What Are "Practice" Strokes For?

Warm up strokes should never hurt your mental game, quite the opposite. I agree with everything PJ has said so far, along with the other instructors. One critical thing is counting strokes; that sounds more like OCD than pocket billiards to me. It's not 3 times and then GO because you're setting yourself up to get tensed right when you have to be fluid.

I don't recall ever seeing someone play an inch-perfect game without warm up strokes. Not repeatably at any rate. The players who most often just bend over and bang away are bar players who gamble their b!tches against your cue (for those who remember that story, I just can't get the audacity out of my head).

1 stroke or 4 isn't what's important. It's the last chance to make sure you're doing it right. Not second guessing either, just make sure you have the right path, CB aim point, and speed. If you make better shots without the warm-up then you're probably tightening your grip at the last moment in anticipation.
 
Ghosst said:
Warm up strokes should never hurt your mental game, quite the opposite. I agree with everything PJ has said so far, along with the other instructors. One critical thing is counting strokes; that sounds more like OCD than pocket billiards to me. It's not 3 times and then GO because you're setting yourself up to get tensed right when you have to be fluid.

I don't recall ever seeing someone play an inch-perfect game without warm up strokes. Not repeatably at any rate. The players who most often just bend over and bang away are bar players who gamble their b!tches against your cue (for those who remember that story, I just can't get the audacity out of my head).

1 stroke or 4 isn't what's important. It's the last chance to make sure you're doing it right. Not second guessing either, just make sure you have the right path, CB aim point, and speed. If you make better shots without the warm-up then you're probably tightening your grip at the last moment in anticipation.
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Drago.......
 
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Hmmm

Your practice strokes should mirror your shooting stroke. (mechanically)

1. You should not be aiming during the practice strokes. You did that before you got down on the shot. You NEVER aim in the shooting position and you NEVER shoot in the aiming (standing) position.

2. You already know whether you are going to use draw, follow or english before you get down on the shot. You need to make sure you are hitting the exact spot on the cue ball. Every practice stroke should be identical and right at the exact spot you want to hit, with the tip only millimeters from the cueball.

3. Practice strokes also assist the mental game. Most folks will automatically add numerous more practice strokes on the more difficult shots. This only adds doubt in the mind and usually a miss immediately following said doubt. Every shot is equal, every shot gets the same practice strokes (assuming you are hitting the exact spot on the cueball) and thus we trick the brain and remove the doubt. A long green shot should be the same as the easy shot.. Aim, stroke, shoot.

4. This is the time to ensure we are mechanically sound. We should not be visualizing the end results here, but ensuring all systems are go ! My stance, my grip, not turning the wrist, elbow up, etc. Pool is a sport, but not an athletic sport, and we have the time to concentrate on the mechanics at this very crucial time. We are not trying to hit a 99 mph fastball. Make sure the rust is off and you are ready to shoot.

5. Prevents lazy pool. How many times have you missed a shot your grandmother could have made. Or worse yet, your teammate missed it, and would have won you the game, match or championship.
If every shot is the same, then take your time on the easy shots and ensure you have the exact spot on the cue and NOT assume you do. How much better would your game be if you NEVER missed an easy shot and only missed an intermediate shot once in a blue moon. Take NOTHING for granted.
 
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ChicagoRJ said:
Your practice strokes should mirror your shooting stroke. (mechanically)

1. You should not be aiming during the practice strokes. You did that before you got down on the shot. You NEVER aim in the shooting position and you NEVER shoot in the aiming (standing) position.

2. You already know whether you are going to use draw, follow or english before you get down on the shot. You need to make sure you are hitting the exact spot on the cue ball. Every practice stroke should be identical and right at the exact spot you want to hit, with the tip only millimeters from the cueball.

3. Practice strokes also assist the mental game. Most folks will automatically add numerous more practice strokes on the more difficult shots. This only adds doubt in the mind and usually a miss immediately following said doubt. Every shot is equal, every shot gets the same practice strokes (assuming you are hitting the exact spot on the cueball) and thus we trick the brain and remove the doubt. A long green shot should be the same as the easy shot.. Aim, stroke, shoot.

4. This is the time to ensure we are mechanically sound. We should not be visualizing the end results here, but ensuring all systems are go ! My stance, my grip, not turning the wrist, elbow up, etc. Pool is a sport, but not an athletic sport, and we have the time to concentrate on the mechanics at this very crucial time. We are not trying to hit a 99 mph fastball. Make sure the rust is off and you are ready to shoot.

