Practicing 6 Hours A Day

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
if you were to start practicing several hours during the day, what would you posters think might be a good practice regimen?

if i get my garage/apartment remodeled and made bigger, and the Gold Crown IV gets moved upstairs, i am thinking i might be able to get alot more time in at the table.

so, i thought i might work on the Mother Drills, work on some of the shots and position play drills that are in the Kinister and Bob Byrne tapes. use the paper target for position/speed control practice. work on some of the Routine shots that i have diagrammed. work with the Tucker 3rd Eye trainer and the Pocket Reducers some. work on some of the drills/shots that Tom Rossman, Mark Wilson, and Diana Minor showed me.

i'd like to hear from you posters out there regarding this. there are many excellent players on here that i am sure could clean my clock, as well as some instructors that i would enjoy hearing from also.

thanks for any input,
DCP
 
I thought the title was `POSTING 6 hours a day` :rolleyes:

Practice couldn't hurt. I would jes do it, no need 2 report back here.

Brian
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
if you were to start practicing several hours during the day, what would you posters think might be a good practice regimen?

if i get my garage/apartment remodeled and made bigger, and the Gold Crown IV gets moved upstairs, i am thinking i might be able to get alot more time in at the table.

so, i thought i might work on the Mother Drills, work on some of the shots and position play drills that are in the Kinister and Bob Byrne tapes. use the paper target for position/speed control practice. work on some of the Routine shots that i have diagrammed. work with the Tucker 3rd Eye trainer and the Pocket Reducers some. work on some of the drills/shots that Tom Rossman, Mark Wilson, and Diana Minor showed me.

i'd like to hear from you posters out there regarding this. there are many excellent players on here that i am sure could clean my clock, as well as some instructors that i would enjoy hearing from also.

thanks for any input,
DCP

*Hyperventilating into a brown paper bag*

Go compete. Mix it up. Stop thinking. Gamble. Have someone shock you w/ a tazer every time you lose. Gamble w/ money you don't have-- do SOMETHING to motivate yourself from losing. Unless you compete, you'll practice your whole life and still not make a ball (when you have to). Waitta minute, this is like the fifth time I've said this and so have others.... please God don't make me hit ignore for the first time ever.

*Hyperventilating into a brown paper bag*
 
Most of the time when I practice it is breaking and shooting racks over and over again. I dont really run any drills except when I miss a difficult shot I may set it up and shoot it a few more times. I think this can get kind of repetitive for 6 hours, but I have been known to do it longer.
 
12 hours

:rolleyes: I think 6 hours is not long enough. You need to quit your job, and you need to practice at least 12 hours a day 7 days a week!. Only stop to eat and go to sleep! That way you will be the world beater that you have told us that you want to be!

:rolleyes:
 
Icon of Sin said:
Most of the time when I practice it is breaking and shooting racks over and over again. I dont really run any drills except when I miss a difficult shot I may set it up and shoot it a few more times. I think this can get kind of repetitive for 6 hours, but I have been known to do it longer.

A the risk of being called a jackass by you again, I remind you of the fact that every instructor on the forum will agree this is not practice.

This is what DCP already does, and is a major contributing factor to the fact that he has not progressed as much as he feels he should have by now..

Fuel the fire, Icon.. :D

Russ
 
Russ Chewning said:
A the risk of being called a jackass by you again, I remind you of the fact that every instructor on the forum will agree this is not practice.

This is what DCP already does, and is a major contributing factor to the fact that he has not progressed as much as he feels he should have by now..

Fuel the fire, Icon.. :D

Russ
Russ,

I dont care what you or other instructors call it. I call it practice. I call it this because it helps improve my game and it is something I am doing by myself for the betterment of myself. It is one of the definitions of practice.

What is practice to one person, may not be practice to another, but it is still practice in general.

Along the lines of my game, I feel I have progressed well due to my current practice routines and competition. It may not be the ideal practice routine for you or others, hell, it may not be the ideal practice routine for me, but I enjoy it and it keeps me at the table.

