How long does it take you to warm up?
There’s something that occurs half way through my practice sessions that I can’t really explain. It might be sometime during the second or third set of whatever exercise I’m working on. I will suddenly realize that I haven’t missed a shot in a while. It’s not necessarily that I’m shooting lights out or I’m in dead stroke. It’s really more that I caught a gear. I found my tournament pace and everything started flowing. For me, this occurs about 45 minutes into my practice. This is how long it takes me to fully warm up.
This magic number is different for everyone. Sometimes, it’s different for me. Obviously, it’s not just the quantity, but the quality of the practice as well. If you’re forced to share a practice table with someone, your warm up may not be as productive, so you’ll have to make the most of your short warm up time. My coach recommends I shoot a couple racks firmly and confidently to help loosen up.
Without getting too much into how to warm up, because that’s another article all on its own, the warm up is not to learn anything new. Your warm up time can be used to check the speed and conditions of the table, loosen up your stroke, and build some confidence. How long it takes to accomplish these things is different for each of us. That’s the value of practicing.
The more we practice, the more we learn about ourselves. When I’m on course with my training, I track everything. I log what I work on, as well as the results. Reviewing this information later helps me determine patterns in my practice and identify my areas for improvement. Without paying deliberate attention to these things, I may as well just bang balls around.
Once you determine and respect how long it takes you to get warmed up, you can always make sure that you begin your match warmed up. Understandably, we’re not always afforded the time to get in a full practice session prior to our matches, but the more you practice, the more you will understand your pool playing self and know what areas need a little extra attention before your match.
Determine how long it takes you to warm up by practicing. Track your warm up time during your practice sessions. Note that moment when everything is in sync. Notice a pattern?
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