What Are "Practice" Strokes For?

[dorabelle]

seriously, try this:

toss the balls out onto the table... shoot every shot with NO practice strokes - and see how many shots it takes to clear the table.

toss them out again and take at least 3 practice strokes before hitting the cb - count the strokes.

i'm pretty sure the rack with the practice strokes will give you a lower number of shots to get out.

theoretically, you make sense. if you have a straight stroke and know the contact point, why take practice strokes... but we aren't robots and we have finer movement ability, so those pre-strokes actually get us in line - as opposed to just being in the area of the line.

Im just learning how to play this silly game but I do want to say one thing. Your feet and cue line get you into line. Not your practice strokes. and when you know your in line with out practice strokes, your not second guessing your self. If your body is inline on your shot, you can feel it. You should know if your going to make that ball when you bend over the table. I would not want to rely on my practice strokes for any kind of aim. Your body should aim not a moving arm.

 

[Buster Jones]

I think this relates to (1).

If your stance is not quite right, either too close to the stick or angled a bit one way or the other, I think it's possible you won't notice the problem in the set position. But once you start swinging your forearm you can feel it doesn't really WANT to swing right on the stick line.

This is a good point and reminds me of alot new players that make a basic mistake of lining up on the ball after getting down on the table. First they start close to the cue ball and move backward to set up their stance. It is much more accurate to stand a couple feet back and approach the shot and move forward to the cue ball. It also saves time by readjusting after you are already down on the shot. I think golfers use a similar approach.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Me:
Here's what I'm doing (pretty much in chronological order):

1. Getting my stick swinging naturally and loosely in a straight line and in line with my natural line-of-sight (adjusting elbow position, grip, head/shoulder position, bridge position)

pooltchr:
...could be accomplished in part before you ever get down on the shot, and without moving the cue back and forth after you get down on the shot.

I find it helpful to verify by swinging the stick.

2. Getting my stick in line with the intended CB contact point and the intended initial CB path (compensated for squirve)

...can be accomplished without moving the cue back and forth.

I find that moving the stick verifies that both the stick and my stroke are in line. The stroke can't be verified without moving the cue. Some may have a reliable enough pre-shot setup that the stroke doesn't have to be verified - I don't (yet).

3. Checking the intended CB path for aiming accuracy

...No cue movement necessary for this

This is more of an added emphasis placed on aiming during #2 than a completely separate step.

4. Rehearsing my stroke for the necessary spin and speed

...do you really rehearse your speed with your warm up strokes?

Yes, I do, although not in a strictly physical sense. I do change the speed of my forward practice strokes by some fraction of the change in speed needed in the final shot stroke, but it's more to aid the "realism" of my visualization than to "rehearse" the actual shot speed.

I suspect that would be a little awkward when you are getting ready to break.

Actually, I find it even more physically beneficial for break strokes. I pump some fast practice strokes in order to warm up the muscles for a quicker snap on the actual shot stroke. Maybe you should try it.

And your spin is a function of where the tip makes contact. You can verify the contact point without moving the cue once it is in position.

Spin effect (and aim for that matter) is also dependent on the speed of the shot, which is part of the visualization I'm refining with the "rehearsal" strokes.

You might notice a theme here: visualizing both the abstract and "physical" parts of the shot is a huge part of my shooting success, and a big part of why I value practice strokes.

On the other hand, I often practice without any practice strokes in order to force myself to visualize more quickly or more completely. I also find that exercise to be very valuable, but not while I'm competing.

pj
chgo

 

[dorabelle]

sorry to beat a dead horse but im going to keep being devils advocate and i think that this is a very important part of a persons game. try this, get into line and bend over the table like your going to hit the ball. look at the object ball without practice strokes. Are you going to make the ball? If you cant tell, then practice this until you can. Are you going to make the ball? if not then stand back up and adjust your feet and do it all over again. Do this until you learn what it feels like to be inline properly with out having to swing your arm a bunch of times. Practice strokes to help you aim is like a bad crutch that takes alot of energy. Just my opinion.

 

[stljohnny]

I used to do the whole three practice strokes, pause, shoot thing. then i wanted to simplify my game and cut out all the crap and got rid of my practice strokes. huge difference. I spend that time on getting in line and aiming now. For me it was too much stuff to do and clutter for my brain. I hear what your saying and will try it as long as you promise to try it with out practice strokes and see what you think.

I do actually do that... when I realize that my game is totally out of sync because i've over-analyzed the table/shot/etc. I just start "free stroking" to shut my brain off - almost like speed pool - I let my subconscious do the work until I feel like I've worked out whatever kink there might have been.

Practice strokes aren't meant to clutter your brain... I use them as time to shut my brain off - it shouldn't be "on" when down on the shot anyway. They can also tell you if you have a comfortable bridge position, if you have room to stroke through, over, underneath, etc. They help you pin-point the exact location of the tip on the cueball.