Heath.

PS. You're still a jackass.
 
That isn't practice! That is playing! If you are shooting racks then you are playing. You are playing by yourself, or with yourself, but you are still playing! LOL Yes playing will help you get better, but not as quick as if you have a game plan for practicing, and not as quick as if you break the game down into several small practicing techniques.

I am sure Scott Lee or Randy G. will chime in on this one and define it for you.
 
txplshrk said:
That isn't practice! That is playing! If you are shooting racks then you are playing. You are playing by yourself, or with yourself, but you are still playing! LOL Yes playing will help you get better, but not as quick as if you have a game plan for practicing, and not as quick as if you break the game down into several small practicing techniques.

I am sure Scott Lee or Randy G. will chime in on this one and define it for you.
From the American Heritage Dictionary...

To do or perform habitually or customarily; make a habit of: practices courtesy in social situations.
To do or perform (something) repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill: practice a dance step.
To give lessons or repeated instructions to; drill: practiced the students in handwriting.
To work at, especially as a profession: practice law.
To carry out in action; observe: practices a religion piously.
Obsolete To plot (something evil).

I bolded the important part. Also like I said above, when I come across shots that I miss, I shoot them multiple times afterward to improve upon them. That is not "playing".

So, I "play" as "practice".

I am not saying the drills and whatever the instructors recommend are not practice. Of course it is. I am saying that what I do is practice as well.
 
txplshrk said:
That isn't practice! That is playing! If you are shooting racks then you are playing. You are playing by yourself, or with yourself, but you are still playing! LOL Yes playing will help you get better, but not as quick as if you have a game plan for practicing, and not as quick as if you break the game down into several small practicing techniques.

I am sure Scott Lee or Randy G. will chime in on this one and define it for you.
That may be true in the technical sense; however, it is still an avenue in which to improve your game, which I think can be labeled as practice in the general sense.

I am sure there are 1000's of worldbeaters out there that have never done a drill in their life. They just played the game or practiced running racks by themselves.

Some people need the structured practice of running drills while others may not.
 
So when you play an opponent are you practicing or playing?

By your definition then you are just practicing with your opponent, and your brain will associate that with practice! Therefore when you are in a crunch situation and miss that shot it will likely be because your mind hasn't distinguished between practice and play!

Besides did you see their example? Practice a dance step! It didn't say practice a whole dance!
 
txplshrk said:
So when you play an opponent are you practicing or playing?

By your definition then you are just practicing with your opponent, and your brain will associate that with practice! Therefore when you are in a crunch situation and miss that shot it will likely be because your mind hasn't distinguished between practice and play!

Besides did you see their example? Practice a dance step! It didn't say practice a whole dance!

When i am playing an opponent, whether for fun or money or league or tourney I consider it competition, which also helps improve. My brain can distinguish practice and competition.

And you are right about the dance step example. I practice racks, not entire races.

fine, let's say it like this. I have a favorite drill I run over and over. I rack the balls up and try to run them out in order. If I do not have a shot, then I safe myself, I then try to kick out of the safe.

Anytime I miss a shot during this drill I like to do another drill and set that missed shot up multiple times until I make in consistantly.

There you go. I'm running drills. Sounds like real good practice to me.
 
Playing pool is not practice. Disciplined, highly-focused practice must have achieveable goals and measurable results. At best, our attention spans are not built for this kind of sustained practice (multiple hours). Thirty to sixty minutes a day, broken down into 5 or 10 minutes segments (with short breaks in between) will provide the most return and solid improvement.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Playing is not practice nor is practice playing.
30 minutes a session would be pushing a pratice session.
"You can't think and hit at the same time"....Yogi Berra.........SPF=randyg

Russ. Our methology is based on how the human brain tries to function normaly.

If you are PLAYING, then you are not in the proper midset to learn.
If you are PRACTICING, then you are not in a PLAYING midset.

