Simple Shots

How long do you think it takes a person to learn how to simply pocket pool balls without any ball control.

Kind like shots with a lot of green between them, or simple cut shots.

as others have stated, depends on the person, but with regular play, decent coordination and perhaps coaching, I would guess anywhere from 1 month to 1 year.

(long shots being harder than simple cut shots)
 
Thank you all. A few of you answered the question awesome!!!

I practice 4 to 6 hours a week. I have been doing that for about 6 months. I have a great stance and know how to stoke when I remember to use it. It is not instinct yet.

And after 6 months I am still working on hitting the ball in the center, top spin and draw. I think doing that is a learned behavior and comes along with doing basic shots.

I think I have a 60% accuracy on shots with a lot of green and shots that are basic cut shots.

I am just starting to see improvements. My mental game is killing me. I lose concentration easy sometimes get the big head even though I know my skill level
 
... As Bob said, could be minutes to who knows.
I'm reminded of one student who took a basic pool course from me -- here's how to chalk, this is an open bridge, draw is down here, side spin does these crazy things. A couple of months later I saw him in the rec room. At one point he was snookered. He elevated to about 45 degrees and shot a soft masse shot around the blocker and pocketed the ball which was a good ways from the pocket. A shot no pro would attempt (except Efren) and he did it like it was the most natural thing in the world. I'd like to take credit, but we never worked on masse other than maybe a brief demo. Sadly for pool, he did water polo instead.
 
One thing that I took from the movie "American Sniper" is from the comment... Aim large, miss large and aim small, miss small"

It made me think that sometimes I don't aim for a spot on the object ball and end up just aiming for the ball in general, and miss by a long ways. A positive is that I often get a good hit.

Need to concentrate more.
 
I agree with this response, and have no idea why it was flamed. (I don't see any big words other than "unintentional")

You have to be able to shoot the cue ball straight so it goes where you want it to go. A gal in a PE class that I was an instructor for was having problems making a ball. I told her to just shoot the cue ball into the pocket. She missed by a diamond.

She should not expect to make many balls if she can't get the cue ball to contact the object ball where needed to pocket it.

To explain the second point. If the cue ball is struck right or left of center, the cue ball or object ball will not go where a new player is expecting it to go.

Regarding the amount of time needed to figure this out.... It depends on the person, as stated above.

You're wrong...plus, you're rude.

If you don't want to get answers, don't ask questions.

Developing a straight, reliable stroke is the FIRST step. Pocketing balls comes after that. Follow Tor Lowery's advice on his Zero-X DVD: stroke a ball from the footspot into a corner pocket 2,000 times before you ever even think about hitting a cue ball into an object ball.

thanks guys
i appreciate your support of my post
if the op doesnt want to accept my advice its his loss
its not worth the effort to flame back
 
How long do you think it takes a person to learn how to simply pocket pool balls without any ball control.

Kind like shots with a lot of green between them, or simple cut shots.

503 shots. Not 501 or 327, but 503 shots and they have learned the shot they are trying to learn.
 
Ball control

How long do you think it takes a person to learn how to simply pocket pool balls without any ball control.

Kind like shots with a lot of green between them, or simple cut shots.

Pocketing balls is accomplished with cue ball control, - basically hitting where you're aiming.

Since your objective (though I know I can't speak for you personally) is generally to pocket a ball and put the CB into position for your next shot, why even consider learning them separately?

Both things (and a few others things) are accomplished in one stroke.

I don't separate potting balls and controlling the rock after contact with the OB. I teach both at the same time, on each shot. It seems to work, and I've been teaching for a while.
 
ok, everyone get's what you are saying. Everyone in the world knows the answer you provided and that was not my question!! And why wtf does everyone think you can go into ball control before learning to hit basic shots with some consistency.

You don't just jump right into ball control after learning a stance. You need to learn to learn to learn to hit basic shots. Maybe a little top spin or draw before you do something advance like that. I want to punch people who think they can go from learning a stance to ball control. Hell just being able to hit simple shots with consistency makes you better than most bar players.

Maybe you did not understand my question. How long do you think it should to be able to pocket basic shots with some consistency.

Read my question again
CALM the F DOWN!!
 
Around fifteen minutes, give or take.
Several years ago I was asked to give a lesson to an Asian couple who had recently bought a home table. They were going to be entertaining their future son-in-law's parents and didn't want to look unduly embarrassed by their lack of skill.
In less than a half an hour I had them both making simple shots to the corners, sometimes with fairly acute angles involved. At the end of an hour they were ecstatic, and plunked down thirty bucks. :smile:
 
Thank you all. A few of you answered the question awesome!!!

I practice 4 to 6 hours a week. I have been doing that for about 6 months. I have a great stance and know how to stoke when I remember to use it. It is not instinct yet.

And after 6 months I am still working on hitting the ball in the center, top spin and draw. I think doing that is a learned behavior and comes along with doing basic shots.

I think I have a 60% accuracy on shots with a lot of green and shots that are basic cut shots.

