Shootin alone-how do I get excited?

8

8onthebreak

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I will be playin alone a couple hours at a bar in town every Monday over lunch, since the pool halls around here don't open til 4.
Everyone I normally play with has to work during the week.

Any ideas on how I can stay focused and get excited about something...I'm gonna get bored fast...especially plugging a dollar a game...into a shelti, or whatever that knock off valley is.

Open to suggestions. Drills, games, maybe a good time to learn a new game...

???
 
Take your clothes off.
I can guarantee that if you practice in the nude the excitement level around that place will rise. What I can't guarantee, however, is how long you'll be able to practice around that place. :smile:
 
I bet you will get an occasional "challege" from other bar patrons. Maybe enough to keep you from getting bored. Hell, play 'em for a beer if they ever approach you. If they don't want to, just play 'em for fun. You can make new friends/acquaintances this way. Sooner or later someone's bound to come over to you wanting to shoot a game or two. If it's too slow in there for even that, then ask the bartender if he/she wants to shoot a game or two. Might get a free/discounted drink or two from that. Sometimes them bartenders are pretty sporty players too :wink:!!!

Maniac
 
I assume it's something like a buck a rack? That kind of limits your practice options. You don't want the kind of drill where the ball is likely to go in every shot, or you'll only get 15 shots before you're plugging in more money.

That limits you to difficult drills, maybe banks or kicks? I think kick practice (to make the ball when it's, say, a foot from the hole or something) is the kind of thing that will be useful, and you can get your dollar's worth.

I dunno if you could do that for months on end though.

Long straight-ins, with the cb hanging over the corner and shooting a ball in the center of the table into the opposite corner... that's a great stroke trainer. You can track on your phone your make percentage on this shot and see if you improve over time or just stay the same.
 
For me, even though I primarily compete on a Bar Box, it's very hard to get motivated on one unless I'm playing someone and it counts. On the other hand, I am one of those people who can paractice alone happily for several hours on a 4 1/2 X 9. On the full sized table I don't have to make all the shots, let alone get position, so I just imagine how SVB or Dennis Orcollo play the shots and try to do the same. Very humbling lol !

One thing that has motivated me temporarily is to watch videos on youtube of the US Bar Table Championship. That sorta leaves me feeling like I should run out more often like the Pros. They usually play more sophisticated safeties also, even beyond what they do in my Masters league, so I come away with demanding more of myself in several ways...Tom
 
If my other idea won't pan out, use your dollar-per-rack to practice the seriously hard shots that seem to plague you during tournament/league play. You know, the ones that always come up at a very important point in your match where you really NEED to make it or.........

They're usually makeable shots albeit low percentage ones. These are some of the first shots I practice at home or when I get to the poolhall.

They will certainly stretch your dollar out a bit longer.

Maniac
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Take your clothes off.
I can guarantee that if you practice in the nude the excitement level around that place will rise. What I can't guarantee, however, is how long you'll be able to practice around that place. :smile:
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Lol, lets see who the bartender is first, since the place will be empty otherwise...it's off-season here, nothing but tumble-weeds blowing thru town...my favorite time of year...no tourists!!!!!!!!

Good suggestions tho, I thought about even learning to play a new game, like 14.1 or something, never played that, but sounds like a money eater at a buck a rack.

Feel like I'm wasting a good three hour window that I have available to me to really get some great practice and competition. Oh well. Sucks. Keep ideas coming...so far, streaking around the bar has it, lol
 
:frown:

Sounds like you don't like pool???

Okay...first stuff the pocket with T-shirts so you don't lose any balls. This is what me and my friends used to do when we were 15 years old playing in a bar.:smile:

To prevent yourself from getting bored, break normally and try and make the eight, then shoot every shot 100MPH with the opposite English that you'd usually use to make a ball. Play a regular 8 ball game. Don't shoot any position, just shoot low balls if you have low balls and shoot hard with opposite English. Of course when you miss, you need to pretend you are the other guy.:smile:

If you do this, it will teach you how the cueball reacts when shooting hard, it will teach your muscles in your arm to stroke through the balls, and best of all it might get you a pool game for a few bucks.

You can do this a few games, then your next game try banking every ball.

Then the next game after that, try and get position to shoot all balls into one pocket. Play yourself in eight ball but just try it and you'll get better and it will be a challenge.:smile:
 
Give 14.1 a try, you'd be surprised. Remember, 14.1 is a point game meaning the more you make, the more points you get. This is why running as many as you can during your inning comes into play.

Anyway, just start with the standard break opening and see how many you run before you miss. It's harder to go from rack to rack then you think.

Plus, 14.1 allows you more opportunities to practice caroms and combos.
 
