SO.....what makes YOU better than ME????
- Thread starter tim913
- Start date
In my opinion (THIS) does not exist my friend. The level of one's play has nothing to do with one grand enlightening. First is natural ability because without that you surely will not progress past a certain point. Second is intelligence. Your game will improve by leaps and bounds once you truly understand the game and can effectively control the table. Lastly playing better players than yourself. Once you can accept the fact that anybody can be beaten at any given time and that not even a seasoned player is perfect you will realize the most important lesson. Billiards is 20% skill, 30% ability and 50% mental. Skill and ability can not be taught but intelligence can. Study the game, learn the game, understand the game then play the game.
**Disclaimer** I take no responsibility for the above statements as I am a whack job with a lot of alcohol in me. =)
Jerry
This explains Earl Strickland.
Ha! It sure does. Earl's belief in himself is off the charts. There are many other high level players who aren't as excessive about it. You don't have to think you can do no wrong. You just have to have a healthy belief in yourself, which most people don't have. Sorry, but that's the unfortunate truth.
Absolutely! You will become what you train yourself to be!
In Training/Practice Routines I always abide by the 20/20 Practice Rules. Ideally I will break my routines into:
1. Train (that's my mind & body)
2. Practice (that's specific skills that are monitored)
3. Play (that's where I test my Perfect Practice Routines)
randyg
PS: Softshot knows!!!!
not to be corny, but the hustler and color of money both talk about it, overcoming great obsticles and lows to become a better person, developing character, hating nothing more than losing, sure there are execptions, but from what ive seen, the best players spend almost every waking moment involved in the game, making great sacfifices with family,job,money. the more bricks you lay the bigger your house gets.
Different schools, different teachers
You seem to be lumping all pool schools into one basket. Schools work for some, individual lessons for others. Teaching styles vary. Karen Coor said a while back that she had taken lessons from thirty different instructors. I think there are some excellent responses on this thread to your question.
As far as "one thing" that makes me better? One size doesn't fit all. That's why there is no ONE SECRET to pool. The one thing that makes it all work for you may be dedication, desire, simplicity or imagination. With ALL these as part of your approach to the game, how can you help but get better?
Donny L
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl
You seem to be lumping all pool schools into one basket. Schools work for some, individual lessons for others. Teaching styles vary. Karen Coor said a while back that she had taken lessons from thirty different instructors. I think there are some excellent responses on this thread to your question.
As far as "one thing" that makes me better? One size doesn't fit all. That's why there is no ONE SECRET to pool. The one thing that makes it all work for you may be dedication, desire, simplicity or imagination. With ALL these as part of your approach to the game, how can you help but get better?
Donny L
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl
This is a question I have ask myself for many years the simple answer that I ultimately came up with is. Solid fundamentals and knowledge, confidence and focus. The fundamentals come from instruction, the knowledge from experience and study, the confidence varies from person to person. If you hang around pool players you have probably noticed the ones that are beating everyone are all confident even bordering on arrogant in regards to their game and finally focus this is the one I have never been able to summon at will, I have had the most success here by creating my own "triggers" I don't really know how to explain this part maybe if I did I would be one of the guys that beats everyone. This is my personal findings I think that they also vary from person to person depending on individual personality.
I once thought that it was natural talent or the lack thereof that put the ceiling on how good we could become. Then I read "Talent is Overrated" and really thought about what I read for a few days and now I no longer believe this.
What it comes down to is -- all of us humans have such an unbelievable amount of talent in all areas of life. Very, very, very few people ever really exhibit truly phenomenal ability at anything. So when we see these people we have a natural tendency to think that they must possess something that we do not. I think the only time that natural talent comes into play is in the early stages of someone's development. The more natural talent someone shows for a skill, I think the easier it is for them to get addicted to it. However, studies of expert musicians have shown that those that showed more "natural talent" early in life really didn't fare any better than those that didn't show this talent - provided they put in the same amount of deliberate practice.
When you buy into the concept of natural ability you can REALLY REALLY limit your ability to improve. I know it did for me. At some point in time, you will just begin to tell yourself that there are just certain shots that you will not be able to perform. This even begins to happen on the subconscious level. I have finally rejected this idea and my game has really improved in the past couple of years. I'm still no world beater but I do know that had I thought like this when I first started playing I could have been a world beater.
