State Your Weakness Here . . .

Putting together a nice run, getting to the end, then taking the shot for granted or just plain dogging it.. :shocked::speechless::banghead:
 
Solution to this problem, but WORK

Kickin' Chicken said:
And if you have a plan to work on it, what is it?

I am frustrated with what the main weakness is in my game because I do a lot of things well and it feels like this particular facet of my game should be way up there, but it isn't. :embarrassed2:

In fact, it has been much better in the past making me think I may be in an age-related decline - or perhaps, more specifically, a diminishing eyesight related decline. Whichever it is, I sure would like to do the best I can with what tools I have left.

Here's my weakness: I miss way too many relatively easy straight in shots. WTH. :angry::mad::embarrassed2::confused::frown:

What makes it extra frustrating is that I play very strong position, kick and bank real good, and I am completely confident in my pattern play plus I know when to duck and am fairly proficient at safety play, as well. These are supposed to be the hard parts of pool, right?

So, I guess it's time to drill baby drill.

I suppose I need to get back in touch with my accurate and repeatable stroke, must try to stay as close to center ball strikes as possible, and reacquaint myself with my spf pre-shot routine.

Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

So what's the main weakness in your game and what do you plan to do about it?

best,
brian kc
Click to expand...

Brian,

I really hate to say this...but I used to have the same problem. I think everyone finds the straight in shot challenging. Well ok, the part I hate to say is that I solved the problem, but it took a lot of drilling. I now feel like I will never miss a straight or near straight in shot at almost any distance. The drill that solved this problem for me was as follows: (my version of the drill is VERY hard...adjust accordingly)

1) I don't have the table diagram, so lets just use coordinates. If 0,0 is the bottom left as I'm standing at the head rail...I put a cue ball at 1,2 (1 diamond from the left side rail, 2 diamonds up from the end rail.), and my object ball at 3,6 (1 diamond from the right side rail and 2 diamonds up from the end rail.) This effectively creates a fairly long straight in shot diagonally across the table. Adjust so it is dead straight. I advise marking the ball locations.

2) Shoot 20 balls in a row in. However...I have some major stipulations. First, one of the shots must draw all the way back into the corner pocket near where I shoot, and it has to go in "nothing but net", in other words it isn't even allowed to touch the sides of the pocket. This is a VERY difficult draw shot and takes many many attempts. However, this process means that I am practicing FIRING balls in at fairly high speed.

3) The shot above in #2 must be completed within the first 15 balls. So obviously you start trying it right away. If you pocket the ball but fail on the draw, you keep going. If you *ever* miss a ball, you start over from the beginning. So lets say on your 7th attempt, you do the draw shot. From that point on, you shoot stop shots. BUT, you have to try and shoot the stop shots *as softly as you can* without losing your "stop". If the ball rolls more than a few inches forward, its a miss and you start over.

4) When I have shot in all 15 balls without missing, one of which is that monster draw shot, I shoot 5 "bonus" balls. I shoot them as follows: the first one I try the big draw shot again. The second, I shoot with center ball at a hundred miles an hour so it will still stop (or drift a ball or so forward). The next 2 are *extremely* soft speed but must still stop. The last would be the big draw shot again.

When I do 20 balls in a row this way, I feel that I really *did something*!!

The point is that I am shooting near maximum speed, and also minimum speed, low on the cueball. I think these are the situations that maximize one's errors. I like the idea of mixing the speed up at the end too. One of the most important aspects of the drill is starting over if you miss. This builds the intensity as you get closer to the end, just like a real runout in a real game. It can be maddening! This drill has taken me several hours to complete, but now I can probably do it in about 15 minutes or so. I almost never ever miss the ball...but hitting that big draw shot can take a bit of time. The big draw shot really emphasizes perfect technique, stance, straight stroke, etc.

If you can stand it, this drill will eliminate any issues with straight in shots!

