What should a XXX FargoRate be working on?

SEB said:
No…it’s not.
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Agree. I am a 580-ish Fargorated player (though realistically, I went on a tear for 6 months on CO where none of the big finishes I had were ingested into Fargorate, and my performance against pros at Derby pretty much confirms a 630-ish rating..), and there is MUCH more work for me to do to "earn" that 600+ rating. People don't get how big a difference 45 points is between two players. We are talking, even in barbox 8 ball, averaging an additional 2 break and runs in a race to 5, (for 600+ level play) maybe every few sets. As a "580", during my run, I had quite a few matches where I broke and run 4 out of my 5 racks in a race to 5 alternate break. Then a decent amount of times I had 2-3. The matches where I "only" get 2-3 break and runs is what would separate me from say, a 650-675 Fargorate player.

To fix that, would require WAY more than just minimizing stupid mistakes. It requires mastery of a few specific shots, a lot better break, and hitting the exact part of the pocket I need to in order to pull off certain precision pattern routes..
 
SEB said:
No…it’s not.
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Sure it is, add the 30% more games won due to not doing a simple mistake and that is the difference right there. There is nothing that a 600 can do better than I can aside from a little bit more consistency and 1 inch better position in some shots. A rattle on the game winner costs me a lot of games from a fairly easy shot, or hooking myself by 1 or 2 mm when playing position due to just hitting the ball instead of a bit extra planning. Laziness costs me a lot of games. When I have very clear layouts, I don't pay attention to the details since I can see the game as won and I don't bother bearing down and shooting properly, because I am not focusing on winning as much as playing, and I know the rack offers nothing fun to do past shooting boring shots. A lot of people do that, they focus and get through the tough situations, then when it gets easier the focus is gone and there is a mistake.

When I travel for work, no one believes me that I am not over a 600 because when I play in new places, I have more focus on the shots. Once I get comfortable with the people on return trips to the same area I play lazy again.
 
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hang-the-9 said:
Sure it is, add the 30% more games won due to not doing a simple mistake and that is the difference right there. There is nothing that a 600 can do better than I can aside from a little bit more consistency and 1 inch better position in some shots. A rattle on the game winner costs me a lot of games from a fairly easy shot, or hooking myself by 1 or 2 mm when playing position due to just hitting the ball instead of a bit extra planning. Laziness costs me a lot of games. When I have very clear layouts, I don't pay attention to the details since I can see the game as won and I don't bother bearing down and shooting properly, because I am not focusing on winning as much as playing, and I know the rack offers nothing fun to do past shooting boring shots. A lot of people do that, they focus and get through the tough situations, then when it gets easier the focus is gone and there is a mistake.

When I travel for work, no one believes me that I am not over a 600 because when I play in new places, I have more focus on the shots. Once I get comfortable with the people on return trips to the same area I play lazy again.
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😂😂😂

Bro…i love this. Me too man. I’d be a pro if I didn’t make silly mistakes, play more precise position, and was able to hit pressure shots…all with consistency 😂

This post just goes to show how delusional we all are with pool. We all feel like we’re one shot away from achieving the goal. No matter what the level…we all feel like if we just cleaned up a couple simple things…we’d be right there.

Fact of the matter is that you don’t play 600 speed. The only way to prove your point is to find a 590 player in your area and challenging them to a race to 21 for $500.

You’re the favorite right?
 
Fundamentals, sighting, body alignment, grip, stroke..... over and over thru that whole range of fargo's.
If you want consistent results, you need a consistent approach.
 
SEB said:
😂😂😂

Bro…i love this. Me too man. I’d be a pro if I didn’t make silly mistakes, play more precise position, and was able to hit pressure shots…all with consistency 😂

This post just goes to show how delusional we all are with pool. We all feel like we’re one shot away from achieving the goal. No matter what the level…we all feel like if we just cleaned up a couple simple things…we’d be right there.

Fact of the matter is that you don’t play 600 speed. The only way to prove your point is to find a 590 player in your area and challenging them to a race to 21 for $500.

