How to Play Pool Master Class #9 - Practice and Mental Game

[@Malfeasance455]

I have enjoyed this entire series and have begun implementing the practice drills and techniques Scott shows so well. Just having been a very occasional bar player and now having my own table upon which to actually practice, one interesting thing I am finding is that I seem to be getting worse. I think this to be expected in my case as I am likely breaking old bad habits and trying to instill new good habits. Can be a frustrating thing but the tools in this series will allow me to improve one of these days.

[@BillyBob2015]

Super video of course, one of the best teachers around. I appreciate the perspective at 01:03:53, so true.

[@SamuL147]

Thank you for the lesson! When it comes to pre-stroke routines I like to have many of them. Depending on a shot difficulty and caution it demands to clean up the table. Base of the routine stays pretty much the same but especially down on the shot action might change time to time. You can check out my couple videos in my channel I recently uploaded. Happy shooting everyone!

[@joshuastover5533]

I have an alignment issue missing to the right of pocket on straight ins. If I do the down and back drill, I always hit just left of diamond. For the longest I thought it was a visual problem. It turned out to be, I think, getting over a compensation problem. I would apply a tad of left spin to every shot, therefore I'd aim to the left automatically a little bit to compensate for deflection. I didn't know I was doing this until I got my table earlier this year. It has taken me 6 months to cure my bad stroke habits and I still catch myself missing to the right for my first 10-25 minutes of practice every now and again but the poor alignment keeps dwindling away. I know I'm getting better because now I can actually see it when I'm off lol When I discovered it, I'd line up to what looked like a miss to the left with a good center ball and it would go straight in and I'd draw straight back. I thought I just wasn't looking down the cue correctly (incorrect vision center) when aiming but the 20 years of playing incorrectly with unintentional sidespin made my brain process it as correct. Side note: I have found that sighting while standing is much more important for alignment and that it correlates to vision center. I have noticed, with myself, if my head position stays the same from how I find the contact point, from standing behind the shot, until I get down that it doesn't matter where the cue is aligned. Vision center is still very important for seeing center cue ball but is not much use if you aren't sighting the same way standing up. I've learned to "see center" from countless head positions trying to figure out my alignment issue. Turned out to be more to do with my sighting and compensation

[@leroyhyson8107]

Hi Scott, your name came up in reference to the SID system, but I cannot find your videos on that system. Please help me locate them. Thank you. I love your videos.

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

I don't have any videos on the SID system. I'm not sure if the original ones by Ekkes are still out there. If you want to discuss further shoot me an email at [e-mail]

[@HillbillyIslandLife]

How do I get ahold of you for a private lesson?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Are you local in FL or looking for an online lesson? Email me at [e-mail] with more details and we can go from there. Thx!

[@kevinbransky1817]

I'm worried that practicing kicks and positions on a 7 foot table will actually impede my consistency on a 9 foot table. I've learned alot about spin while playing on a bar box, but when I play 9-ball or straight pool on a 9 foot most of my shots are played with center or top spin with occasionally half-a tip of spin. Are there any position drills on a 7 foot that will help my game on a 9 foot, or are the two just not going to mesh, and I should spend more time on a 9 foot?

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

If anything, I do the opposite. I don't play much on 7 foot tables, but in general I try to keep things simpler, less speed/spin, etc. You can accept a tougher shot since the table is smaller, where playing position and keeping the distance reasoinable is more importanton the larger tables. Plus on normal 7' tables like Valleys etc. the pockets are usually pretty forgiving, again making shot making a bit easier. The tables are all twice as long as they are wide, so while tables will differ somewhat, in general if you learn position routes or kicks on a smaller table, they should translate to the larger table assuming the larger table's rails etc. play similar. When I was growing up I played mostly on 8' tables, then when I would play on a 9' I would automatically adjust for the extra size, hitting the ball with a bit more speed etc. But the routes, english, patterns, etc. were the same, I just remember the shots seemed longer... :) So if you can, it's easier to practice on larger tables and adjust to smaller vs. the other way around. But they are different, which is why there are bar table specialists that would beat even solid pros but couldn't beat them on a 9 foot table. So if you play mostly on bar tables, focus on that, and work on the 9' tables when you get a chance. Good luck!

[@VeritaForYou]

could not find the web site you recomend

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Sorry, which website did I mention? I don't recall without watching the entire video again... 😁 maybe it was the one for practice drills? If so, that would be poolbilliards.co. No M at the end...

[@bencayago731]

hello coach..can you make video how to identify vision center or a person i mean how to achieve a perfect alignment..like u i see that the cue pretty much in the middle of your chin..some players are under one eye..please make a video how to find correct eye alignment..i thinks is one of the most important in this game..thanks

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Sure, I will look into doing that! I cover some of that information in video #1 in this series, you can find it on the channel. I'm pretty much under my chin, but I am cross eye (left eye / right handed) dominant. I manage to see the true center through a slight of my head, which allows my left eye to get the visual information slightly before my right. Others that are strongly dominant may need to have the cue more toward a certain eye, sometimes even completely under one eye, many examples in the pool world - Albin Ouschan, John Morra, etc. for cross eye dominance, Neils Feijen, Earl Strickland, etc. for same eye dominance. Best tip I can give you for now - do the line across the middle drill I show in this video, try to shoot smooth stop shots all the way across. Really pay attention to how the CB reacts - is there any extra sidespin left or right, are the shots hitting center pocket, are you missing to one side or the other etc. If your vision center is correct and stroke fundamentals are reasonable, you will verify things are correctly aligned.

[@bencayago731]

@@ScottsPoolSchool yup..thanks for the info..i trt to copy my idol player neils feijen cue under his right eye but i think this is not for me..i try to ask some player here in philippines my friend a player too but sadly he didnt know how to explain how he put the his cue under his head correctly

[@bencayago731]

@@ScottsPoolSchool btw i have a friwnd request on you on your facebook..coint me as one of your subscriber into your channel..and yeah. your a good instructor and good player too..nice to watch your video..

[@benlou3758]

Hey Scott, saw a bunch of ur drills and got an idea of ur level. I was looking up ur fargo and i think it was 680 preliminary, without having seen u play in a tournament, i thought u prob shoot better (700+) than ur rating of 680, would you agree with that? There are some 700+ fargo players at my pool hall and i feel like u guys with similar consistency. Thanks

[@ScottsPoolSchool]

Thanks! I haven't played many Fargo rated tournaments. I actually should have more games from a 10 week league I was in, but the matches got put in at 1 to 0 instead of 7 to 1 game score etc. Oh well... But based on players I know, yes I think I would likely fall in the 675 to 700 range. I don't get too caught up in that, time will tell I guess... 😁 as I complete my next 40 or so games to get to 200 it should go up a bit as the 625 starter games get replaced.

[@benlou3758]

@@ScottsPoolSchool Cool, I've been doing your perfect position drill a bunch and it's really tough. I'm probably around 575 fargo and i can only get like 10/20 on 5 balls (on pretty tight brunswicks). I def notice myself trying to play better tho, Thanks a lot!

[@johnstorton]

Tip: Don't call them "drills." Call them "pool solitaire" and keep some kind of score.

[@gtrmusic69]

Took me almost the full video to figure out what his t-shirt says....lol

[@jaycoboliveri809]

I can't wink but I have a lazy left eye so I think I'm right eye dominant. Lol great video as always

[@jaycoboliveri809]

Mike siegel up and down up and down talk talk talk.