Pool Workout

This is something that my instructor set up for me to do in addition to my regular regimen. Mark Wilson is a amazing instructor, if you ever get a chance to take lessons from him I highly advise it. I will be doing a article solely about him in the near future  so be sure to check that out.

Break Shot- 30 minutes

Mark advises having someone rack the balls for me while I concentrate on the break shot. All you do is break and rack over and over. The main thing is to concentrate on hitting the head ball square, controlling the cue ball all while maintaining perfect fundamentals.  Do this for 30 mins., this is not a competition to see how many times you can break in 30 min but rather to attack the break shot with solid focus and control. Even if you only break once per minute, the main thing is that you maintain your fundamentals on every attempt. I make a note in my practice journal what percentage of the time I made a ball, how well I controlled the cue ball and if I scratched. (Scratching is the main thing to avoid, it is more important than making a ball.)

 

9 Ball Ghost (BIH) 10 Games

This is my favorite part. You rack up a game of 9 ball, break and then start with BIH (Ball in hand) You attempt to run out, if at any point you miss or scratch that rack is over and that game goes to the ghost. You then re-rack and start all over. If you run out, you win! I play 10 games of this and record my score. I also make note of how long it took me to play 10 games.  (If I am doing well it will take over 1 hour)

 

Playing Safe- 30 minutes

This is pretty simple to do but very worth while…and humbling! Put a ball on the table and try to hit it and move the cue ball to a pre-determined place on the table. I use a dollar bill as my target. Move the target around randomly, try different speeds and distances. You really need to push yourself. If your not hitting the target at all than try a easier set up. But really push yourself to get that pin point control. You will see this pay off big time in a match.  It’s worth every second.

 

15 Ball shoot until you miss- 10 racks BIH

Here you rack all 15 balls, break, then take ball in hand and shoot in any order. You keep shooting until you miss, scratch or make all 15. You get a point for every ball made. If you miss or scratch your run is over. Record your score and re rack. This is done 10 times and then you add up your points. Log your average, this is a good indicator of your improvement. It will help you with patterns, shot making and shot selection.

 

This entire workout takes me 3-4 hours on average per day.

 

MOST IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER-

While doing this or any other practice routine it is paramount to make sure that you are consistent. Be disciplined in your fundamentals. Don’t allow yourself to become lazy or complacent. Make sure you take your time, look at the shot,study it. Then get down on the shot and take slow deliberate strokes. Only pull the trigger when you are confident in the shot.

If you are just strolling up to the shot poking at it and moving on to the next, save yourself the time and aggravation and take up poker. If you want to truly improve, practice with purpose. Be diligent,  stay focused.

I’M BACK!

Sorry I have been gone so long. Life got in the way! I’ve got a lot to talk about since I have been gone. I have been working on my game, playing more tournaments and taking lessons from Mark Wilson.  I never stopped playing but with work, 2 kids in college and being involved in a non-for-profit organization it’s was too much to keep up with my blog. But I have a little more free time now and I will try to get back to blogging on a somewhat regular basis.

TOURNAMENTS

I have been trying to play in a variety of tournaments this last year. I am mainly interested in 9 ball or 10 ball although I have played in a few 8 ball events. Unfortunately the amount of people that know how to run a good tournament in my area are few and far between. Often there are to few tables vs the amount of players or in some cases I have been to tournaments where the person running it had 10 tables at his disposal but only used 2 or 3 at a time and really dragged out the event.

Here is what I look for now. Diamond tables and lots of them. Reasonable entry fee and green fee, I don’t want to feed quarters into a table all night long. A tournament director that knows how to keep things moving, don’t waste my time and I wont waste your. That’s it really. I don’t  need much beyond that. I prefer a clean non smoking venue but it’s not a deal breaker.

I have done fairly well at the tournaments I have been in lately although I haven’t won any in the last 6 months. I was cruising undefeated through a 9 ball event but had to leave due to my wife’s poorly timed illness. 😦  I am planning on playing a big event in 2 weeks. There are supposed to be a lot of strong players in this one so it will give me a chance to see where I stand in that area.

I have been training hard for this 9 ball tournament. For me this one isn’t about winning. I just want to go there a really play my best. I don’t care if I am 2 and out if I play strong. But I do feel that if I bring my best game I will be able to land in the top 5. Time will tell. I will let you know how it goes.

Later today I will post my practice regimen, stay tuned… it’s a workout!