the "deep structure" of how and why certain systems/techniques are effective
I would say 50% of a players ability to play at a higher level depends on their willingness to experiment. There's seldom anything you will ever read that will take the place of time at the pool table. "if you can't hit the cue ball straight, your "magic bullet gun" will be firing blanks".
I've modeled several champion players in my development, however I could never play like them, I just imitated things they did well until I understood how to incorporate them into my own game. There are many variations on grip, stroke, stance, and position play, however, when we understand the "deep structure" of how and why certain techniques are essential it's relatively easy to develop our own system relative to how we want to feel and experience the game.
Once a player has a consistent pre shot routine that produces the same distance from the cue ball, the same feet positions relative to the "line of the shot," and the same upper body angles with the shoulders/arms/wrist/hand/fingers the rest of the game becomes much easier because your stoke can become "grooved" which is critical.
At first every player should put forth the effort to build a powerful, accurate, and dependable stroke. This does take effort and practice, however, there's no easy way to master a difficult game, and I've never met an accomplished player that didn't have to work on his game, especially the process of converting weaknesses into strengths.
Once your stoke is developed it is prudent to start learning how to maximize margin of error in shot-making and position play. Until then, I'd suggest learning the mechanics of a great stroke and model some of your favorite players.
I would say 50% of a players ability to play at a higher level depends on their willingness to experiment. There's seldom anything you will ever read that will take the place of time at the pool table. "if you can't hit the cue ball straight, your "magic bullet gun" will be firing blanks".
I've modeled several champion players in my development, however I could never play like them, I just imitated things they did well until I understood how to incorporate them into my own game. There are many variations on grip, stroke, stance, and position play, however, when we understand the "deep structure" of how and why certain techniques are essential it's relatively easy to develop our own system relative to how we want to feel and experience the game.
Once a player has a consistent pre shot routine that produces the same distance from the cue ball, the same feet positions relative to the "line of the shot," and the same upper body angles with the shoulders/arms/wrist/hand/fingers the rest of the game becomes much easier because your stoke can become "grooved" which is critical.
At first every player should put forth the effort to build a powerful, accurate, and dependable stroke. This does take effort and practice, however, there's no easy way to master a difficult game, and I've never met an accomplished player that didn't have to work on his game, especially the process of converting weaknesses into strengths.
Once your stoke is developed it is prudent to start learning how to maximize margin of error in shot-making and position play. Until then, I'd suggest learning the mechanics of a great stroke and model some of your favorite players.
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