Why You Might Not Be Improving at Pool - (Pool Lessons)
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2024
- Ten Reasons You Might not be Improving at Pool - Many of these reasons are things you might not have though about before.
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Bryan Mitchell is playing on an Olhausen 9 foot table with 4 1/2" pockets. The cloth is Predator's Arcadia Reserve Tournament Blue Pool Table Cloth
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I am 80 years old and regained an interest in pool a few years ago. Since then, I have been trying to upgrade my skills. I have watched a LOT of RUclips videos. After wading through quite a variety, it is crystal clear to me you have the MOST VALUABLE channel out there!!! Thanks!!!
Thank you I appreciate your comments.
I'm 76 and in the same boat as you and also appreciative of his instruction.
Brian tells it like it is. Thanks for your straight talk and support.
Thanks for watching!!!
I always said this about "good players" who are mainly bar players. Lots of them are what I call shot makers. They can make tough shots, and be very efficient at them. The other player I call, who I see as a much more dominant player is what I call "table runner". This is the guy who almost NEVER has a tough shot because he's always in line for his next shot and has great control and understanding of things like the tangent line, and stun shots. This player typically will always beat the shot maker IMO. My conclusion is this....the good player you mentioned doesn't know why he's good because he has the ability but not so much the technical knowledge, and id rather listen to a APA 4 who has tons of knowledge, but not so much the execution to pull it off all the time, vs the APA 7 or 8 who is a good shot maker and a banger, and doesn't know or comprehend any of the technical things I mentioned
Brian does not "sugar coat" anything and that is why his advice is so valuable. If your practice is not mindful of all the fundamentals then your game will suffer for it. Meaningful practice, not mindless ball banging is the key. I am a firm believer in practicing alone in order to focus on every fundamental, one at a time until they are ingrained into one's muscle memory.
I've gotten some recent coaching on my Fundamentals and have really started to improve with that coaching. One thing that I have seen past that is people not having a positive attitude. Players missing shots they "should have made" and banging their cues on the table or throwing some form of tantrum. Positive attitude and staying "in the moment" really helps.
You absolutely right - the bad news is those people can almost never be changed. The good news is they often provide us with a lot of Ws.
People at my local keep saying. Ohh you need to play more good players to get better. I just laugh and remember this video because what you say is so logical and true.
I have never studyed pool untill this year,it's all more than I ever thought about.Impoving gradually. Still need to get my reps in daily for better cue ball control and position.Shots that are easy I still miss but getting better with difficult shots and position.So it's really bugging me.Focus on my breathing and preshot routine helps before going down on the shot.Thanks. Baby steps. Bob.
"Trick shots, unless you're Florian" omg this is soooooo good ❤❤❤
I agree with all except playing with much better players. I learn a lot from this because I’m up close and personal with the table and the players and can clearly see their strategy, fundamentals and cue ball control. I may lose a lot but I think it’s worthwhile. Certainly better than playing people below your own standard. Provided that it’s only once a week for example.
Agree whole heartedly about not practicing banks. I play with a lot of people who go on and on about how much they need to/ have been working on banks, and I kind of just roll my eyes. I think people have in their head that they’d run out way more if they didn’t miss their banks, when in reality, they’d run out a lot more if they just played better patterns or positions which didn’t force them into banking.
The other thing I find, many people are too quick to play a bank when the cut is available and offers better position.
It’s funny how the best in the world are often an underdog to make a bank shot - but the lowest 25% of players expect to make them.
If something is off in my game I call one of my high rank friends have them watch me and then help me fix the issue without over complicated things and it works. My last couple games my cut angles were off didn’t matter what table I was shooting on so tonight I’m getting together with a buddy and having him help me I need to fix this issue before tricups which start tomorrow
my issue is finding a time to practice when other people are not wanting to play, i don't unfortunately have a table at home :(
Love this tough love approach. Coming from a fitness background the couching fundamentals are really similar to your point.
I love training by basically battling myself among drills as well. To keep both arms at their best, I put right arm (stripes) vs left arm (solids) and have for years.
