Setting A High Run Goal

bluepepper said:
Who is SJM? BTW, you and I would both be motivated to lose weight if we had to run our weight. I'm at 230.
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I would love to run my weight. I will focus on that after I run my age.

sjm used to post here alot less lately. I do not think he is a famous player but he knows and has played with lots of the big name players. He WillieBetmores buddy from NYC. I met him for a few hours and just learned alot.

I played some last night and it was working the dynamic studied approach, perhaps you could call it power straight pool (his approach NOT my game last night). My execution was good but my shot selection was much better. I ran a 27 which is pretty good for me, I am home alone tonight so I hope to get in 3 or 4 good hours. We will see what happens.
 
elvicash said:
I would love to run my weight. I will focus on that after I run my age. .
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elvicash,
Your goals seem completely unrealistic for me....I can't run my freaking age, I can't run my freaking weight. I WILL run my hat size very soon.....I hope.
 
Well, you two have me very intrigued. I'd like very much to know what sjm is teaching you. Or at least a sampler. Is he planning to write it out and sell the method? If you guys are saying it's a new and profound way of looking at the table, I would certainly pay something for it.
 
I doubt its new however it is strong. I could not say it is significantly different that what you would probably hear if you were to listen to two champions talking while watching two others play a match. When they talk about see he did that so he can do this etc....

Analysis, selection based on focusing an fixing any and all problems improving balls that not good or helpful. Creating break balls, creating key balls even if you already have break balls and or key balls. Opening the table to have more and more options rather than less options as the number of balls decrease.

Creating lanes, choosing shots based on the energy a given shot leaves in the Q ball or using a shot to take the energy out of the ball.

This two paragraph dialogue mentions nothing that has not been espoused on this board by any of the better teaching posters Blackjack comes to mind. What sjm promotes in his approach is do not be lazy, take all you can get out the shots as they present themselves. Make the most of looking at the table and planning. Look it over again afer your shot is complete to start planning the next play.

Nothing I mentioned is revolutionary but the way he explains it and he does have more details than I am giving makes it become more obvious. I only wish I could play with him occasionally so I could absorb more knowledge.

I do not think he is looking to sell anything but he likes to see the game played well and he gave me some much appreciated input and opened my eyes to a more focused apprach.

I played tonight ran a 29 (missed rack on break shot) and a 27 last night. I know my shots are getting easier because I am spending more energy on my patterns. I also execute much better than a did a year ago.
 
Thanks elvicash. You cleared up a lot for me. I was under the impression that it was a new way of looking at the geometric shapes formed by the balls or even something mathematical.

I'm learning a ton here on this forum, and I'm always looking for that little something special that'll add another rack to my runs. It's amazing to me how the tiny bits of knowledge that I've accumulated here on the forum or discovered from practicing with the cuetable have bumped up my runs. I'm always on the lookout now.

I'd love for sjm to post some of his wisdom here. If not, I'd like to meet him and pick his brain.
 
I want to add one more thing to the SJM approach. I mentioned earlier that most of his items had been mentioned before however when Bruce Lee came out with his Jeet Kun Do it made use of much prior art from a myriad of other forms. Bruce brought it together and presented it in a strong understandable form and taught it to students. One key thought he had was "To Be Like Water", water is a very strong flowing material. It goes where it is easy and natural.

SJM's approach is similiar in that he takes in multiple known concepts and ties them together. He just explains it really well and in such a manner that it made me feel that I could bring those elements into my game. I could do a little more work and reap those benefits. If you ever get a chance to meet and learn from him I think you would see what I am talking about.

FYI - There is NOT a secret to pool 9B or 14.1. The more you work the more oppurtunities you find as you play. I am only now seeing what options there are available and I still miss noticing many but I am starting to work the game a little more.

I did not get to really play any tonight, I just hit a few balls.
 
I like that. It actually makes a lot of sense to me. I'm a pretty spiritual dude. It sounds corny but I see straight pool as a meditation. I can go to the pool room and play alone for 7 hours without much thought going through my head. But I want to get to the point where it becomes an art, or a flow of water as you suggest. I actually got to that point with golf. I studied it for many years and now I can go to the range and just hit ball after ball almost without effort and with satisfying results. It was a frustrating sport for a long time, but once it all clicked, it just felt like it flowed.
Straight pool and tennis have now taken golf's place as the sports to master that flow. They're also much cheaper to play.
 
elvicash said:
I want to add one more thing to the SJM approach. I mentioned earlier that most of his items had been mentioned before however when Bruce Lee came out with his Jeet Kun Do it made use of much prior art from a myriad of other forms. Bruce brought it together and presented it in a strong understandable form and taught it to students. One key thought he had was "To Be Like Water", water is a very strong flowing material. It goes where it is easy and natural.

SJM's approach is similiar in that he takes in multiple known concepts and ties them together. He just explains it really well and in such a manner that it made me feel that I could bring those elements into my game. I could do a little more work and reap those benefits. If you ever get a chance to meet and learn from him I think you would see what I am talking about.
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Thanks for the kind words. If you make it to NYC, we'll get together.
 
hi

i wish all us people who like 14.1 lived in same town .nothing inspires me more than to play with or in front of alot of knowledgeable players.i used to live in long island and i would come in and within a few innings run 100 or even over 200 somedays much to the delight of the players.i played that good because i knew they knew what they were watching is very hard to do and they appreciated what they were seeing.anyway i would love to live in ne someday because where i live when i run 200 the locals say that is easy you ought to try nascar or bass fishing .lol
 
john schmidt said:
... because where i live when i run 200 the locals say that is easy you ought to try nascar or bass fishing .lol
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John,

I ran 122 the other day and after I'm finished, this guy comes up and tells me, "There's nothing to that game. Just spread them out and shoot whatever ball you want into whatever pocket. There's nothing hard about that. A monkey could do it. That is why all the real players are playing one pocket."

