight, so I will have about two 3 hour practice sessions at most per week.

What do you like to do with your 3 hours? If it matters, I don't have a table at home and cannot play every day or split sessions....

Thanks in advance,

Jason
Click to expand...


We are in the same boat....
I am always thinking about shots and the way i felt when i am playing good... Watching alot of youtube and seeing how the champions do it...
I try and play in the weekly tourney just to see if i can win giving up all kinds of weight but not too much...=)
But now i got Wii Billiards!! I will never miss another ball...lol!!
 
Big Perm said:
Yes, I'm sure it has been asked before, but I want the new technology practice secrets :grin:

There are a number of posts about the New Year and resolutions, things people want to do better....

Well, I want to get back into the game and see some real improvement.....my previous practice routine looked like this:

About 45 minuntes of specific shots that Blackjack was kind enough to share with me during a lesson - varying cuts, english, and distances

About 45 mins of straight pool - everytime I missed, switch hands

About 45 minutes of 10 ball - again, switching hands everytime I miss

About 45 minutes of 8 ball, switching hands - I aways seem to hook myself when I miss left-handed, this might just be a good secret for safeties :D

I improved, but I'd like to look for recommendations and see what others are doing out there. Being recently married, time is tight, so I will have about two 3 hour practice sessions at most per week.

What do you like to do with your 3 hours? If it matters, I don't have a table at home and cannot play every day or split sessions....

Thanks in advance,

Jason
Click to expand...

Jason

Routines are repetitious and will soon be abandoned out of boredom.

Your practice session should be planned with what I call the 4 E's

1) Efficiency
2) Effectiveness
3) Execution
4) Evaluation

Efficiency

You need to make the most of your time at the table. Merely shooting balls in the pockets is fine if you just want to get in stroke, but to generate growth and improvement, you need to be able to measure your skill and chart your level of performance.

14.1 is a great tool to do this. So are the P.A.T. drills.

If your current practice "routine" is not showing you where you need to improve, then you are probably just putting in your time.


Effectiveness

Your goal should be to leave the table as a better player than when you arrived that day. You need to see where you are making progress. If I were to ask you how you have improved over the past year and a half, you should be able to specifically tell me which weaknesses were turned into strengths, and how you did it.

If you are missing a long off angled shot - you can either practice the shot until you can't miss it, or you can practice not getting in that position in the first place. Champions practice both.

Effectiveness is measured in overall improvement. Don't trap yourself into only measuring your improvement by wins or losses. Also measure your improvement with your level of confidence. Confidence is the prerequisite to consistency. You can develop your confidence by taking small steps towards improvement - not giant leaps.

Execution

This does not refer to mechanics as much as it refers to executing your thoughts, actions, and intentions under the pressures of competition.

It's very easy to prepare yourself to make shots, or to run racks of 9 ball or 8 ball - but if you don't prepare your mind to deal with the roller coaster of emotions that you will encounter during competition, you will eventually crumble under that pressure.

In practice, you need to accurately mimic the environment of the competitive environment. If you do not, you will not be mentally prepared when intense, high pressure situations arise at the table.

Once again, 14.1 is an invaluable tool to apply that pressure. If your high run is 30 balls, then when you approach that number, you can apply that pressure upon yourself to eclipse your best performance. You can't do that with 9 ball or 8 ball.

Evaluation

When you compete in tournament or in league, always evaluate your performance. By keeping a log of what went right and what went wrong, you will be able to to attack your weaknesses and develop them into strengths during practice.

This way, you just aren't going through the motions. You will be able to set short term, mid term, and long term goals more accurately and more clearly. By doing so, you will escape a trap that many payers fall into, what I call "not knowing where you are going, but getting there fast".

By using the 4 E's as a guideline, you will be planning, then executing. Afterwards you can evaluate for efficiency and effectiveness. If you need any help with setting up your practice session, you have my number.
 
Practice

Most of the game time errors are 'logic' problems, especially for middle of the road players. Players make wrong decisions on how to play a shot, which get them into trouble later on.

Learn the basics. Learn how to make any shot on the table. Then learn how to move the cueball to any spot on the table from the shot you have.

I have played going on 47 years. When I practice, I make some easy shots, then some harder cut shots, etc., then I practice on banks mostly. Practicing banks sort of 'fine tunes' me. The cross corner long bank is a specialty of mine, and I never met a back bank to the side that I didn't like.

Hint: Something intermediate players are all weak on is using inside english on shots or banks.
 
All great feedback....Blackjack, thanks for the entensive post, tried to rep you sir, will have to make it up to you....good stuff, many thanks guys....
 
Big Perm,

Blackjack's post was a great summary of what you need to know and do to improve at an accelerated pace.

Boredom is something everyone I know has trouble with when it comes to practicing. If you've got the discipline to stick to long session plans that's great, more power to you. Most people, though, can't stick to it that long. If you falter don't beat yourself up. You can try to keep your practicing fresh by varying your routine. Try different drills on different days, or try 20 minutes per drill and 8 drills instead of 4. etc, etc.

Some days you should work on one weakness and hit it from many different perspectives. There are so many good drills and variations out there you should be able to do this without difficulty. The different approaches will work that skill in different ways, helping you to make the skill gains more general, and less tied to a specific shot. Make sure to do your work from both sides of the table, too.

One last thing. Don't rely on just your own opinion of your game. Seek professional help and evaluation. They will see weaknesses you don't and may put totally different weights on what you should practice. To learn the most, learn from those who know the most, as long as they are good at passing it on to you.
 
