Practice vs. Play

wendyb

wendyb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been practicing pool for about 3 years,
I do not like to play other people, I perfer just practice. I do not like to lose and I do not like to win, I am not competive at all. I just perfer to play solo. When I practice alone, I feel a flow of focus that is uninteruppted by sitting out a turn. I feel a sense of Zen and attunment with the balls and the table. It is very relaxing to me.
I hear people say, :"Oh, you have to play others to improve", but if I miss a shot while practicing, I can repeat it untill I understand the shot and "get It" durning play, I forget the shots I have missed and therefore don't master them. when I can repeat a missed shot untill I get it again and again, I feel a sense of personal acheavment.
I shoot rail, long shots,and cut drills and play 8 ball mostly, I shoot all of one group, then the other, and then the 8.

Although I sometimes have to play others, the competive nature of the players takes the enjoyment out of it for me. I would always rather play (practice) solo.
Many people have a hard time understanding my preference to practice rather than play others, Is this unusual?
Please advise.
 
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Like you, I've always enjoyed practice and sometimes/often more than actual competition. I can relate to the meditative nature of practice.

I've heard a lot of theories regarding practice vs. play/performance across a variety of different pursuits. As a guitar teacher, I used to tell students "practice at least an hour a day by yourself during the week, and jam with someone on the weekends or twice a week". The students who rushed too quickly into playing bands all the time never evolved past playing some basic chords. Alternatively, the students who locked themselves in the bedroom, could play far more complicated pieces but suffered from shaky rhythm and an inability to adapt to a band scenario.

I think 60/40 is reasonable (60% practice 40% competition/practice matches), perhaps even 70/30, especially if you are trying to implement something new into your fundamentals.

Playing matches improves your match play, solo practice improves your individual skill sets. Neglecting one or the other will hurt your overall game. 100% solo practice will result in being unable to play anything close to your practice standard on a day to day basis, which is of course frustrating.
 
It's your life and your pool game. You don't ever have to play against anyone if you don't want to.

However, understand that competitive pool is a different game than playing alone. It seems that right now you are satisfied playing alone, so you shouldn't let others force you do do something you don't enjoy. Perhaps sometime in the future you would like to try playing against other players on a more regular basis. You will know if and when that time comes.

I don't think it is as unusual as people may think. I suspect that most people who prefer to play alone don't talk about it much to other people, so we don't know how many there are.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Like you, I've always enjoyed practice and sometimes/often more than actual competition. I can relate to the meditative nature of practice.

I've heard a lot of theories regarding practice vs. play/performance across a variety of different pursuits. As a guitar teacher, I used to tell students "practice at least an hour a day by yourself during the week, and jam with someone on the weekends or twice a week". The students who rushed too quickly into playing bands all the time never evolved past playing some basic chords. Alternatively, the students who locked themselves in the bedroom, could play far more complicated pieces but suffered from shaky rhythm and an inability to adapt to a band scenario.

I think 60/40 is reasonable (60% practice 40% competition/practice matches), perhaps even 70/30, especially if you are trying to implement something new into your fundamentals.

Playing matches improves your match play, solo practice improves your individual skill sets. Neglecting one or the other will hurt your overall game. 100% solo practice will result in being unable to play anything close to your practice standard on a day to day basis, which is of course frustrating.
Click to expand...

You should switch to 3Cushion. Then you'll gripe like me that there's nobody to play a game with. I don't mind practice at all but sometime its nice to find out if the practice has helped any.

If you don't care about winning then only play better players. You can learn a lot against better players.
 
FranCrimi said:
It's your life and your pool game. You don't ever have to play against anyone if you don't want to.

However, understand that competitive pool is a different game than playing alone. It seems that right now you are satisfied playing alone, so you shouldn't let others force you do do something you don't enjoy. Perhaps sometime in the future you would like to try playing against other players on a more regular basis. You will know if and when that time comes.