When playing others the arm I use depends on the ball I am like above. I’ll sub in the opposite arm to avoid awkward behind the back shots 😏
Reps reps reps. Cue action, follow through, level cue, position, staying down on the ball, all the things.
Excellent video Bryan! I can think of a few reasons to add to your list. 1 - Too many youtube pool channels owned by unqualified people (you are definitely NOT in this category). I see a lot of copycats out there and there's nothing worse than a beginner trying to learn pool from someone who is also obviously in the learning process themselves. But they post scripted videos with typical buzzwords in the titles that attract viewers thinking they are pros. 2 - Too much content. What I mean by this is any day I go onto youtube I'm seeing new drills, tips and tricks to "supercharge" your game. If beginners think that spending 15 minutes doing whatever the tip of the day is will "supercharge" their game, they are wrong. I grew up playing pool where the only help available was books. I'd read a chapter and spend hours every day for at least a week trying to perfect what the chapter was about. Then move on to the next chapter. Once I was done with the book I'd start over to make sure nothing was lost as I advanced through the book. Point I'm making is I don't think people understand how much time it takes to truly become comfortable with a new skill in this game. 3 - FUNDAMENTALS. You mentioned this in the video but I don't think a lot of people get the importance of this so I'm mentioning it again. I'll admit, it is boring to work on them, but if players want to "supercharge" their game, this is what they need to work on. I felt mine were off recently so I spent the last month starting off each day by hitting the cue ball from the headspot, down table and back to the cuetip with enough speed to hit 2 rails, ideally 3 (9 foot table). I had two object balls on the foot spot with a centimeter clearance for the CB to pass. Did 100 shots each day and marked the misses with the objective being 100 in a row perfectly straight. Every shot I attempted to make with perfect fundamentals (which work for me). I was able to eventually hit 100 in a row without a miss (a miss is hitting one of the OBs on the rebound). Was this boring? Hell yeah it was. But on that 100th shot, it felt like I was on the 9 ball in the finals of a huge tournament in a hill hill match and I nailed it. This exercise was worth the time and effort as I'm now repeating every shot when I play just like that 100th shot. I'm rambling here a bit now but the point I'm making is players are looking for quick fixes without wanting to put in the true time and effort it takes. Love your channel man you always speak the truth and walk the walk. Keep up the great work!!
I think I actually needed this video more than any demonstration. Truth hurts sometimes. Lol
I te my friends the same thing. I myself am slowly progressing. Trying to find time is tough.
I'm sure this doesn't apply to the vast majority on here, but casual/recreational players often pay no attention to which rail their missed shots strike first, which informs whether the shot was overcut or undercut. Of course, a lot of those types don't have much interest in getting better. But when I think about when I flipped from goofing around to wanting to learn something, that was a turning point for me.
The truth sometimes hurts and this guy tells it like it is. Keep your goals, aspirations reasonable. Most of us won’t put the hours and effort into becoming a top pool talent. As with most things, it takes a lot of sacrifice to be a top talent. There is nothing wrong with being a good local talent. Most of all enjoy the journey. 😮😢😮😅😅😊😊😊
When I practice people ask me if I can jump or masse. I really don't practice them. I stick to my fundaments and making better use of the rails for position (Thanks to this channel). My game went up 1000%. Maybe someday I'll get to the point where I start working on swerve/masse/jumps more. This channel is hands down the best out there. Keep up the great work.
"if you just watched a video and you come away knowing less than what you started?" LOL. Reminded me on that Far Side cartoon with the kid in the front row of class raising his hand saying, his brain was full. Love your videos Brian. I greatly appreciate your guidance!
Once again, thank you very much for watching. I appreciate it.
I was called out about playing great players and losing lmao thought it was making me better
I play for fun, but still want to get better. I feel like I'm right on that line of, if I get a little better, I could easily play apa or something. Which might be fun, just for fun. Who know, maybe I could make some money doing it too. Not really a goal, but I still want to get better. When I do something, I want to be the best I can at it.
You are still doing the deal! Great. WF!
