That is fine, you are still considering the path of the cueball and where it will end up. I don't play for an imaginary ball on the final shot, but I still know where the cue ball will come to rest (usually :smile
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Running before you can walk, going "too" advanced in your goals???
- Thread starter JMASTERJ
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That is fine, you are still considering the path of the cueball and where it will end up. I don't play for an imaginary ball on the final shot, but I still know where the cue ball will come to rest (usually :smile
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Your response to my post has been removed. So I will only touch on it. I'd like to think it was you that thought better and removed it, but it may have been a mod. Either way it was exactly the response I thought you would give, although perhaps even more inflammatory.
I will apologize and say that I was being a bit too harsh and direct. This medium allows me to inadvertently forgo some of the social graces I might use when discussing a similar attitude to someone face to face. The outlook you seemed to be exhibiting is not all that uncommon and maybe I was venting at people I actually know.
All that said, you seem to be a bit more receptive to advice so maybe it has a positive effect. You do seem to have a healthy interest in the game, paying attention to position play, and watching matches are all admirable things in a beginner.
As Kevin3824 mentioned, Tor's zero-x videos are an incredible resource. Pool secrets revealed 3 is all about pattern play. He doesn't sugar coat the need for table time and hard work at drills. He has a very good section on stance and stroke. He also suggests you learn position play without left or right, and then later when you revisit left and right you have a better understanding. There is no real way to get around those fundamentals for beginners. Watch the free hour Tor gives, and then consider purchasing his entire collection for $30. It is a fantastic resource.
Also, I recently read this book, and it also seems right up your alley in terms of how you like to play. This isn't a dig, it may be a good resource for how you approach your practice time and goals while you are learning. https://www.amazon.com/Pleasures-Small-Motions-Mastering-Billiards/dp/1585745391
I will apologize and say that I was being a bit too harsh and direct. This medium allows me to inadvertently forgo some of the social graces I might use when discussing a similar attitude to someone face to face. The outlook you seemed to be exhibiting is not all that uncommon and maybe I was venting at people I actually know.
All that said, you seem to be a bit more receptive to advice so maybe it has a positive effect. You do seem to have a healthy interest in the game, paying attention to position play, and watching matches are all admirable things in a beginner.
As Kevin3824 mentioned, Tor's zero-x videos are an incredible resource. Pool secrets revealed 3 is all about pattern play. He doesn't sugar coat the need for table time and hard work at drills. He has a very good section on stance and stroke. He also suggests you learn position play without left or right, and then later when you revisit left and right you have a better understanding. There is no real way to get around those fundamentals for beginners. Watch the free hour Tor gives, and then consider purchasing his entire collection for $30. It is a fantastic resource.
Also, I recently read this book, and it also seems right up your alley in terms of how you like to play. This isn't a dig, it may be a good resource for how you approach your practice time and goals while you are learning. https://www.amazon.com/Pleasures-Small-Motions-Mastering-Billiards/dp/1585745391
I've never played APA so I don't know the ratings. What is the handicap scale and at what number are you considered a run out player? Just curious.
@JMASTERJ: Get a table for yourself and practice. If anybody asks to play just politely thank them for the offer, but you are here to work on your game. It's no big deal. If that doesn't work, then tell them to f-off. That always works.
j/k
I've never played APA so I don't know the ratings. What is the handicap scale and at what number are you considered a run out player? Just curious.
@JMASTERJ: Get a table for yourself and practice. If anybody asks to play just politely thank them for the offer, but you are here to work on your game. It's no big deal. If that doesn't work, then tell them to f-off. That always works.
Skill levels go 1 thru 9 in APA 9 ball. 1 being the worst , 9 being the best.
In my opinion, a brand new 9 is about a high B player in rest of the pool world. I say a brand new 9 because you can have people that have been a 9 for years and would actually be a 12 if the rating went that high.
OK, thanks. I thought maybe 9 was the worst, you being a sh!t player and all. :smile:
Like I said in a previous post being a high number in a pool league doesnt mean shit in the rest of the pool world.
Sure a new 9 can break and run a rack and even string 2 together here and there, but they are also being rated against other players that are rated the same way and the majority of APA leagues are played on a valley barbox. Tables are very forgiving and it isnt hard to break and run a rack of 9 ball on those tables.
Basically, it's your Aim, Spin and Speed (ASS) that makes the ball and gives you shape. So your ASS's on the line to deliver the cue ball that way. Are your fundamentals sound enough to do this? That's where practice and hitting a thousand balls (while paying attention) comes in. A good training tool to help you is the QMD Stroke Analyzer (www.cue-md.com) that'll let you know where you're actually hitting the cue ball. QMD helps answer the question "is it my aim or my stroke'.
A pro can turn a c+ into an A+ in less than 6 months.
1 Million / 180 days = 5,555 shots per day / 24 = 231 shots per hour for 6 months...doable.
Just so we are comparing green apples to red apples....
How many hours are you spending with this pro per month for the next 6 months and what is the hourly rate?
Read about troll:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll&utm_source=search-action
That's you. Stop wasting people's time trying to make yourself feel better, it's just... sad.
