It was the kind of an evening where you question why you went to the pool hall in the first place. I woke up at 4:00 AM last Wednesday, and had an active day. Still, after some caffeine (Mt. Dew) and a shower, I thought I might be awake enough to get some practice in, so I went to Buster's for a couple of hours.
I did my usual opening drill, rolling the stripes and the 8-ball onto the table and trying to run them out. When I miss on this drill, I put one of the solids out there too (making the layout a bit harder) and try again from the beginning. Each time I mess up the runout, another "opponent" ball goes into the layout. This time I needed SIX tries before running out the stripes. I knew then it could be a rough night on the table.
Once that drill was finished, I started my drill of breaking up the last six balls of a nine-ball rack and running them in order. As I detailed in my last post, I was able to do this 4 out of 10 times a couple of weeks ago. This night, I could not even do it ONCE in my first 12 tries. I kept coming close, but could not complete the runout.
As a side note, the pool hall was crowded and people were playing decent music on the jukebox. So, I was having a pretty good time anyway. When the music stopped for a bit, I figured I would put in some songs and give the drill one more shot (so to speak).
Well, I don't know if it was that "my music" was playing, or that I finally woke up...but I was able to complete the drill SIX OUT OF NINE TIMES! I got my degree in Statistics, and I KNOW how improbable it is that I could do it 6 out of 9 times after not being able to do it even once all night. Not only that, but after the sixth victory, I tried a few more times and once again I could not complete it even once. Truly, it was lightning in a bottle...I am not sure whether to move on to seven balls for the drill, or make it so that I have to do the six-ball drill again first.
On another note, I ran into the man who is making my new cue. He seems mostly recovered from an accident he had last autumn, and he is working on getting the blank for my cue. After that, he will be working on getting the cue itself. It will likely still be a few months, but at least there is progress being made.
Showing posts with label 9-ball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 9-ball. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
New drill, slight progress in current drill
In a recent post, I detailed a drill that I am doing where I try to run the last six balls of a nine-ball rack 6 times out of 11. Up until recently, the best I could do was 2 out of 8 times.
Over the recent holiday week, I went to a pool hall while in Canada and worked on this drill a bit. By the end of the session, I was able to complete the drill 4 out of 10 times, including twice in a row! While this is not where I want to be, it marks a bit of progress, and gives me hope that I may be able to hit my goal sometime soon.
I also found another drill that I decided to try. In this drill (found on pool.bz originally), you put the object ball on the spot, and the cue ball against the side rail, parallel with the object ball. You can start on either side of the object ball. The point of this drill is to sink the object ball, then replace the object ball and move the cue ball one diamond up the rail. Each time you miss, you shoot again from the same spot. Each time you sink the object ball, you move the cue ball one diamond further up the rail. The last shot is taken from the diamond that is parallel with the object ball on the other side from where you started - 17 shots in all. In the video where I first saw the drill, the 17 shots were made with only three misses. My first attempt at this drill included 14 misses, for a success rate of 17/31, or 55%. It is a great drill for getting familiar with the difficult shots that you sometimes need to take from the rail, though.
Over the recent holiday week, I went to a pool hall while in Canada and worked on this drill a bit. By the end of the session, I was able to complete the drill 4 out of 10 times, including twice in a row! While this is not where I want to be, it marks a bit of progress, and gives me hope that I may be able to hit my goal sometime soon.
I also found another drill that I decided to try. In this drill (found on pool.bz originally), you put the object ball on the spot, and the cue ball against the side rail, parallel with the object ball. You can start on either side of the object ball. The point of this drill is to sink the object ball, then replace the object ball and move the cue ball one diamond up the rail. Each time you miss, you shoot again from the same spot. Each time you sink the object ball, you move the cue ball one diamond further up the rail. The last shot is taken from the diamond that is parallel with the object ball on the other side from where you started - 17 shots in all. In the video where I first saw the drill, the 17 shots were made with only three misses. My first attempt at this drill included 14 misses, for a success rate of 17/31, or 55%. It is a great drill for getting familiar with the difficult shots that you sometimes need to take from the rail, though.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Escalating drills on the pool table
There is one pool drill that I have been doing off and on since I got back to the game. It all started when I took a lesson, and the instructor told me to (as a practice drill on my own) spread out three balls on the table and run them out. He wanted me to be able to do this 10 times in a row. It was harder than it looked, even with starting the drill with ball-in-hand.