Thanks for putting it straight.😎
Well said Brian ..
Great stuff, Bryan, and you're absolutely right on all counts. I gave my head a shake while watching this video because it so applies to me. My practice routine is SO shoddy it's pathetic. I'm going to have a serious look at my practice and start practicing properly. I mean I want to keep the fun in the game which is the main reason I play, but I have ambition too {even if I am 72 years old}. So I'll let you know when this SL6 becomes a seven, it will be all thanks to you, and all the help that you've given me over the past few years. Thanks!!
Good point about practicing the things that happen the most. I've sort of wanted to practice swerve shots, but there's just no point yet when I need to practice playing for position and other basics first.
Totally understand avoiding learning the wrong way, like watching a bad player. I didn't know about the learning pyramid, makes a lot of sense.
No one ever won a pool game by using a ruler and a calculator...all these angle calculations videos just messed up with my head. Bryan, you get to the point with your instructions that a player at any level can benefit from.
I’m always glad to help. Thanks for watching.
Love ur lessons……
Great info, I fall into these issues. I love your pool videos. Thanks!
Happy to help!
All of the above Bryan 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Good stuff!
Thanks Ron, I was digging your last video. Love that shot on the 2 ball by the way. Thanks for watching and keep doing your thing.
I've always heard playing stronger more experienced players will help you improve, that is such a misconception. It's so mind boggling to sit there and hope they miss or make an error in order for you to get up to the table and just turn it right back over to them. Fundamentals, foundating your practice sessions. Work, work and more work. Please get a Coach, their there to help, not baby you along and tell you what you want to hear. Take videos of yourself, Make your practice session happen with focus and determination. Work on the things that need work on, plus don't forget about the easy ones as well. Those are the one's we take for granite. Take every shot with focus, determination and commit....... Thank you Bryan!!!!!
I always enjoy ... makes me think ---- a lot! : ) Be Safe
Great video full of good advice. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
That was great information. Thanks really helps.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Brian
My pleasure!
These are all great suggestions. After implementing these, and someone wants to still figure out why they’re not improving, I suggest they take just one lesson from a local pro or instructor. Just one lesson can do wonders.
Also I caught your subtle dig at Dr Dave :)
Great video B.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks for the straight talk, Brian. Re: playing better players: It does teach strategy, when to be offensive and when to be defensive. Also, it's kinda like the song "A Boy Named Sue", in that it forces concentration and focus and it gives us experience in pressure situations. Ya gotta be tough or die, or in pool terms, ya gotta be good or you have no chance. A bad decision or a miss against a Good Player is going to be more impactful than against a lesser player (thank you Captain Obvious!) so it does force us to focus. But you are right, it's not instructive to sit in a chair and be rack b*tch to a significantly better player. Perhaps playing someone a little better, rather than a lot better, is the sweeet spot.
Great advice man. Hopefully I see you at Derby this year.
Could be
since I've watched your videos my game improved a lot. even though I wish I could learn your diamond system in banking.. God bless you sir
Glad to hear that. Thanks for your comments.
I jumped on board the poker channel too. Keep up the great work buddy👍🎱👍
Welcome aboard!
I heard a new fundamentals problem last week, and then actually saw the problem in action. I was watching a 10 ball tournament, and the female commentator said she had to redo her stroke, because she found she was pushing the cue ball instead of striking it. She whined a little bit about how hard it was to train stroke with no ball for a month. It’s obvious she was a pro trying to up her game - I can’t imagine the boring sessions for a month.
I had never heard or seen of anyone talking about or doing this before. The next day I watched a Heyball match with a female player against a male player. You could hear the difference in stroke. The male’s stroke ended with a noticeable tap on the cue ball even with soft shots, while the female’s stroke ended with no sound for 90% of her shots. Her stroke actually looked like she was pushing the cue ball. The male won even though the female had a one ball handicap (last ball before the 8 ball was taken off the table). IMHO she lost due to her stroke consisting of pushing the cue ball off line.
I would add the fact that we are humans and prone to fail. There are hundreds of videos showing pro players missing incredible shots in famous tournaments. Practice makes perfect, but even so we can fail. Once again thanks for your videos Brian!
