[glen]

Learning is not a linear process.

Say you read a book that teaches delaying drawing trumps on some hands. As you attempt to incorporate this technique on some hands you will delay drawing trumps when you would have been better served to just draw trumps immediately. Thus you will go down in some contracts you would have made before trying to improve your game. However after many hands of experience in delaying drawing trumps, you will gain control of this technique and your skill level will improve.

Thus I don’t think the solution is to play less. Instead play lots, and expect to hit stretches, some that can last many months, where you are a weaker player than just before. It is not a linear process, so you can’t measure improvement in short intervals.

I encourage you to establish one or more stable partnerships that play at least once a week. Establish a partnership even if it means you have to play with somebody who you feel is weaker than you are. Concentrate on being the best partner you can be: supportive, easy going, not results oriented. When people see that you can be a nice partner, you will start to get partnership opportunities with stronger players. Many bridge players are older, and their number one priority in a partner is not results, but finding somebody pleasant. Being super nice will get you nicer partners, and these types of supportive players can aid in your learning this complex game.

Finally I recommend that advancing players consider some one-on-one teaching, from an expert teacher. The teaching process will involving some playing together, as well as plenty of discussion after each playing session. If you can afford it, one should budget for at least 100 hours of teaching time over a number of months. This one-on-one time with an expert teacher will greatly accelerate your non-linear learning process, if you pick a teacher that works with you giving you feedback, tips, and guidance during your time together.

However, given you are 21, you may not have the finances to afford one-on-one teaching. However, being 21, you have the time to invest many years in getting better. Thus, please be patient with the non-linear process of becoming a better bridge player, and remember it is important to enjoy the process, putting up with the bumps and bruises we all get along the Tour de Bridge course.

[Winstonm]

cyc0002002, on Jul 18 2009, 10:08 AM, said:

I appreciate all the comments
I'll try
Maybe I'm pushing myself too hard
But I'm only 21,not elderly.

Rule #1: Never, but NEVER discuss hands at the table.
Rule #2: Review every hand and play from every session - but only after the session is over.
Rule #3: Play and think about only one hand at a time - the one in front of you.

[JanM]

I'd like to put in a plug for Bridge Master - in my opinion, playing the Bridgemaster hands that are at or a little above your level is a great way to learn declarer play and how to think about hands. Learning how to think about and play hands will improve your bidding judgment because you will be able to visualize what partner's hand is and how the play will go.

[Jlall]

cyc0002002, on Jul 18 2009, 10:08 AM, said:

I appreciate all the comments
I'll try
Maybe I'm pushing myself too hard
But I'm only 21,not elderly.

If you are 21 forget what I said, your capacity to get better is very high. Just realize that it will be hard. Get the most out of the hands you play by analyzing them afterwards, ideally talking them through with better players. If you are unsure about some hands/decisions/whatever, try posting them and people here can answer your questions.

[vuroth]

Jlall, on Jul 17 2009, 06:19 PM, said:

It is a very slow and long process to get better, probably compounded by most peoples inefficient practices while trying to do so. Your story is pretty normal. Good luck to you.

To clarify: I think it is often impossible for people to meet their goals when they start bridge too late. They simply underestimate how vast and difficult bridge is, and overestimate their own capacity to learn something like that at a more advanced age, especially if they are smart and successful people.

You make it sound like it's an almost impossible task. Very discouraging.

[NickRW]

vuroth, on Jul 20 2009, 11:34 PM, said:

You make it sound like it's an almost impossible task. Very discouraging.

Well, yes and no. If you're 60+, taking up bridge for the first time and aspire to be world champion, then Justin's advice is 99.999999% on the money. But, pretty much whatever your age, you can always do better than you currently do - people should set themselves realistic goals.

[y66]

If you're open to the idea that sports psychologists have something useful to say about improving and you're not turned off by the golf idiom, check out Bob Rotella's "Golf is not a game of perfect "in print or audio.

Audio excerpt here.

Obviously, not everything he has to say is directly applicable to bridge but a lot of it is imo. I like his emphasis on the importance of having a dream ... and on having and executing a reasonable plan.

Of course, for some personality types and traumatized ex-golfers, this stuff is a complete waste of time.

[jillybean]

cyc0002002, on Jul 17 2009, 08:05 AM, said:

I'm about to give up bridge
           

I have been here, many times.

