Live Break-building vs. Practice

[checkSide]

Greeting peeps.

I feel I have improved a fair bit lately, and am starting to pot quite well.

I practice on my own, and generally have some good success in my practice routines.

i.e. I can clear the colours quite often. Clear 5 red line-ups with the pink and black etc.

However when it comes to live frames, I am struggling to build breaks.
I suffer positionally with shots I am unfamiliar with.
When I know what shot I want to play, and have played it many times before in practice, I am fine.

However when I have to try and work out exactly what to do positionally with an unfamiliar shot, I always miss position slightly making the next shot awkward. This is done by under or over hitting, or sometimes stunning that bit too much or too little, leaving a bad angle for the next shot. This leads to a sequence of hard pots and I break down.

Can anyone help with some routines or advice.

Cheers.

[nam1977]

Sorry this isn't advice, more of a consolation,

WELCOME TO MY CLUB

Know how you feel, its so frustrating this problem when you know your ability but not able to put it against an opponent.

I'm still trying.

[RGCirencester]

Sounds to me like you and Nam have a different problem. His problem seems to be not bringing his practice game to the match table. Your problem as i understand from your post is struggling with unfamiliar shots that you have not neccesarily come across in practice. Well the only advice i can think of on that score is to make a mental note of the shots you find particularly difficult and concentrate on encorporating those into your practice game. The line up is a very good excercise, but i personally feel it is not sufficient for developing your overall game. Try and put reds in awkward places in practice, and eventually there should be no place on the table that seems unfamiliar. Remember the colours arn't always on thier spots in a real game as well, so i try and practice the blacks down the top rail trying to get position on the reds as well for instance.

[noel]

Ya... I hear ya CS and offer Nam-like condolences too.
Seconding Rob's advice in a slightly different way... I have often, too often, thought while playing an opponent and mindlessly missing an easy pot for a good break , or worse, an over-the-line break...
Maybe I should beg...
" Mind if I take that shot over? For a Pound? PLEEEAAASSSEEE! "

Of course I never grovel like that, however, I have incorporated a NO SHOT GOES MISSED in practice routines policy... line-ups... long-ball potting... running-the-colours... blacks off scattered reds... if I miss I set-it-up re-shoot until I can make it 3 X in-a-row. I remember the angles, and with a been-there-done-that confidence I don't choke-up as often in a frame...

Maybe that would you too?

Cheers!



=o)

Noel

[brettski]

Perhaps if you played against someone in practice rather than being on your own you'd be left with harder shots and have to adapt more. I found practice matches with people to always benefit me more than any amount of practicing on a table by myself.

[RGCirencester]

Ya... I hear ya CS and offer Nam-like condolences too.
Seconding Rob's advice in a slightly different way... I have often, too often, thought while playing an opponent and mindlessly missing an easy pot for a good break , or worse, an over-the-line break...
Maybe I should beg...
" Mind if I take that shot over? For a Pound? PLEEEAAASSSEEE! "

Of course I never grovel like that, however, I have incorporated a NO SHOT GOES MISSED in practice routines policy... line-ups... long-ball potting... running-the-colours... blacks off scattered reds... if I miss I set-it-up re-shoot until I can make it 3 X in-a-row. I remember the angles, and with a been-there-done-that confidence I don't choke-up as often in a frame...

Maybe that would you too?

Cheers!



=o)

Noel

I do exactly that Noel. If miss i reset the balls where they were play the shot again till i get it!