Shoot a Million Balls? Give me a break.

[lfigueroa]

Give me a break. You mean to tell me that you believe hitting a million balls "with focus" means that this is enough to remedy, expunge all your flaws? If this is true, then most everyone who is not a champion or at least a pro who has hit a million balls must have an extremely vanishingly miniscule focus, or this adage is, like I say, BS. How many balls does one need to hit to adequately align the cue stick on the shot line, for instance? We're not talking rocket science here. It is because wanna be's can see but still can't recognize the nature of their particular flaws. Parallax, in this case, no one is telling them exactly how to spot and eliminate it as I did. If you are not observant enough to pick apart what you are seeing or have someone give you this knowledge you can't correct your problem. Practice makes perfect? Only if you know how to practice correcting your flaw. If you don't know the nature of your flaw no amount of "practice" will correct it. Not even hitting 1 million balls with focus. Using the technique I described earlier to eliminate parallax should remedy the problem almost over night if you remember to use it. (what is ROT?) Tell us, how many balls must be hit to eliminate parallax?

Who said 10,00 balls guarantees to expunge all flaws or grant you championship status?

For most guys 10,000 balls gets you to the highly proficient level and perhaps, for some savants, it does get you to an elite level. Regardless, the "focused" part is the part during which a player does analyze and adjust to improve play. It's the time you discover how things work on the table and the results generated by your approach to it. For most guys that are focused and attempting to improve the table and balls provide instant feedback on how that's coming along and they adjust accordingly.

As to parallax and dominant eye position there are endless resources that describe how to play around with that and I suppose there's also Geno. Bob and Dr. Dave have also put out video on ideal eye alignment and head height.

All you're doing with your inaccurate assumptions about 10,000 balls is setting up a straw man you can easily blow down.

Lou Figueroa
ROT = Rule of Thumb

 

[Frosty]

Then again, if you don’t want to put in the work, you can try the shortcut so many others try. Pull out your wallet and buy yourself 1 of every carbon fiber LD playing shaft, a $900 break cue, a $750 jump cue, an assortment of tips of varying hardness levels, a couple cubes of $30 chalk and one of those cheesy plastic polyester shirts like all the pros use and wear, and see if that works for you any better than it has for all those at the local APA league nights that haven’t quite figured out that you can’t purchase a pool game.

 

[jay helfert]

Then again, if you don’t want to put in the work, you can try the shortcut so many others try. Pull out your wallet and buy yourself 1 of every carbon fiber LD playing shaft, a $900 break cue, a $750 jump cue, an assortment of tips of varying hardness levels, a couple cubes of $30 chalk and one of those cheesy plastic polyester shirts like all the pros use and wear, and see if that works for you any better than it has for all those at the local APA league nights that haven’t quite figured out that you can’t purchase a pool game.

You can't buy a stroke!

 

[Frosty]

You can't buy a stroke!

Exactly

 

[jjohnson]

Who said 10,00 balls guarantees to expunge all flaws or grant you championship status?

For most guys 10,000 balls gets you to the highly proficient level and perhaps, for some savants, it does get you to an elite level. Regardless, the "focused" part is the part during which a player does analyze and adjust to improve play. It's the time you discover how things work on the table and the results generated by your approach to it. For most guys that are focused and attempting to improve the table and balls provide instant feedback on how that's coming along and they adjust accordingly.

As to parallax and dominant eye position there are endless resources that describe how to play around with that and I suppose there's also Geno. Bob and Dr. Dave have also put out video on ideal eye alignment and head height.

All you're doing with your inaccurate assumptions about 10,000 balls is setting up a straw man you can easily blow down.

Lou Figueroa
ROT = Rule of Thumb

I said 1 million balls was BS. You say 10,000 is enough for most guys to get pretty good. And the next 10,000? And the next? That's not too many balls. Easily made in 6 months. That would make this game pretty easy. I'll admit, at Hard Times, Bellflower, the tournaments were full of pretty good players. But I remember most of them were struggling. At their level, the competition became very demanding. I guess if they just made an effort to hit 10,000 more balls with focus they could get to the next level. Piece of cake. I don't need to create any straw men. Just look around. Where are all these short stops, pros and champions? I know. Just go to any pool hall. I'll be sure to find them. Of course. Where else would they be. I leave it up to each individual to face their own assessment. Each knows how many balls they've hit over what time frame. How many would say that they just need another 10,000 to get to the next level? Then have at it for the love of the game. I'm saying you better know what you're doing or another 10,000 probably won't do anyone any good in that situation.

 

[garczar]

Who said 10,00 balls guarantees to expunge all flaws or grant you championship status?

For most guys 10,000 balls gets you to the highly proficient level and perhaps, for some savants, it does get you to an elite level. Regardless, the "focused" part is the part during which a player does analyze and adjust to improve play. It's the time you discover how things work on the table and the results generated by your approach to it. For most guys that are focused and attempting to improve the table and balls provide instant feedback on how that's coming along and they adjust accordingly.

As to parallax and dominant eye position there are endless resources that describe how to play around with that and I suppose there's also Geno. Bob and Dr. Dave have also put out video on ideal eye alignment and head height.

All you're doing with your inaccurate assumptions about 10,000 balls is setting up a straw man you can easily blow down.

