maybe an hour wasted

I spent an hour today just lagging the cue to the end rail... I promised myself I would not quit till I had twenty that I could not pass another ball between the rail and the cue ball... couldn't believe my eyes when I looked back at the clock and saw an hour had passed...

Anyone else do this kind of thing? Or am I just a lunatic...

B

wgcp said:

Or am I just a lunatic...

B

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I ask myself this question everyday......but never answer it.
Anyhow... any quality practice at the table is time well spent.

Billie and Frank, I remember reading a quote by Ben Hogan the great golfer from a number of years past. To paraphrase his quote he said; Practice the skills which are weak before turning to practicing your strengths.

In other words; use your time wisely.

Tom

Just because others do it doesn't make you not a lunatic.

I'm not a lunatic however I must be slightly crazy...when I put my hand in my pocket I feel nuts.

petie said:

Just because others do it doesn't make you not a lunatic.

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If you want to gamble. Take your money out of one pocket. And put it in your other pocket. And you will never loose.

wgcp said:

I spent an hour today just lagging the cue to the end rail... I promised myself I would not quit till I had twenty that I could not pass another ball between the rail and the cue ball... couldn't believe my eyes when I looked back at the clock and saw an hour had passed...

Anyone else do this kind of thing? Or am I just a lunatic...

B

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Bille,


Practicing any shot that could eventually help you in a game is never a waste of time. You wouldn't even believe the things I practiced for hours just for the 1 time in 5 years it came up in a game.


P.S. Yes, you are a lunatic but at least you're not a Rust Belt Lunatic


Dennis

wgcp said:

I spent an hour today just lagging the cue to the end rail... I promised myself I would not quit till I had twenty that I could not pass another ball between the rail and the cue ball... couldn't believe my eyes when I looked back at the clock and saw an hour had passed...

Anyone else do this kind of thing? Or am I just a lunatic...

B

Click to expand...

No you're not and yes others do. The most important element of your practice drill was that it had a specific and measurable outcome. In a target zone one ball diameter wide how many times out of 100 attempts can you place the cue ball there? This can be a humbling exercise for anyone

Anybody can play pickup games everyday but when the clipboards and stopwatches come out it's a whole new level of training. This isn't just me talking, look at any sport at the professional level and watch how they train.

May I make a suggestion? Perform the drill in each of your next five playing sessions and record your success percentage each time, how many times in the zone divided by number of attempts. The value of these drills comes over time as your subconscious mind integrates the input it is getting. You'll see your success percentage go up and you'll build long term base memory of the physical execution.

With these kinds of drills I usually execute a fixed number of attempts and try to not practice too long otherwise I get sloppy and end up practicing the wrong thing! Short drills with maximum focus performed regularly will give better results than long drills done irregularly. Once you decided to experiment with a drill like this, stick with it over a number of sessions, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

wgcp said:

I spent an hour today just lagging the cue to the end rail... I promised myself I would not quit till I had twenty that I could not pass another ball between the rail and the cue ball... couldn't believe my eyes when I looked back at the clock and saw an hour had passed...

Anyone else do this kind of thing? Or am I just a lunatic...

B

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We are all lunatics at some time or other.
Regarding the lag I like to imagine a ball frozen to the rail and I'm lagging to roll up an touch it. I then have a better feel for the lag instead of lagging to the rail. Since lagging up to touch a ball is something that I do frequently in games.

Man, my take on practice is that ANY practice is good! I would liken maybe 10, even 20, hours of match play to one hour of practice.

The big paradox, though, is that it's hard to do - boring, lonely, not as exciting as matching up, etc.

Part of it is aging, and part of it I think is just my long stroke, but if I do not practice for at least 30 min before I play, my game is very poor. As in several balls poor.

maybe an hour wasted

Not wasted time. Others have made great points. For me, my time at the table is so coveted/short, that I never practice. Always in a game. I'm sure I'd be much better if I did.

petie said:

Just because others do it doesn't make you not a lunatic.

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I hope you guys know I am just kidding.

Tom Wirth said:

Billie and Frank, I remember reading a quote by Ben Hogan the great golfer from a number of years past. To paraphrase his quote he said; Practice the skills which are weak before turning to practicing your strengths.

In other words; use your time wisely.

Tom

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Tom this is what I always did after a major event. I would write down certain shots that cost me, then work on em at home and move on.

Great replies

Great replies

thanks guys... most of you know I have retired... I spend an inordinate amount of time now practicing... especially shots that I know that I am weak or less than 50% to make...

Over the past three days I have played three different people, all who play different styles... all of the match's I have gotten them down 4 to 5 games early in the match... first 4 or 5 hours... then for some reason, I seem to break down... they get back even... all three of the match's have lasted over 9 hours...playing 40 or 50 a game...

I am trying to learn how to close the match's out yet seem to have difficulty doing that... I don't know if it is lack of concentration... or just a my own lack of ability to play solid one pocket that long...or if they see something in my game that they take advantage of later in the match... frustrating to get to the next level...but rest assured I am definitely trying to learn...