KMRUNOUT
 
Oh and my weakness? Presence of mind! I often just forget to try hard. I recognize that I half assed my decision making, but seem powerless to prevent myself from doing this. When I follow my best preshot routine and make a good decision, I rarely miss the ball or get far out of line. So I seem to have the stroke and game of an open player with focus of, well...I'm not so sure that a D player has bad focus...but you get the idea.

KMRUNOUT
 
My weakness use to be drinking too much while playing for money. I would almost always jump out ahead in games, but if I played long enough with someone my speed or a bit better the booze would help me lose a lot of the times. Like Buddy Hall said one night when I was busting a bunch of jockey's, trainers, and horse owners and players at The Barn. "Johnny would be hard for anyone to beat on a bar box if he didn't start celebrating before the match was over." I took it as a compliment at the time. :rolleyes:. Johnnyt
 
FranCrimi said:
My name is Francine and I think the comment you made earlier was crass and classless ---- And by the way, I have a wicked sense of humor for things that are funny.
Click to expand...


Perhaps you're right, Francine. After reconsidering our current dilemma, it appears that I may have inadvertently overstepped the bounds of civility, and decorum, with my inane observation.
Maybe I should have said, "Bare breasted women, who stand behind me, create an environment that is somewhat nauseating, causing me to rotate on an axis of approximately one hundred and eighty degrees from my original position."
Does that make you feel better. :thumbup:
 
If my posts have not made it obvious, my weakness is my brain.

It's tough to stay sharp with no more pool halls. There used to be action to be had every day so it was easy to stay battle-ready. Now not so much. I can't wait for my move to Tucson this coming spring.
 
EasyEJL said:
same. I'll make a full table length bank with the cue and object each frozen to opposite rails, get good position, and miss a 10 degree cut by 20 degrees.

I feel like what the issue likely could be is that i'm overthinking and overcomplicating by too much. I'm trying to force myself on those simple shots to be more relaxed on what I do on the shot for next shot positioning.

And I think that is it, that I look at the shot, say its simple and then concentrate far more on "since this shot is so simple, what can I do to get optimum position for the next ball" and am concentrating almost solely on that and not thinking about the sink on this one.
Click to expand...

I have experienced it that way, as well. Amazing how we can rattle a hanger that we assume is not missable.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure it was Frank "Sailor" Stellman of Racine, Wisconsin, an accomplished 14.1 player well into old age who said" "No non-chalantin at the pool table."

I like that and need to follow this advice better.

Give every shot it's due, stay in your routine, every single shot.

okay, I'm all fixed up now. :cool: :grin-square:

best,
brian kc <---- will be a work in progress til the end. . . .
 
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Pre-Flag Master said:
My weakness, Kickin' Chicken, is kickin'.

That and not playing 8 hours a day.

Fatz
Click to expand...

PFM:

I like your avatar. :thumbup:

Is Mr. Clean a measle ball or did he try to do some cleaning in the wrong hood? :eek:

as for your kicking, I would strongly recommend Little Joe's kicking system or do like I did, the k.a.m.b. method which takes a few years longer.

best,
brian kc
 
Dopc said:
Feelin' your pain Chicken, I almost felt like I was reading my own written words. You're probably going to hear talk about fundamentals, focus & mental conditioning. Which are all probably spot on to a certain degree.

My thoughts go like this, as we progress and witness improvements in our abilities, our self expectations rise faster than our abilities increase. While other people comment on our improvements, this only feeds the self expectations beast. We know we can execute nearly everything we face as we've done time and time again. The problem here is when we set our self expectations higher than our true abilities can execute consistently *under pressure*. I don't mean that as a negative thing either, it's more of a self awareness thing.

I've recently had an evaluation from an AZB user who also happens to be an instructor (Thank you scottjen26, If your near Jacksonville look him up, Scott is the real deal and he can play). Scott spent many hours reviewing videos and countless back and forth e-mails. What I've come to discover is, the magic secret I am in search of does not exist. This doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, just the improvement I'm in search of will come in very small increments at an almost unnoticeable rate. Those improvements we are in search of are consistency as well as reducing or eliminating errors.