I never mix Practice time and Play time together, virtualy impossible. In school we teach the difference between:

TRAINING
PRACTICE
PLAY

We have a PRACTICE drill for running balls (Piling Rocks). It is very important.

In real time we have Seven MOTHER DRILLS that are directed towards the 10 parts of your pool game. Do a Training MOTHER DRILL each day (10 minutes) and then switch gears into Practice.

If you Train and PRACTICE properly they will follow you into game time....SPF=randyg

Allen...The difference between training and practicing is verbalization. You must first train your brain and body to perform specific functions. This is done by TALKING yourself through the process (this takes about a week). Then you practice what you have trained yourself to do. In practice we think the the same thoughts, in the same order...we just don't verbalize them out loud. You practice what you have trained yourself to do for about two weeks. Then you cross over into playing, where you don't talk; you don't think; but the actions are ingrained.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

What else can I say!!!!SPF=randyg


Those come from Scott Lee and Randy G. They are BCA Master instructors. Take it for what it is worth.

Otherwise keep doing what you are doing.

"They don't know, what they don't know!" Oz
 
Matt_24 said:
Unless you compete under pressure you will NEVER get better.


I think this is only partialy true. Most people must do drills before they can make that shot....especially under competition. When I was 15 and learning to play, I didn't have anywhere to go for competition, but when I did start competing I was able to beat everyone in my high school and anyone my age.....too bad that didn't last!:D

I practice
-breaking 10 racks per day.
-long table straight draw shots 10 per day.
-four and six ball runs 20 per day.
 
I think if you're setting up your missed shots, that makes a big difference in making it a practice session as opposed to just continuing to try to run racks.
 
I have an idea...you live in sw indiana...head on up here to Louisville and head down to Oliver's Billiards...you can get action with me and the rest of the town im sure. Bring plenty of cash. I will only play one pocket and I am just a banger at best, but I can put you on some 9 ball, 8 ball, or banks as well. Don't forget to bring plenty of cash. I promise you will learn something about the game. :D

Practicing in your garage will do nothing until you compete. Put yourself in action or at least in a game with someone else. Spider said it best...COMPETE.
 
Icon of Sin said:
When i am playing an opponent, whether for fun or money or league or tourney I consider it competition, which also helps improve. My brain can distinguish practice and competition.

And you are right about the dance step example. I practice racks, not entire races.

fine, let's say it like this. I have a favorite drill I run over and over. I rack the balls up and try to run them out in order. If I do not have a shot, then I safe myself, I then try to kick out of the safe.

Anytime I miss a shot during this drill I like to do another drill and set that missed shot up multiple times until I make in consistantly.

There you go. I'm running drills. Sounds like real good practice to me.
Gotta go with Icon here...if he is repetitiously practicing his break-shot and running out of a rack of nine-ball...it "is" practicing. It may not be drills, it may not specific patterns, and it may not even be optimum practice, but definitely falls under the category of practice. Being a certified BCA instructor or whatever doesn't allow you to change the definition of words...lol! And I mean no offense to any instructors out there...I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and your knowledge. :-)
 
I agree that it is still practice. I believe that what the BCA instructors, et al want to inspire is that playing is not the most advantageous form of practicing by a long shot. It's the same thing as golf. You may play every day of the week, but you'll never be able to hit from the sand very well unless you spend a day in a bunker.
 
thanks for all the input posters.

however, what i would really like to see is if anyone has a set practice schedule that they follow and what that might be like? for example:

Mother Drills - 20 minutes
Straight In Shots (follow, stun, draw) - 30 minutes
Speed Control Shots - 30 minutes
Kicking Practice - 10 minutes
Banking Practice - 10 minutes
Kinister Shots - 60 minutes
Routine Shots - 60 minutes
Slight Cut Shots - 30 minutes
Inside English Shots - 15 minutes
etc, etc.

anybody have a practice routine they might consider sharing?

DCP
 
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