8onthebreak said:
Lol, lets see who the bartender is first, since the place will be empty otherwise...it's off-season here, nothing but tumble-weeds blowing thru town...my favorite time of year...no tourists!!!!!!!!

Good suggestions tho, I thought about even learning to play a new game, like 14.1 or something, never played that, but sounds like a money eater at a buck a rack.

Feel like I'm wasting a good three hour window that I have available to me to really get some great practice and competition. Oh well. Sucks. Keep ideas coming...so far, streaking around the bar has it, lol
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I live pretty close, where are you practicing at? I have a table in my home and go out to different tournament a couple times a week. You are welcome to travel around with us
 
duckie said:
Give 14.1 a try, you'd be surprised. Remember, 14.1 is a point game meaning the more you make, the more points you get. This is why running as many as you can during your inning comes into play.

Anyway, just start with the standard break opening and see how many you run before you miss. It's harder to go from rack to rack then you think.

Plus, 14.1 allows you more opportunities to practice caroms and combos.
Click to expand...

+1 on straight pool!
 
8onthebreak said:
I will be playin alone a couple hours at a bar in town every Monday over lunch, since the pool halls around here don't open til 4.
Everyone I normally play with has to work during the week.

Any ideas on how I can stay focused and get excited about something...I'm gonna get bored fast...especially plugging a dollar a game...into a shelti, or whatever that knock off valley is.

Open to suggestions. Drills, games, maybe a good time to learn a new game...

???
Click to expand...

You might try asking the room owner if he/she will open up the table for you at an hourly rate. That makes it a little easier to work on drills.
 
It may sound weird but a lot of the time I prefer to play alone and practice. I can concentrate on my game and ball control. I usually pick 2 things I need work on and stick with it every other rack. I will clear a 15 ball rack as I would normally, then re-rack and practice on my problem areas. Switching it up makes it easier on me. But like I said, I prefer to play alone most of the time, I find I get distracted, or impatient with my opponents, then I loose my stroke. Totally mental...
 
Update after practice

Ok, here's an update-
1. I didn't streak around the bar, although I could have since no-one but the bartender girl was there and she's sweet.
2. I practiced my breaks, averaging 20mph...trying to get to 22-23 with no luck.
3. I started playing straight pool, and made it to 80 balls before scratching in side pocket...ran the next 2 racks out and packed it up...

I did not however, always make a ball on the break, and did not leave any balls on table...I just ran all out, and broke normally, and kept shooting and adding up balls till I missed...is this how ur supposed to do that...???
Never played straight pool before...

I'm gonna try to find a break rak :-)
Would be perfect for this practice time, and won't cost quarters to use.

Oh yeah, I burned thru $13 in quarters in 2 hours, lol...not terrible, $6.50 an hr.
 
peteypooldude said:
I live pretty close, where are you practicing at? I have a table in my home and go out to different tournament a couple times a week. You are welcome to travel around with us
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Peteypooldude, yeah, I shoot league on Thursdays outa hotos, can't do evenings cuz family, just have 11-2 on Mondays to practice, this next week, kids are out of school, so no go, if u wanna shoot some the following Monday, in that timeframe would be awesome.

Double D-cuz I like to play...just not alone. I like to compete. I get bored playing by myself. The straight pool caught my attention tho, cuz I was competing against having to start the count over.
CDryden-bartender don't have keys to it, tried that one
Measureman, cuz I'm afraid it won't wear off, lol, plus, never needed it.
 
8onthebreak said:
Peteypooldude, yeah, I shoot league on Thursdays outa hotos, can't do evenings cuz family, just have 11-2 on Mondays to practice, this next week, kids are out of school, so no go, if u wanna shoot some the following Monday, in that timeframe would be awesome.

Double D-cuz I like to play...just not alone. I like to compete. I get bored playing by myself. The straight pool caught my attention tho, cuz I was competing against having to start the count over.
CDryden-bartender don't have keys to it, tried that one
Measureman, cuz I'm afraid it won't wear off, lol, plus, never needed it.
Click to expand...

Showoff. Father time will catch up with you.
 
My suggestion is 10.5 Straight Rotation.

I've been playing it as a practice game for the last few months or so and I'm pretty surprised at how focused I'm able to stay while playing. I posted the rules I've been playing by in this thread: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=303672.

Even if you don't play it every rack, you may find it a nice change from 14.1.
 
@scott that game you mentioned is like Fargo but with Fargo you break take BIH and shoot till you miss. Each ball is a point but you can switch to rotation at two points per ball but once you switch to rotation you can't change back until the rack is over.

I been playing Fargo two hours every other day for about 6 weeks I still have not gotten board with it, it's a really good dril to sharpen your skills.
 
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