B

wgcp said:

thanks guys... most of you know I have retired... I spend an inordinate amount of time now practicing... especially shots that I know that I am weak or less than 50% to make...

Over the past three days I have played three different people, all who play different styles... all of the match's I have gotten them down 4 to 5 games early in the match... first 4 or 5 hours... then for some reason, I seem to break down... they get back even... all three of the match's have lasted over 9 hours...playing 40 or 50 a game...

I am trying to learn how to close the match's out yet seem to have difficulty doing that... I don't know if it is lack of concentration... or just a my own lack of ability to play solid one pocket that long...or if they see something in my game that they take advantage of later in the match... frustrating to get to the next level...but rest assured I am definitely trying to learn...

B

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In my case I think it is a subconscious problem and I have had it all my pool playing life. Now I blame it on getting old, but it is still something I still often do. I seem to be able to dig down and get tougher in tournaments than when I gamble.

I love to play so much I don't want the game to end and I may let up subconsciously so I can keep the game going. Knowing how much you love it too, this could also be part of your problem.

I know you are always testing yourself and trying to improve and it might be the games are so close you just can't keep enough concentration going to play at the same level hour after hour. I have been around a long time and almost never get an easy gambling game.

The good news is we will still keep getting action.:lol

jrhendy said:

In my case I think it is a subconscious problem and I have had it all my pool playing life. Now I blame it on getting old, but it is still something I still often do. I seem to be able to dig down and get tougher in tournaments than when I gamble.

I love to play so much I don't want the game to end and I may let up subconsciously so I can keep the game going. Knowing how much you love it too, this could also be part of your problem.

I know you are always testing yourself and trying to improve and it might be the games are so close you just can't keep enough concentration going to play at the same level hour after hour. I have been around a long time and almost never get an easy gambling game.

The good news is we will still keep getting action.:lol

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I have thought of this many times. If you are having fun, your subconscious mind doesn't want to quit having fun. It will make you dog balls just to continue having fun. Not sure how to overcome this. Its hard to play as if your life depended upon the outcome unless it actually did. Most of the hard scrappers had it way tougher than I ever did. There is an old saying about playing on the road, "If you might end up sleeping in your car, you'll make the ball."

petie said:

I have thought of this many times. If you are having fun, your subconscious mind doesn't want to quit having fun. It will make you dog balls just to continue having fun. Not sure how to overcome this. Its hard to play as if your life depended upon the outcome unless is actually did. Most of the hard scrappers had it way tougher than I ever did. There is and old saying about playing on the road, "If you might end up sleeping in your car, you'll make the ball."

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In 1960 I had Richie Florence stuck 18 games for ten a game. I didn't want to bust him, I wanted him to quit because I needed the $$ so bad with a pregnant wife at home.

We raised it to $20, I started dogging and lost it all back. I realized I did not have what it took to gamble for a living and went out and got a job the next week. One of the best things that ever happened to me.

I think 95% of the players play a NOT TO LOSE style. It is a very small % that does play a WINNING style. Since there is a large pool of players that play in the small stakes who are really not that skilled or knowledgeable, they can be beaten with the NTL style. But that style cannot beat a player with a WINNING style. Nor will it really crunch down on opponents using that same style. More than often it will eventually break even in the long run.
Their can be volumes written on both styles and I am not one to be able to correctly analyze it. I know that most people cant afford to lose. You have a family, you have responsibilities, you have obligations, etc.
To play a WINNING style you must be willing in the short run to bust your bankroll and in the long run develop a style that will crush all these players who are playing not to lose. That is the contradiction.
You ask every pro there isnt a time they havent slept in the street as my friend Danny D says. Or had to put the lean on a friend. But they have the skills.
So its a form of commitment. Not many can make that deep one.

boingo said:

With these kinds of drills I usually execute a fixed number of attempts and try to not practice too long otherwise I get sloppy and end up practicing the wrong thing! Short drills with maximum focus performed regularly will give better results than long drills done irregularly. Once you decided to experiment with a drill like this, stick with it over a number of sessions, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Click to expand...

I have read, and I think it has merit, that your mind only absorbs data best in 20-minute segments. (I recall that longer led to diminishing returns, but don't recall whether 15 minutes was supposed to be as efficient as 20.)

wgcp said:

thanks guys... most of you know I have retired... I spend an inordinate amount of time now practicing... especially shots that I know that I am weak or less than 50% to make...

Over the past three days I have played three different people, all who play different styles... all of the match's I have gotten them down 4 to 5 games early in the match... first 4 or 5 hours... then for some reason, I seem to break down... they get back even... all three of the match's have lasted over 9 hours...playing 40 or 50 a game...

I am trying to learn how to close the match's out yet seem to have difficulty doing that... I don't know if it is lack of concentration... or just a my own lack of ability to play solid one pocket that long...or if they see something in my game that they take advantage of later in the match... frustrating to get to the next level...but rest assured I am definitely trying to learn...

B

Click to expand...

There are many suspects for the root of this problem for you, but for me it is the fact that as I become more physically tired I become more mentally tired. I really shouldn't gamble for more than about 3 hours at a time (unless I have the nuts, which is NEVER! )