When I was finally able to do it, I modified the drill to make it so that I had to run the balls in order. I would use the 7,8, and 9 balls and run them out like the end of a 9-ball game. I got to where I could do this three times out of four, so I moved up to a four-ball sequence, breaking up the 6-7-8-9 and then getting ball-in-hand and trying to run out. If any balls went in on the break, they could be spotted on either spot. I wanted to keep doing this drill until I could run them four times out of seven.
This took MONTHS. Several times I got close, running the balls three times out of seven, but for the longest time I could not get over the hump. Finally, though, last month I made a breakthrough. I was able to run all four balls four times in a ROW. So, the same night, I tried to run five in a row, and managed to do THAT five times out of seven!
So, I have raised this drill to the next level. Now, when I practice it, I break up the 4-5-6-7-8-9 and then give myself ball-in-hand and try to run out. My goal is to do it six out of eleven times. So far the best I have done is two out of eight, so I have a ways to go. It takes a LOT of concentration, and there is a feeling of satisfaction each time I DO manage to do it successfully.
When I was finally able to do it, I modified the drill to make it so that I had to run the balls in order. I would use the 7,8, and 9 balls and run them out like the end of a 9-ball game. I got to where I could do this three times out of four, so I moved up to a four-ball sequence, breaking up the 6-7-8-9 and then getting ball-in-hand and trying to run out. If any balls went in on the break, they could be spotted on either spot. I wanted to keep doing this drill until I could run them four times out of seven.
This took MONTHS. Several times I got close, running the balls three times out of seven, but for the longest time I could not get over the hump. Finally, though, last month I made a breakthrough. I was able to run all four balls four times in a ROW. So, the same night, I tried to run five in a row, and managed to do THAT five times out of seven!
So, I have raised this drill to the next level. Now, when I practice it, I break up the 4-5-6-7-8-9 and then give myself ball-in-hand and try to run out. My goal is to do it six out of eleven times. So far the best I have done is two out of eight, so I have a ways to go. It takes a LOT of concentration, and there is a feeling of satisfaction each time I DO manage to do it successfully.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Back on the table!
After about two months away from the pool table (due to work and vacation), I went back to Legends last Monday for a couple of hours. I did not have much in the way of expectations, since I figured I would be rusty, but things actually went pretty well. I met a nice guy named Larry, and we played several games of eight-ball and nine-ball. I won most of the games, but I was very streaky - one game I would run the table, and the next I could not make an easy shot.
At the end of my evening at Legends, I received a tip from a really good player who had been watching me shoot for the previous few minutes. He told me that even though I had my back (right) hand on the cue extension, I did not have it far enough back, so my cue was still coming up at the end of my stroke. This is not a tip one would normally get in a pool hall, since usually you do not have a really good player watching your stroke, but I was lucky.
Saturday, I went back to Buster's for the first time in a long time. I incorporated the latest tip into my play, and immediately things started to fall into place. I practiced a bit, then challenged my friend Will to some games of eight-ball. Will is someone that I played in the Straight Pool League, and he beat me then and in a casual straight-pool match that we played a bit later. I had never played him in eight-ball or nine-ball, but I knew he was a good shot. He continually ends up in the money in the straight-pool leagues.
Well, after losing the first game to Will, I came back and won the second one. Then I broke and ran out for the first time in ages...and that set the tone for the match. I went on to win 5-1 before Will had to leave, and even he remarked that my play was more consistent than he had seen in the past. It felt really good to play well against such a good player.
Tonight I will be heading back to Legends, and hopefully I can continue to improve and to remember to move my right hand further back on the cue. I will be using the extension for a longer time than I was originally planning, because the person who is making my custom cue has recently had a work-related accident, and it may be weeks or months before he can come back to work on the cues that he has in his queue.
At the end of my evening at Legends, I received a tip from a really good player who had been watching me shoot for the previous few minutes. He told me that even though I had my back (right) hand on the cue extension, I did not have it far enough back, so my cue was still coming up at the end of my stroke. This is not a tip one would normally get in a pool hall, since usually you do not have a really good player watching your stroke, but I was lucky.
Saturday, I went back to Buster's for the first time in a long time. I incorporated the latest tip into my play, and immediately things started to fall into place. I practiced a bit, then challenged my friend Will to some games of eight-ball. Will is someone that I played in the Straight Pool League, and he beat me then and in a casual straight-pool match that we played a bit later. I had never played him in eight-ball or nine-ball, but I knew he was a good shot. He continually ends up in the money in the straight-pool leagues.
Well, after losing the first game to Will, I came back and won the second one. Then I broke and ran out for the first time in ages...and that set the tone for the match. I went on to win 5-1 before Will had to leave, and even he remarked that my play was more consistent than he had seen in the past. It felt really good to play well against such a good player.
