Practice?
- Thread starter Cdryden
- Start date
Hi there,
i have the strong opinion, that if you really practice, then you have to do measurable things- to put a bit pressure on yourself. I let my students play the ghost in straight-pool.
Different Stages:
You setup a breakball for yourself. If you miss, the ghost gets a rack (14 pts). This would be stage 1. (so you re forced to make your 100 balls in 7 innings- or the ghost wins ^^)
If they re able to beat the ghost in a game "Best of 3" or "Best of 5", they can move to Stage 2. Here the ghost will get 28 pts as soon as you have a miss.
Atm they re playin races to 100-- If you play Stage 2, it s perhaps better to play til 150.
Stage 3 would be, that the ghost gets 42- and so on.
lg
Ingo
i have the strong opinion, that if you really practice, then you have to do measurable things- to put a bit pressure on yourself. I let my students play the ghost in straight-pool.
Different Stages:
You setup a breakball for yourself. If you miss, the ghost gets a rack (14 pts). This would be stage 1. (so you re forced to make your 100 balls in 7 innings- or the ghost wins ^^)
If they re able to beat the ghost in a game "Best of 3" or "Best of 5", they can move to Stage 2. Here the ghost will get 28 pts as soon as you have a miss.
Atm they re playin races to 100-- If you play Stage 2, it s perhaps better to play til 150.
Stage 3 would be, that the ghost gets 42- and so on.
lg
Ingo
Hi there,
i have the strong opinion, that if you really practice, then you have to do measurable things- to put a bit pressure on yourself. I let my students play the ghost in straight-pool.
Different Stages:
You setup a breakball for yourself. If you miss, the ghost gets a rack (14 pts). This would be stage 1. (so you re forced to make your 100 balls in 7 innings- or the ghost wins ^^)
If they re able to beat the ghost in a game "Best of 3" or "Best of 5", they can move to Stage 2. Here the ghost will get 28 pts as soon as you have a miss.
Atm they re playin races to 100-- If you play Stage 2, it s perhaps better to play til 150.
Stage 3 would be, that the ghost gets 42- and so on.
lg
Ingo
I agree about pushing yourself and being able to measure your success.
I'm going start off at stage 1 tonight and see how that goes. I think I will advance to stage 2 right away but I might as well start at the beginning.
This seems like and effective way to practice the game offensively. Whats happens if I play a safety? Does the ghost get 14 points?
Thanks for the reply, I'm looking forward to getting home after work and giving this a try.
Well,
this practice-routine is in my opinion about making balls. So no safety at all. If you play immediatley on Stage 2 (til 150 i would say) and the ghost gets 28 pts per miss, then you have to show a bit
Hats off if you re already able to beat him in 5-6 innings til 150 consistantly.
have fun,
this practice-routine is in my opinion about making balls. So no safety at all. If you play immediatley on Stage 2 (til 150 i would say) and the ghost gets 28 pts per miss, then you have to show a bit
Hats off if you re already able to beat him in 5-6 innings til 150 consistantly.
have fun,
I just play against myself. I start with the opening break, then play without keeping score. It takes a bit of discipline to play as seriously as I would against someone else, and to take the time to think out patterns or safeties but I think it's helping my game overall.
Unfortunately, I play mostly rotation games in league so I don't practice 14.1 as much as I would like.
Unfortunately, I play mostly rotation games in league so I don't practice 14.1 as much as I would like.
Well,
this practice-routine is in my opinion about making balls. So no safety at all. If you play immediatley on Stage 2 (til 150 i would say) and the ghost gets 28 pts per miss, then you have to show a bit
Hats off if you re already able to beat him in 5-6 innings til 150 consistantly.
have fun,
Straight pool seems to be more offensively oriented anyways, I can see that I will have to play against someone else to really round out my game though.
If there is anyone in the northeastern part of Missouri that wants to play just PM me. I'm in Hannibal Missouri. I probably wouldn't be much of a game against most of you serious straight pool players but I'm learning.:smile:
Thanks for your help Ratta, I'm sure I will be bugging you for more advice in the future, I hope you don't mind!
This is kind of what I am doing now. But I was wanting something else because I find that I do better with some sort of structured practice that can gauge my progress.
Practicing by yourself? I think that's as much of a waste of time as M.W. (alias "The Time Bandit") masturbating because he thinks it'll help him get better at dating. 
