I made a thread a couple of years ago (I think) asking your opinions about why some people never progress at the game. I've had some time to think and observe people and I think I may have come up with some reasons.
I'm not a top player or an instructor, these are just some thoughts I've had regarding certain aspects of playing pool, that really helped me move forward skill-vise. I expect some of you to disagree, on some of these points, feel free to offer your opinions.
I feel the most important mental parts of pool are:
1. Visualize the shot, as clearly as possible, including tip placement, speed and aim.
2. Commiting 100% to the plan while down on the shot. I don't think the aiming system matters as much as the commitment to the aim you have chosen.
A lot of us learned to pocket balls from trial and error. Quite often this involves subconscious correction of erroneously picked aimpoints. Usually beginners aim shots too thickly (because they don't know how to correct for throw) and they rattle many of their shots in. They develop fear of these shots, and they start poke-stroking them, standing up mid-shot etc.
Naturally, people like this will never be very consistent at pocketing balls, and will especially fail under pressure, but there is a more important aspect, even than that. Because they will be adjusting, steering etc their strokes will never become pure, and their speed control will be extremely bad. You can recognize such a player by seing what they do when they have a difficult shot. Usually they will let up on their stroke, not finish it or something similar, which to me shows that they are NOT commited to their chosen aim/plan. If you are truely commited then, your stroke should look the same! You may still miss the shot, but always finish the stroke correctly, and smoothly.
Some people never quite get over this phase of the game, and they remain stuck at a particular level (C usually). Once they get in stroke, their subconscious corrections time out nicely and they may run a rack or two, but usually it takes at least an hour for them to "warm up". I sometimes watch these people play and at the very last moment their eyes move away from the object ball, to the pocket or a point between the ball and the pocket, they will sometimes steer the shot as well. In almost every case they will move some part of their bodies during the shot (quite frequently the bridgehand is the major culprit). They will often deny that this is the case. I just watched a player like this yesterday, that I know a little bit, and I saw him do the same things he always has. Naturally he is clueless of what he is actually doing, and will not listen to any advice from anybody, and because he occationally will run a rack when the stars align, he thinks he's able to run racks at any time.
I remained stuck at a C level for some time, until I figured out these pieces of the puzzle, one by one, and I don't think I could have progressed without knowing WHY it was that I was inconsistent. I don't think table time alone could have gotten me further at that point. What I learned was this.
1. Pick an aim, tip placement and speed while standing up. Vividly visualize the stroke and the outcome.
2. While down on the ball I purify my tip position first, then the aim. I forget the tip position while stroking the last stroke, only concentrating on the aim and speed.
3. I try never to look at the pocket while down over the ball.
4. I try to hit every shot with the same, pure stroke, no matter what the difficulty is. If I feel any sort of tension in the arm, or an urge to get up off the shot, I stand back up. I focus more on the stroke itself, not the outcome. By doing that the outcome is always better. I still miss some tough shots, but at least I give myself the chance to pull the shot off.
5. The stroke is not over until the cue is fully extended and is resting on, or above the table. It is not "allowed" to look at the object ball until this part is completed. If I'm struggling I extend this pause even longer.
Naturally some people do not prioritize pool, and do not get enough time to practice etc..The people I talk about are pool hall regulars who should be better, but somehow aren't.
I'm not a top player or an instructor, these are just some thoughts I've had regarding certain aspects of playing pool, that really helped me move forward skill-vise. I expect some of you to disagree, on some of these points, feel free to offer your opinions.
I feel the most important mental parts of pool are:
1. Visualize the shot, as clearly as possible, including tip placement, speed and aim.
2. Commiting 100% to the plan while down on the shot. I don't think the aiming system matters as much as the commitment to the aim you have chosen.
A lot of us learned to pocket balls from trial and error. Quite often this involves subconscious correction of erroneously picked aimpoints. Usually beginners aim shots too thickly (because they don't know how to correct for throw) and they rattle many of their shots in. They develop fear of these shots, and they start poke-stroking them, standing up mid-shot etc.
Naturally, people like this will never be very consistent at pocketing balls, and will especially fail under pressure, but there is a more important aspect, even than that. Because they will be adjusting, steering etc their strokes will never become pure, and their speed control will be extremely bad. You can recognize such a player by seing what they do when they have a difficult shot. Usually they will let up on their stroke, not finish it or something similar, which to me shows that they are NOT commited to their chosen aim/plan. If you are truely commited then, your stroke should look the same! You may still miss the shot, but always finish the stroke correctly, and smoothly.
Some people never quite get over this phase of the game, and they remain stuck at a particular level (C usually). Once they get in stroke, their subconscious corrections time out nicely and they may run a rack or two, but usually it takes at least an hour for them to "warm up". I sometimes watch these people play and at the very last moment their eyes move away from the object ball, to the pocket or a point between the ball and the pocket, they will sometimes steer the shot as well. In almost every case they will move some part of their bodies during the shot (quite frequently the bridgehand is the major culprit). They will often deny that this is the case. I just watched a player like this yesterday, that I know a little bit, and I saw him do the same things he always has. Naturally he is clueless of what he is actually doing, and will not listen to any advice from anybody, and because he occationally will run a rack when the stars align, he thinks he's able to run racks at any time.
I remained stuck at a C level for some time, until I figured out these pieces of the puzzle, one by one, and I don't think I could have progressed without knowing WHY it was that I was inconsistent. I don't think table time alone could have gotten me further at that point. What I learned was this.
1. Pick an aim, tip placement and speed while standing up. Vividly visualize the stroke and the outcome.
2. While down on the ball I purify my tip position first, then the aim. I forget the tip position while stroking the last stroke, only concentrating on the aim and speed.
3. I try never to look at the pocket while down over the ball.
4. I try to hit every shot with the same, pure stroke, no matter what the difficulty is. If I feel any sort of tension in the arm, or an urge to get up off the shot, I stand back up. I focus more on the stroke itself, not the outcome. By doing that the outcome is always better. I still miss some tough shots, but at least I give myself the chance to pull the shot off.
5. The stroke is not over until the cue is fully extended and is resting on, or above the table. It is not "allowed" to look at the object ball until this part is completed. If I'm struggling I extend this pause even longer.
Naturally some people do not prioritize pool, and do not get enough time to practice etc..The people I talk about are pool hall regulars who should be better, but somehow aren't.
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