The angle, the speed, and then the percentage of the head ball I am hitting (starting with a full dead center hit on the head ball and working little by little into more of a cut break).

bbb said:

surprised you can aim at 30 (you are aiming at 30 ...yes?)
on a pool table and it works

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And if table is good condition i make that in around 30-40% of time too. If table is very slick i miss whole ball long(just like Filler did). That gives good info anyways even with 1 try.

sjm said:

Yes, good idea, but ...

In truth, the chance to warm on a stream table at a major championship is usually minimal, typically, but not always, restricted to one rack each for you and your opponent. Over the years, I've heard more than a few players complain about this, noting that the table in the practice room may or may not play like the one on which they must compete, but their complaints have, too often, fallen on deaf ears.

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Yes. I just move 2 last ball of that warm up rack to make 2 test shots like i did on video. That is common on official tournaments.

Trying to extend follow through will likely lead to trying to power through the ball and is a horrible way to think of the desired outcome.

You don't follow through the ball, you naturally allow your stroke to come to an end. On some shots that could take three inches, on others it may take a foot. People with bad form who hold the cue at the very butt and strike the cue before their forearm is vertical will either have a long follow through or they will be using power to decelerate the cue.

Follow through is simply the worst things a player can concentrate on.

Bob, you mean pongohops might have some bierbower cues.

Still on the hunt for vigma zigzags

KINGSCOURT905 said:

Fred, none of those — I don't use an aiming system at all, I just try to hit it clean and keep my head still. The reverse DeLuna one I've never even heard of, is that a real thing?

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I suspect the RAM shot, used on power shots and especially the break shot, has not yet gotten into Canada.

I think many of the suggestions made here are of very little value if it's the opponent racking on the typical pitted bar table with the typical worn and maybe mismatched object balls. In such a situation, every rack is going to be different -- different gaps in different places. In such a situation, I think the best you can do is learn to hit the head ball perfectly full, as hard as possible, and with almost no spin. And ask your opponent to at least get the front ball frozen against its neighbors.

Poolmanis said:

When i play tournaments and want test table in warm up I shoot couple times 3 rail "opposite system shot" 3 rails. It is fast way to get read of rails and cloth.
It is close what Filler had, and i am sure he know that too so that shot. Use slightly less english than natural 3 rail kick and faster speed.
Here you can see me test it on last tournament before match.
Login to view embedded media

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Ditto, after I play some shots figuring out the speed of the cloth I usually go straight to 3 railer's, if I have time I might even look for some spots on walls.

dquarasr said:

Where da heck did you find a 20-lb bowling ball?

At least when I bowled (early 70s until the late 90s), 16 lbs was maximum allowed.

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One man at the alley I bowled at had a 26 pound ball.

A twenty pound ball wasn't available in plastic but no problem in rubber. This would have been in about 70-72. Since I wasn't bowling league or any formal competition, I could use anything that didn't damage the alley equipment. I bought the ball from the alley's pro shop. It was special order but only took a few weeks or months to get. The reason I bought a twenty was because the bowling alley had at least two on the public racks.

Hu

bbb said:

i think the fact that he didnt execute his shot choice doesnt mean he made the wrong choice
3 rail kicks are very accurate once you learn how to aim them and hit them
we have to give filler the benefit of the doubt he knows how to aim them and hit them
if filler missed pocketing a ball would we say he made the wrong choice and should have picked a different pocket?
of course not
this is the same type of situation
he missed....he is human
he is number 1 in the world
for me he gets the benefit of the doubt
he made the right choice FOR HIM ...just missed it
jmho

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I was watching a poker instructional video the other day and heard - sometimes you make the right choice and it turns out bad - it was still the right choice. Sometimes you make the wrong choice and it turns out good - it was still the wrong choice.

IMHO, he made the right choice but came out wrong. Can't fault him for that.

Some general suggestions if you are trying for perfectly orthodox form:

Your bridge hand is up on your finger tips. Is it possible to anchor it more firmly?

Your grip hand is about a hand ahead of where your forearm will be vertical at impact. That hand position will cause sooner impact on your chest, if you have that now.

Your grip hand has visible daylight between it and the cue stick during the early part of your stroke sequence. I suggest that you close your hand completely around the stick as much as possible (without a death grip, of course), so that the shape of the grip hand will have minimum change during the stroke.

And if you have a slick wrap, such as linen, get rid of it. The wrap, if you have one, needs to provide friction so your hand does not have a tendency to slip on power strokes. A plain finish has more friction that many types of wrap. A quick fix is to get a rubber sleeve, such as the ones carom players use. With a high-friction grip area, you don't have to grip as tightly on power shots.