what do you do when....

What Lou said - you gotta redefine "basic" or "easy" and maybe just remove those words from your vocabulary. Be honest and realistic about everything. I feel that's what holds a lot of players back... it certainly was one of my lightbulb moments. Players feel they should make missable shots every time, they try to pretend there's no difference between a ball they make 100% of the time and a ball they make 70% of the time.

When you do miss, acknowledge whatever caused the miss,
you can't write it off as "I'm just so flaky and inconsistent, what the hell. I need to hit more balls."

It could be as simple as "I had no idea where to aim to cut that ball in"
It could be "I was scared of undercutting it so I steered at the last second".
It could be "the outside english spun the ball more than I thought".
It could simply be pressure.

There's ALWAYS a reason. Give real thought to it, then make a point of setting it up later.
You could even photograph the layout if you don't have time to work on it right away.
Figure out why you missed it and try to fix it. That might mean hitting the specific
shot over and over, or it might be something a little more involved like getting
someone to look at your stroke, or playing under pressure more often.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Okay, Justa, you forced me in to this one. I'm going to give you a secret that even C.J. doesn't know about.
Just before you stroke the cue, open your mouth. That's right. Just open your mouth.
By doing so, all the tension will drain from your upper body and your stroke will become smoother than a baby's bottom. Your shot percentage will increase two-fold, I guarantee. :smile:
Click to expand...

Tramp, I tried that and my stroke still stunk (just like a baby's bottom) :o:D!!!

Maniac (just call me "wobbles")
 
Maniac said:
Another thing that helped me is just knowing where I stand on the pool "food chain". I realize that I'm never going to be a world beater. I absolutely understand that I'm going to miss shots that I am capable of making. I cannot tell you how many more break-and-runs/table run outs I would have in my life if I wouldn't have missed that makeable ball in the middle of the run (usually one of the easiest shots of the run). With this knowledge comes peace. I have come to realize that it's okay. The sun will rise tomorrow. My family will still love me. I will get 'em next time.

Maniac
Click to expand...

I think this is spot-on and I totally agree. When I read it, though, I thought of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QlwilbVYvUg#t=116s
 
When i get like this I take a short break. 1 week away from the game for me is good, then I come back refreshed and ready to rededicate myself to practice.
I take a good look at my PSR, my stroke and watch video of me shooting a few racks to see if I a popping up after the shot or something like that.

Doing all of that has always found the problem for me. Good luck, I hope you get it worked out.
 
There's medicine for that

Couple shots of Jack and you'll forget all your troubles.
 
When I've gone through that, and I think we all have, what I have found is that I've come to rely to much on routine. Not that I keep doing the same thing and I need to change it up, but that I've stopped paying attention to the little things and what is routine, what has been working for me for so long I have begun to take for granted, I've lost patience for the little things that I do and I just want to get to the next shot so instead of full focus I might begin to contemplate the next shot or the break out that should happen in the third shot down the line. Some smaller things have to happen to successfully make balls and they happen in a specific order. Determine what your steps are and give each one equal value in the process. When I begin to analyze I usually find my bad habit that I've picked up, did I look away? did I stand up? Is my bridge hand different? Was I uncomfortable but went ahead and shot anyway because I considered it an "easy" shot?
Granted, refocusing like this is a major pain in the ass and it's a long boring and tiring process and I hate this almost as much as missing shots I should make, almost...
...but for me this is sometimes a necessary exercise, getting back to fundamentals. I'm one of those people that think if you have solid fundamentals you fix anything supported by that foundation.
Or maybe you just need a stiffer drink or stop with the Mexican beer and get back to the Canadian, it worked for you before.
 
justadub said:
...you keep making basic mistakes that costs you a match? Three times in a week?

I seriously don't want to play right now. I am so very tired of the feeling I get when I do that....and I know, I have to realize that I'm not going to make everything. These are basic shots that I am referring to.

I know, the answer is more practice, and more competition.

I just needed to vent. Move along now, nothing to see here....
Click to expand...

If you practice the same things, play the same people and do the same things...nothing ever changes.

You need to specifically work on weaknesses in your game until they become strengths. If you can ever get a table at home, and want to play better, get one. There are a ton of good books/DVD's that will help you, but only if you do the work. Find a better player locally to help you along.