I'm at my best when I'm playing someone near my speed. If a person has to spot me less than 50 on a game to 150, it brings out my best game. But if someone is so much better that they have to spot me more than that, I don't play my best. In fact my game goes down.
I don't think 14.1 is much of a shooter's game (well duh, yea, you have to pocket the balls!), instead I've always thought of it as a thinker's game. I'm convinced that if you hit the sides of the pockets but always play the right shots, you'll beat the guy who splits the pockets but plays the wrong shots. So how do you practice thinking? Maybe watching videos of the great players, studying their patterns?
Steve Lipsky is a good example of a great analytical thinker. Not sure what to make of his style at the table. Of course he's a perfect gentleman, and a pleasure to be around. But I most admire his patterns. I can disect a table better than anyone, and always beats the better shooter. The only guys who can beat him are those who can analyze a table as good as or better than him. I think Steve would agree that Danny Barouty is one of those guys.
Danny is that rare shooter/thinker. He'll break a rack and once the balls stop rolling he'll know right away what pattern to play; and if things change during the rack, he adjusts quickly. Poetry in motion. Not only is he a great analytical thinker, but he's a great shooter too. I don't blame him for rolling his eyes at 9-ball.
SJM, well, he can play. A little. LOL
Poolmouse
I'm at my best when I'm playing someone near my speed. If a person has to spot me less than 50 on a game to 150, it brings out my best game. But if someone is so much better that they have to spot me more than that, I don't play my best. In fact my game goes down.
I don't think 14.1 is much of a shooter's game (well duh, yea, you have to pocket the balls!), instead I've always thought of it as a thinker's game. I'm convinced that if you hit the sides of the pockets but always play the right shots, you'll beat the guy who splits the pockets but plays the wrong shots. So how do you practice thinking? Maybe watching videos of the great players, studying their patterns?
Steve Lipsky is a good example of a great analytical thinker. Not sure what to make of his style at the table. Of course he's a perfect gentleman, and a pleasure to be around. But I most admire his patterns. I can disect a table better than anyone, and always beats the better shooter. The only guys who can beat him are those who can analyze a table as good as or better than him. I think Steve would agree that Danny Barouty is one of those guys.
Danny is that rare shooter/thinker. He'll break a rack and once the balls stop rolling he'll know right away what pattern to play; and if things change during the rack, he adjusts quickly. Poetry in motion. Not only is he a great analytical thinker, but he's a great shooter too. I don't blame him for rolling his eyes at 9-ball.
SJM, well, he can play. A little. LOL
Poolmouse
@poolmouse
each of the really strong straight-pool-players are also also good shotmakers!
First you have to be a good shotmaker and then you have to finetune your game with practice and knowledge.
If you re not a good shotmaker, you ll never be a good player- no matter in which discipline!
And just by playing an opponent....someone will never get to the top
Just my personal opinion. And i am standing behind this opinion since decades.
just my 2 cents
lg
Ingo
each of the really strong straight-pool-players are also also good shotmakers!
First you have to be a good shotmaker and then you have to finetune your game with practice and knowledge.
If you re not a good shotmaker, you ll never be a good player- no matter in which discipline!
And just by playing an opponent....someone will never get to the top
Just my personal opinion. And i am standing behind this opinion since decades.
just my 2 cents
lg
Ingo
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OK, I beat level one a few times this weekend but I didn't do as well as I thought I should. I am going to stay on level one for another week or so at least until I start running better patterns. I have had to depend on making some low percentage shots to get back in the game because I have chose the wrong ball to shoot.
I see my problem after the fact, so I think I need to slow down a little more think it through. I have also started to video tape my practice sessions and review them later. It's allot easier to call the right shot when you're not the one shooting it!
I see my problem after the fact, so I think I need to slow down a little more think it through. I have also started to video tape my practice sessions and review them later. It's allot easier to call the right shot when you're not the one shooting it!
Of course, Ingo is a very good teacher and is teaching some advanced students 14.1 right now, to good effect, so I am sure everything he says to do will work for you.
I heard years ago that Dallas West used to just throw out three balls randomly and work on getting on a break shot. Over and over again.
Some guys say if you do not play much straight pool, just throw 15 balls out there and work on running them paying close attention to your cue ball control. You might call out in your mind what your next two shots will be. When the 15 are down, throw another 15 out. It is easy to lose your concentration. If you cannot run 50 (insert number) balls this way, it is going to be difficult to run 50(insert number) balls for real.