Im just happy that you are a new member to the forum that isnt a blow hard. We seemed to have a massive influx of new members that for some reason thought they were doing all of us a favor.
You seem to have a realistic mind set and a good head on your shoulders. If you keep at it you will get better. Just keep in mind that it takes a ton of time to even get remotely decent at this game. Also keep in mind that skill level only number only applies to league. A skill level 8 might seem like an incredible player but when it comes to the real pool world he is mediocre at best.
I was a 9 when I quit league 5 years ago and I know I am still the small fish in my local poolhalls. But when I quit league my game jumped a lot because my time at the poolhalls was better spent (better for me might not be better for you).
However, where you are now though, IMO, league is great for you. You are going to get good competition near your level and higher and you are going to lose money whether you win or lose (league dues) LOL. Just have a good time at league. Take the game serious, but dont take the league serious.
Try to make it to the Expo at the end of March. Get a taste of pool world outside of league on a massive scale. Not sure where you are but it's worth the trip. I'll buy you a beer.
also... see my disclaimer.
You know whhats funny, I get the best advice and support from the really good players and crappy inferiority laden advice from the lowers... I guess that makes sense. But I dont think I am doing anyone a favor. I come here to gain knowledge that I dont have, simple as that. It seems to some it is literally impossible for a 2 to have certain knowledge, not sure what's the cause of all the pre-judgment.
The league for me is great because it forces me to play at least once a week which I have never done in my life since my fraternity days in college for about 4 months. I love competition, I hate losing, but I also like improving so I am always trying to formulate the best routine (in any sports/game) that will allow me to improve while not dedicating my life to it. Thanks for the words, everything makes sense.
What is the expo, a pro tournament? I heard it is way different watching pro pool at the highest level live rather than on TV just like any other sport, is that true?
Well this is the thing. I dont play a lot of clear defenses where that is my only purpose. Thats only if I am stymied or I literally have nothing clean. Since I know I am weak at making shots, lets say I have a long bank shot that can also be made by hitting a sharp cut. To me that has a 10% success rate for my pocketing it. To me, in a competitive game, its a dumb shot to try and lose total control of the cue. So what I do is, I still aim the target at a hole, but my primary objective would be to also leave both balls as far away from each other and leave them near the middle of the opposite banks (which is one of the easiest and safest leaves for me to give the opponent) so that if I hit it perfectly the ball will go in, but most likely it will just leave my opponent with another almost impossible shot. I dont think there is any way someone can mark that as a safety, right? Of course I usually then go for the bank so I can control the cue better. If its a hard cut, I have to make sure its a close or "easy" ball to risk having the cue fly all over the place. So basically, I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I have fun playing like this although some may not understand that, so that is why I continue doing it. If I went to a 3 now, I'm fine with that. I have seen plenty of 3's play now and I don't think I will be killed up there, but ya, the computer says I am still a 2 but that might change tonight after my last 3 matches, we'll see what my captain says. I dunno where I can check that myself.
Apology accepted and I apologize as well... after all this is a billiards forum, not politics or religion.
I just think with my writing style and confidence in certain parts of my game I rub some the wrong way who immediately assume rather than actually get to know me and my game. I always tell it straight, no reason for me to lie about anything, and I am here again to learn info I dont know, which should be clear now from this thread alone there is plenty I have learned here.
I'll be watching those, thanks, I already been on youtube getting it on, so I'll just add that to my list. Kinda excited to play tonight, every new piece of knowledge make me wanna go out there and execute it that night.
I've never played APA so I don't know the ratings. What is the handicap scale and at what number are you considered a run out player? Just curious.
@JMASTERJ: Get a table for yourself and practice. If anybody asks to play just politely thank them for the offer, but you are here to work on your game. It's no big deal. If that doesn't work, then tell them to f-off. That always works.
Yea the 8 we played with said, for your "scale," that he went to play some semi-pro afterwards for a year and didn't make a crack. Not sure what "class" semi-pro is, but I assume its like the minor leagues or the Champions League in tennis or Mini-tours in golf, which house some pretty amazing players as well. A "1" is a beginner who just started to play and so forth. A "1" just has to make 14 balls while I have to make 19 and a 3 has to make 25 etc. to win each match... it goes up by 6-7 balls per level all the way to 8 I think.
LMAO, wow I bet you love giving this advice over and over again, nice catch line. BTW is this better than using a beer bottle? I saw that in a video.
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Maybe it's just agonizing for your team mates to watch you play every week. Win or lose. They may have to go to sleep for work at some point. If you only need 19 points and the 9 counts as 2 but you take 50-70 shots to make 19 points. It can get tiring to watch. Maybe they just want you to be a little more offensive. Sounds like you may be more worried about winning, rather than getting better. Maybe try a few things your teammates try to help you with. I see low ranked player set up BIH straight in all the time. I call time out and give them a better angle for position. They act like just set up a 3 rail Bank. Sure they love you winning. Maybe it's how that gets tough to watch. Video one of your matches and watch it. Maybe that will give you your own answers.
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