Tonight I will be heading back to Legends, and hopefully I can continue to improve and to remember to move my right hand further back on the cue. I will be using the extension for a longer time than I was originally planning, because the person who is making my custom cue has recently had a work-related accident, and it may be weeks or months before he can come back to work on the cues that he has in his queue.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Change of game, but the streak continues!
This week I was unable to play the Monday night 8-ball tournament at Buster's, so I decided (just for grins) to try my hand at the Tuesday night 9-ball tournament. I have not played a 9-ball tournament at Buster's in almost 6 years...though I did win it back then, mostly because I was given a handicap that was way too low for my level of play.
I was rated a B this time (instead of a D+), the same as two others in the tournament (Tom and Perry). Besides the three of us, there was Dennis (an A++ player) and Bob (an A+ player).
I had a bye in the first round, and Dennis beat Perry while Tom beat Bob. I played Dennis in my first match, and I managed to win mostly because of the spot. The difference in handicaps determines the type of "spot", or advantage, the lower-rated player gets. The difference between my rating (B) and Dennis' (A++) means that I get the 7-ball and the break, and instead of 3 games Dennis has to win 4. It is a pretty big spot, but his rating shows that he is a VERY good player. I won the match mainly because all I needed to do was to sink the 7 to win, and he missed a couple of shots that he should have made. I also managed to play a couple of good safeties.
My second match was against Tom, and it was ugly on both sides. Since we were rated the same, it was a race to three games with no spot. We got to 2-2, and then we both played badly in the fifth game, but I made the last mistake and lost.
So, I was in the loser's bracket, and waited while Perry got his revenge on Dennis (Bob was already out of the tournament, having lost to Perry after losing to Tom). Then I beat Perry pretty handily 3-1 to gain a rematch against Tom in the final. For the EIGHTH straight tournament, I was in the final!
I had to beat Tom twice to win the final, as he had not yet lost a match. In the first match, we got to 2-2 again, and he had the chance to put me away, but he muffed it and I won the match. I was very lucky there, as I was all night - several times my opponents had chances to knock me out of the tournament. Only the match against Perry was decisive.
The final match showed a major change in momentum, though, and I won 3-0. This meant that I won a tournament for the SEVENTH time in eight tries! I could not believe it - I had no expectations going into the tournament, I was rated correctly, and I did not shoot especially well...but things just kept bouncing my way.
I was rated a B this time (instead of a D+), the same as two others in the tournament (Tom and Perry). Besides the three of us, there was Dennis (an A++ player) and Bob (an A+ player).
I had a bye in the first round, and Dennis beat Perry while Tom beat Bob. I played Dennis in my first match, and I managed to win mostly because of the spot. The difference in handicaps determines the type of "spot", or advantage, the lower-rated player gets. The difference between my rating (B) and Dennis' (A++) means that I get the 7-ball and the break, and instead of 3 games Dennis has to win 4. It is a pretty big spot, but his rating shows that he is a VERY good player. I won the match mainly because all I needed to do was to sink the 7 to win, and he missed a couple of shots that he should have made. I also managed to play a couple of good safeties.
My second match was against Tom, and it was ugly on both sides. Since we were rated the same, it was a race to three games with no spot. We got to 2-2, and then we both played badly in the fifth game, but I made the last mistake and lost.
So, I was in the loser's bracket, and waited while Perry got his revenge on Dennis (Bob was already out of the tournament, having lost to Perry after losing to Tom). Then I beat Perry pretty handily 3-1 to gain a rematch against Tom in the final. For the EIGHTH straight tournament, I was in the final!
I had to beat Tom twice to win the final, as he had not yet lost a match. In the first match, we got to 2-2 again, and he had the chance to put me away, but he muffed it and I won the match. I was very lucky there, as I was all night - several times my opponents had chances to knock me out of the tournament. Only the match against Perry was decisive.
The final match showed a major change in momentum, though, and I won 3-0. This meant that I won a tournament for the SEVENTH time in eight tries! I could not believe it - I had no expectations going into the tournament, I was rated correctly, and I did not shoot especially well...but things just kept bouncing my way.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
What a difference a week makes!
One week ago last night, I went to the pool hall for the weekly 8-ball tournament. While waiting to see if anyone else would show up, I had my normal hour or so of practice. The practice went really badly - I was missing shots that I should make, and my position play was way off. Luckily, no one else showed up for the tournament, and I got back my entry fee and went home.
