Warm-up

[Flakeandrun]

Just curious what people do for practice/warm-ups. Get a small timed amount of table time prior to matches. Curious how to best use it.

In solo practice, I would warm-up the same way and play against myself/ghost as if it were a match. So, I have been keeping this the same in practice or competitive. I will sometimes set up small drills/skills to develop in solo session, I used to do this more often, but found it quite laborious, and not the best use of time.

So, what I tend to do for a warm-up for playing/extended session:
- straight stop-shot from various locations to top corners for cueing
- End to end line - cutting into corners/getting table weight

That's it... Stop shots get the arm going. Both give an idea of how the pockets play. End to end gets the run/weight.

When playing snooker, I was always just content to clear the baulk colours and consider that 'warmed up', pool is annoying as I play on so many different tables every week...

Just curious what others might do that is quick and efficient to get loose, but also offers chances for analysis of playing conditions/table.

 

[Saig0n]

Depends on what I'm warming up for. I'll either play the ghost or run racks of straight pool. If I don't have much time then I'll throw balls on the table and do them in order like I'm playing rotation. This helps me gauge the speed of the table.

 

[Flakeandrun]

Depends on what I'm warming up for. I'll either play the ghost or run racks of straight pool. If I don't have much time then I'll throw balls on the table and do them in order like I'm playing rotation. This helps me gauge the speed of the table.

I play two formats in local competition.
Best of 2 sets (3games a set with tie-breaker set) or race to 7.

So, either that or just warming-up for a good extended solo-practice.

Straight pool is a good warm up exercise when the balls fall right.
I moved away from that, as I found the other two short drills covered more bases, more reliably to me (so far)

Thanks for sharing

 

[jasonlaus]

Big draw, big follow, warp speed from many angles

 

[Flakeandrun]

Sounds more fun

Big draw, big follow, warp speed from many angles

 

[straightline]

Depends on what I'm warming up for. I'll either play the ghost or run racks of straight pool. If I don't have much time then I'll throw balls on the table and do them in order like I'm playing rotation. This helps me gauge the speed of the table.

If I'm at my playing speed, stuff like that helps to transition from the real world. An hour or two of anything relevant on the playing table is the nuts. These days in one table bars, I'm lucky if I get a couple minutes poking at the cue ball. Physical activity prior to any kind of pool is the most solid warm up for me.

 

[Buckzapper]

Learn how to play well right out of the gate cold. It's a focused concentration thing. Your eyes see the shot and aren't lying to you. The first rack, evaluate the table speed and adjust your stroke accordingly. Dismiss negative thoughts, focus, gentle swing and stay down. Make your victim kick often.

 

[Black-Balled]

Big draw, big follow, warp speed from many angles

Don't forget banks that don't touch the table bed on the way to the pocket.

They come up all the time!

 

[eastcoast_chris]

Big draw, big follow, warp speed from many angles

I've watched Earl warm up a few times and that's exactly what he was doing. Someone asked him why and he just said it was to loosen everything up. I do that now plus a few controlled draw/follow shots to get an idea of the table speed/responsiveness. Obviously this is for when you have 3 minutes to warm up before a match.