Shoot a Million Balls? Give me a break.

[gregcantrall]

you couldn't just go out and buy another.

Cole had Joss East make cues for him. They had his specks on file. It was interesting when I saw Cole 6 months after buying my cue from him. His comment was, "I wouldn't be able to shoot with that cue now." So cues made to the same specks all have a personality.

 

[336Robin]

At best, it takes 30 seconds to make one shot. So a million balls takes 30 sec. times 1 million balls equals 500,000 minutes.
500,000 minutes divided by 60 minutes per hour equals 8333 hours.
Let's say you practice for 2 hours per day, every single day.
8333 hours divided by 2 hours per day equals 4167 days.
4167 days divided by 365 days per year equals 11.42 years.
2 hours per day may not seem like much but for every single day for 11 years? That's a grind.
Jim Rempe was born in 1947, started playing at age 6. He turned pro at age 22. He won his first major tournament in 1971. The rest is history.
How about you? A million balls? Maybe at best, 30-40 years? Start playing at age 15? Hey. You hit a million, maybe by 50.
I was told that no one gets as good as Cole, as quickly as Cole without a mentor. And I bet Sax never told Cole to hit a million balls.
And I was told that no one in the Bay Area (San Francisco circa 1966) could beat Cole when he was 16.
Any instructor that says, "Hey bud. Hit a million balls. Stick with me."
Run, don't walk?
You could become a champion in just a few years if you can think like a world class genius.
Or if someone who already knows takes you under his wing.
Good luck.

I would suggest starting out with One Pocket and each time you mess something up, practice that one thing until you can't fail
and the ascent to better playing would be faster and the other games be a lot easier.

One Pocket is the answer!

 

[ShootingArts]

Tommy Kennedy is another good example. He not only shoots for center of pocket but minimizes everything that can be minimized to eliminate error prone degrees of freedom.

It is laughable how some "knowledgeable" pool experts trash talk Hopkins and Kennedy because of their style of play when these two champions are 2-time U.S. Open 9-Ball winners among several other titles.

Even the great Cole Dickson banked long thin cut shots off the rail on their way to the pocket because that was necessary if you wanted to make the ball. But his position was so tight unless there was good reason, he shot center pocket.

Funny how you keep arguing when you agree with me. I shoot center pocket unless there is good reason not to. Of course most of the time there is good reason not to. The object ball is two inches from the pocket. The choice is to shoot center pocket and use a lot of spin to get the cue ball where you want it or cut the object ball and let the cue ball have natural roll and angles to go where you want it. Only a dummy would shoot center pocket. Everyone else would take the easier shot. That is an extreme example but many shots work on the same principle, not shooting for center of the pocket is the easier shot.

Pocketing a ball is almost always easier than getting shape on the next ball so focus most of your effort on perfect position. Whatever lane the object ball needs to be on going into the pocket is fine as long as the cue ball goes where it needs to.

Hu