After that you need to put in your time, stay competitive and stay active. It's all about how much you expect to get back from the game and what you need to do to get it. I wish playing good was some panacea for life, but it isn't. In the end it's all about your motivations to execute what you know, maybe for others to see or just yourself.

When you get better it is often a quantum leap of sorts, everything just clicks.. You need to work on your preshot routine and just fall back on execution. Once you consciuosly learn how to do something, your unconscious mind performs it infinately better than you ever can with conscious effort. If you ever hit free stroke you will know what I mean. You look up and see beads on your side of the string and hardly be able to recall how they got there. You are in the moment and nothing and nobody else is there.
 
justadub said:
These are basic shots that I am referring to.

I know, the answer is more practice, and more competition.
Click to expand...

We need more information as "basic shots" can be a huge variety of things. The answer may not be practice and more competition. It may be training to correct the area(s) that you are making the mistake in. Is it a fundamental mistake? Mental?
 
Thanks, everyone!

Wow. I posted this late last night, just to vent and get it off my chest, not really expecting such a great response. For that, I thank you folks.

I would like to respond to everyone, but that would get crazy, so I'll try to hit the high points. First, a little more background.

Pool is my escape. Between the issues I have at home and at work, I really, really value pool as my means of feeling good, for a little while. The game itself, with all it's challenges and experiences would be enough, then add the camaraderie of both my teammates and my opponents. We're all friends, at least while we are at the pool room. I value the social environment as well as the pool playing, as a result I look forward to pool an incredible amount. So I put a lot into it, and it means a lot to me. That's probably at least one part of why I get frustrated so easily.

I have gotten myself into a situation where taking time off isn't simple. I am the captain of one team, and the co-captain of another. And the good news is that at least one of those teams has made the playoffs each session for the last couple of years, so there aren't any "off" weeks from league. A victim of our (limited) success! Ha! Yes, I can and have skipped a week every so often, for some family or work reason, and so I can again. And I probably will. But I gotta pick my spots, and right now isn't one of those spots. (End of season next week, playoffs, and states after that.) So while that is instinctive to do, and probably would help, I won't be doing that for another month and a half or so. Yes, a great idea, and yes, I shall do so when I can.

Randy, you are absolutely correct that my PSR needs a lot of work. I was thinking about that earlier today, while I was sitting in a waiting room. (For an eye doctor appointment, with a new Eye Doc, who COMPLETELY understood the issues I was having with my bifocals while playing pool....I was so thrilled! She knew EXACTLY what was going on and described it to me before I could give her all the details. Yes, she wrote a script for new bifocals AND dedicated pool glasses, yay!) I have read about PSRs here a lot over the years, and have made a small effort to refine it. Today, I put some more thought into what I need to do to really set that in motion, and once I get that stuff together, I'll check back with you folks. Thanks, Randy.

Gambling....I get it. It's long been a part of the culture, and I'm sure that doing so will refine how a person performs while under regular pressure. Sorry, if that's what it's gonna take, I won't ever get past it. I don't have anything against those who want to gamble, but it ain't me. I simply cannot afford it, nor do I want the hassle of setting up games and all that goes with it. Don't worry about that with me, Maniac, thanks.

"The easy shots'.... Lou, CreeDo and Spimp, I agree with you . Any shot can be difficult, and can be missed (as I have proven repeatedly this past week) and they all need to be approached with the same level of attention. I believe that is partly responsible, without question. Still, I know that I wasn't hurrying, I took my time on all of them. One was BIH on the 8-ball, how stupid is that? (It was on the rail on the right side, so I had to set it up to cut it down the rail....should have used a bridge and worked down the rail. Poor choices, poor execution. Major embarrassment.)

Another was a 30 degree cut on the last ball before the 8-ball into a corner pocket, after a 5 ball run. Cue ball 2 feet away from the OB, which was 6 inches from the pocket. Probably overthought the leave for 8 and didn't pay enough attention to the shot at hand. Would have tied the match hill-hill, against a clearly better player.

Last night, 4 ball run to get to the 8, left myself good shape for a 2 foot, slight cut into the side. Takes talent to rattle a side pocket....again, would have tied the match hill-hill against a better player.

You folks have given me lots to think about, and I really appreciate the fact that you listened to my venting, which sounds too much like whining and feeling sorry for myself for my taste...and I apologize for that. Thanks again, everyone. This too shall pass, and I will be back at'em again tomorrow night!

