Story on how to learn

Mike? Mike who?

And whoever this Mike guy is I sure hope and pray he doesnt pay any attention to that article because that is nothing more than a big crock of horse manure. Anybody that buys that article needs their head examined.

r/DCP
 
Dan White said:
This is one of those "pocket" blurbs on how to learn.

getpocket.com

A Johns Hopkins Study Reveals the Scientific Secret to Double How Fast You Learn

Making one small change to the way you practice can make a huge difference in how quickly you gain new skills.
getpocket.com getpocket.com
Click to expand...
The end of the article pretty much says where this guy is coming from. This is fodder for corporate motivational speakers. They all use sports analogies in their motivational speeches. As to whether or not it would actually work in sports --- maybe, but there's nothing written in this article that convinces me.
 
Convenience sells. I like to say "the more convenient, the more convenient." I'm refering to high speed communications and hackers but it generally applies to anything.
 
FranCrimi said:
The end of the article pretty much says where this guy is coming from. This is fodder for corporate motivational speakers. They all use sports analogies in their motivational speeches. As to whether or not it would actually work in sports --- maybe, but there's nothing written in this article that convinces me.
Click to expand...
Short articles like this are light on details or references, but if you take it at face value it does specifically say this works for motor skills, "Keep in mind you can extend this process to almost anything. While it's clearly effective for improving motor skills, the process can also be applied to nearly any skill."
 
Dan White said:
Short articles like this are light on details or references, but if you take it at face value it does specifically say this works for motor skills, "Keep in mind you can extend this process to almost anything. While it's clearly effective for improving motor skills, the process can also be applied to nearly any skill."
Click to expand...
The thing I find most annoying about the article is that they're stating the obvious and trying to transform it into a breakthrough in learning. For example: High level pool players know that you have to try things different ways in order to be able to find the way that works best for you. And once you do find that way, the repetition process becomes important. And sometimes things work the opposite way, like, for example, learning a piece on the piano. First you learn the notes and fingering for the piece and once you can comfortably play it, then you can add your own accents to it. This is a natural learning process that takes place. Ordering yourself to switch around when you're not ready can be harmful to the end result and I think can even cause your process to take longer. Professors and scientists receive grant money all the time to conduct so-called studies. It's what they do to earn a living and maintain their professorship status. Some studies are actually objective and productive. Some are not. I wasn't in the lab with these guys but I'm not so sure about this one.
 
What if you look at it from a low level player skill set. OK so you need an accurate and repeatable stroke. Up and down the table you go touching the tip on return. Then stop shots diagonally across the table. And follow and draw and, boring.

I think what the writer and Dan means is maybe to add a five degree cut to the pocket. Then the other side. Next ten degrees, back to straight in and out to fifteen. Say five balls each position. Less boring, more learning.

Do that a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks and you have to get better.
 
Buzzard II said:
What if you look at it from a low level player skill set. OK so you need an accurate and repeatable stroke. Up and down the table you go touching the tip on return. Then stop shots diagonally across the table. And follow and draw and, boring.

I think what the writer and Dan means is maybe to add a five degree cut to the pocket. Then the other side. Next ten degrees, back to straight in and out to fifteen. Say five balls each position. Less boring, more learning.

Do that a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks and you have to get better.
Click to expand...
A drill method called "progressive practice" is more or less what you describe. In general you never shoot exactly the same shot twice in a row.
 
Bob, I do have donuts all over my table set up for your SF Billiard Academy progressive practice drills and I thank you for that.
But I also like the idea of setting up various offsets for those stop, follow, draw shots while paying attention to where the cue ball goes with what speed. It would seem related to the post.
 
Bob Jewett said:
A drill method called "progressive practice" is more or less what you describe. In general you never shoot exactly the same shot twice in a row.
Click to expand...
So what is the goal in a progressive practice drill? What is the player trying to learn?
 
FranCrimi said:
So what is the goal in a progressive practice drill? What is the player trying to learn?
Click to expand...
In general, to improve a specific skill, such as drawing the cue ball a required distance from a variety of starting positions. The general method can be used to work on nearly any skill.
 
Bob Jewett said:
In general, to improve a specific skill, such as drawing the cue ball a required distance from a variety of starting positions. The general method can be used to work on nearly any skill.
Click to expand...
Would the required distance be the same on every shot where only the starting positions change?
 
FranCrimi said:
Would the required distance be the same on every shot where only the starting positions change?
Click to expand...
In general with progressive practice, you make the shot harder in some way after each success and easier after each failure.
 
Bob Jewett said:
In general with progressive practice, you make the shot harder in some way after each success and easier after each failure.
Click to expand...
That's why I think that with progressive drills, you are learning different things. I don't see them as a variation of the same thing unless I'm missing something here. You're learning different shots.
 
FranCrimi said:
That's why I think that with progressive drills, you are learning different things. I don't see them as a variation of the same thing unless I'm missing something here. You're learning different shots.
Click to expand...
They are different shots, but carry a similar theme. It's much easier to extrapolate the info on a shot you see at the table if you've mastered 8 shots belonging to that "family" of shots. You'll never be able to learn EVERY shot on the table, this gives you a good base to work and improvise from. A lot of pool is about recognizing what the shot is and what it needs to go in and get position, a variety of similar shots helps you tune in and correctly identify and adapt to each specific shot.

It also gets you to focus on the "hard shots." It's like taking a test in school. When you study, if you study everything on the test it takes 3x as long to learn. If you stop studying the things you already know and focus on memorizing/learning the stuff that gives you trouble, you'll cut your study time down massively and also be able to retain the things you didn't know. No use hitting in a shot you are perfect at a hundred times, when there is a shot 2' up table from it that you struggle with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top