When and what made your game better?
- Thread starter jburkm002
- Start date
OB Classic Pro Shaft
There are a lot of things that have made me better and its hard to pick one.
Goals are important though so I'd say learning how to set goals and doing it is one of the greatest keys to improvement. The goals can be physical, strategical, mental whatever.
One other thing that helped was when I started journaling after every practice. Three things I write are what I did well, what I was not satisfied with, and what problem in my game I am searching for an answer to. I also write out goals and plans becore each session too. If you take the time to put the pen to paper, not just run through the questions in your head, you will find that your practice sessions become much more focused than ever before.
Goals are important though so I'd say learning how to set goals and doing it is one of the greatest keys to improvement. The goals can be physical, strategical, mental whatever.
One other thing that helped was when I started journaling after every practice. Three things I write are what I did well, what I was not satisfied with, and what problem in my game I am searching for an answer to. I also write out goals and plans becore each session too. If you take the time to put the pen to paper, not just run through the questions in your head, you will find that your practice sessions become much more focused than ever before.
Last edited:
Hal Houle. Him seeking me out and showing me methods forced me to understand that this game still has many deeper levels that are not apparent and which must be discovered and mastered to really play at a high level.
Because of him I started to look much deeper at how I approach the game and what's really possible. It is a lot more than people think.
Because of him I started to look much deeper at how I approach the game and what's really possible. It is a lot more than people think.
I have come to understand that no matter what the subject is there are going to be bashers. When it comes to pool there are two main camps the NIT/HAMB (natural internal talent/hit a million balls) side and the System As Foundation side.
The hamb guys believe that every person has a talent level and you have to hit a million balls to reach it and you can never improve past that point.
The system guys believe that if you adopt consistent and objective methods you can continue to improve your whole life.
To me that is pretty much the poles of the spectrum. NIT players think system players are suckers for adopting what they call gimmicks and are upset that any one would dare suggest that the learning curve could be shortened.
System players often see dramatic improvement so they testify based on this experience.
I frankly can't understand forum dynamics at all. If a guy says that he learned to draw his ball two rails over several hours of practice during the weekend every single reply would be congratulatory.
But if that same guy said he learned a system to be able to draw his ball consistently in 30 minutes half the posts would be derogatory.
My motto is to take it to the table and try it before talking about it. And even then try to be positive and discuss the technical details of the method. I have very little patience for those who mock and denigrate those who want to teach and those who want to learn.
...................
Last edited:
For me, my game sky rocketed the last 3 years when I figured how important a smooth stroke is. Coupled with I figured out for myself how to finally stay down on my shots. Those two things together were instrumental. Wish I knew this 20 years ago, even 10 years ago!
First big jump came from the 99 Critical Shots book. Anyone at C level or lower should benefit from it.
Reading AZ has also helped a lot, even though there's lots of squabbling and conflicting info.
A few years ago (like 7?) I made a conscious decision to never bullshit myself at the table
and stop making excuses. I still cry a little like anyone else when I miss and **** up.
But I try to be brutally honest with myself.
This change in attitude has brought up my game steadily.
Examples of this mindset -
- No more tip or cue or chalk excuses. It wasn't the stick.
- Stop twisting and spinning balls just because you're scared of missing.
- Admit when you don't know where to aim to make the ball. (so many people will blame misses on anything EXCEPT this)
- Don't get stuck with lazy wishful thinking, like "I maybe can hold this" or "I'll send the cue ball somewhere and hope it works out".
Lessons have improved my break a lot (thanks Tony) and also helped me fix stroke flaws (thanks Ralph)
and helped with my mental game (thanks Brandon).
That last one is still a problem but I'm working on it.
There were no giant jumps, but there were many lightbulb moments. I recommend reading that whole thread.
Reading AZ has also helped a lot, even though there's lots of squabbling and conflicting info.
A few years ago (like 7?) I made a conscious decision to never bullshit myself at the table
and stop making excuses. I still cry a little like anyone else when I miss and **** up.
But I try to be brutally honest with myself.
This change in attitude has brought up my game steadily.
Examples of this mindset -
- No more tip or cue or chalk excuses. It wasn't the stick.
- Stop twisting and spinning balls just because you're scared of missing.
- Admit when you don't know where to aim to make the ball. (so many people will blame misses on anything EXCEPT this)
- Don't get stuck with lazy wishful thinking, like "I maybe can hold this" or "I'll send the cue ball somewhere and hope it works out".
Lessons have improved my break a lot (thanks Tony) and also helped me fix stroke flaws (thanks Ralph)
and helped with my mental game (thanks Brandon).
That last one is still a problem but I'm working on it.
There were no giant jumps, but there were many lightbulb moments. I recommend reading that whole thread.
I agree playing better players helps me focus. I have seen many solid shooters. On occasion I see a shot here and there and will try it later on my own. Like player that have a strong inside english stroke. I tried and tried and failed. Until I tried parallel english. I know knowledge and stroke are very important to executing certain shots. If all cues aren't equal. How do you tell the difference between a stroke issue or limitations of a cue? Like a draw shot. How much is stroke and how much is it the cue?
My game took a big leap forward when I made the commitment to spend more time alone on the table. I got to know who I was and what my tendencies were. Because of the time alone at the table, I was able to take a cold, hard, look at myself and my game, and face my shortcomings, one at a time.
I have found that most players like to skirt around the things that make them feel insecure. You have to take them on full force, one at a time and conquer them. You can't ignore them. They won't go away by themselves.
I have found that most players like to skirt around the things that make them feel insecure. You have to take them on full force, one at a time and conquer them. You can't ignore them. They won't go away by themselves.
Last edited:
Practice by yourself, Play tournaments, or for money with other people if you are serious about improving your game. Pool is not shooting only, you need to practice win and loss major games to build immunity against pressure, and it will teach you to never under estimate any player.
Not so much long term, but very short term was smoking. Going outside for a smoke for 5 mins and coming back in and playing makes me play better for a few racks. Weird, eh? Been a few times I've had an opponent on the hill or close and I've called a smoke break, come back and won.
100% correct, unfortunately, smoking does increase focus power, but at the same rate it increases the death rate..take your pic..
Extra focus.
This is exactly what I was going to write, except for the part about TOI. I definately use a certain part of my foot to line up shots. Also learning a clock system for position from a top pro enabled me to go from a D player to an A player in 4 years. The learning curve should've been shorter but I ignored how important fundamentals was in the beginning of my pool journey. I'm not saying that I started playing 4 years ago, I'm saying that I took the game serious 4 years ago i.e. praticing, taking lessons.
Last edited:
Think many of you probably hit the nail on the head for many players.
Thinking three balls ahead. I have always been aware of the balls but didn't really think about proper angles. Guess I relied on English to create the next angle I needed.
Proper angles or natural angles. Fancy english looks great but usually means your making up for bad position and can lead to misses. I have been working on playing more center (high, center and low) and less left and right.
Thinking three balls ahead. I have always been aware of the balls but didn't really think about proper angles. Guess I relied on English to create the next angle I needed.
Proper angles or natural angles. Fancy english looks great but usually means your making up for bad position and can lead to misses. I have been working on playing more center (high, center and low) and less left and right.