Good players who do not look very good, while at the pool table, but still consistently run out.
- By Bob Jewett
- Main Forum
- 67 Replies
Yes, the unorthodox styles can be made to work, but I think they will take longer to make work and are less reliable under pressure/fatigue/ageing. In my view, players should put in a reasonable effort on orthodox mechanics before they wander off into the world of amazing idiosyncrasies.....if your stroke is 100% repeatable, even if it is not orthodox, you are set up for success.
Should Willie Hoppe have changed from a sidearm stroke to a standard pendulum? Would he have played better? Impossible to tell. When Welker Cochran was a teenager, he got a coach who changed his arm to vertical and his stroke to perfectly straight. Did that help or hurt him? Also impossible to tell. According to legend, Hoppe learned as a pre-teen to make what he had work because his father would beat him if he missed. Also, his family was supported by his billiards, which was a pretty good incentive to make shots.
For learning the game, I think simpler is better. Many players fix one problem by layering on a compensating problem.