On Thursday, my wife went to visit family for the weekend. As the weather was pretty bad for most of the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at the pool hall (about 10 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined). I met a guy named Scottie who plays there a lot, and he and I played quite a few games and did some drills and such on Friday and Saturday. We even played another couple of players in a team match (both 8-ball and 9-ball). Scottie taught me the rules of 3-6-9 (a variant of 9-ball) and I taught him how to play straight pool.
One of the main bonuses of playing with Scottie is that he often plays on the hardest table in the pool hall - table 16. This table combines a fast surface with smaller-than-usual pockets, which is a combination that forces a player to be VERY precise with their shots. If you get good on table 16, you will be able to shoot on any table. Of course, the process of getting good on table 16 has its frustrations, as many shots that would go in on another table will miss on that one.
Sunday I was on my own for practice, and I managed to run 20 in Straight Pool practice, only the second time I had ever run that many. Other than that, though, the practice on Sunday did not feel like it went all that well.
That brings us to yesterday - the day of the weekly 8-ball tournament. I went to the pool hall for my hour of warmup, and at first it seemed that I would be the only one there. But, before the deadline, three other players showed up, and suddenly we had a tournament!
Suffice it to say that my practice paid off! I beat each of the other three players on my way to my SIXTH straight payday and my FIFTH tournament victory out of those six! I missed a few shots that I could have made, but in general my level of play was pretty high.
After the tournament, Harold (the one I beat in the final, and someone I have played quite a few times in the tournaments) asked me if I wanted to play him in Straight Pool to 50 points for the pool time (meaning that the loser pays for the time used by both players). He has been after me to do this for a while, and the timing was never right, but this time I said I would play. I knew that he plays in the higher division in the Straight Pool League, so I figured I was in over my head, but I also had an extra $30 in my pocket from the tournament win and I saw it as a way to get a Straight Pool lesson for not much money.
Instead, I beat him! Again, I missed a couple of shots that I really should have made, but so did he, and the final score was 50-42.
FOUR hours of pool, and I came away with $30 more than I went in with! Much better than the lousy practice of the week before.
On Thursday, my wife went to visit family for the weekend. As the weather was pretty bad for most of the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at the pool hall (about 10 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined). I met a guy named Scottie who plays there a lot, and he and I played quite a few games and did some drills and such on Friday and Saturday. We even played another couple of players in a team match (both 8-ball and 9-ball). Scottie taught me the rules of 3-6-9 (a variant of 9-ball) and I taught him how to play straight pool.
One of the main bonuses of playing with Scottie is that he often plays on the hardest table in the pool hall - table 16. This table combines a fast surface with smaller-than-usual pockets, which is a combination that forces a player to be VERY precise with their shots. If you get good on table 16, you will be able to shoot on any table. Of course, the process of getting good on table 16 has its frustrations, as many shots that would go in on another table will miss on that one.
Sunday I was on my own for practice, and I managed to run 20 in Straight Pool practice, only the second time I had ever run that many. Other than that, though, the practice on Sunday did not feel like it went all that well.
That brings us to yesterday - the day of the weekly 8-ball tournament. I went to the pool hall for my hour of warmup, and at first it seemed that I would be the only one there. But, before the deadline, three other players showed up, and suddenly we had a tournament!
Suffice it to say that my practice paid off! I beat each of the other three players on my way to my SIXTH straight payday and my FIFTH tournament victory out of those six! I missed a few shots that I could have made, but in general my level of play was pretty high.
After the tournament, Harold (the one I beat in the final, and someone I have played quite a few times in the tournaments) asked me if I wanted to play him in Straight Pool to 50 points for the pool time (meaning that the loser pays for the time used by both players). He has been after me to do this for a while, and the timing was never right, but this time I said I would play. I knew that he plays in the higher division in the Straight Pool League, so I figured I was in over my head, but I also had an extra $30 in my pocket from the tournament win and I saw it as a way to get a Straight Pool lesson for not much money.
Instead, I beat him! Again, I missed a couple of shots that I really should have made, but so did he, and the final score was 50-42.
FOUR hours of pool, and I came away with $30 more than I went in with! Much better than the lousy practice of the week before.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Signs of Improvement
Most days when I go out to shoot pool I am practicing on my own, which is why I have put so much effort into finding fun and instructive drills. However, it has been difficult to see if I have really improved, as a lapse in concentration (easy to do when practicing alone) can make it seem like I am not shooting well, even if I have lifted my game quite a bit.
