How to Practice?

10/19/2024 5:27:44 PM

How to Practice?

I have my own 9' table, so I can literally play/practice any time I want for as long as I want. The truth is, I simply don't. I will casually shoot 2-10 tables a week, and not really in a very purposeful or focused manner. Then show up on league night and wish I was better. I'm Fargo 345 with about 600 games, and I'm playing my first session in APA, where I'm somehow a 5 and winning some. That's deceptive, though, because I'm highly inconsistent in league. I've never had an actual table run in any format 8/9/10 ball, but have had quite a few 5-7 ball runs/outs...followed by missing the next couple of easy shots. I tend to play league in binges. I'll play for 3-5 sessions, then not play for a year, then come back. When I don't play league, I just don't play at all.

I feel like my biggest weakness, at the moment, is inconsistency in my stroke. Next biggest problem, is my actual stroke technique. I can tell I don't stroke as well as I used to based on some difficult stroke drills I used to be able to do, like a full table draw with english. My stroke is just not good enough to do them anymore. However, I also believe I may be a poor judge of my own weaknesses, and I may be practicing the wrong things if I just work on what I feel like.

I've watched some of the other league players practice shots repeatedly. I've seen some of those players significantly improve over time, some rapidly, some gradually. I struggle with staying focused if I repeatedly shoot the same shot. I just don't invest the time well. I tend to not practice for very long before getting bored, and in addition, my focus is poor, just robotically shooting, without focus or "learning" anything. It could still be worth it if I was building muscle memory, but I don't have confidence I'm even doing that well. Additionally, doing this, I'm never really sure what shots I should be practicing. I've read that you should make a note of the shots you miss in league/tournaments and practice those. That makes sense, but...I just haven't done it. I wish there was an app for shot logs/journal but I haven't found one and haven't bought a pen/paper one.

I kind of made up my own drill years ago. For my stroke practice, I like shooting with my eyes closed. Line up balls across the table at the second or third diamond. Set up the cue ball at the first diamond for a straight in shot at the far corner. Take my practice strokes. Pause and close my eyes. If my form and muscle memory are good, it should go in at that point even with my eyes closed. When I last played, I made 80-90% of these. About a year later, I don't anymore. It's more like 20-30% now.

I also have the "Ultimate Pool Challenge" and "Ultimate Pool Challenge Advanced" cards. These can be played as a competitive game or for practice scenarios/shots.

So, how do you know what to practice? Form? Shots? Which shots? Other? How do you keep discipline to do it? How do you keep focus? Are there good books/videos I should buy and just work on the things they suggest? Are there good training aids I should be looking to buy?

In the end, the easiest, most obvious answer is simply discipline, and I know that. ANY practice is better than none. I own my failure here, but looking for some tips and/or aids to keep me interested and invested and focused.

Sifu

How to Practice?

Title: How to Practice?
Author: Sifu
Published: 10/19/2024 5:27:44 PM