practicing with a pro when you are far from being one....

[okinawa77]

A matter of perspective.....

There have been some tid bits of knowledge gained by playing lower skill level players. Sometimes a player will make shots in unintentional ways (luck shots), and sometimes we can learn from it.

 

[okinawa77]

Pros..and all opponents are not permitted to climb up on the table when you are shooting so you can NEVER compete against an opponent...only against the balls on the table.

I know it's hard not to be intimidated and to isolate during a match against any player...and especailly a better one who will probably punish you when you miss.

But your GOAL is to forget about everything else in the world and especially your opponent when you are at the table.

Being able to isolate is a trait universal to all great champions. A few weeks ago I watched a TV match between Efren and Mika where they had to call the 9 Ball. BOTH players failed to call the 9 in spite of the fact that fans were YELLING at them to do so when they were bent over their shots.

They simply paid NO attention. It was AMAZING that it would happen to both players in the same match....but it did.

I'm serious as a heart attack when I suggest you get a friend to harrass the hell out of you when you are over some fairly easy shots...say 2 diamonds between CB and OB and OB to pocket with a 10 deg. cut angle.

Have them walk around the table when you're shooting...stand RIGHT behind you and clap their hands...anything crazy to distract you.

My pal bobby pickle used to wave his hand up and down 6 inches in front of my eyes during my warm-up strokes! If you can overcome that kind of distraction, you will eventually care a LOT less about whose butt's in the chair and a LOT more about committing to the shot.

Regards,
Jim

Yeah, I like to give my friends....what I call..."spirit fingers" as they are shooting a shot. I do it right by the pocket, and they usually don't even notice it. That's good concentration.....or they have really bad eye sight??:grin:

 

[Dead Money]

I'm serious as a heart attack when I suggest you get a friend to harrass the hell out of you when you are over some fairly easy shots...say 2 diamonds between CB and OB and OB to pocket with a 10 deg. cut angle.

Have them walk around the table when you're shooting...stand RIGHT behind you and clap their hands...anything crazy to distract you.

I play cheap sets every few days with a guy who does all these things and more constantly. That and he talks constantly about everything and never ever stops. He's a nice older guy who everyone at the pool hall loves too. At times there is literally someone over there where we are playing in the way interupting the games every few balls which at times is maddening but good training. LOL some days it feels like I am playing the whole ****ing pool room

 

[tigerseye]

as the title says, as an individual what does it do to you? Does it enhance your game or make it worse?

I find it a really nice learning experience but after a couple of times I realized that I never get the chance to really warm up during matches against my buddy (Danny Hewitt). Do you think on a long term scale it could worsen my game?

I plan to play in a tournament two classes above mine in 2 weeks, should I practice with players a little bit below my level or equal before the tournament for confidence or just fill my head with knowledge by playing Danny?

Great idea as long as the pro tells you about the shot at hand and what it requires to get position on the next. It's best to know what's going to happen than to assume...
Good Luck