You’re the favorite right?
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I had a lower-rated player once say something to the effect of "I know all of the shots the pros do, they just practice them more..." Not kidding, this guy was like a 400 speed. What's that old saying? You don't know what you don't know (or something like that).
 
Thanks for all the thoughts and info guys. Sorry I don't really have anything much to add but it's been enlightening. It's not quite a roadmap but knowing what sort of things to think about or work on at higher Fargo rates is good to know.

I'm ready to get off this plateau... yeah I know the story of all our lives! ;)

The rest is just kind of me spilling the beans on what I think was going on with my game, not really needed but it's somewhat cathartic to write it out. Spoiler-ed to not muddy the waters.

The screwy part for me is I started out basically as a kid but not showed the correct way to do anything. Bridge was an upside down peace sign, finger tips on the cloth and the stick in the crotch of the V. Played that way as a teen, got a few books and emulated what they said but read and read and read so much info, so much systems etc without being able to execute or practice them without table time. It's tough figuring out what I need to work on because I do have a lot of knowledge but a lot is head knowledge, I've not worked it out on the table. So I figure "Oh, I know that" and don't practice it out. Figuring out what to work on is tough for me because "I know it" on a variety of things but that doesn't necessarily mean I can do it. I should consult an instructor but I don't even know where to start.

I've started to figure a few things out. Figured out what I was doing with aiming, stuff wasn't looking right and I found I had got lazy. I was literally looking at the balls/shot weird. "Pop-up-itis" worked it's way in a tiny bit. I've also pretty much eliminated english (side spin) from my game temporarily. I love me some side spin but you really can get most places with vertical axis... maybe a touch or side if the path off the rails needs modified for a particular reason, but I'm not defaulting to "load it up with side spin" now. Learning routes. Lots of little stuff, consistency, psr to build consistency. A lot of what was going on was lack of focus because I forgot how much that matters. Been sick and trying to strengthen back up. Body pains, yada yada yada. Basically stuff we all have to deal with at some point. I just basically didn't have the bandwidth to put towards improvement. Now I'm ready. It might be slow but even baby steps all add up if you take them in the correct direction.

I've started paying attention to the shots I was missing (which were ones I could previously almost do with my eyes closed... odd) and started some progressive drills on them. I guess I just gotta keep my eyes open and see which type of situations are giving me problems while trying to be consistent. I gotta work at delivering a pro grade effort on each shot. Do it right or it turns out wrong.
 
Bob Jewett said:
You might want to try an hour or two with an instructor. They might see immediately a problem that you could spend months figuring out on your own.
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Do you know anyone in Iowa? I'd be willing to travel a bit. I've not had much luck finding anyone.
 
boogieman said:
Do you know anyone in Iowa? I'd be willing to travel a bit. I've not had much luck finding anyone.
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I see certified instructors in Des Moines, Davenport, Colfax, and Harbor. I don't have any direct experience with any of them, though.

I've done Zoom meetings in the past and they can work but for fundamentals I think you want to be face-to-face.
 
Ok, Des Moines is closest, I'll try some googling or maybe just asking around when I make it up to Big Dogs. I can definitely see the wisdom in seeking out an instructor.
 
“Natural cue ball stun paths manipulated with minor amounts of follow/draw”

This is an interesting callout. It does seem like this is the mark of a 550 vs 650 player - not just making the ball, but how you make it. Getting rid of the 2 inches off position on shot 1, 4 inches on shot 2, 6 inches on shot 3, and all of a sudden you are out of position on the money ball.
 
boogieman said:
Ok, Des Moines is closest, I'll try some googling or maybe just asking around when I make it up to Big Dogs. I can definitely see the wisdom in seeking out an instructor.
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Have you tried looking at the PBIA list of certified instructors?
 
Make the trip up to Minneapolis and go see Demi for a day or two. Hang out and play some tournaments.
 
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Howdy;

Had someone once tell me that drawing out the shots I miss so that I could
lay them out later and shoot it till it 'just goes inna hole' was a good thing to do.
I use those single subject spiral backed notebooks. I can fit a bunch on each page
or f I need to be neat I just do 4 or 8 per side. Great for drawing up those pesky
drills that are difficult to remember. chucklin'

hank
 
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