Consistency

Skippy27 said:

I need to get some advise on developing consistency in draws and follows. I realized doing the BU test training last night that I am absolutely horrible at my consistency.

What I have been doing thus far is pretty much always cuing the ball at about the same spot and just using my speed to adjust for the amount needed. I thought having at least that consistency (tip placement) would help. However, it is clear that I am not at all good at using speed consistently or "incrementally" enough to adjust say from a 5" draw/follow to a 12" draw/follow.

I have been working on the below things a lot lately

1. 1. I am trying to develop a natural speed that I can then adjust from as needed by the shot. I would describe it as slightly faster than lag speed on a 7' table or lag speed on a 9' table. I thought this would help with my draw/follow the way I was doing it. FAIL
2. 2. Using the above I am trying to always hit the object ball with a sliding cue ball during my practice.
3. 3. Based on the above I am trying to learn the path of the cue ball after it makes contact with the object ball so I can fine tune my cue ball control.

I have heard of using tips, like 1/2 tip for each diamond you need but based on my #1 that only goes so far being I may be 5 diamonds away and need to draw it back 3 diamonds and there aren't 4 tips of draw to use so speed comes into play.

I guess in a nutshell, what should I concentrate on the most while practicing to get more consistent and how should I go about doing so?

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Neil said:

Concentrate mostly on a very precise hit of the cb. While training, even look at the cb during your final stroke. Learn to hit precisely. Start by hitting the same speed, and try and have the cb come back the same every shot. If your speed is the same, and your distance of draw varies, you are not hitting the cb precisely.

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Neil said:

Concentrate mostly on a very precise hit of the cb. While training, even look at the cb during your final stroke. Learn to hit precisely. Start by hitting the same speed, and try and have the cb come back the same every shot. If your speed is the same, and your distance of draw varies, you are not hitting the cb precisely.

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M.G. said:

I was having the same problems.
2 part solution:
- get a new cue (different one!) to have some kind of "differential" to feel the hits. Even if it's a cheap Players with a good shaft. If you play with a soft one get a harder one and vice versa.
Exchange cues after each 9 ball game or every 10 practise strokes. This will make you notice the hit better.
- play Carom for a while on a 7" table. The consistent tables (heated etc) mean that you actually can repeat strokes 1:1, the smaller tables force you to be extra sensitive.

Still this will take about 6 week to have a noticeable impact.
And: watch Tor Lowry's videos about the fundamentals of the stroke and grip.

EDIT: Yes, I'm all for creative solutions

Good luck!

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pooltchr said:

I have to disagree. Changing cues has rarely if ever helped anyone improve. It's not about the piece of wood in your hands. It's about what the player does with it. Consistency comes from doing the same things the same way every time. Rock solid stroke mechanics and pre-shot/shooting routines is the only way.
Steve

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ENGLISH! said:

Steve,

Your first sentence is extremely presumptive. I know quite a few that have improved by making a cue change. Amateur golfers often get significant improvement by getting fit for a set of clubs & pool is similar. If one has a cue that they never think about then that is the cue for them, but if they are getting 'bad vibes' from a cue then that can be affecting their focus, concentration, & confidence. Some cues have larger butts than others. Some are weighted well forward or rearward than others. There is nothing wrong with experimenting with different cues to find one that 'feels' right to an individual & it might be a $40 cue which is more economical than most lessons.

That said, lessons can be a good thing for some too.

I hope you see & understand my points.

Best,
Rick

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M.G. said:

I was having the same problems.
2 part solution:
- get a new cue (different one!) to have some kind of "differential" to feel the hits. Even if it's a cheap Players with a good shaft. If you play with a soft one get a harder one and vice versa.
Exchange cues after each 9 ball game or every 10 practise strokes. This will make you notice the hit better.
- play Carom for a while on a 7" table. The consistent tables (heated etc) mean that you actually can repeat strokes 1:1, the smaller tables force you to be extra sensitive.

Still this will take about 6 week to have a noticeable impact.
And: watch Tor Lowry's videos about the fundamentals of the stroke and grip.

EDIT: Yes, I'm all for creative solutions

Good luck!

Click to expand...

pooltchr:
I have to disagree. Changing cues has rarely if ever helped anyone improve. It's not about the piece of wood in your hands. It's about what the player does with it. Consistency comes from doing the same things the same way every time. Rock solid stroke mechanics and pre-shot/shooting routines is the only way.
Steve

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Patrick Johnson said:

...
Sounds to me like he's saying take advantage of "new cue syndrome" - the well known phenomenon where your attention is more focused on how you're hitting the CB when you're playing with a different cue than usual.

