What do you do ..when putting in the work doesnt work?

4

406jwh

Active member
What do you do when you're not seeing results. I know for a fact that I put in more time than most on my fundamentals and practice and I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing quicker results. It often feels like the harder I go to work the worst my game suffers.

I keep telling myself that all the hard work is going to pay off only to find myself disappointed in my match or gameplay.

Others have told me that I'm getting a lot better however it's hard to see from this side of the fence I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners

Anyone else feel this way and what did you do to try alleviate the feeling of walking in place
 
Can you describe what putting in the work means to you? How many days a week? How many hours a day? How does a single session of practice break down? What areas of weakness have you identified? What drills are you working on? How are you tracking your improvement against those drills?
 
406jwh said:
What do you do when you're not seeing results. I know for a fact that I put in more time than most on my fundamentals and practice and I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing quicker results. It often feels like the harder I go to work the worst my game suffers.

I keep telling myself that all the hard work is going to pay off only to find myself disappointed in my match or gameplay.

Others have told me that I'm getting a lot better however it's hard to see from this side of the fence I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners

Anyone else feel this way and what did you do to try alleviate the feeling of walking in place
Click to expand...
Lessons on a regular basis from a qualified and reputable instructor.
 
Find a good instructor.

More importantly, stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Treat yourself kind. This game is a mental game, more so than you would believe. It's like being in a briar/thorn patch. Fighting and struggling just puts the thorns in deeper and tangles around you. Realize it will take a bit and stop thrashing. It only makes it worse. Keep calm and try to have fun. You are not your bad performance, nor are you your good performance.

Knowing this may help, but it's still a good time to search out a knowledgeable instructor. They can help get you on the right path. At some point it ain't your fundamentals holding you back, they can help you step forward.
 
Oh, I know this feeling!!

"I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners"

I have the same problem. And it sucks because there are times when I'll be playing really good and people think I'm sandbagging because I'll play a rack or a set well above what my Fargo would suggest.....but then the next rack or next set or next day I'll struggle on even simple shots.

I will say time at the table, especially under tournament pressure, is helping me to increase the good moments and both limit the bad and learn how to handle those bad moments a little better with regards to strategy when I'm feeling a little off. It's still frustrating and it feels like very slow progress, but there has been progress.
 
MattPoland said:
Can you describe what putting in the work means to you? How many days a week? How many hours a day? How does a single session of practice break down? What areas of weakness have you identified? What drills are you working on? How are you tracking your improvement against those drills?
Click to expand...
I usually get one to one and a half hours a practice time each morning five days a week..and I play in the evens 1 to several hours 3 or 4 times a week.

Ive tried to create a practice schedule much like a gym routine..

Mondays ..fundamentals
Tues . Trouble shots
Wed. Speed and position
Thursday. Position
Friday. Breaks and fundamentals

I have had good coaches along the way and still send video and talk to one often...but I'll admit that I struggle with what and how to practice more than anything.

I have also been working on the mental side of the game though books etc
And a real eye opener was "The inner game of Tennis " i certainly whisker i had read it years ago..when I rodeoed
 
406jwh said:
I usually get one to one and a half hours a practice time each morning five days a week..and I play in the evens 1 to several hours 3 or 4 times a week.

Ive tried to create a practice schedule much like a gym routine..

Mondays ..fundamentals
Tues . Trouble shots
Wed. Speed and position
Thursday. Position
Friday. Breaks and fundamentals

I have had good coaches along the way and still send video and talk to one often...but I'll admit that I struggle with what and how to practice more than anything.

I have also been working on the mental side of the game though books etc
And a real eye opener was "The inner game of Tennis " i certainly whisker i had read it years ago..when I rodeoed
Click to expand...
How do you analyze your sessions?
Do you have drills that are progressive?
Are you keeping track of the percentages?
How are you tracking progress?

Sometimes progress isn't linear. You may feel like you're making no progress, then you hit a new milestone.
 
406jwh said:
What do you do when you're not seeing results. I know for a fact that I put in more time than most on my fundamentals and practice and I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing quicker results. It often feels like the harder I go to work the worst my game suffers.

I keep telling myself that all the hard work is going to pay off only to find myself disappointed in my match or gameplay.

Others have told me that I'm getting a lot better however it's hard to see from this side of the fence I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners

Anyone else feel this way and what did you do to try alleviate the feeling of walking in place
Click to expand...
You improve in leaps followed by regression and then if you keep working you can hit the next tier of skill. It is harder each tier as you inch up.
What helps?