My second thought on the matter goes like this. How we train and how we compete. While practicing (I have a table at home), I'm in a comfortable environment with little outside distraction, combined with familiarity of the equipment and I can reach a level of focus and attention that at times makes me say to myself "wow". So now my personal expectations have inadvertently risen to expect this level of play on a regular/on demand basis.

Now, fast forward to the local tournament or league play, and all of a sudden the shit hits the fan and I start to notice these quirks arise in my game. I execute a tough shot, get the tough 3 rail shape through traffic leaving near perfect shape on the next shot. That next shot will be an easy 5 degree cut in the side that any "C" level player could execute with their eyes closed, and of course I hit the tit, miss and sell out the game.

I have come to realize just how much of a factor adrenaline and pressure plays a role in execution. The proverbial "Heat of the moment" scenario. Now along with that, throw in equipment variables, environmental variable elements (both temperature/weather & human distractions). I have come to realize the environment from which I compete is not the same as to which I practice or train in. I have also realized how much my game changes due to self doubt, inner turmoil and fear of failure to execute. It's almost like I have two completely different games, My in focus comfortable game and my in competition game. My in competition game is what needs the most attention, I just haven't found a way to duplicate that environment during practice time at home. I play races against the ghost, but it's just not the same at all.

A few things that have helped for me recently is to work on consistency in my pre-shot routine, think & aim when standing and not once I'm down on the shot (got that tip from another user here on AZ but forget the user to give credit to). Walk around the table outside the box to allow my brain to absorb as much as possible from all angles of view. Work on a consistent stance and setup to promote good execution and to reduce feeling uncomfortable and/or plagued with indecision. I'm working to keep an even speed of play, I tend to get in a zone, speed up play and start skipping steps and sooner or later WILL make a mistake. So basically for me it's all about keeping myself grounded under pressure or when the adrenaline is pumping hard. With all this said, I still screw up, but so does everyone else most of the time. After all we're all human and none of us are perfect, even though we may demand that of ourselves.

So in a sense it does boil down to fundamentals, we just don't like to admit to that as we reach higher levels of play ("we" as in general not particularly you or I). I do drills but admittedly I'm not a huge drill fan. The drills I have been doing are mostly based around pre-shot routine as that is where I need the most improvement in competition at the time. Another drill I'm working on is "Breathing", I've done some research and sought outside insight from coaches of other sports on how athletes deal with adrenaline. Every single one mentioned breathing exercises and feeding oxygen to the body under stress. Something I have never been aware of as I never played any organized sports growing up. That has proven to be the biggest help for me over anything to date, no lie.

So in closing, you're not alone. I believe it's all a part of advancing to that next level. For every level of advancement from "B" speed on, it's tiny micro steps of improvement. For those of us that are perfectionists and demand nothing but excellence from ourselves, these micro steps can come at a painfully slow rate of improvement. Accepting the fact that you may have failed today, but keep in mind there's always yet another day to do battle. So plan, practice & work on mental conditioning for that next battle. You have the pool addiction and there is no known cure..............

Dopc. To long winded and fails to get to the point quickly......
Click to expand...

lots of good observations, thanks dopc.

btw, if you haven't read it yet, you might want to consider getting "The Pleasure of Small Motions". It is an incredible resource that goes deep into the mental side of pool.

best,
brian kc
 
FranCrimi said:
My name is Francine and I think the comment you made earlier was crass and classless ---- And by the way, I have a wicked sense of humor for things that are funny.
Click to expand...

Fran;

I feel compelled to jump in here to say that I agree with you.

I love Tramp Steamer and his humor, I even consider him to be a great friend here on az but, as often happens on this predominantly male pool forum, we tend to overlook the fact that there are women who read and participate here, as well.

We have had a few conversations on this topic with JAM who has, on a number of occasions, indicated that she feels women don't get much respect in pool in general, and certainly not here on az, either.