Then there is the Rempe Drill. 15 balls thrown out, no banks, no combos, nothing hits a rail including the cue ball.
I heard years ago that Dallas West used to just throw out three balls randomly and work on getting on a break shot. Over and over again.
Some guys say if you do not play much straight pool, just throw 15 balls out there and work on running them paying close attention to your cue ball control. You might call out in your mind what your next two shots will be. When the 15 are down, throw another 15 out. It is easy to lose your concentration. If you cannot run 50 (insert number) balls this way, it is going to be difficult to run 50(insert number) balls for real.
Then there is the Rempe Drill. 15 balls thrown out, no banks, no combos, nothing hits a rail including the cue ball.
The brain wash drill. This is tuff drill. I have a friend of mine who let the cue ball fly way to often, I taught him this drill and it helped him realize what he was doing wrong.
There are 2 things that are glaringly obvious to me about 14.1;
1. The stop shot is king.
2. Have your copy of Ray Martin's book "99 critical shots in pool" handy during practice!
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Yeah the brainwash drill is tough. If you do it enough it gets your mind working at linking balls together. I have been able to do it twice in a row only once.
Sometimes, though, I recall how so many of the shots in a typical game, the cue ball goes to the rail and back a bit. So I think you really need to practice that stuff too. L-Drills.
And as Ingo says, you need to be a shotmaker.
John Schmidt told me I should play some nine ball so I would be used to coming with a shot when I need it. I tried that a little and I also started doing drills of the standard shots in PAT and a few more of my own, again and again, making sure I made at least 3 in a row before moving to the next shot, sometimes being able to make 20 in a row.
I am not a good player, but one drill that I like that I think works for all players is similar to what dmgwalsh said Dallas West said he did.
Basically you set up a break ball and a key ball and put 3 other balls on the table and try to run out to the break ball and then you must make the break ball for it to count as a "run." I do this 10 times and record my "run out' percentage. Theoretically you could add more balls once you get 70%+ or so. Or you could make the last 5 more difficult, ie put some on a a rail, clusters etc.
One thing I have tried is to set up the drill and then set up a cluster so I have to hit a ball in, break up the cluster and continue the run to the break. Pretty fun and helps keep the mind engaged. I notice that I have not a clue where the ball is going to go before, during and after hitting the cluster! Anyway, just some thoughts.
I also like the no rail drill as well. Brainwash it was called.
Basically you set up a break ball and a key ball and put 3 other balls on the table and try to run out to the break ball and then you must make the break ball for it to count as a "run." I do this 10 times and record my "run out' percentage. Theoretically you could add more balls once you get 70%+ or so. Or you could make the last 5 more difficult, ie put some on a a rail, clusters etc.
One thing I have tried is to set up the drill and then set up a cluster so I have to hit a ball in, break up the cluster and continue the run to the break. Pretty fun and helps keep the mind engaged. I notice that I have not a clue where the ball is going to go before, during and after hitting the cluster! Anyway, just some thoughts.
I also like the no rail drill as well. Brainwash it was called.
Good variation! The way to know where they are going is to think about it and predict it in your mind, try to execute, watch what happens and learn from it. Take it one step further. :thumbup:
That's a really neat idea. I can't wait to try that today.
:joyful::happydance:
:joyful::happydance:
Hi there,
i have the strong opinion, that if you really practice, then you have to do measurable things- to put a bit pressure on yourself. I let my students play the ghost in straight-pool.
Different Stages:
You setup a breakball for yourself. If you miss, the ghost gets a rack (14 pts). This would be stage 1. (so you re forced to make your 100 balls in 7 innings- or the ghost wins ^^)
If they re able to beat the ghost in a game "Best of 3" or "Best of 5", they can move to Stage 2. Here the ghost will get 28 pts as soon as you have a miss.
Atm they re playin races to 100-- If you play Stage 2, it s perhaps better to play til 150.
Stage 3 would be, that the ghost gets 42- and so on.
lg
Ingo
Here's a link to a post which discussed the drill. The link is to our very own Marop demonstrating the drill. Once again thank you very much Billy Boy !!!
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=2355567&postcount=20
-Steve
Great points. I've seen some great shotmakers (9 ball players) get far in tournaments, and some lesser shotmakers who played great position get far too. I guess it can go either way on any day. I would pull for the position player, as long has he/she holds it together as the shotmaker splits pockets at lightning speed. LOL