What do you do when you suck???

snipershot said:
Ive played pool almost every day,(and I mean really played like at least 2-3 hours minimum) for the last 5 months and I have had some real peaks and valleys. When I feel like Im not stroking the ball, I do a couple of shots that help me get my feel back. One is a max force-follow with an excessive amount of inside to go with it. Its not real hard, but it forces me to focus, and if I dont stroke it, I either miscue like a mother, or it just kinda duds on me, lol. The other is a similar idea, except its a max draw with a side dish of outside. Anyhow, my question is, what do you do when you feel like you are pokin instead of strokin.




Joe
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Hi Joe,
I feel your pain. All pool players go through this. The main problem though is with the aiming. If you can aim perfect your being out of stroke doesn't last long because your body will follow your eyes. Go to www.perfectaimbilliards.com and take a look at what the dvd or lesson has done for other players. From pros to beginners it doesn't matter. Everyone that plays pool needs to know this. You get down and shoot and you miss. The shot didn't really look good to you when you aimed it and the reason why is the eyes were not in the right position. My name is Gene Albrecht from Wisconsin and right now PERFECT AIM is the hottest video on the market. Check it out. See ya Later.... Geno...........
 
So, I didn't have time to do much more than skim the posts here, but lemme see if I got it right:

Suck first, then play with yourself?
 
snipershot said:
Snipped>> what do you do when you feel like you are pokin instead of strokin.<<

Joe
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I do my Mother Drills. If that doesn't fix it and it usually does. I Video tape myself doing my Mother Drills. Voila instant feedback as to what's breaking down in my mechanics.
 
When you suck

Sometimes the only way to get out of it is to take a short break and regroup.
Try to figure out what you are doing wrong. Sometimes it can be just a small thing in your routine that is throwing everything off. It's not that you suck, it's that you have lost confidence and your mind or body motions are giving negative feed back.

On a different Note:
I really don't know why a bunch of people will push instructors when asked on "How Questions". I don't really believe it has to come down to that every time. IMO, just go to the pool hall and ask someone to see your game for what it is. I'm not talking about any ramdom person, everyone knows someone that plays better, using good judgement, you can find an individual that can really help you improve. The best part is, you can learn from the feed back and it didn't cost you anything, worse condition, you pay the table time.
 
Scott Lee said:
Joe...One of the reasons most of us have serious ups and downs in our pool game, is because we don't have the diagnostic tools, to figure out what we're doing "wrong", that is causing us to play poorly one day, and really well the next. As was posted, an easy way to learn those tools, is to take a lesson from a qualified instructor (make sure the instructor uses video review, as part of the lesson). When you know how to figure what's going on internally, mentally or physically, with your "process", you can successfully 'self-correct' your errors or mistakes, immediately, at the table...as opposed to feeling 'lost' (like you are now), and struggling with finding a solution!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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First off, thanks for the advice. I feel like the shots I described in the opening post really get my stroke flowing. As for a lesson, I am lucky enough that there is a former BCA instructor that comes to the pool hall quite often, and he has yet to charge a cent for any instruction to me. He has shown me several shots and uses of english and so on. At times its frustrating, but its worth it. With that being said, my original question was how does everyone else get back in stroke? I was not stroking it well, and I did my drills and it worked great, I was wondering if other players had similar drills, like the mother drills. Are there stroke drills? Im not talking about shooting practice, stroke practice(enter sexual comment here) lol.




Joe
 
real bartram said:
find a good player to work with you it will cost you.
if you want to get good its worth it
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Believe me buddy, there is no shortage of guys and gals at the pool hall that can beat the shit outta me, lol. Lucky for me, I dont gamble, so at least I dont have to pay to get smacked around, lol.



Joe
 
PMS said:
I first recognize I'm in a bad way and I don't arque with it, I go with it, allow myself to freefall to a neutral area, I float there for a minute and examine the zone, then I play my way out of it.
good luck
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That's a pretty Zen attitude for someone going by the name PMS. ;):D
 
pooljunkie4ever...You're right, sometimes it is just something in your routine, that is out of whack. What if you can't figure that out for yourself? Good instructors are TRAINED to observe problems like that, and show the student how to recognize them, as well as correct them. It's called having "diagnostic tools" (see my comment on the "What Do You Do When You Suck" thread). Just "going to the poolroom, and asking someone to watch your game" may or may not be the best way to fix something. The person you ask has to know what to look for. Many expert players don't know how they do what they do, let alone how to explain it to someone else. Nobody is pushing instructors. Some posters recognize the VALUE in having a set of trained eyes taking a look at what someone is doing.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

pooljunkie4ever said:
Sometimes the only way to get out of it is to take a short break and regroup.
Try to figure out what you are doing wrong. Sometimes it can be just a small thing in your routine that is throwing everything off. It's not that you suck, it's that you have lost confidence and your mind or body motions are giving negative feed back.

On a different Note:
I really don't know why a bunch of people will push instructors when asked on "How Questions". I don't really believe it has to come down to that every time. IMO, just go to the pool hall and ask someone to see your game for what it is. I'm not talking about any ramdom person, everyone knows someone that plays better, using good judgement, you can find an individual that can really help you improve. The best part is, you can learn from the feed back and it didn't cost you anything, worse condition, you pay the table time.
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Scott,

Thanks for the compliment. The idea of pattern of practice/reward, and when knowing to quit practicing actually originated from you!