I don't think it is as unusual as people may think. I suspect that most people who prefer to play alone don't talk about it much to other people, so we don't know how many there are.
Click to expand...

fran
great responce:thumbup:
pool can be like meditation
the enjoyment of you and the balls without an opponent can be satisfaction in itself
im not an instructor
 
Table time has always been cheaper than the going hourly rate for a therapist..... I used to be able to set my troubles down by throwing the balls out and proceeding to watch and listen to them as the danced on the table under my control.....

If you don't like to play other people then don't.... enjoy the game as it realates to you....

Chris
 
I am the same way. I practice by myself until I was fully making balls which break and run out more often. Once I gotten making balls shot and seem easy and no worry and running out then I was confident to go into pool tournament. Even if I am still good I still practice by myself cause it give me more time to myself to practice and work on little bit of thing that I need to practice and work on it. I've been playing pool for 21 yrs now.
 
Wendy, be true to yourself.

Straight Pool (14.1) is a great game to practice/play by yourself.

Sometimes the drama associated with leagues just isn't worth it. You should choose when you want to compete against others. Playing with others due to league obligations and playing with others for recreation are both very different than competing. Do what makes you happy.
 
bbb said:
fran
great responce:thumbup:
pool can be like meditation
the enjoyment of you and the balls without an opponent can be satisfaction in itself
im not an instructor
Click to expand...

I agree with this as well.:)

I never practice in a strict sense. I play, as in the meaning of the word described by this definition:


"To engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose."


Whether I am throwing the balls up on the table and trying to run them, making shots with CB control as the only objective, or trying new and intriguing techniques like the swoop stroke, I always have a feeling of play rather than work.

When I am engaged with another human in a game, I have the same attitude. There is no winning or losing, just excellent play. I don't have an opponent, I have a play partner. If his play is more brilliant than mine, he reaches the end of the game before I do. He didn't "win" anything, though.

This philosophy is behind the study of martial arts such as Aikido. In Aikido, there is a "nage" and a "uke" - the thrower and the thrown. Together, they dance. Leaving competition behind, the ego is no longer in control. When the ego disappears, there is no "self" left to win anything. There is just the observation of the marvel of the play itself. This is the true spirit of most arts at the highest level.

I have a good fishing buddy that I have fished with all over the country. He is very competitive, right down to counting the number of trout he catches per hour. This make him happy. So I oblige him and give him the juiciest runs to fish.

When we meet later, he tells me about all the fish he caught and released. I smile meekly and tell him I didn't land a fish. What I don't tell him is that I spent the entire evening trying to catch a particularly difficult fish in a difficult and well-protected lie. We're both happy with our results, but I can't help feeling that I enjoyed my time on the water a lot more than he did.


“A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you . . . Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question . . . Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use.”

Carlos Castaneda


To the OP, just follow your heart and you will be on the correct path.
 
that's what Pool was designed for.

wendyb said:
I have been practicing pool for about 3 years,
I do not like to play other people, I perfer just practice. I do not like to lose and I do not like to win, I am not competive at all. I just perfer to play solo. When I practice alone, I feel a flow of focus that is uninteruppted by sitting out a turn. I feel a sense of Zen and attunment with the balls and the table. It is very relaxing to me.
I hear people say, :"Oh, you have to play others to improve", but if I miss a shot while practicing, I can repeat it untill I understand the shot and "get It" durning play, I forget the shots I have missed and therefore don't master them. when I can repeat a missed shot untill I get it again and again, I feel a sense of personal acheavment.
I shoot rail, long shots,and cut drills and play 8 ball mostly, I shoot all of one group, then the other, and then the 8.

Although I sometimes have to play others, the competive nature of the players takes the enjoyment out of it for me. I would always rather play (practice) solo.
Many people have a hard time understanding my preference to practice rather than play others, Is this unusual?
Please advise.
Click to expand...

You're doing just fine....the Game is your Teacher - Glad to hear it's bringing you enjoyment, after all, that's what Pool was designed for. :dance:
 
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