P.S. I got no problem with the beer and Jack suggestions, either! :p Though I use them in moderation until after I play. And the way I've been playing lately, they have been most welcome after my matches!
 
Last edited:
Shooting

If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail .... Benjamin Franklin

1) Do you think about your game and your mistakes? Do you 'fix' your mistakes, so they don't happen again?

2) Did you lose focus on these shots your missed? If so, why? Were you prepared mentally, and emotionally to play your best? Some players can not step up their game because of the way they are emotionally inside. Are you disciplined inside? 3 things that helped me become disciplined when I play were Martial Arts, Exercising regularly, and Programming Large Computer Systems. A fourth, I would say, was gambling. They helped me to focus and stay focused to the task at hand, and to think through my options logically.

3) If you view Pool as a sport that you have to train for, in all ways, you will advance faster than if you just consider it a game.
 
A lot of the times, games are lost not because of your perceived lack of playing/shooting skills. They are lost because of bad shot selection.

When something goes wrong (missed shot, or bad position), figure out what you SHOULD have done - and learn from every mistake.

Over time, you will accumulate experience (learned and actual) that will improve your winning percentage.
 
Snapshot9 said:
If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail .... Benjamin Franklin

1) Do you think about your game and your mistakes? Do you 'fix' your mistakes, so they don't happen again?

2) Did you lose focus on these shots your missed? If so, why? Were you prepared mentally, and emotionally to play your best? Some players can not step up their game because of the way they are emotionally inside. Are you disciplined inside? 3 things that helped me become disciplined when I play were Martial Arts, Exercising regularly, and Programming Large Computer Systems. A fourth, I would say, was gambling. They helped me to focus and stay focused to the task at hand, and to think through my options logically.

3) If you view Pool as a sport that you have to train for, in all ways, you will advance faster than if you just consider it a game.
Click to expand...


Re #1.... I see this written here often. My question is this...how does one know what the mistake was, in order to fix it? I'm concentrating on the shot, not on how I was holding the cue, how I was delivering the cue, it's follow thru, etc. How do I determine if it was my stance that was poor, or my alignment? If I become conscious of all these things while I'm shooting, I'll be thinking too much, and not focused on the shot at hand.

Believe me, I wish I had a way to know what I was doing wrong, so I could "fix it". Short of videoing all my matches (not easily accomplished) how do you suggest I do that?

Re # 2....I believe that you could be partially correct with this line of reasoning. I do have a lot of "stuff" going on, and it is quite likely that I am affected by those issues subconsciously, to some extent. I like to think that I am relatively disciplined internally, though that certainly has changed somewhat over the years. I used to study martial arts years ago, before I started playing pool, and I loved it. Now I do not have the time to do so again, which also applies to my lack of exercising. As for computer programming, nope, not qualified or capable on that one.

Re #3.... I would love to actively "train" for pool, but given my life situation, that isn't in the cards. I do try to practice as much as I can, which I realize isn't what you mean by "training", at least not completely. I don't think that I view pool as "just a game".

I appreciate all of your thoughts on the matter. And if you could help me with #1, as I mentioned, I will gladly work on determining where I went wrong.

Thanks
 
justadub said:
...you keep making basic mistakes that costs you a match? Three times in a week?

I seriously don't want to play right now. I am so very tired of the feeling I get when I do that....and I know, I have to realize that I'm not going to make everything. These are basic shots that I am referring to.

I know, the answer is more practice, and more competition.

I just needed to vent. Move along now, nothing to see here....
Click to expand...

Dub,
Keep working on the fundamentals...when you've got those all down, the mistakes are severely decreased. For me it was that I was lining up the shot with my non-dominant eye. Easy cuts I was missing. Not hitting the head ball straight on, so my breaks weren't good either when my sight was off line.

Took me almost 20 years of frustration...good nights/bad nights to figure it out. Do you know which is your dominant eye for sure? Are you sure you're lining the shot up with the dominant eye? For me, I close my non dominant eye periodically on nights when I'm not 100% on...during my stroke, to see if it looks like it will go in...

This game can be frustrating !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
justadub said:
Re #1.... I see this written here often. My question is this...how does one know what the mistake was, in order to fix it? I'm concentrating on the shot, not on how I was holding the cue, how I was delivering the cue, it's follow thru, etc. How do I determine if it was my stance that was poor, or my alignment? If I become conscious of all these things while I'm shooting, I'll be thinking too much, and not focused on the shot at hand.