Like you, I don’t have a regular/serious partner but I do have some very good BBO partners to play 'standard' and learn from. We don’t discuss systems in any detail but the games are fine. I have found it very frustrating and detrimental to my game to play with random partners, pickup experts are without doubt the worst.

I know I need to improve my declarer and defensive play. I should be spending more time using the BridgeMaster deals and WORKING on my game. I’d still rather have some fun and play, BridgeMaster is work.

Listen to experienced players.
Ask, beg, plead, bribe someone you know is good to be your mentor.
Ask many questions on forums, keep asking them until you get it right

[pirate22]

reading this reminds me some many years ago when i came off snap/ beat your neighbours out of doors /whist/solo.stumbled on to bridge-had a pick up game live at a bridge club,and was thrilled we were 1 from bottom-no internet no print outs,so when the session over i used to run around and get the curtain cards out of as many boards as i could,and anylyze. my or pards opening leads,and would discuss with my new pard,he cottoned on to the situation,now 2 of us were collecting the curtain cards-our discussion bore fruit we weekly/monthly rose up the scale a form of bridge mate is another aid that can help.
its the same as a bank
," one can withdraw the amount out, that you put in"
concentrate on quality as opposed to quantity---Kibbitzing a good game is rewarding be it relaxed/main room----start by ply simple systems do as a child does learn to walk before you start running,and build up your level of concentration and stamina regards

[1eyedjack]

My personal experience is that improvement comes in fits and starts. 4 years is not that long. You probably are improving, but maybe playing against better players all the time is discouraging. I suspect that if you play against some rabbits you would thrash them when you might not have done a year or two ago. It really is a gulf between the top and bottom of the game.

I have seen a few new players go down a blind alley of choosing a mentor who despite having some experience really is pretty clueless and despite good intentions actually does a disservice to the game by thinking that they can teach. It makes me depressed to see the talented beginner wasted that way. So some care is required in trying to pair up on a regular basis. Not sure of a foolproof way of avoiding that. Caveat emptor, I guess, and go by recommendations.

As you are into books, have a go at Victor Mollo's Winning Double. It is a great confidence booster. Out of print but copies are around on the internet.

[nigel_k]

The ability to analyze a hand is itself a skill you need to master. You need it when playing and also when evaluating your performance. I don't know what level you are at exactly, but many people never progress beyond noticing that a different bid or play would have worked and concluding they made a mistake. You need to go further and identify the layouts where your choice succeeds and fails and estimate the relative likelihood of both based on the evidence from the bidding and play. This is an essential preliminary step to becoming a good player.

Second, I highly recommend learning from watching experts. Get hand records from top level events (there are various ways to do this) and bid and play the hands yourself, covering the 'unseen' hands if you find that helps. Then compare with what the experts did. If you can't figure out why they did something, post the hand here.

Third, don't worry too much about results. If you are constantly studying and learning, results will come.

[sfi]

cyc0002002, on Jul 18 2009, 01:05 AM, said:

I'm about to give up bridge
           

Someone once said that you're not playing enough bridge if you don't swear to give it up at least twice a week.

Less flippantly, it's really important to enjoy the game - you might need to take a break, play with someone new, or go to a major tournament. They have all worked for me in the past.

As Justin said, there is time to get the hang of the game. It is worth remembering that this is not a simple game and measurable success comes slowly. If you're looking for quick improvements, you will struggle to see them.

[Free]

You're playing a lot, but with who and against who? You've read 50 books, but which books?

It's better to play 30 boards a week with a good partner against good opponents, rather than play 100+ with and against poor players. And reading the wrong books won't help much either.

If you want to enjoy and improve your game, you really should find a good partner and play a lot with him (preferably someone who's a bit better than you are). Listen and learn, try to discuss hands,...

If you're unable to find a decent partner, I'd advise you to read advanced books on declarer play and analyze every hand you play online, even the ones where you got good results. You have a double dummy analyzer available to help. Since you don't have a steady partner, the only part where you can really improve is declarer play. If you bring home your contracts or make more tricks than the other tables, at least you'll feel better about your own performance and you'll enjoy the game more. You might even attract the attention of good players, and perhaps you can form a partnership which can really boost your abilities.