When you worked with me, I walked away with a full arsenal of 'diagnostic tools', so I can understand why a miss happened.

Scott Lee said:
This is REALLY good advice! In a room full of poolplayers, if you ask the question of who LIKES to practice (real, disciplined practice...not just shooting balls, or playing the ghost), it is likely that few, if any, will raise their hands. Why?...because we poolplayers don't like to practice with discipline. It's either difficult (frustrating), or boring. Neither lead to productive use of time.

Now...that said, it is important to reward yourself, after putting in some dedicated, disciplined practice, with some play time (let's face it, that's why you went down to the poolroom, or downstairs on your own table, anyway). Ctyhntr's suggestion of serious practice, followed by "fun time" playing, is the best example of how to approach improving your pool game!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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I put the cue down and do something else.

If I'm not interested in the game enough to pay attention to my fundementals, I stop playing.
 
Neil said:
Don't just play because it's time to, or you have to. Your head won't be into it right. If you are going to play, tell yourself that you GET to play some pool, and you are going to have fun doing it. Try and get a little excited about playing.

Try free-wheeling. Don't overthink everything. When was the last time you actually thought about bending your knees when you walked? Let your subconscious control your movements, not your conscious mind. Have fun.

Pay attention, but, not too much attention. Don't overanalyze what you are doing. You know what to do, just see it and do it. Have fun!.

Don't worry about the outcome. Get that straight before the match. You can only do your best with how the balls lie. Allow yourself to do your best. Have fun!
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Wow, you and I think alike! Maybe cause we are both from Michigan, or at least I was raised there my first 13 years.
On top of your advice, the only two thing I concentrate on is the spot on the OB that I want to hit and where do I want the cue ball for my next shot. How I stand or move my arm is nowhere in my mind, that stuff is for practice. During a tough match it is strictly focusing on the OB and position afterwards.
Neil,
The next time I get up to Michigan to visit my older brothers, you and I have to get together to play some. I'm betting it would be a good game just from the posts I have read from you.:thumbup:
 
all the above plus: get some sleep. you can't play this game tired.

dick lane told me that he "works through" his down periods. i've tried that and failed....
 
I just have to point out that "sausage" answered the "what do you do when you suck" thread. Sorry, had to point that out.
 
snipershot said:
Ive played pool almost every day,(and I mean really played like at least 2-3 hours minimum) for the last 5 months and I have had some real peaks and valleys. When I feel like Im not stroking the ball, I do a couple of shots that help me get my feel back. One is a max force-follow with an excessive amount of inside to go with it. Its not real hard, but it forces me to focus, and if I dont stroke it, I either miscue like a mother, or it just kinda duds on me, lol. The other is a similar idea, except its a max draw with a side dish of outside. Anyhow, my question is, what do you do when you feel like you are pokin instead of strokin.




Joe
Click to expand...

SLOW DOWN! SLOWER. MUCH SLOWER. Even SLOWER.... yeah, now SMOOOOOOTH. Lock on tarket, a few rhythmic loosening strokes then one final SLOW & SMOOTH backstroke then a smooth transition to a smooth accelerating forward stroke.....
Smooth, think smooth, be smooth.
JoeyA
 
snipershot said:
Ive played pool almost every day,(and I mean really played like at least 2-3 hours minimum) for the last 5 months and I have had some real peaks and valleys. When I feel like Im not stroking the ball, I do a couple of shots that help me get my feel back. One is a max force-follow with an excessive amount of inside to go with it. Its not real hard, but it forces me to focus, and if I dont stroke it, I either miscue like a mother, or it just kinda duds on me, lol. The other is a similar idea, except its a max draw with a side dish of outside. Anyhow, my question is, what do you do when you feel like you are pokin instead of strokin.
Joe
Click to expand...

the best advice ever given (and not by me)...

Take two weeks off and then quit!
 
JoeyA said:
SLOW DOWN! SLOWER. MUCH SLOWER. Even SLOWER.... yeah, now SMOOOOOOTH. Lock on tarket, a few rhythmic loosening strokes then one final SLOW & SMOOTH backstroke then a smooth transition to a smooth accelerating forward stroke.....
Smooth, think smooth, be smooth.
JoeyA
Click to expand...

So what you're saying is slow and smooth?
 
Loosen up your wrist, accelerate through the Cue Ball and exagerate your follow-through. Trust your stroke, don't try to force it.


It will come back.
 
Scott Lee said:
oldzilla...Gee, thanks for pointing that out! :rolleyes: Pretty difficult for me to remove something I didn't put up there. Also, take into account, that it was ONE GAME of pool, it was late at night, and I had already imbibed quite a few cocktails, when this took place (plus we were just screwing around, having fun, on the AzB table, at the DCC). If there is anybody out there who has never missed, with B-I-H, I'd like to meet them. I've personally seen Efren, Earl, and several other top tier pros, do exactly the same thing (sometimes at very crucial points in a tournament match...I saw Rempe miscue (and jump the CB over the OB into the pocket), on the final 9ball, to win a tournament once). The CB and OB were only a foot apart, and a foot from the pocket. The truth is, if you're honest with yourself, probably all of us have done that at one time or another. The key is to be able to not do it very often! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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man you don't need to make excuses. when i met you you were still flesh and blood so i assumed you were human. we all miss at one point or another (even ball in hand)
 
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