Have a couple good mentors who play better

Real competition and playing better players

Learning all you can From videos books ect

Putting in the work, like 20 hours a week because hitting balls a couple times a week won't do it.

Having a table so you can put in the hours

You gotta break bad habits as you advance because they will hold you back...I mean everything from how you look at the table, setting up on a shot, mental strength, mechanics.

Challenging yourself by playing for something to keep focus

Learn all the games you can, 3 cushion, chinese 8 ball whatever you can do

All this got me to 650 to 680 fargo

I beat some real great players here and there
I broke and ran 7 racks of 9 ball on a 9ft
I broke and ran 12 racks of 8ball on a 7ft
168 in straight pool

Nobody gambles anymore
Real pool basically dead in Syracuse NY
My 9 foot Diamond just sits there

I'd still match up....just to see if I could win to feel the rush that comes from being able to play well and get the cash. To do that you need game, cash and heart...finding an opponent with that is about nonexistent now.
 
You need a good mentor (not an instructor) -- someone who is an accomplished player, observant and a good communicator. I have no doubt there is someone in your area that fits those qualifications whom you would trust.

Break the ice and seek them out.

Lou Figueroa
 
It's a huge challenge to find quality top shelf players in Montana without a great deal of traveling involved .
Because I stepped away from competitive pool playing for many year's I'm unfamiliar with who may of taken the place of those better players back in those days .

There's more than likely some better players in the Billings area if you live close to there , Great Falls hardly even has bar tables in the bars there , very sad indeed !
 
Think in terms of quality time. Develop an overview of what you're doing and trying to accomplish - and work at it intelligently. The achievers have it down to minutes.
 
Tough love...

Everybody seems to think that they have unlimited potential, if only they worked harder...

I could practice 10 hours a day with the best coaches in the world, but I'd never play professional basketball.

Sadly, most of us have limitations.

More often than not, those limitations are at a level lower than what we'd like to think...

I'm a 570ish banger. I doubt that I'll ever break 600, let alone 650+, no matter how hard I work at it,

Sometimes we just need to accept our lot in life.
 
406jwh said:
What do you do when you're not seeing results. I know for a fact that I put in more time than most on my fundamentals and practice and I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing quicker results. It often feels like the harder I go to work the worst my game suffers.

I keep telling myself that all the hard work is going to pay off only to find myself disappointed in my match or gameplay.

Others have told me that I'm getting a lot better however it's hard to see from this side of the fence I often feel like as a 490 500 Fargo that I'm underperforming the problem is that I'm capable of playing like a 300 and a 600 but the two make terrible Scotch doubles partners

Anyone else feel this way and what did you do to try alleviate the feeling of walking in place
Click to expand...
Drink more, and worry less. 🙂👍
 
lfigueroa said:
You need a good mentor (not an instructor) -- someone who is an accomplished player, observant and a good communicator. I have no doubt there is someone in your area that fits those qualifications whom you would trust.

Break the ice and seek them out.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
😎👍
 
As suggested, building your stroke fundamentals and mechanics is critical but there is so much more than that to playing winning pool, and most players never get around to it.

What I don't see mentioned in this thread is development of your decision-making skills. I do not feel that taking lessons is the best way to learn how to make elite decisions at the table. That means a) solid pattern building, b) knowing how and when to play defense, c) learning all the two-way shots, d) knowing how to and when to kick, jump or masse, e) etc., etc., etc. Hours and hours of practice alone are not enough to ensure that you build the foundational knowledge which is needed to win.

The best way to learn how to make good decisions at the table is to study the play of the pros. When you watch a match on stream, play along with their decisions and anytime they do something unexpected, hit pause and think about why they did what they did. The resources available for learning are almost limitless in the Accustats/Youtube age.

To learn pattern play, study the great ones, like Gorst, Filler, Appleton and Souquet and learn how the masters build their patterns. I've seen players who played the ghost for twenty years without ever improving their pattern play.

Want to learn defense? Study guys like Varner and Pagulayan and, of course, Efren. In each area of the game, study the play of those who do it best and your knowledge will grow immensely.

Most players spend a lot of time and effort comparing their strokes to those of the pros. Stop comparing your stroke to that of Filler and Gorst, for you'll never strike the cue ball as they do, but you absolutely can make the high-quality decisions that produce better results if you put in the great effort needed to become an elite decision maker.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top