Great point!
I think that being distracted by the score can hold you back. Though playing better in general leads to more wins. A win is far from an absolute measure of how well you played. You can run to the last ball and barely miss the ball and lose the rack. Or you and your opponent can dog the game ball around for four or five innings before you win. A win is a win but paying attention to the actual quality of your play is more important. Win or lose I like to take inventory of what went well and what did not. Often times the mistakes have something in common like I just let my cue ball go or I didn't really aim the shot ect.
I see this in real time..i go to the pool hall and literally all the players..not the casual but the regulars ..dont practice they play games or just break and try to run out ..never working on drills or shots..
Thank you
Hey, thank you for watching and supporting the channel
AMEN! Playing is NOT practice! Great advice from a great teacher! Happy New Year!
Happy new year!
It's all about concentration for me
Preach Coach B. Accidental/positive results can throw a wrench in development. When I became a legit "student", I had to be honest on how poor my overall fundamentals were. Adopting your philosophies have helped me more than any instructional videos. On the road to 100K.
Thank you very much I appreciate it
I don't have a good elbow alignment which is a fundamental flaw for me Bryan
Thanks for the tough love Bryan you are right lol
Thanks very much
I am a much better climber than pool player. I bring most of my understanding of performance from that arena as a consequence, but I don't think it really matters. Probably the biggest reason I see in climbing for lack of progress is the gap between a persons perception and reality. The closer you can bring your perception of your abilities to the reality of your abilities the more likely you are to tackle the right problem areas at the right times.
Bar players tend to be good bank players.
They have a lot of weird bar rules as well.
I used to think the same thing- it’s not that they’re good bank players - it is that they have to take so many more banks because their position play is bad so you actually see them making more banks than the skilled players. Also, Banks on bar boxes are tremendously easier than on regulation tables. I just made a Video on why the rules are so silly in bars, but it won’t be out for a while.
I actually enjoy watching players that are only decent or not break and run players, because on occasion I will notice a few things to avoid that I might slip up and do on occasion. When I watch them I may catch something that I say should never have been done or never been attempted and then I think back in say oh my God I think I did that not too long ago damn. So I kind of feel that on occasion, it can be helpful to watch inferior players
Nice video Bryan! By and large I think this is right overall.
The only points I’d question here is playing better players, and practice the easy stuff.
It really depends on your starting level I think. If you’re a 650 Fargo playing a pro level player, you can both threaten running out and you’re going to pick up a lot more than just how to move balls. Attitude, rhythm, shot selection, mental game, etc- many parts of the game you can’t learn from a lesson or online videos you can only learn when you’re in the grease. I think it’s dangerous for very low level players to play high level players cause they won’t learn anything. But once you have an idea of what the other guy is doing- seeing and absorbing how that player runs out can be very good for your game imo. Every high level player I know or have heard say how they got to their level attributes it to competing against great players.
When it comes to practicing the easy stuff. By and large I agree, you can’t practice a 10% shot and expect that to improve your in game performance. But if you only practice what you’re comfortable with, then you can never adapt to higher level play. The reason beginners progress so quickly is because they’re always practicing at the limit of what they can do in that moment. As you get better, that limit should shift to your upper range (not to an impossible level) but to a difficulty level you can realistically accomplish. Turn those 60/70% shots into 90% shots instead of making sure you don’t lose your existing 90-95% shots. Those shots can be built into practicing slightly more difficult ones.
i know countless a handfull of apa 3s . they can make a bank but miss easy shots all the time. .. then they get offended if you tell them about missing that shot😂
It’s funny that some people get relatively decent at bank shots because they’re so often out of position that they shoot more banks than anyone else
Thank you again, Brian, for your informative videos. I need help with my mindset during matches. I've been trying various techniques to stay calm, and while they work sometimes, there are instances where I struggle. My hands shake and sweat during some games, making it difficult to maintain control. Despite regaining control of my strikes, the persistent sweating is frustrating and affects my grip on the cue during shots. I would appreciate any advice or tips you could offer to manage the stress and be myself like I am in practice sessions. Thank you for your time.