Big Perm said:
Switching hands....

I'm not ambidextrous, so it's like incorporating another player...

Also, I prefer to be proficient with both hands....I hate bridges and feel I have more control left handed when I can shoot that way....
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I can understand this, but IMO, by doing "so many" things during the practice session, I think it may be a little self-defeating. Why not have specific sessions where you work on just these things you have listed, after a nice warm-up of some kind?
 
If possible, find a "sparring partner", so to speak. Someone at or above you skill level and just play practice games. As much as I tried, I could not get the same feeling of pressure just doing drills all the time. So at tourney time, I'd be so nervous resulting in making silly, simple mistakes.

I needed to fill that gap between drills and tourney's. Just so happens that I ran into to a guy that fits the bill. Now I can balance my drill practice with game practice. Only time will tell if this works.
 
duckie said:
If possible, find a "sparring partner", so to speak. Someone at or above you skill level and just play practice games. As much as I tried, I could not get the same feeling of pressure just doing drills all the time. So at tourney time, I'd be so nervous resulting in making silly, simple mistakes.

I needed to fill that gap between drills and tourney's. Just so happens that I ran into to a guy that fits the bill. Now I can balance my drill practice with game practice. Only time will tell if this works.
Click to expand...


this absolutely works and i'm lucky enough to have 2 perfect players to practice with and grow with, but you have to keep it competitive and avoid ball banging and joking around... there is a place for that too.

I need to get back to drills and focus on those more than sparring right now as I've virtually only done sparring the last 6 months or so.
 
Practice this

I think setting out balls on the table is good for making balls and somewhat practicing cue ball control, but that's not real practice, it's more like playing.

Practicing is doing drills. Look at some of the things Bert Kinister says here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6zBTXwTHGs

It is important that you are able to come to the table cold if necessary, not just become accustomed to shooting shots that already have shape.

If you have some of these drills burned into your head you will be a far superior player. I assume you are someone who understands the basic fundamentals like the grip, stance, stroke rhythm, stroking the ball, where to look before, during and after your shot and so on.....

Shot Making

Drill #1: (This drill is the nuts and is so simple, you will not want to do it, but trust me, DO IT! You will thank me.)

Set up the OB and CB just a few MM's off of the long rail with the OB at the diamond above the side pocket and the CB at the diamond above the corner pocket. Shoot it slow with top, stop and draw. Don't use side spin and see what your CB does before or after you contact the OB. If it hits the rail and comes out, something in your stroke is flawed and needs correcting. Remember, every shot is the same, and if you can draw your ball back into the corner pocket every time, you have what it takes to beat anyone. This is a ZERO DEGREE shot. It is the most basic shot in pool. If you can't make this shot, you will never be able to play good pool. You have to make this shot over 90% of the time if you solid ability. You won't want to practice this drill though, it's one of those 'Daniel-San' drills in that it will make you feel like you're getting nowhere unless you're making balls. Have patience and ask yourself, what are you willing to go through to have 'real skill'?

You also have other drills like breaking, jumping, kicking drills and banking drills that are just too elaborate for me to go into, but what I explained is a drill any player who is truly skilled will be able to pull off just about every time. When you go back and play after doing this drill (you don't even have to be successful at it, just do it) your play will be so much stronger and your aiming will be much more guaranteed. Be sure before you pull the trigger. Never pull the trigger until you're locked in and you're sure. This alone will give you much success.

Cue Ball Control

Drill #2: (Buddy Hall taught me this and it is also the nuts)

When you do get out there and play, I have the 'correct way' of looking at your shot and how to stroke the ball correctly.


Speed control - Stroke the entire shot. For instance, if you were lagging the ball to the end rail, you would push it gently with rhythm and touch, not poking it hopes to 'get there'. Approach the same with going down the table and back like in lagging for break. Shoot it another length of the table, then another and see if you can memorize the feel that it takes to do 1, 2, 3, and 4. When you shoot your shot, you want to first look at where you are going, assuming you know you're going to make the ball, and then track the path back to the cue ball. From there, look at exactly where you want to hit on the OB and stay focused on that as you approach the table. When you actually stroke the ball, you will stroke it with that entire shot in mind. I watch less skilled players play, and they tend to hit it way too hard and with poor action on the cue ball because they don't know this concept. Hit the shot with only as much energy and follow through as it requires, and no more. When I watch Buddy play and he is really serious, he moves the cue ball around as little as possible, and as slowly as possible. When you can fit this concept into your game without having to 'manually think' about it, you will have yet another cannon in your arsenal.

Pool is very simple. If you notice a good player and how simple he makes it looks, it's cause he has assembled all of the chaos and pieced it together as he sees fit.

One last drill:

Practice rolling balls in pocket speed. Use an open hand bridge on every shot, and use top. Practice 'rolling' the ball. Don't skid or slide the CB, just roll it. Do that for a minimum of 30 min, and do it even after you have mastered it. People often times want to hit a shot with authority and that is not good for your muscle memory. Train your eyes to see the ball go in the hole and sinking down into the pocket. Look at the left side of the pocket and the right side of the pocket and then pull the trigger making the ball right in the center.

If you can do every drill I described and do them successfully, there is no reason you won't have the basics to be a great player. Again, what I have described are just some of the basics and are fundamentally unavoidable in the pursuit of high skill. Pool is about muscle memory and the ability to recall 'how to hit that shot' and hit for exactly what the situation calls for, no more, and no less. Good luck.

happy-new-year.jpg
 
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