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Scott Lee said:

Sorry Rick, but I disagree with you too (what a surprise! ). Once again you have no idea what you're talking about. "Getting a new cue" as an alternative to good instruction is just plain silly. If you don't know how to USE the cue, it won't matter what you change to. If you DO know how to use the cue, changing cues won't matter either, because you should be able to play with anything. Lessons...good ones...are invaluable in improving your ability, no matter how good (or bad) you play.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

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M.G. said:

Exactly :thumbup: And this can and should be forced by changing your cue regularly when doing this kind of practise.
I know that this is not a popular opinion to have (because pool players still live in 1960 still and no, I don't like Mr. Mosconi), but other crafts use this sensation.
Guitar players use this regularly, too - practising on a completely different guitar.

Taking lessons with defined drills is also fine and can lead to a result faster, of course.
My method is more fun because buying a new cue is more fun You'll have to do the drill afterwards still, but hey you've got a new cue

Give it a try!

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Skippy27 said:

I need to get some advise on developing consistency in draws and follows. I realized doing the BU test training last night that I am absolutely horrible at my consistency.

What I have been doing thus far is pretty much always cuing the ball at about the same spot and just using my speed to adjust for the amount needed. I thought having at least that consistency (tip placement) would help. However, it is clear that I am not at all good at using speed consistently or "incrementally" enough to adjust say from a 5" draw/follow to a 12" draw/follow.

I have been working on the below things a lot lately

1. 1. I am trying to develop a natural speed that I can then adjust from as needed by the shot. I would describe it as slightly faster than lag speed on a 7' table or lag speed on a 9' table. I thought this would help with my draw/follow the way I was doing it. FAIL
2. 2. Using the above I am trying to always hit the object ball with a sliding cue ball during my practice.
3. 3. Based on the above I am trying to learn the path of the cue ball after it makes contact with the object ball so I can fine tune my cue ball control.

I have heard of using tips, like 1/2 tip for each diamond you need but based on my #1 that only goes so far being I may be 5 diamonds away and need to draw it back 3 diamonds and there aren't 4 tips of draw to use so speed comes into play.

I guess in a nutshell, what should I concentrate on the most while practicing to get more consistent and how should I go about doing so?

Click to expand...

FranCrimi said:

I agree about the cues. I carry one cue when taking the subway to the City and another cue when I drive. Even though both cues have Predator shafts, they still play very differently, and I do find myself paying attention to the feel of the hit more when I switch. I also experience something similar when I switch ball sets between different pool rooms.

But like you also wrote, it's not just the equipment change. You have to do the work as well.

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ENGLISH! said:

Hi Fran,

I hope you're well.

I went through a long process of trying several LD shafts when I switched from a regular shaft before I settled on one that I felt was better for me.

I've recently started playing one pocket & have experimented with combinations of tips, shafts & butts in an attempt of finding one that allowed me to most easily get the delicate hit that is so often required in one pocket.

Anyway, to not be too long winded, I just discarded a butt last week simply because it had a large diameter & circumference that varied rather significantly from place to place where gripped.

I initially stopped using my steel jointed cue & went to a wood to wood sneak pete type but I think I have settled on an Oringinal Meucci with an OB Classic Pro & a soft G2 tip.

I don't have a question for you. I guess I just wanted to sort of confirm your point here that different cues hit differently & some of us can feel it & I guess some can't.

IMHO one needs to have both a good stroke & the right equipment for them or even the game they are playing. 3 rail carom is not one pocket. I believe that CJ even uses different tip sized shafts for different size tables.

Again, I hope you've been well.
Rick

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FranCrimi said:

Hey Rick, welcome back. Yes, I have found that switching cues helps clean out the cobwebs and prevents me from getting lazy. It reminds me to pay attention to what I'm doing. Nothing at all wrong with that and I can see how musicians would do the same just to keep sharp (pardon the pun).

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FranCrimi said:

Hey Rick, welcome back. Yes, I have found that switching cues helps clean out the cobwebs and prevents me from getting lazy. It reminds me to pay attention to what I'm doing. Nothing at all wrong with that and I can see how musicians would do the same just to keep sharp (pardon the pun).

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Neil said:

This is the "Ask the Instructor" forum. Where people expect honest answers from instructors and not have to wade through the b.s. of other forum answers by people just giving their opinion with little to no knowledge.

In the past, you have called for no one but instructors to answer questions here. That said, are you willing to go on record as stating that if someone came to you for a lesson, you would be willing to just tell them to go buy another cue and use that for a little while, then when they get used to it, switch up cues again? How much does one charge for a lesson like that? Oh, you wouldn't tell anyone that? Thought so.......

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