Recently, though, I twice happened to find someone willing to play some pool with me at the pool hall. The first time was a short 8-ball match against someone at Buster's in Somersworth, and I won all three games (though luck played a part in one of them). The second time was a much longer match, and (to me at least) was more of an indicator of how far I have come.
I went to Legends in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, as I often do on Monday nights. As soon as I got to my table at around 5:45 (usually I practice from 7 to 9, but I was early that evening), I got into a conversation with the man at the table next to mine, and we agreed to play some 9-ball. We played for the next three hours, until I had to go, and it was a lot of fun. He was a pretty good player, but I was able to use a lot of what I have been practicing and I won the match 22-13. It reminded me a lot of the marathon 9-ball sessions I had with my friend Christopher in Chicago about 15 years ago.
I recently signed up for the Straight Pool League at Buster's, which starts in a week or so. I have not played Straight Pool in a league since I lived in Chicago, but it has remained one of my favorite games. It is a handicapped league, meaning that each player needs to sink a different number of balls based on their ability as judged by the man running the league (in this case, Frank at Buster's). Frank has seen me rebuilding my game for a while now, but I don't think he knows that I used to shoot Straight Pool quite a bit. He has said that he will start me out "in the lower division", whatever that means. At the very least, I should have a once-a-week barometer of how I am doing.
In anticipation of the start of the league, I have been practicing Straight-Pool related drills (which the Q rating drill in my previous post is, sort of) and also practicing lags and the Straight Pool break, which is not like an 8-ball or 9-ball break at all. In Straight Pool, you basically do not want the break, as on the break you try to drive two balls to a rail while not leaving your opponent a shot. It is a tough break to master.
One way in which I know I am improving is my ability to run at least 10 balls in a row, whether in the Q drill or in a Straight Pool setup. It used to be quite an accomplishment to do this once in an evening of practice. Last night I ran at least 11 balls three times in a row in the Q drill, and also ran at least 10 in Straight Pool practice (high run of 13, done twice) four times in the space of about 6 racks. What made me happiest was that the Straight Pool runs went from one rack to the next, involving a break shot on the rack in the middle of the run. This is one of the hardest things to be able to do consistently.
I am really looking forward to my first Straight Pool match in the league. I have no idea of what my handicap will be, or who I will be playing against, but I will be posting results and reactions here.
Recently, though, I twice happened to find someone willing to play some pool with me at the pool hall. The first time was a short 8-ball match against someone at Buster's in Somersworth, and I won all three games (though luck played a part in one of them). The second time was a much longer match, and (to me at least) was more of an indicator of how far I have come.
I went to Legends in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, as I often do on Monday nights. As soon as I got to my table at around 5:45 (usually I practice from 7 to 9, but I was early that evening), I got into a conversation with the man at the table next to mine, and we agreed to play some 9-ball. We played for the next three hours, until I had to go, and it was a lot of fun. He was a pretty good player, but I was able to use a lot of what I have been practicing and I won the match 22-13. It reminded me a lot of the marathon 9-ball sessions I had with my friend Christopher in Chicago about 15 years ago.
I recently signed up for the Straight Pool League at Buster's, which starts in a week or so. I have not played Straight Pool in a league since I lived in Chicago, but it has remained one of my favorite games. It is a handicapped league, meaning that each player needs to sink a different number of balls based on their ability as judged by the man running the league (in this case, Frank at Buster's). Frank has seen me rebuilding my game for a while now, but I don't think he knows that I used to shoot Straight Pool quite a bit. He has said that he will start me out "in the lower division", whatever that means. At the very least, I should have a once-a-week barometer of how I am doing.
In anticipation of the start of the league, I have been practicing Straight-Pool related drills (which the Q rating drill in my previous post is, sort of) and also practicing lags and the Straight Pool break, which is not like an 8-ball or 9-ball break at all. In Straight Pool, you basically do not want the break, as on the break you try to drive two balls to a rail while not leaving your opponent a shot. It is a tough break to master.
One way in which I know I am improving is my ability to run at least 10 balls in a row, whether in the Q drill or in a Straight Pool setup. It used to be quite an accomplishment to do this once in an evening of practice. Last night I ran at least 11 balls three times in a row in the Q drill, and also ran at least 10 in Straight Pool practice (high run of 13, done twice) four times in the space of about 6 racks. What made me happiest was that the Straight Pool runs went from one rack to the next, involving a break shot on the rack in the middle of the run. This is one of the hardest things to be able to do consistently.
I am really looking forward to my first Straight Pool match in the league. I have no idea of what my handicap will be, or who I will be playing against, but I will be posting results and reactions here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)