 

[stljohnny]

sorry to beat a dead horse but im going to keep being devils advocate and i think that this is a very important part of a persons game. try this, get into line and bend over the table like your going to hit the ball. look at the object ball without practice strokes. Are you going to make the ball? If you cant tell, then practice this until you can. Are you going to make the ball? if not then stand back up and adjust your feet and do it all over again. Do this until you learn what it feels like to be inline properly with out having to swing your arm a bunch of times. Practice strokes to help you aim is like a bad crutch that takes alot of energy. Just my opinion.

No one should be aiming during their practice strokes... it's only there for tip placement and loosening of the arm muscles.

I dont know about anyone else, but my practice strokes don't take "a lot of energy"... the actual shot will take more energy than my 3 practice strokes combined. Some guys do really quick jackhammer approach - to loosen up I guess, and that's a lot of energy, true - but in general, I just dont see practice strokes taking up enough energy to inhibit anyone's game - regardless of how long they've been playing a session.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

sorry to beat a dead horse but im going to keep being devils advocate and i think that this is a very important part of a persons game. try this, get into line and bend over the table like your going to hit the ball. look at the object ball without practice strokes. Are you going to make the ball? If you cant tell, then practice this until you can. Are you going to make the ball? if not then stand back up and adjust your feet and do it all over again. Do this until you learn what it feels like to be inline properly with out having to swing your arm a bunch of times.

As I said above, I practice this frequently. But it hasn't convinced me that practice strokes are not beneficial.

Practice strokes to help you aim is like a bad crutch that takes alot of energy. Just my opinion.

I agree that many (most?) players take practice strokes without a clear idea of what they're trying to accomplish with them, and often waste valuable time that could be better spent refining their stance, aim and visualization. That's essentially why I started this thread - to call attention to the benefits of making the most of practice strokes.

One thing I've added to my practice strokes is something I heard on AzB recently: to use each of the last three practice strokes to focus more and more intently on the OB contact point. Having a number of strokes over which to accomplish this and to "trigger" this final focus is very helpful to me.

So I can't agree that practice strokes are only a crutch. For me, at least, they're a great help and not wasted at all.

pj
chgo

 

[pooltchr]

PJ, I agree that there are benefits to be had from practice strokes, although we may not agree on what those benefits are. I contend that they benefit a player in determining tip/cb contact point, and maybe even loosening up the stroke arm, but not for aiming or for speed practice. There are better times in the shooting process to take care of these things.

And please, just to clarify, I am not advocating not using warm up strokes to anyone. I am just saying that they may not be a critical thing for every player. More critical for some...less for others.

Steve

 

[dr_dave]

PJ, I agree that there are benefits to be had from practice strokes, although we may not agree on what those benefits are. I contend that they benefit a player in determining tip/cb contact point, and maybe even loosening up the stroke arm, but not for aiming or for speed practice. There are better times in the shooting process to take care of these things.

And please, just to clarify, I am not advocating not using warm up strokes to anyone. I am just saying that they may not be a critical thing for every player. More critical for some...less for others.

To me, the primary benefit is to make sure I maintain the desired aiming line (i.e., the cue remains pointed where I want it) and tip contact point during and after arm motion.

Thanks for the great thread,
Dave

 

[poolplayer2093]

What are you accomplishing with your "practice" strokes?

Here's what I'm doing (pretty much in chronological order):

1. Getting my stick swinging naturally and loosely in a straight line and in line with my natural line-of-sight (adjusting elbow position, grip, head/shoulder position, bridge position)

2. Getting my stick in line with the intended CB contact point and the intended initial CB path (compensated for squirve)

3. Checking the intended CB path for aiming accuracy

4. Rehearsing my stroke for the necessary spin and speed

In other words, I sort of work from my stick outward toward the OB, putting the pieces together and building the shot as I go. Of course, there's some going back and forth between some of these steps, but the above order is about right. Also, the adjustments I mention are very small, or I stand up and start over.

What are you up to down there?

pj
chgo

i stopped using 'em. i don't see a need

 

[Patrick Johnson]

pooltchr:
I contend that [practice strokes] benefit a player in determining tip/cb contact point, and maybe even loosening up the stroke arm, but not for aiming or for speed practice.

If by "a player" you mean every player, then I disagree, since they do benefit me (and I must assume others) for aiming and speed visualization (not "speed practice"). We may have some semantic differences, especially with "aiming" - that word can mean very different things to different people.

pj
chgo

 

[dorabelle]

I love this thread. mostly because as someone who is learning how to play, this is what im concentrating on right now. all the pre shot stuff. all the pros are varied on practice strokes and preshot stuff. Drago had no practice strokes, Varner has no practice strokes, alot of others have little hesitations and a different number of practice strokes on different shots. Some are vary regimented in the same number no matter what. hope more people post and tell us what they think about practice strokes.

 

[sjb]

Practice strokes help me clear any mind clutter before the shot.

 

[BRKNRUN]

I have not seen this type of response yet...so I will go ahead and post it since I think it is what I do.

