Practising after long absense from the game

[PompeyRedSox]

After a long break from playing, since the turn of the new year I've started to pick up the game again after 7 years. I've been doing drills solo, some of which I've picked up from here (great help by the way). When I was 14-17 I was knocking in huge breaks for fun, with a highest of 122. Just stoppped dead for 7 years, but have been playing regular again for the past 4-5 weeks.

Practice seems to be going well, I can feel myself getting better after every session, picking up the memory of potting angles and the like.

But my question is, how easy is it to re-learn the game? As a 24 year old I feel young still, but I don't quite feel I'm picking up things as I used to.

Is it possible for a player who's been away for so long to re-discover their level? Can it be coached out of them? Just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences.

Although I am not to bothered, the main thing is I am enjoying it again

Not sure if there are any real 'tips' for players re-entering the game, but if anyone has any ideas it be great to hear.

[KeithinFrance]

I stopped playing for about 6 years, but older than you: I stopped at about 27 and started again at about 33, but I started later too. For what it's worth, at the beginning it was a hard slog to re-learn everything again but I now feel I'm playing better than ever before; even though my potting is not as good as it was, technically I'm better than I was and, of course, I've got the experience from my former playing years to count on. This helps enormously, especially when you're playing one of those mad potters everyone knows! I'll never get my potting back up to its previous level but I can compensate with superior tactics and technique and, of course, patience!

So, you can re-learn the game relatively easily but just give yourself time for the potting angles and the angles around the table as sometimes what you think is OK is really, really not! Also, work on the shots you know you were not that good at before; as you are re-learning it'd be a shame to not work on your weaknesses. However, if you used to knock in breaks of up to 122 just for fun, perhaps you don't have many!!

Give yourself time, practice hard and have fun, that's what I did and the fact that you're relatively young means that perhaps your potting'll come back 100%! I hope so!

Good luck.
Keith

[PompeyRedSox]

Cheers for the reply Keith, I think 'hard slog' sums up everything I feel I'm going through right now, it sounds stupid but seems harder than when I first picked up the game to learn everything the first time. I suppose I have to channel somehow the ability that might be rooted in my brain.

Yeah potting angles was the first thing I wanted to get back, and a feel for the white, just some basic line-ups and I was back in the groove of that in a relatively short time.

But maybe it's just concentration levels or whatever, as I seem to make more mistakes than I used to, the easy ball you just can't seem to figure out why you have rattled in the jaws.

Maybe a century in match play can't be coached out of me again, but nice to see I'm not alone in picking up a cue again after a long while.

I guess just hitting the practice tables is all I can do for now, and hope the work pays off

[mooneyy]

122.. sounds like a natural talent! So whatever comes, trust your instinct!

You already know you can play really well. Don't ruin it by thinking too hard.