Learning How to Learn

In ITE, I skipped class quite regularly to play pool. My only academic goal was to qualify for polytechnic. I knew the grades I needed and aimed for exactly that. I did not push myself any further. Most of my attention went to pool, and I only locked in academically once I entered poly.

I have played for about seven years, including four years competitively. I started as a member of my school’s pool CCA and eventually became its president. For the first two years, I sank almost all my free time into the sport. I could run a few balls, but I was never consistent enough to run out an entire rack. Some days I played well. On others, I could not repeat the same shot twice.

I had reached a plateau, and putting in more hours was no longer enough.

Putting down my ego

Around that time, I met another player who improved much faster than I did. My first thought was that he must have more natural talent. It was an easy explanation because it protected my ego. If talent was the difference, then my lack of progress was not something I had to confront.

Eventually, I got tired of being stuck and asked him for advice. That meant admitting that he might know something I did not. Blaming talent had been easier, but it had given me nothing I could work on.

He told me that there was usually a “textbook” way to do something. It might not look exciting, but it gave an amateur player the best chance of being consistent.

One example was my elbow. I would drop it as I executed a shot, adding movement that made my stroke harder to repeat. The textbook approach was to keep it still. Professional players such as Efren Reyes can make difficult shots look effortless and develop styles that break the usual rules, but those styles are built on years of practice.

I had been copying what great players did without understanding what made it work. I had also spent countless hours repeating the same habits without stopping to question them.

Practising with intention

I stopped trying to play quickly or imitate what professional players made look easy. I slowed down, kept my elbow still, and paid attention to whether I could repeat the same stroke. I was no longer hitting ball after ball on autopilot. None of it was flashy, but it worked.

That change led to the best pool I have ever played. I finally had a method that I could practise and improve instead of hoping that a good shot would come together.

What pool changed about learning

When I entered Republic Polytechnic, I caught myself repeating the same mistake in a different setting. I could spend hours reading and memorising notes, then take that time as proof that I was learning.

Most of our exams were open-book, so memorising pages of content was not much use if I could not apply it to a question. I began studying to understand why things worked and how the topics connected. My notes became something I could refer to instead of something I had to reproduce. That change played a part in helping me make the Dean’s List.

Even now, I sometimes catch myself reading the same page without taking anything in. It feels like hitting the same shot while dropping my elbow. More time will not fix it. I have to stop and work out what I am doing wrong. If I cannot see it myself, I ask someone who can.