Being great at anything requires Practice, and building mussel memory.
Most people do not like Practicing.
JMHO
Most people do not like Practicing.
JMHO
What drills are best to get that smooth stroke like Buddy Hall , or Chris Melling?
- Thread starter jimstone
- Start date
I know the main point was more about backswing tempo, but from my recollection Buddy's bridge wasn't very long while Melling's is. Buddy had big hands which made his bridge look short, but I think it was around 8-9 inches. Melling seems like one of those modern players who bridge about halfway down the shaft, Filler is similar.
Bullshit!! You don't learn position routes in game play, you learn it in practice. When an opponent pulls off a nice shot that the guy in his chair didnt see before you better believe that the guy in his chair practices and learns that shot. Why do you think they have practice tables at the Mosconi Cup and other tournaments??
Mmmm, the impepata di cozze that I had in Turin is my favorite mussel memory.
you think pros need to practice position?
at a tournament?
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I don't think you understand the natural evolution of all sports. Take baseball for instance. When the game first began, you just played it. The best players among your peer group moved up the ladder. And on and on it went. Ted Williams wasn't playing travel ball and training year around. Today, they all do.
Pool has evolved. It now requires at least some level of training. I do suspect that a player that does nothing but play pool 10 to 16 hours a day, will get pretty good. But not as good as the kid that plays 8 to 14 hours a day and trains for 2.
playing 14 hrs a day is training
Been many years since I read Ted Williams’s autobiography. As a kid in San Diego he played baseball constantly and year round. I recall he criticized little league because a kid might get 3 or 4 ABs. He would get dozens a day in the sand lots. Granted, he didn’t get the coaching and they didn’t have the training videos. But it actually proves your point.
I can tell folks for a FACT Buddy loved to practice. When he lived in Tulsa in late '70's/early '80s he would come in Fat Randy's joint, Boulder Billiards, and work hard on his stuff. He loved tossing a handful of balls on a snooker table and running out. I never saw him do any 'drills' per se but hell nobody did back then. You hit a few to warm up then tried to get matched up. As to his stroke i asked him about that 'pause' and he said he did it from day one. Said it just seemed like the way to do it. I guess so.
Well most good P{ool Player are not naturals at game t\but the Practice & Play Pool like it is their job, it is their Job.
I'm sure that they work on whatever they feel they need to work on whenever they need to work on it. Us missing position means losing a match or a few bucks, a pro missing position might mean they go without a paycheck.
No, when you are playing you shoot the shots presented to you that give you the best chance to win. When you practice you work the areas of your game that you need to improve.
If you want to see what drills do go back and watch some of Fedor's old 'Billiard Brothers' videos. He started doing this kinda stuff when he was really young. You don't develop his kinda precision from match play only. Not happening. His stroke is nice to watch/emulate as well. https://www.youtube.com/@TheBilliardBrothers/videos Lot of good match video also. Search 'drills' there and you get them.
sure to be a top pro you need training and daily hard work as getting to that tiny bit better then the rest is what determines if you win or not.
but for the average player hoping to get near shortstop speed, which he isn't ever going to be as he doesn't have enough natural talent. just playing will get him to about his peek.
and if your a gambler then the practice time other than just getting in stroke is costing you money rather than making it playing.
but for the average player hoping to get near shortstop speed, which he isn't ever going to be as he doesn't have enough natural talent. just playing will get him to about his peek.
and if your a gambler then the practice time other than just getting in stroke is costing you money rather than making it playing.
I can't begin to think just how wrong this is. Once a player gets good he may need just tuning but to get that speed is NEVER going to happen just from playing. Known a bunch of ss's in my life and they all put in table time to get there. I'll agree that there are pure 'naturals' but they are way in minority. I've known/seen about 3-4 in 40+yrs of pool.
i think your post agrees with mine if you understand it right.
unless your def. of table time is just hard drills practice time.
all the short stops ive known made that speed from being naturals with great hand eye coordination and lots of playing and gambling.
ive been in pool rooms all over and almost never see or have seen a good player practicing for any amount of time doing drills and such.
top players at home i have no idea what they do. or care. as they are the best to gamble with as you know almost exactly how they will perform so can make a game they cant win at if they go for it.
once i was asked who i would most rather make a golf game with for super high stakes. he fell over backwards when i said jack nicklaus.
i told him why. i knew with in a couple strokes of what he will shoot and i can then make a game based on that.
but playing a weak player, he likely will shoot all kinds of different scores. same idea making a game in the pool room.
unless your def. of table time is just hard drills practice time.
all the short stops ive known made that speed from being naturals with great hand eye coordination and lots of playing and gambling.
ive been in pool rooms all over and almost never see or have seen a good player practicing for any amount of time doing drills and such.
top players at home i have no idea what they do. or care. as they are the best to gamble with as you know almost exactly how they will perform so can make a game they cant win at if they go for it.
once i was asked who i would most rather make a golf game with for super high stakes. he fell over backwards when i said jack nicklaus.
i told him why. i knew with in a couple strokes of what he will shoot and i can then make a game based on that.
but playing a weak player, he likely will shoot all kinds of different scores. same idea making a game in the pool room.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I think a natural talent+work will always rise above an average player+work. I'm not saying an average player can't get decent. They can, but I think a born natural has a higher ceiling and will reach a short stop level far sooner than an average player.
I've always had excellent hand eye coordination in about everything I've ever put my hands to, but pool still alludes me. I'm decent, but far from short stop level. I'm not really a born athlete but I get good in something then after I'm proficient at it I lose interest. I've never lost interest in pool. I've got burned out on it before, but I always come back after a bit of time off. My other hobbies and interests are just gone forever once I lose interest.
I think that's one of the special things about pool, there's always another layer to learn or master.
The player that works the hardest will come out on top regardless of talent. i've known a few stupidly good players that were truly horrible when they first started.
Think the King of BEST Stroke I have seen the most on U-Tube is Efren BANTA Reyes, his stroke is long a flowing stroked with no bump, pauses, or. Just a long flowing Stroke. JMHO