Lou Figueroa
ROT = Rule of Thumb

Agree. The op is kinda clueless on this and is now dug himself in a basically indefensible spot. I stuck him on Ignore. Not worth the effort.

 

[jjohnson]

30 seconds..? A prime Earl used to take 3...

Calvin told me he watched Buddy Hall run 11 racks right there on table 10 at Hard Times, Bellflower. If you look at his play on the many YouTube videos, he doesn't shoot much faster than once in 30 seconds. And he's one of the greatest ever. But I commend you for making Earl your bench mark we should all strive to attain. Who is faster? Earl or McCready?

 

[jjohnson]

You'll produce a great player from scratch in two months..?Sorry, but thats horseshit as most likely all the greats were not great after a two month span.

And the last guy I'd have a beginner watch is Hopkins whose execution was subpar to all other top players as his jerky stroke was weak and there were certain shots, like long draw ones, he simply could not perform.

He didn't win tournaments because of his style but in spite of it...

I use Allen Hopkins as an example of mitigating or eliminating as many degrees of freedom in your technique to minimize or eliminate errors.

 

[jjohnson]

Yeah when I tell people about having a good banking system and they say Efren doesn’t need a banking system! Lol Efren is the banking system.. He has a gift from god.. I don’t so I have a system

dude your not shooting the same shot over and over lol yeah shooting a million of the same shot would be tough and counting them would be tough but your shooting all different shots in all different situations. Sounds like you’re looking for an easy way to get good in a game you don’t love like you think you do. There is no easy way but to work on fundamentals and consistency and the only way to do that is to his a shit ton of balls. You sound like one of these apa players I talk to who play leagues 3 times a week then can’t figure out why they can’t move past a mid level handicap. You have to put the time and effort in.. period. I’m done with this thread.. at this point your just wasting my time with nonsense lol

If you say so. You know what is best.

 

[jjohnson]

Agree. The op is kinda clueless on this and is now dug himself in a basically indefensible spot. I stuck him on Ignore. Not worth the effort.

You agree that I started this 10,000 idea, "Who said 10,00 balls guarantees to expunge all flaws or grant you championship status?" or anything nearly so? This poster that you are replying to obviously made a typo. But the comma indicates he meant 10,000. But my reply about 10,000 was to this poster that said it only takes most players hitting 10,000 balls to get pretty good. Anyway, anyone following this thread knows you are not truthful or intentionally misleading. If you find what you are claiming satisfying, then you do.

 

[Mensabum]

You might be able to go something like 20-10 so you are working forty minutes an hour. First break or two you may feel like you don't need it or a couple minutes are plenty but when it comes to serious practice 20 minutes at a time is a long time. Never more than one or two segments on the same thing either. Change what you are focusing on or just change how you are focusing on it.

By the time you are a couple hours into real practice you will be ready for the ten minute break when it comes. Practice how to take genuine breaks too. Be sure to drink plenty of water. Pool works mind and body and can burn surprising amounts of energy.

Hu

When I practice, I sweat like a pig!! I always keep napkins or paper towels handy. A good breathing routine helps endurance as well.

 

[Mensabum]

Earl said when he started he played 16 hours a day, went to sleep for 8, 16 hours again...probaly ate while playing...

I heard somewhere that Mayo makes the cue shine!!

 

[Mensabum]

If you are not consistently delivering the cue stick precisely on every shot, in other words, if you still have flaws, statistically, you may still make shots. So, if you are not fooling yourself, even though you may have made the shot, technically, you missed the shot. But I guess it all comes down to standards. Making the ball in the pocket is not the only metric or criteria that defines success. I think I heard Cole disgustingly say something about how a particular player never hits the center of the pocket. Standards. If your standards are higher than the other player, and you achieve this higher standard, you know you can beat him, you know you can win.

Don't wish to argue here, but I've known a few players the purists would call bums for using the whole pocket and cheating them regularly in order to leave with the cash. Thot never occurred to them not to.
My standards must have fallen when I wasn't playing 14:1 regularly and hit the road, If I had any to begin with??
The standard I held myself to was to win. Period. Use the whole green, pitch, court, field, board, any and all of it.

 

[hello]

Calvin told me he watched Buddy Hall run 11 racks right there on table 10 at Hard Times, Bellflower. If you look at his play on the many YouTube videos, he doesn't shoot much faster than once in 30 seconds. And he's one of the greatest ever. But I commend you for making Earl your bench mark we should all strive to attain. Who is faster? Earl or McCready?

I think no one had a faster or as fast a gear paired with the precision that Earl had...regarding Buddy, sure he was more of a deliberate player but the OP said 30 seconds ''at best'' in general which just is not true.

 

[hello]

I use Allen Hopkins as an example of mitigating or eliminating as many degrees of freedom in your technique to minimize or eliminate errors.

Ok, to me Hopkins had no technique to speak of, hence I have to say I don't really see your point..?
On the contrary, I would say that flick of the wrist stroke will produce more errors than a long, fluid stroke will...

And if that stroke was beneficial why didn't he win more tournaments..?Buddy, Sigel, Rempe, Varner were much more successful with better technique...

 

[iusedtoberich]

It's the players innate hand-eye coordination, control of the body, etc. A player like Corey Deuel picked up his first stick at age 14 and was pro speed at age 16. Genetics, not years and years and years at the table.