Believe me, I wish I had a way to know what I was doing wrong, so I could "fix it". Short of videoing all my matches (not easily accomplished) how do you suggest I do that?

Re # 2....I believe that you could be partially correct with this line of reasoning. I do have a lot of "stuff" going on, and it is quite likely that I am affected by those issues subconsciously, to some extent. I like to think that I am relatively disciplined internally, though that certainly has changed somewhat over the years. I used to study martial arts years ago, before I started playing pool, and I loved it. Now I do not have the time to do so again, which also applies to my lack of exercising. As for computer programming, nope, not qualified or capable on that one.

Re #3.... I would love to actively "train" for pool, but given my life situation, that isn't in the cards. I do try to practice as much as I can, which I realize isn't what you mean by "training", at least not completely. I don't think that I view pool as "just a game".

I appreciate all of your thoughts on the matter. And if you could help me with #1, as I mentioned, I will gladly work on determining where I went wrong.

Thanks
Click to expand...


Here's how you start to fix #1:

Remember the shots you screwed up and the position plays you were trying to make. Set the first one up and shoot it and see if you screw it up again. If it's a fundamental (mechanical or knowledge based) chances are you will screw it up again the same way. If you nail it, it was probably #2 going on. If it's #1, stop and look at your setup and check: is your alignment is correct; is your cue level; are you hitting the CB where you think you are; and so on. Also, check your follow through -- this can be very revealing in terms of seeing how your cue is tracking. If it's swarping off to one side, then there's probably another mechanical issue in your setup that needs work.

Once you start making the shot successfully, try variations on the shot: widen the angle: narrow the angle; shoot it at a further distance from the pocket and between the balls; use follow, then draw; try some center ball; inside and then outside English; all at varying speeds. IOW, own the shot.

I think that should do it.

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Here's how you start to fix #1:

Remember the shots you screwed up and the position plays you were trying to make. Set the first one up and shoot it and see if you screw it up again. If it's a fundamental (mechanical or knowledge based) chances are you will screw it up again the same way. If you nail it, it was probably #2 going on. If it's #1, stop and look at your setup and check: is your alignment is correct; is your cue level; are you hitting the CB where you think you are; and so on. Also, check your follow through -- this can be very revealing in terms of seeing how your cue is tracking. If it's swarping off to one side, then there's probably another mechanical issue in your setup that needs work.

Once you start making the shot successfully, try variations on the shot: widen the angle: narrow the angle; shoot it at a further distance from the pocket and between the balls; use follow, then draw; try some center ball; inside and then outside English; all at varying speeds. IOW, own the shot.

I think that should do it.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

Towards this end, I keep a written notebook. When I get home from league or a [local] tournament, I write down things I did well and things I did poorly. This includes general impressions or ideas (like "don't forget to re-assess your plan after getting out of line") or diagramming specific shots that I missed. I certainly can't remember every shot but it helps to jot down some notes and refer to them afterward.

When I'm really motivated, I also take notes during my practice. These days, though, I just want to hit balls to relax. Working on "problem areas" is too much effort after a long day.
 
Remember the shot you dogged and the english you used. Set the shot up exactly how it was and use coins as markers so you can repeat it precisely.

Shoot that son of a ***** one hundred times and in groups of ten. If you make it leave it down, if you miss it, move the ball off to the side. Record your results for each group.

By the end you will have an accurate gauge of if your make percentage increased over the course of the 100 shots and an accurate make percentage.

Not to mention shooting that hsot 100 times will help drill automatic aiming and muscle memory. Also remember to do you pre-shot routine on each shot. It will help make that more auto as well.

Yeah it seems like a lot of work but in reality it only takes about 30-45 mins to do this depending on the shot.
 
One thing I haven't seen is maybe shortening your bridge/stroke. Not everybody can make the longer bridge/stroke of today's professional 9 ball players work, all the time. Shortening your stroke will improve your accuracy quite a bit, I think.
Also, one of the things I do when I get in a funk is review George Fels' 101 Tips. If you haven't seen it, let me know and I'll pm or email you a copy.
Best of luck!!
 
Did you think about what not to do as you were shooting? For example, "as long as I don't over cut this ball, I'll have an easy shot on the 8"
I have a habit of predicting failure on a lot of shots I miss, but not having the discipline to stand up and reset.
A drink or three definitely helps me to shut up the negative voice in my head.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top