The way you view "natural talent" has ramifications for everything you do in life. For me, the way my wife and I raise our children is going to be affected by our changed view on this subject (I managed to convince her).
Just remember there was a time when everybody thought running a 4 minute mile was impossible. Now there are high school kids that do it. A hundred years from now every decent pool player will be a 100 ball runner. It won't even be that big of a deal by then. Will our genetic makeup be that different in 100 years? I don't think so. We will just be better trained.
The bottom line is -- PASSION paired with DELIBERATE PRACTICE is what it takes. Nothing more and nothing less.
What it comes down to is -- all of us humans have such an unbelievable amount of talent in all areas of life. Very, very, very few people ever really exhibit truly phenomenal ability at anything. So when we see these people we have a natural tendency to think that they must possess something that we do not. I think the only time that natural talent comes into play is in the early stages of someone's development. The more natural talent someone shows for a skill, I think the easier it is for them to get addicted to it. However, studies of expert musicians have shown that those that showed more "natural talent" early in life really didn't fare any better than those that didn't show this talent - provided they put in the same amount of deliberate practice.
When you buy into the concept of natural ability you can REALLY REALLY limit your ability to improve. I know it did for me. At some point in time, you will just begin to tell yourself that there are just certain shots that you will not be able to perform. This even begins to happen on the subconscious level. I have finally rejected this idea and my game has really improved in the past couple of years. I'm still no world beater but I do know that had I thought like this when I first started playing I could have been a world beater.
The way you view "natural talent" has ramifications for everything you do in life. For me, the way my wife and I raise our children is going to be affected by our changed view on this subject (I managed to convince her).
Just remember there was a time when everybody thought running a 4 minute mile was impossible. Now there are high school kids that do it. A hundred years from now every decent pool player will be a 100 ball runner. It won't even be that big of a deal by then. Will our genetic makeup be that different in 100 years? I don't think so. We will just be better trained.
The bottom line is -- PASSION paired with DELIBERATE PRACTICE is what it takes. Nothing more and nothing less.
Ability is gained in stages of epiphanies....
There are limits for everyone, based on eyesight, hand eye coordination, visual spatial recognition ability etc...
People don't get better from one lesson or from five.
They can take fifty lessons and not get better, then one day two days or six months later, something will click and they'll jump up two or three balls.
It's called an epiphany, when all of that knowledge they gained just clicks in place.
When you learn something new in this game, your ability is likely to actually drop off at first.
It also has to do with getting rid of bad habits, the sooner you can learn the right things to do and truly KNOW the right things to do, the easier it will be to achieve a high level of play.
One thing that's for sure, the top players in almost every instance have the requisite knowledge.
They understand all of the aspects of the game. There are very few exceptions to this.
So, yeah going to pool school and practicing ten hours a day, may not make everyone a pro caliber player, but if you learn right and gain the knowledge, it will make you the best player YOU can be.
Jaden
There are limits for everyone, based on eyesight, hand eye coordination, visual spatial recognition ability etc...
People don't get better from one lesson or from five.
They can take fifty lessons and not get better, then one day two days or six months later, something will click and they'll jump up two or three balls.
It's called an epiphany, when all of that knowledge they gained just clicks in place.
When you learn something new in this game, your ability is likely to actually drop off at first.
It also has to do with getting rid of bad habits, the sooner you can learn the right things to do and truly KNOW the right things to do, the easier it will be to achieve a high level of play.
One thing that's for sure, the top players in almost every instance have the requisite knowledge.
They understand all of the aspects of the game. There are very few exceptions to this.
So, yeah going to pool school and practicing ten hours a day, may not make everyone a pro caliber player, but if you learn right and gain the knowledge, it will make you the best player YOU can be.
Jaden
yep
dont shoot till you know its good, till u r ready, consistent routine and i try to aim for a very precise contact point,not a general area any more. the smaller and more precise, the better.when i do this, i make alot of balls. of course theres cueball control too. thats all in the setup for me. before i stroke.
dont shoot till you know its good, till u r ready, consistent routine and i try to aim for a very precise contact point,not a general area any more. the smaller and more precise, the better.when i do this, i make alot of balls. of course theres cueball control too. thats all in the setup for me. before i stroke.