5. Prevents lazy pool. How many times have you missed a shot your grandmother could have made. Or worse yet, your teammate missed it, and would have won you the game, match or championship.
If every shot is the same, then take your time on the easy shots and ensure you have the exact spot on the cue and NOT assume you do. How much better would your game be if you NEVER missed an easy shot and only missed an intermediate shot once in a blue moon. Take NOTHING for granted.
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WOW.....right on.
SPF=randyg
 
ChicagoRJ:
Your practice strokes should mirror your shooting stroke. (mechanically)
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Of course your practice strokes can't perfectly mirror your shooting stroke, but I agree that making your practice strokes more like your shooting stroke can be helpful. But not so much in the sense of physically rehearsing the stroke - more like adding to the realism of your visualization of the entire shot. For instance, when I need to hit the CB harder I find that using more muscle changes where I hit the CB slightly and "reminding" myself of how that feels helps me to make the slight stance modification to correct for it.

You should not be aiming during the practice strokes.
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I hear this all the time, but I complete my "aiming" during my practice strokes and I assume everybody does. The first part of aiming can be done while standing: deciding how the CB must hit the OB, seeing the line the CB must take to do that, and even visualizing how that should look from the shooting position. But I don't see how that "shot picture" can be precise when visualized from the standing position. I always have to "finish" it during practice strokes while also confirming that my stick is moving precisely along the "finished" shot line. Maybe that last step, performed while stroking (or at the pauses between strokes), is something you don't include in the definition of "aiming", but I do.

pj
chgo
 
I too use them as part of the aiming process. I use my practice strokes, first to re-groove the stroke. Then, I stop at the cue ball and confirm my cueball aim point and my object ball cut. Then I use some shot like practice strokes to visualize the cue hitting the right spot on the OB, and the OB going in the hole. I think this gives me just a bit of aim fine tuning. Finally, I draw back slow, pause and fire into the aiming point on the CB knowing it will go in.
 
Ghosst...It MAY be 3x and then go for some players. It may also be 1 or 4, as you suggest. The real key is that you must stop your tip very close to the CB, prior to the delivery stroke. This lets the unconscious brain 'decide' whether to 'go' or not. There are also two other key factors in this process, including letting your brain "switch" from think to do.

The most critical concept is that whatever you do, it should be exactly the same setup and delivery process on every shot. Do the same thing, the same way, every time, on every shot...whether it is close or far, easy or hard. That's what the pros do best...even if their 'technique' is different than some of the core concepts we teach.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Ghosst said:
Warm up strokes should never hurt your mental game, quite the opposite. I agree with everything PJ has said so far, along with the other instructors. One critical thing is counting strokes; that sounds more like OCD than pocket billiards to me. It's not 3 times and then GO because you're setting yourself up to get tensed right when you have to be fluid.

I don't recall ever seeing someone play an inch-perfect game without warm up strokes. Not repeatably at any rate. The players who most often just bend over and bang away are bar players who gamble their b!tches against your cue (for those who remember that story, I just can't get the audacity out of my head).

1 stroke or 4 isn't what's important. It's the last chance to make sure you're doing it right. Not second guessing either, just make sure you have the right path, CB aim point, and speed. If you make better shots without the warm-up then you're probably tightening your grip at the last moment in anticipation.
Click to expand...
 
Interesting thread.

Two other reasons that I have not seen mentioned for PRACTICE strokes if practiced correctly that could help :

1) Breathing control- Taking a deep breath (during standing shot alignment phase) prior to getting into the pre-set and then exhaling slowly during practice strokes to get to neutral breath at which time the brain has maximum focus on the object ball aim point (or wherever you aim). In the military we were trained to do this when shooting- shoot at neutral breath. The body is still. Granted you could do this just as well with NO practice strokes, however it would be easier to sync your breathing to your practice strokes. This will create a shooting rhythm that you can rely on and know that you are tuned in for the shot. Outside distractions are minimized and muscles relaxed.

2) Eye pattern discipline- When and if you do practice strokes, your focus should be on target of the cue ball. Where is my tip going to really hit the cue ball on a forward stroke?. When you are doing practice strokes it reconfirms your target (Follow, Draw, English, etc.) on the cue ball after each stroke (practice). Feedback on the stroke. It just reinforces the brain that this is WHERE I want to strike the cue ball when I am stroking FORWARD. If you do not use a practice stroke you BELIEVE that is where your tip is going on the forward stroke but do you have have confirmation really until the actual shot is taken. You will be off target in two ways -either your object ball aim OR cue ball tip strike. Either one will cause shot miss or undesirable cue ball position.

I have tried both using strokes and not using practice strokes and always find that my rhythm or timing is off (eyes and breathing) when I do not use a practice stroke.

I have trained several hundred high school students in the last 10 years and I first have them shoot WITHOUT practice strokes to ONLY acquire and work on shot alignment. To develop more consistent mental focus, eye pattern, and breathing control on the stroke and shot we begin to incorporate the practice strokes.

In my opinion its all about timing- trying to get each component ready for the next. Practice strokes allows this sequentially.
 
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