Dear Tom
Thank you for your comments on my letter of the 14th July (BQR. Oct, '93. P21.) I agree that it is optimistic to assume a good leave once every three visits in match conditions, which in turn means that my target match average would be comfortably below 13. I'm certainly well below the standard of the professionals you quote as failing to reach a session average of 13.1 also take your point of generally having to earn position. In my own case, however, my main problem seems to be scoring heavily once prime position has been attained. To improve my break building capability, therefore, I shall continue, in the short term, to start the break from a good position, although I have now almost doubled the number of practice sessions I had when I wrote to you, I have only managed to edge my cumulative session average from 34 to 36. My main purpose in writing my original letter was to stimulate some discussion on the subject. I hope that your comments and invitation will encourage other contributions, from which I'm sure we shall all benefit.
I almost always only had 6 months of the year in which to play and practice. When I started in the thirties there was no air conditioning, it was just too hot to play during our summer. I also had to run my own business and needed to get in all the practice I could in the time I had to spare. I always tried to play with someone and very seldom played on my own. This gave me more practice in any given time because I had a ball boy and I was also playing the balls from where they lay the same as any game during a championship and so my practice was just another game or vice-versa for championships. The change in my game from a red ball player to a spot-end player came when I was ball boy for Horace Lindrum. The fielder, in re-spotting the red, etc, has the best opportunity to learn the top. I very seldom practised alone and if I had to I would play each ball from where it finished the same as if in a match.
One thing I always did was to keep my average. This is the most important part of billiards because it is the only way to know what improvement you are making, you can't judge from a big break now and then. Playing with someone or from where the balls finish helps make you better with recovery shots. Geet Sethi paid me a compliment in 1985 when he said he thought I had ten recovery shots to his one but he may have had his tongue in his cheek at the time.
If you are having trouble with the red at the top, perhaps leaving it too straight, then play to leave even more angle than is really necessary, go in-off the red, then pot the red in the centre pocket and return to the spot end that way. And don't forget the draw shot for position. If you feel there is a shot you are not happy with then play it ten or twelve times or until you can get it right every time - and then carry on.
Well there you are. Though practice methods may differ, and what suits one player may not be the ideal, or possible, for another, one important factor seems to emerge and that is - keep your average. Bob Marshall's last comments are very similar to some advice given quite recently by Jack Karnehm. Karnehm:- "No matter how good you think you are at it, or even how good you actually are at it, don't try to stay at the top for too long. Every now and then get some angle on the red to go to the middle pockets, or leave the cross-loser. This will keep your thinking fresh. If you have problems with some shot or position which you think you should get almost every time, then work at it, but mark the position of the balls so that you know you are playing the identical position every time. Remember that the great players built up their breaks with shots and positions that any average player could get - but the great players could get them every time; the average player has to be content with less, but this is not to say that he should not aspire to a much higher success rate.
Dear Tom
Norman Routledge (BQR. Oct.'93.P21) says he is stuck on an average of 34 points per visit in his spot-end practice routine. He should not be dismayed. I have detailed ledger entries going back to 1960 of all my practice routines, and the one in question (commencing position A at the top) includes, on my private table, records of ten local league players, and only three of these, including myself, have ever reached annual averages of 30 but not 35. Seven of the players listed have never had a century break, and their annual averages have never reached 20 ranging from 13 -19 (from position A) Norman is way out in thinking that his match average should be one third of his 34 practice average. Averages have always been taken in the Spalding and District League, and my records show that each player has a playing standard of one-quarter of his spot-end practice figure; this seem quite invariable at club level.
My personal statistics, based on all competition where averages were taken, is currently 7.9 (was 10.55 in 1973 at the age of 50) Practice routine average for 1992 was 33.67. Our league handicapping system is based on winners getting to game in 42 visits, and so our back marker, Arthur Reeve (owe 195) has to average around 9.40 - and easily does this. At the half season mark he has won 10 and lost 3, with 10 breaks over 50 and a highest of 97. The front markers (receive 100) return averages of between 1.6 and 3.0. If all leagues in the world used the same format we could have, as in golf, official handicaps for all players. When recording averages it is important to be accurate and honest - it is pointless to leave off the inevitable zeros and twos. All practice sessions should be in units of 10 or 20 visits for ease of record keeping. The figures mentioned may seem poor, but remember that the difference between club amateurs and professionals is greater than at any other sport, which indicates that billiards is the world's most difficult game.
I would be interested to hear of any individual player's or league statistics, maybe we are all worse than we think we are!