Topic: How do you practice?

[Old Meister]

Somewhere I saw that Johnny Horton stated that he shot 50 pull shots every other day as practice. No, I'm not a big fan of his but his success does carry weight. So I have adopted this regimen, 50 pulls every other day, 50 push and 50 pull roll-overs on the other day and still keep up on my palm push shots depending how I feel. Sorry Bbtuna, I just can't let that shot go,, After the forward shot practice I get into 5 man scenarios until I'm tired. What I wonder is how you guys practice? What do you focus on and at what frequency?

[bbtuna]

well if you are going to follow Johnny H. then you start with ball control on the 5 bar 10-30 min
then overall ball control
then the other stuff

everything I have ever read and my own experience says you can't do too much ball control it informs every other part of your game

I don't care if you shoot a palm roll, anything can work just somethings present a lower percentage because of physical issues which the push has

doesn't mean they couldn't be overcome, just means most haven't and won't

hey, I shoot a backpin, I am not throwing stones

[pablofoos]

I got a table about four weeks ago and i practice for about three to five hours a day hours a day i won the last three dyps and a bring...

some people have talent some dont but people who practice give themselves a chance to win against the talented players...also when

talented players practice its a deadly combination...practice is great! do you practice the right things? that is the question?

[alaskan thunder]

5 man practice!!!!!!!!

[bbtuna]

pablofoos, 3 to 5 hours a day..sniff, sniff ...thats so beautiful, sniff , to find someone with passion, determination, sniff , and dedication, sniff sniff ...I, I just don't know what to say, sniff

Dont want to get off topic but here is a thread on the subject of passion and practice

http://www.foosball.com/forum/index.php?topic=2036.15


back on topic...

here is a thread with a similiar theme with some good information...don't let my long posts in the middle bog you down, there is good stuff on either side including comments from Iceman, Todd L, and Gummerson

http://www.foosball.com/forum/index.php?topic=1543.0

[pablofoos]

bbtuna are you a post whore or a hater? probably both...

[bbtuna]

I don't know what a post whore is but that is probably me

I am definately not a hater...you can read in my post "I am one of the Top 3 Players in the World and I don't Practice." that I value practice and passion very very highly and my post to you was meant to be funny

joking aside, I totally respect you for your committment and am totally thrilled to hear you are practicing that much...I am a practice hound, ask anyone who knows me...I think it is the basis for greatness and you are doing the right thing

now, make the most out of every minute and know you have a least one person who is behind you 100%

[MJones]

What I wonder is how you guys practice? What do you focus on and at what frequency?

Daniel Coulter showed my son a great practice routine a couple of years ago.  He said that he, Blake Robertson and Hannah Smith all used it.  My guess is they learned it from Bill Bell and/or Donald Wilson.  If you follow foosball, you know how quickly all of those kids progressed.

For five bar, tic tac between every man up and down the five bar.  Everybody knows that routine, but that comes first.  Up and down until you're warmed up with the five bar.

Then you lift the opposing three bar up, and just pass back and forth between your five and your three, without stopping the ball.  Over and over, non stop, without stopping the ball.  Start with the first man on the five, to the first man on the three.  Then the second man on the five to first man on the three.  And so on, and so on, up the five bar and three bar and back.  Over and over just passing non-stop between the two bars without stopping the ball when either passing from the five to the three, or the three back to the five.  This really helps build the muscle memory between the left and right hand when catching the ball on a pass.  Do it 30 minutes a day and see what it does for your passing.

The next routine is practice for the rollover.  Take three balls.  Put one in the middle in rollover position.  Then take another and put it parallel, but out at the long hole.  Take a third and put it parallel on the short hole.  Set up on the middle ball as if you're going to shoot a rollover.  Rock the ball, but instead of shooting the middle ball, come off the middle ball and rollover and shoot the set far ball in the far hole.  Then set back up on the middle ball, rock it and come off it and shoot the near ball.  Come back, rock the middle ball and shoot it straight.  If you can do this without having the middle ball spray when you come off it to shoot, you are practicing the right mechanics for the rollover.  It's amazing how just a short amount of time with this routine will improve a rollover shot.

Take care,

MJ

[foozkillah]

I don't know what a post whore is but that is probably me
I am definately not a hater...you can read in my post "I am one of the Top 3 Players in the World and I don't Practice." that I value practice and passion very very highly and my post to you was meant to be funny
joking aside, I totally respect you for your committment and am totally thrilled to hear you are practicing that much...I am a practice hound, ask anyone who knows me...I think it is the basis for greatness and you are doing the right thing
now, make the most out of every minute and know you have a least one person who is behind you 100%

BBT,

Is that your left-brain, or your right-brain talking?

I'm wondering if there's a Pilates-style Brain-cersise practice program to keep both symmetrically muscled? 

[bbtuna]

that is the hippy lettace talking

[Syronis]

I usually spend about 15 minute sessions, mostly on the five bar. I haven't decided what shot fits my style, and which shot I'm most comfortable with, so I don't do a lot of 3 bar practice, and I can beat my friends just tic-tacking it around. I probably do 2 or 3 of these sessions a day. One of them I usually just go between man to man up and down the five bar. The other I usually do half near wall half far wall just tick tacking between the wall side guy, and the one two in from that. (I can't describe it... see it all the time though). The third session I usually work on raw passing. Try to incorporate everything I work on into designing what I think "might" work as far as passing is concerned.  I really need a fooser in this town... somebody competitive (or much better than me) to kind of push me into the next tier. Playing by yourself gets very mundane.  Oh well, after the new year I might try to shoot up to the Quad Cities and play with Rios and those guys every couple weeks... assuming we find a replacement for our bowling team.  (no, I am NOT a good bowler)

[bbtuna]

S,

pick and pull or rollover...flip a coin if you don't have any idea and then just get after it...you can change later if it suits you...don't be like the horse who starved to death standing between two equal bales of hey trying to decide which one to eat first

get up to QC...Rios would be a good player to learn around

[Old Meister]

Good stuff MJ! Thanks

[MJones]

Good stuff MJ! Thanks

NP.  Hope it helps.  It helps me.

MJ

[Rios]

When I get into my practice mode here is what I do.

I usually warm up for about 30-45mins of ball control drills on ALL rods, 2, 5 and 3. Working on being able to back pin from man to man, being able to not just tic-tac between the guys but to be able to catch the ball from man to man... (does that make sense???) and various other drills that I kinda made up
Then I work on my 5-bar drills, usually for another 30-45mins or so. Working on mainly my brush pass and really concentrating on not getting into a pattern of when and where I pass.
I honestly dont really work on my shot all that much, which is probably why it sucks. But when it comes near to tourny time, I ususally try and spend about an hour or so after ball control and 5-bar to concentrate on shooting. Working on being able to hit all of the holes with my snake, working on walking the ball around and still being able to hit all of the holes.

The best practice tool that you can possibly use (I feel) is to video tape yourself practicing. Tape your 5-bar practice and your shooting. See if there are any tells in your shot, or in your passing series. Be completely honest with yourself when analyizing it and your game will improve. Only work on serious passes and shots that you will use when playing in a tournament. Dont get me wrong... practicing foos by yourself is boring as hell, but it is necessary. There is a time and place for trick shots and fun shots, but not when you are near tourny time.