I think what I do relates to #1 and #4.

My whole purpose of a practice stroke is to

#1 - get in tempo with the shot
#2 - get the right feel for the shot.

Hopefully....when I am playing a match....all of the checklist..."aka" preshot routine stuff comes from my subconcious..........as soon as I start conciously thinking about more than about 1 swing thought...(grip stance posture, alignment) during play....I am done.

Now in practice...that is a whole different story....After choosing a shot...My checklist is starts with my grip, stance, posture, balance, alignment,...etc....etc...etc.

 

[lfigueroa]

What are you accomplishing with your "practice" strokes?

Here's what I'm doing (pretty much in chronological order):

1. Getting my stick swinging naturally and loosely in a straight line and in line with my natural line-of-sight (adjusting elbow position, grip, head/shoulder position, bridge position)

2. Getting my stick in line with the intended CB contact point and the intended initial CB path (compensated for squirve)

3. Checking the intended CB path for aiming accuracy

4. Rehearsing my stroke for the necessary spin and speed

In other words, I sort of work from my stick outward toward the OB, putting the pieces together and building the shot as I go. Of course, there's some going back and forth between some of these steps, but the above order is about right. Also, the adjustments I mention are very small, or I stand up and start over.

What are you up to down there?

pj
chgo

Good question.

First, I'm checking to see if my PSR plopped me down and set me up to hit the CB where and how I planned when I was looking at the shot.

Second, I'm doing a quick sanity check to make sure it's a good choice (on the rare occasion it's not, I stand up and reevaluate).

Third, I'm taking a stroke or two to calibrate my stroke speed and delivery, given where and how I'm set up to hit the CB and where I want the CB to land.

Lou Figueroa

 

[book collector]

What are practice strokes for

For me the practice strokes are to get everything taken care of except cueball speed, I am lined up correctly check , I am hitting the cueball in the proper spot check I adjust the speed of my stroke to move the cueball to where it needs to be check , last stroke is the one where it all comes together. That way on the last stroke I am mostly focused on cueball speed.

 

[Android]

I stopped using practice strokes about 5 or 6 months ago and am playing better without them.
I do all my thinking about my shot standing up, aiming, speed and english.
If I put my body in the right position once I get down I don't need any practice strokes or to even have my eyes open, because I know what is going to happen.
For me all practice strokes do is give me time when I am down on the ball to question myself and bring doubt into my mind. I cannot shut my mind down and it is always getting in the way when I am shooting. I had someone tell me I was trying to be to perfect with my shots and making adjustments when I was down. For me less time to think is better.

Andy

ps Don't practice strokes train you to stop at the cueball instead of stroking through it???

 

[ShootingArts]

Two things

One is that moving through the motion a few times tends to insure that a nerve doesn't misfire on the actual stroke. The other thing is that I am gauging the weight of the cue and deciding if I need more speed to move the cue ball around how much harder do the muscles need to work? Anything else I am doing waving a stick back and forth is just killing time and bad habit for me.

I was watching a lil' furrin fellow that plays pool pretty well. Regardless of how many practice strokes he took he stopped at the cue ball a final time, made one full back and forth practice stroke and then hit the cue ball in one continuous motion. (To save quibbling, he does use an elliptical stroke so it is quite possible for him to move the cue stick back and forth in a continuous motion without it ever pausing or stopping even for an instant.)

Hu

 

[dorabelle]

I stopped using practice strokes about 5 or 6 months ago and am playing better without them.
I do all my thinking about my shot standing up, aiming, speed and english.
If I put my body in the right position once I get down I don't need any practice strokes or to even have my eyes open, because I know what is going to happen.
For me all practice strokes do is give me time when I am down on the ball to question myself and bring doubt into my mind. I cannot shut my mind down and it is always getting in the way when I am shooting. I had someone tell me I was trying to be to perfect with my shots and making adjustments when I was down. For me less time to think is better.

Andy

ps Don't practice strokes train you to stop at the cueball instead of stroking through it???

Me too. Practice strokes hurt my mental game. I play better without them. Shooting without ps forces me to have a great aproach, alignment, aim, and to do all my thinking about my shot before I bend down.

 

[Scott Lee]

Android...Actually there's a difference between "warmup swings" and practice strokes. Every poster here is talking about warm up swings (where the cuestick is inline with the shot, and the tip stops close to the CB), which are part of our shooting checklist, immediately prior to stroking through the CB. A practice stroke would emphasize the entire swing, from starting at the CB...nice smooth backswing, with a smooth transition...and a finished forward stroke. I think 'practice strokes' are great. I use them, and I teach them (setup next to the CB and swing through your entire backswing and stroke). You'd be amazed at how well this sets your brain and body up for delivering the perfect swing. It's all about verifying your stroke speed and tip position PRIOR to striking the CB. Oh...and no, warmups do not train you to stop at the CB on your final stroke.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

ps Don't practice strokes train you to stop at the cueball instead of stroking through it???