[RoyZ]

The other day I was practicing while physically tired. I was missing balls I usually make because it was hard to summon the concentration. My question is: Is it useful to try to play through this state and start making balls again, or is it better to hang it up for the day? I can see how it would be useful to be able to "play anytime, anywhere, under any conditions" but on the other hand, I don't want to groove-in bad habits and sloppiness.

[9BallroadPro]

RoyZ, on Aug 2 2009, 08:28 PM, said:

The other day I was practicing while physically tired. I was missing balls I usually make because it was hard to summon the concentration. My question is: Is it useful to try to play through this state and start making balls again, or is it better to hang it up for the day? I can see how it would be useful to be able to "play anytime, anywhere, under any conditions" but on the other hand, I don't want to groove-in bad habits and sloppiness.

No, hang it up, get more rest. When the mind goes, you loose your concentration, focus, will to play, stop.

[Cracker Barrel Gizmatchi]

I dont know, about you but i would say you need to be able to work under all conditions. Think of the special forces in the military and what they do to train. You need to be able to perform your best when you're not at your best in my honest opinion.

[Pin]

There is value in both kinds of practice.

In quality practice when you're well rested, you get to practice doing things perfectly. This is where you learn to be a good pool player doing things properly.


In practice under stress - whether that be simulating pressure, sharking, fatigue, or bringing your game out without a warm-up, you're aiming to produce the best play you can under adverse conditions. (As a matter of routine, I only do one of these kinds of stress-practice regularly).

Practice under stress carries the risk that it might teach you bad habits.


In my opinion, you can have the best of both worlds, and this is how I think it would be achieved:

If you're still learning the fundamentals or improving/grooving them to a good level, forget practice under stress - you've got bigger fish to fry and practice under stress would probably be detrimental. You need to be intimately familiar with what excellent form is, and ve able to execute it well, so that you will be able to try to reproduce it under stress, and will be able to identify where you're not matching up to your model best game.


Once you have very solid fundamentals, introduce practice under stress (of whichever kind you want to train for). But this should be the minority of your practice time. Your core practice is still in doing things perfectly, and your subconscious will therefore recognise that this is what it should always be striving to reproduce.

Be very clear in your own mind what you are doing when practicing under stress. Always be clear on whether you *are* practicing under stress.
Again, this will make sure your mind (on a subconscious level and, for that matter, on a conscious level!) knows what you're trying to do.

Be clear that you are practicing in adverse conditions with the objective of producing that model perfect game just like when you were playing under good conditions. When you finish this session, reflect and think about what was different and what you could do to improve your play under difficult conditions.



The phrase 'practice makes perfect' isn't quite adequate.

'Perfect practice makes perfect' is better. It's not just about working hard doing the wrong thing. It's about investing the time and thought to work out what the right thing to do is.

In this context, it's about being clear on what you're trying to achieve, seeing how it will fit into the bigger picture of your practice and your game, and working out how to best achieve your objectives.

Best of luck.