Practice taking long slow breaths and remind yourself to stay in the moment. Get some talc or powder for your hands. A pool glove might also help.
i have had little luck doing masse shots but recently learned of the swerve shot and that is now a helpful tool in my bag. How about doing a lesson on swerve shots.
I will put it on the list. Thanks
Great!@@FXBilliards
Running racks is not practice but it can be educational, on every shot look to see what you would do but force yourself to do something else. Then Practice it until it is also successful.
I love the idea of running racks. As long as you self, analyze, it can be very beneficial
Somr people doesnt inprove for many reasons, mustly bad play habbits, bad alinement, unknow dominant eye technics, bad stroking technic, etc...
What local city/billiard hall do you practice
I would love to meet up with you one day, just to shake your hand thank you for all your useful instruction to this great sport
I play at Markley in Norristown. That’s where I give lessons and I play at Royal Billiards in Wilmington Delaware and a couple different spots in Philadelphia.
I would say I get about 2 hours a day, every other day of the week to practice. I use practically all of that practice time doing two things: tuning up my fundamentals (pre-shot routine, aiming, stroke, etc.) and runout simulations that are progressive and adaptive (6 balls in any order, then 9 in any order, then 15, then back to 6 in rotation, then 9 in rotation, etc.).
I have been doing this routine for a few months now. Brian, do you think this is an effective routine for me at an intermediate level, or should I add dedicated skill drills on top of it?
Thanks again for your videos, Brian. Hopefully you're recovering very quickly and smoothly.
I’m doing pretty good thank you
sometimes i play with my break stick and I feel like i have way more speed control and also never get unwanted spin
Thanks for watching
Don't know if your gonna see this,but I work on towboats 21 days on and 10 days off. My question is,how to get in stroke fast after I get home? I do have a barbox at home.ive never had a hands on coach,but I'm a decent player.i win tournaments,but want to be better. Any advice is appreciated, thanks
If you have the ability to watch professional matches while you’re away, that will help. Avoid watching videos of amateur players like APA matches on RUclips. What you want is the professional strokes, stances and decision-making to imprint on you as much as possible when you can’t practice.
Brian, I have a quick question. I recently played in a $50 tournament which basically means you are more than likely going to be playing against some good players. However my issue wasn’t the players my issue was me! I didn’t play 50% as good as I play in my local Friday night tournaments. I literally played like I haven’t made 3 balls in a row. It was pretty disheartening and frustrating any advice on how to take that next step to playing in these bigger tournaments?
This is really a mental game question. The only "on the fly" advice I can give you here is to remember that the pressure is on THEM. Nothing that happens is going to make a difference in your life even 2 hours after you leave the event. Just have fun and think of the event as a learning moment and not a "I need to do good," moment. You can also check out our series on the mental game at nwqpool.com I hope this helped.
Question not comment; I noticed I miss easy (mild) cut shots when I draw the ball to get position. Is there as reason why draw would cause you to miss a somewhat easy cut shot. Thanks in advance. Floyd Moore
Most likely in an effort to draw the ball you’re putting some unwanted sides spin on the cue ball.
I respect your opinion. So what do you think of a device called (Sightright). I hope this request is not out of line.
Is it true that every pool table is different in speed and length etc...if so ,how can i test any table in order to get that feeling of knowing how the table wants power or spin!! Thank you!.
The dimensions of a table regardless of the size are always the same (twice as long as wide. ) Some cloth runs a little bit faster than others, but in the overall scheme of things (unless you’re going from the best tables to the worst tables) you’re not gonna notice a tremendous amount of difference Usually the people that tell you this table or that table is different, are making excuses for they’re inabilities.
Brian do you have any stickers?😊
Do you mean fx billiards stickers? Email me at fxbilliards@gmail.com with your address and I will send some to you.
SO Brian if playing a much better player should you ask for weight from the better player to even the game up? Lets say in a race to 7 I can win 3 or 4 games but still lose the set.
