warmups

wigglybridge

wigglybridge

14.1 straight pool!
Silver Member
maybe this is due to my ability level, or maybe everyone has it to some degree...

it usually takes me a good hour+ to even Start playing well. that first hour is excruciating. then finally i lock in on some fundamental that's gone screwy, usually jumping up, follow through, or fast backstroke, or not staying focused on the point on the object ball, etc, and all of a sudden my game clicks.

if i get aggravated enough, usually long straight-ins will help me diagnose the problem, and immediately improve my play. but they're a proven way to frustrate me even more if i start out with them. i need something easier and more gradual to get me going the right direction and focusing on the basics from the start.

do any of you have warmups that shortcut this?
 
wigglybridge said:
maybe this is due to my ability level, or maybe everyone has it to some degree...

it usually takes me a good hour+ to even Start playing well. that first hour is excruciating. then finally i lock in on some fundamental that's gone screwy, usually jumping up, follow through, or fast backstroke, or not staying focused on the point on the object ball, etc, and all of a sudden my game clicks.

if i get aggravated enough, usually long straight-ins will help me diagnose the problem, and immediately improve my play. but they're a proven way to frustrate me even more if i start out with them. i need something easier and more gradual to get me going the right direction and focusing on the basics from the start.

do any of you have warmups that shortcut this?
Click to expand...

Why not use Tony Robles drill? (He published it in a recent billiards rag; can't recall which at the moment, but I'll summarize it here.)

Basically, place the object ball a foot away from the corner pocket. Place the cue ball about a foot away, in line with the object ball, to make a short diagonal straight-in shot. Shoot the shot. Should be easy.

Then, move the object ball one foot further away from that same corner pocket, and the cue ball a foot to a foot-and-a-half away. Shoot the shot.

Keeping moving the object ball and cue ball further away, until you hit a point where you miss. Stay at that point, and practice that until you diagnose what you're doing wrong, and you can then nail it consistently. Once you do, start moving the object ball and cue ball further away, shooting the shot, until you arrive at the classic "object ball on center spot of table, cue ball near furthest corner pocket" diagonal straight-in shot.

This way, you're starting your practice with SUCCESS, and not failure right out of the gate. Rather, you're building up to the failure point, and then working through it. Should prove to not discourage.

Thoughts?
-Sean
 
Bob,

i have a good routine for you, but kinda hard to describe without a cuetable here from work. give me a call on sunday to discuss. meanwhile tomorrow night after work i'll see if i can setup a cue-table from home so we can discuss.

my good friend Holden Chin of Raxx had told me about it, and it really helps build Focus and pocketting and speed control. which in turn really helps with the confidence, which i seam to be lacking as well right now.

-Steve
 
I had a friend {now deceased} who used to just throw out all the balls and shoot easy shots of varying length just to get his pocketing speed down. He did this regardless of what discipline the tournament was.
 
Warm Up....Good or Bad?

I do not warm up. At home, I only practice 14.1 starting with a opening side of the rack break shot. Sometimes I have nice runs right from the start. Other times, it might take three or four racks before I put a nice run together.

Here's a point. I do not play in a whole lot of tournaments but the ones I have played in. I have found (specially the tours. in pool rooms) that all the tables are taken by other players. All wide eyed trying to warm up. Most of the tables have two guys playing. Here's the thing: I do not like playing practice games with other players before the start of the tournament. In my opinion it lets your opponent relax- become more comfortable with you down the road. I feel that it takes the mental edge away from you. (my theory was confirmed to me by my mentor). So, I only hit a few racks if I find a table open. If someone ask me to play. I tell them I am hitting two more racks and I will give them the table and that is what I do.
So, warming up at your house if fine, anyway that you want to do it as long as you feel it is best for you. Warming up at a tournament is a whole other story. In many cases you need to learn how to play with not warming up. Most of the time for any player the tournaments are local. So, if you have a table at home. Hit balls for an hour or two before you head out to the pool room. JUST My Opinion.
 
Last edited:
wow, lotta diversity of opinion!

it's kinda hard to argue with Tony Robles, Sean! and it sounds like a very sensible way to tune your stroke.

i guess so far i've been doing loosely what Pushout suggests, and it seems to work better if i start out just stroking easy shots and progress from there. which i guess is similar in philosophy to Tony's drill.

also very interested to hear what you have to say, Steve, when you get the chance!

thanks to all of you for thoughtful comments.
 
Pushout said:
I had a friend {now deceased} who used to just throw out all the balls and shoot easy shots of varying length just to get his pocketing speed down. He did this regardless of what discipline the tournament was.
Click to expand...

That's what Frank "Sailor" Stellman says to do. Concentrate on your speed and putting the cue ball exactly where you want it to go.

14-1StraightMan said:
I do not warm up. At home, I only practice 14.1 starting with a opening side of the rack break shot. Sometimes I have nice runs right from the start. Other times, it might take three or four racks before I put a nice run together.

Here's a point. I do not play in a whole lot of tournaments but the ones I have played in. I have found (specially the tours. in pool rooms) that all the tables are taken by other players. All wide eyed trying to warm up. Most of the tables have two guys playing. Here's the thing: I do not like playing practice games with other players before the start of the tournament. In my opinion it lets your opponent relax- become more comfortable with you down the road. I feel that it takes the mental edge away from you. (my theory was confirmed to me by my mentor). So, I only hit a few racks if I find a table open. If someone ask me to play. I tell them I am hitting two more racks and I will give them the table and that is what I do.
So, warming up at your house if fine, anyway that you want to do it as long as you feel it is best for you. Warming up at a tournament is a whole other story. In many cases you need to learn how to play with not warming up. Most of the time for any player the tournaments are local. So, if you have a table at home. Hit balls for an hour or two before you head out to the pool room. JUST My Opinion.
Click to expand...

I am with you on this, Mike. I hate playing a pretend game while warming up for a tournament. What is the point? Plus you only get half the time at the table.
 
I'm better cold for some reason. Maybe I focus more out of the gate. I'll miss and correct along the way. Mostly it because of table roll or the cut of the pockets.

If I do warm up I do the mother drill, practice side pocket shots and lags to get the table speed and my stroke straight.
 
the thing that's odd, Fenwick, is that Sometimes i am, too.

i'm one of the guys shouldering the low end of the totem pole here: high run is 31. but one night, i had two 29's almost back-to-back, just an inning between them. and the first one was... my first rack of the night, no warmup at all, like Mike says.

really bizarre, almost hitting my all-time high 2x in one night.
 
Well I'm not a world beater either but I'm lucky to play with a few. I've been playing 14/1 since I was 12; 1962. My high run happened in 1964 or 1965. Now I'm happy with a 20, 30 or 40 ball run as long as I leave them little or nothing. It's not like it happens every day or every week. I have other hobbies. Table Tennis and time at the pistol range are two.

Then I play some 9 ball. My best outing was 6 break and runs one day. Pool is a hard game! 99% mental and the rest is in your head. I'm proud to say I've taught at least a dozen players the game, 14/1.

I remember a day way back when when I knew I found a game I would love even in my old age. I may hit that century mark again before I die.

And yesterday I couldn't string more then a dozen.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top