:shrug:

I asked him if he wanted to play to a hundred for whatever...

He declined because he didn't want to waste his time "bangin' the balls".

:speechless:

Gotta love Florida.

:scratchhead:
 
14.1

Blackjack said:
John,

I ran 122 the other day and after I'm finished, this guy comes up and tells me, "There's nothing to that game. Just spread them out and shoot whatever ball you want into whatever pocket. There's nothing hard about that. A monkey could do it. That is why all the real players are playing one pocket."

:
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Black jack,
I bet that guy will soon try to run a few racks at straight pool, only to discover it may be more difficult than you made it look.

Best Regards,
Hal
 
bluepepper said:
So you're out of your sub-100 slump, huh? Nice.
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I must have been doing something right. I ran a 112 immediately afterwards, and I hit 86 and 92 earlier in the afternoon. Not sure if the slump is over, I haven't been over 70 since.
 
Blackjack said:
I ran 122 the other day and after I'm finished, this guy comes up and tells me, "There's nothing to that game. Just spread them out and shoot whatever ball you want into whatever pocket. There's nothing hard about that. A monkey could do it. That is why all the real players are playing one pocket."

:shrug:

I asked him if he wanted to play to a hundred for whatever...

He declined because he didn't want to waste his time "bangin' the balls".

:speechless:

Gotta love Florida.

:scratchhead:
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LOL
I'm sure you could destroy him at one pocket too. If he was really that good at his game, he wouldn't say those stupid things.
I'm no expert, but whenever I hear a player say that straight pool is easy with lots of options, then I know that the guy cannot play any pool game well.
 
Been working alot. Not much pool July shutdown is a busytime for me as the factories are closed and I get alot of work at that time.

I have been working on alignment and stroke. My pocketingt is getting pretty clear.

I have tried to find more dynamic plays when I play but that will be a work in progress for a while.

Stay with me I will run 42 balls
 
I am on vacation in San Francisco with my family. I PM'd Bob Jewett to see if he would have time to play. We met at Shorelines Billiardand he suggested a game to 300. We played on a 9' Medallist Blue Cloth clean TV Super Pro balls.

He wins the lag, I break and it is ~ 50-6 before I really feel a stroke at all. When he gets to 150 I am sitting on 95. Then I hit a wall and dog it for a bit. He winds up beating me 300-161.

I asked him what I need to work on he mentioned patterns and shooting softer.

My feeling on the game was ball pocketing was adequate but I did loose my focus a couple of times. I need to SEE better patterns.

Bob, thanks for the game. I might ask for a rematch at the DCC.
 
I wish I was in Jersey watching the 14.1 right now. Since I am home I am going to go down and hit some balls tonight. I have not been having any real hi runs to speak of but my ball pocketing is going better.

I think the Scott Lee / Stan Shuffett training is starting to take effect. I need to do more of their drills but I find myself playing alot.

I played a couple of sessions with a local 14.1 player. He crushed me on the first day. I win 2 of 3 on day 2. I found I collapsed near the end on both games I won, I had a lead, get near to the end of the game and fell right out of stroke, I still got the win on those games. The first game that day I just got crushed. I will be playing some more soon and will start posting the results.

The fundamental I am working on right now is my normal speed stroke. I am trying to get a single solid stroke about a 3 speed (Scott Lee) which I will hit most of my shots with in straight pool. Up till now in my on and off pool career I have used a custom stroke for every shot, I have used max bottom and max high alot and then adjusted the stroke stroke to get my desired effect. Now I am going to use the same stroke as much as possible, to differentiate my stroke I will focus on setting the tip up down left right as needed (less is more) to accomplish 50% or more of my pool shots.

I am also still working on alignment and pocket speed for soft shots.

I need to work on taking off the balls a little easier. Some players make that look sooooo easy and I love testing my shot selection as I watch the videos, I still find I do not pick the shots they pick often enough yet.

I watched Blackjacks commentary on Niels 130 today and justed wanted to thanks Neils for a great run and Blackjack for taking the time to add his insight to it.

FYI - I posted a run by Marop on You Tube he got a 66 on video
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk6_f8vMblY
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B689VjynUUQ

Keep stroking.....
 
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Elvicash, Bill told me you had put his run up on you tube. It's a nice smooth run. He told me he played well today against Oliver Ortmann. Had him down for a bit before Ortmann came back to win at about 100-55.

He plays Hopkins tomorrow along with the loveliest straight pool player I ever beheld, Yu Ram Cha. Wow!
 
Marop is good people. I have not posted forever and a day. I have been in a slump and not felt like playing but that is changing so hopefully I will be putting together some runs hopefully on video.

We will see.
 
elvicash said:
Marop is good people. I have not posted forever and a day. I have been in a slump and not felt like playing but that is changing so hopefully I will be putting together some runs hopefully on video.

We will see.
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Marop has been running 50s every other day. He sent me two of them last week. Nice and smooth and simple.

Go get 'em Dana.
 
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