Always ask for weight if you’re playing a better player.
Just join the channel. as you rate it I figured I am about a 2
Thank you for subscribing
BRIAN, quick question. I'm an APA level 7 in 8ball (a average 7). I'm playing in a NAPA league, different rules. The other night a weaker player won the lag and asked me which game we were going to play. I chose 9-ball. Big mistake. He only needed 2 wins and he got them right away with sheer (drunken) luck! NAPA nine ball, slop counts except for the 9. NAPA 8 ball, call every shot. Should I have chosen 8 ball against weaker players, 9 or 10 ball (10 ball is call shot) when playing stronger players?
Chances are against a stronger player I t’s not going to matter as much which game you play but yes 9 is a better choice. But against a player weaker than you, you definitely want to play the “called ball games. “ These players are the reason 10 ball was invented.
That comment about bad shot players with good positional play made me feel better.
Good day, So I use to play in a league for 20+ years....would consider myself a (B+) in a (A, B) league.....I stepped away from the game due to time constrains and lack of a league to play in for 7 years...that being said, I have been back playing for the last year and half in a fun league made up of a ( A,B,D,E) divisions...I started in D division just to get back into the game, then in the summer finished 2nd in a summer all in One league made up of about 16 players....my question is ....I have limited practice time...maybe 2 hours aweek and 1 hour before leaque play...other than fundamentals which are sound..I play decent shape considering...what if anything can I work on to improve my game with what time I have to practice,Thank you. P.S. been Subscrided to your channel for about 6 months and very much apprciate the way you approach the game..
With limited time to practice, I would recommend shooting balls in rotation like 9-ball. I don’t think anything improves your game more than shooting balls, and rotation.
Brian APA 4 but I'm not shooting as well right now but I have hip pain. I'm in need of a hip replacement since I have pain in my hip. Is this affecting my name?
It seems like I can play but I'm losing games. I shouldn't.
Your hip issues would definitely affect your game. I go as far as to not even practice, if I have a sprained ankle or a sore shoulder from working out.
Reason number 11: in learning fundamentals, you learned you were hitting the ball too hard, you started hitting 50% softer and got some good results, but you are still hitting the ball like you caught it with your wife because you started out hitting the ball 500% too hard.
Whenever I struggle with my golf game I always return to the fundamentals, then I have my club pro watch me swing and he usually fixes me in 2.5 seconds, (btw, I'm pretty good, lol).
I've played 9-ball for 15 years and have never really committed to improving, that has changed.
I joined an 8-ball team for the first time this session and played my league operator's team the first match. I asked her if there was anyone she would recommend to coach me and she gave me the info of a certified instructor.
My plan is to work on my fundamentals... pre-shot routine, stance, alignment, stroke, (I purchased Anthony Beeler's 3 tool training set), and so on. Once I feel I have a GOOD set of fundamentals I'm going to call the instructor.
What are your thoughts?
If you’re gonna use an instructor, you might want to work on your fundamentals, under their guidance. That way you don’t build upon something to they’re going to want to change later Some instructors make a living, incorporating their stroke stance, etc. on their students. I know a number of people who took a workshop.(not saying the name) Where they learned to stance and stroke and timing that they will never use again. So you’ll have to make a decision about which way to go, before you get too far into it
I agree with most of what Bryan says but …
I think you unintentionally downgrade the ability of bank shots. Sure, they don’t come up a ton, but just hitting one now and then can get you a win or put you in position to win.
Nor does it take tons of time to master. I do 50 a day from different spots. Already, I am a clearly better banker than far more seasoned players at my pool hall. It gives me an edge that I need.
Same thing for kicking. I spend a lot of time practicing kicking because I cannot afford to give up ball in hand to better players.
Yes, the other stuff deserves more attention. But until I get better at that "stuff," I need every edge I can get.
I watch a lot of guys play this game and they are just horrible. They’ll never be an elite player but they’re having fun.
That's all that matters sometimes is having fun, pool is a great way to bond with people.
There are a lot of absolutely untalented who can do what they want. They never learn pool. Period !