Finally getting serious

THis is my first post on billiards digest. I have been reading posts since I discovered this website about a week ago. I have an olhausen 7 foot table that is my father's. We've had this table for about 2 years now . I've been playing ever since, I used to only play maybe 1 or two games a month and shot around when I was bored. As of about two months ago I really started to ramp up my playing , now I spend two or three hours a day to just shoot a game of 8-ball by myself. Is this a bad way to practice? also, if you could drop some excersises on this post I would be in your debt. I'm also thinking about maybe getting a new cue. Is this a good or bad idea ? Please leave me a post. Thanks

[Fred Agnir]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote Tyler Durden:</font><hr> THis is my first post on billiards digest. I have been reading posts since I discovered this website about a week ago. I have an olhausen 7 foot table that is my father's. We've had this table for about 2 years now . I've been playing ever since, I used to only play maybe 1 or two games a month and shot around when I was bored. As of about two months ago I really started to ramp up my playing , now I spend two or three hours a day to just shoot a game of 8-ball by myself. Is this a bad way to practice? also, if you could drop some excersises on this post I would be in your debt. I'm also thinking about maybe getting a new cue. Is this a good or bad idea ? Please leave me a post. Thanks <hr /></blockquote>
It's all good.

Get thee to the regular CCBoard.

Fred

Brad,

I too am a huge Fight Club fan. Good luck with the game.


-Mike

[Aboo]

In my opinion, any practice is good practice. As for buying a cue, I think a lot of folks do this way to early. In fact, I think I did it to early. If you have good, straight, well tipped house cues at your home, or where you play, you really don't HAVE to have one.
Now, if you want to play competitively, as in leagues or tournaments, then yes. Buying your own cue is a good idea, because you become comfortable shooting with the same cue all the time.

But if your not leaguing or playing in tourny's, spend that money on some good pool videos or instructional books [img]/ccboard/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] You won't regret it.

[Kato]

Aboo and Fred make strong points. Get on over to the pool chalk board. The archives can help you with cues and drills or you can just place a new post. It's never a bad idea to own your own cue, but please buy quality not price. Too many people make that mistake way too soon.

Kato

[GreenLion]

Playing games is always good practice for learning the strategy behind the games and also some games require alot of certain situations that another game may not have come up alot.For example:In 8 ball clusters are more common then they would be in 9 ball so playing 8 ball teaches you how to deal with clusters.When im practicing i normally start by working on delivering a strieght stroke that does not sway off to the side.To do this ill stroke in and out of a pop bottle trying to keep my cuestick from touching the the neck of the opening.Another good way is to use the line thats on the rail between the cloth and the wood and try to keep the stick on the line throughout the stroke.By doing this method you develope muscle memory.Next ill set up my balls like this START(
%A[4D9%B[3M3%CB7B7%D[5S6%E[4G3%F[4Y4%GC0\2%H[4J1%I[4P5%JB8C3
%KB9\1%LB8C1%M[4V8%NB7\0%OB8B9%Pl9D8
)END
then ill shoot each of them into the corner pockets.Make sher you set each shot up so that its strieght in(No angle)
When im sher my stroke is working well ill set up certain shots that i frequently miss in games and shoot them till i come close to or make it 3 times in row.Eventually you start making them instead of coming close.Then i work on my positioning.For that ill set up shots where i have screwed up on position pl;ay before.Ill shoot the shot till i get good position everytime.After all that i play games the rest of the day.During my games if i miss a shot ill use the pop bottle and stroke 20 times in and out correcting myself.This is a new practice rutine for me but it really works.Im running alot more 9 ball racks now.Goodluck on your game!

[Sid_Vicious]

Tyler...Welcome! Question, do you play any pool away from the home table? If so, then your own personal cue is a good idea. Any competition off the home court is benefited by having your own cue. I'd suggest a Cuetec cue, lower end cost of their line shopped for via the internet. That cue will play well, cost minimal and make a good breaker when you move up later on. As far as practice, I'd suggest getting Fast Eddie Parker's tape if you can still find it. I paid 30 bucks a few years back, and I was really surprised how much fundamental and advanced information was in this lengthy tape.

Other than this advice, I'd say come back here and glean good stuff from these fine players,,,well you might need to be carefull with what you get from anyone from Arlington ;-) sid~~~kiddin' guys, jus' kiddin

[poolplayer666]

to practice play a few games on ur own then see what shots uve
been bad at and set those up and practice those

[cjt08046]

Practice? Tyler, you know self-improvement is masturbation! [img]/ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Anyway, here's a good site with a lot of well-explained drills, complete with diagrams: http://www.onthebreaknews.com/Jewett3.htm
Good luck!

CJ

[Rich R.]

cjt08046, you do know that you responded to a thread that was started over 3 years ago, don't you? [img]/ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]