I recognize that you are an accomplished player and a great ambassador for pool. :thumbup:

Please accept my apology on behalf of Tramp, who I assure you is a good guy who, as is his usual m.o., was just looking to inject some humor.

best,
brian kc
 
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KMRUNOUT said:
Brian,

I really hate to say this...but I used to have the same problem. I think everyone finds the straight in shot challenging. Well ok, the part I hate to say is that I solved the problem, but it took a lot of drilling. I now feel like I will never miss a straight or near straight in shot at almost any distance. The drill that solved this problem for me was as follows: (my version of the drill is VERY hard...adjust accordingly)

1) I don't have the table diagram, so lets just use coordinates. If 0,0 is the bottom left as I'm standing at the head rail...I put a cue ball at 1,2 (1 diamond from the left side rail, 2 diamonds up from the end rail.), and my object ball at 3,6 (1 diamond from the right side rail and 2 diamonds up from the end rail.) This effectively creates a fairly long straight in shot diagonally across the table. Adjust so it is dead straight. I advise marking the ball locations.

2) Shoot 20 balls in a row in. However...I have some major stipulations. First, one of the shots must draw all the way back into the corner pocket near where I shoot, and it has to go in "nothing but net", in other words it isn't even allowed to touch the sides of the pocket. This is a VERY difficult draw shot and takes many many attempts. However, this process means that I am practicing FIRING balls in at fairly high speed.

3) The shot above in #2 must be completed within the first 15 balls. So obviously you start trying it right away. If you pocket the ball but fail on the draw, you keep going. If you *ever* miss a ball, you start over from the beginning. So lets say on your 7th attempt, you do the draw shot. From that point on, you shoot stop shots. BUT, you have to try and shoot the stop shots *as softly as you can* without losing your "stop". If the ball rolls more than a few inches forward, its a miss and you start over.

4) When I have shot in all 15 balls without missing, one of which is that monster draw shot, I shoot 5 "bonus" balls. I shoot them as follows: the first one I try the big draw shot again. The second, I shoot with center ball at a hundred miles an hour so it will still stop (or drift a ball or so forward). The next 2 are *extremely* soft speed but must still stop. The last would be the big draw shot again.

When I do 20 balls in a row this way, I feel that I really *did something*!!

The point is that I am shooting near maximum speed, and also minimum speed, low on the cueball. I think these are the situations that maximize one's errors. I like the idea of mixing the speed up at the end too. One of the most important aspects of the drill is starting over if you miss. This builds the intensity as you get closer to the end, just like a real runout in a real game. It can be maddening! This drill has taken me several hours to complete, but now I can probably do it in about 15 minutes or so. I almost never ever miss the ball...but hitting that big draw shot can take a bit of time. The big draw shot really emphasizes perfect technique, stance, straight stroke, etc.

If you can stand it, this drill will eliminate any issues with straight in shots!

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...

freakin' slavedriver!

I'll give it a try. :smile:

thx,
brian kc
 
Johnnyt said:
My weakness use to be drinking too much while playing for money. I would almost always jump out ahead in games, but if I played long enough with someone my speed or a bit better the booze would help me lose a lot of the times. Like Buddy Hall said one night when I was busting a bunch of jockey's, trainers, and horse owners and players at The Barn. "Johnny would be hard for anyone to beat on a bar box if he didn't start celebrating before the match was over." I took it as a compliment at the time. :rolleyes:. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Holy crap! Buddy Hall said the exact same thing about me....

Oh, wait, you were actually awake and playing pool when he said it? :D

nice.

best,
brian kc
 
BasementDweller said:
I still miss too many easy shots. I'm going to have a major breakthrew in this department this year. My solution for this is to start playing 14.1 and work towards a respectable run. I'm tracking every run that I attempt and every time I write down a small number it stings, much more so than when you miss a random ball playing some other game.

Oh yeah...and will continue to work on my cueing as well.
Click to expand...

playing some 14.1 is a great idea.

best,
brian kc
 
bdorman said:
Not following my pre-shot routine on easy shots...which I routinely end up missing.

Once I see an easy shot, I'm in a hurry to get to the next shot.

I've come to the conclusion that you don't win matches by making the difficult shots; you lose matches by missing the easy ones.
Click to expand...

tap tap tap

best,
brian kc
 
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