I am just starting to see improvements. My mental game is killing me. I lose concentration easy sometimes get the big head even though I know my skill level

60 Percent accuracy is not so good. You might want to rethink the " I have a great stance" thing that you wrote.

If your alignment is off you can play for years and years with little or no improvement.

...And don't be so rude next time. bbb Is a respected poster in our community.
 
I'm reminded of one student who took a basic pool course from me -- here's how to chalk, this is an open bridge, draw is down here, side spin does these crazy things. A couple of months later I saw him in the rec room. At one point he was snookered. He elevated to about 45 degrees and shot a soft masse shot around the blocker and pocketed the ball which was a good ways from the pocket. A shot no pro would attempt (except Efren) and he did it like it was the most natural thing in the world. I'd like to take credit, but we never worked on masse other than maybe a brief demo. Sadly for pool, he did water polo instead.


Athleticism is something that is rarely, if ever, mentioned on this forum yet is essential for good pool play. As in all sports, to be at the top of your game you must first be an athlete. Two good examples come to mind.
Danny Harriman, whom I know personally, is arguably one of the best all around pool players in the country. In high school Danny was a long distance runner. He told me once that when he was out on the track he felt like he could run forever.
Another is Tanner Nichols, an AZB member, but more importantly a freshman at Lindenwood University where he a the star player on their pocket billiard team. Tanner was an accomplished baseball player in highschool. He is also, and I'm proud to say, a friend who grew up in our local pool room. :smile:
 
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How long do you think it takes a person to learn how to simply pocket pool balls without any ball control.

Kind like shots with a lot of green between them, or simple cut shots.

Varies from person to person. Of the three keys to good pool: shot making, ball control, and speed control. Most people start with a natural inclination towards one of those three.

I could make balls like crazy from the moment I picked up a cue... but I had no idea what ball control and speed control were. Other people know exactly how hard to hit a ball (or soft) but can't make the two contact points meet to pocket a ball.
 
Ok, everyone get's what you are saying. Everyone in the world knows the answer you provided and that was not my question!! And why WTF does everyone think you can go into ball control before learning to hit basic shots with some consistency.

You don't just jump right into ball control after learning a stance. You need to learn to learn to learn to hit basic shots. Maybe a little top spin or draw before you do something advance like that. I want to punch people who think they can go from learning a stance to ball control. Hell just being able to hit simple shots with consistency makes you better than most bar players.

Maybe you did not understand my question. How long do you think it should to be able to pocket basic shots with some consistency.

Read my question again



Nice way to start with a new account.....geeezzzzz
 
Varies from person to person. Of the three keys to good pool: shot making, ball control, and speed control. Most people start with a natural inclination towards one of those three.

I could make balls like crazy from the moment I picked up a cue... but I had no idea what ball control and speed control were. Other people know exactly how hard to hit a ball (or soft) but can't make the two contact points meet to pocket a ball.

Same with me. I once to bragged to my older brother, "look at all these hard shots I can make" he laughed and said a good pool player doesn't have to make that many...
For me the aiming is natural, maybe not so for other players and the OP. Sometimes you have to let your brain get out of the way and focus on the outcome. Too much internal dialogue kills....we murder to dissect.
 
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Aah what the hell, I was an English major...
AN EVENING SCENE ON THE SAME SUBJECT

UP! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?
................................................................................................. .
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:--
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.

William Wordsworth
 
Ok, everyone get's what you are saying. Everyone in the world knows the answer you provided and that was not my question!! And why WTF does everyone think you can go into ball control before learning to hit basic shots with some consistency.

You don't just jump right into ball control after learning a stance. You need to learn to learn to learn to hit basic shots. Maybe a little top spin or draw before you do something advance like that. I want to punch people who think they can go from learning a stance to ball control. Hell just being able to hit simple shots with consistency makes you better than most bar players.

Maybe you did not understand my question. How long do you think it should to be able to pocket basic shots with some consistency.

Read my question again

Have some respect for the opinions and answers of others. If you're on this site to only hear answers that you want then you'd might as well leave now.

That being said; you absolutely must have a straight and repeatable stroke before you can consistently pocket a ball. Beginners love the feeling of being able to hear and see a ball fall into the pocket but fail to understand that you need to have a good stroke to do that consistently.

Once you've got a stroke down, and can pocket basic shots... then yes, you move on to controlling the CB afterwards so you can keep pocketing basic shots. When you get down to the nit and grit of pool, most shots people take are just derivatives of those basic shots - when I run the table out or when a pro runs the table out look at the shots they take. Aren't they all pretty basic?

Almost always nearly straight slight angle shots, cuts (from like 30 to 90 degrees) and not much else most of the time. Almost every other shot is based on these common shots - once you can shoot them, if you learn to get shape on the next shot (which inevitably is a derivative of a common shot) then you can repeat that approach until there are no more balls on the table.

Straight stroke ---> Pocket balls --> CB control ---Refine as Needed.

That being said, if you can get someone to develop a straight stroke (which can take anywhere from a week to 3 months to really solidify into muscle memory) then it's up to that person to be able to make the two contact points meet.

-Richard
 
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