I took a lesson some years ago from Dennis Orcullo. I asked him what percentage of his shots he applies english to the cue ball. He looked at me like I was from another planet before answering, "All of them".
Exactly. Even if Dennis was being over the top. It’s good to teach absolute beginners how to hit vertical center, but nobody left standing at the end of a pool tournament is somehow staying on the vertical center. I know some people will say they do, but if they’re at the end of the tournament, I think they just have faulty memories or something, or they’re trying to.” protect” newer players.
I don’t know any professional player who doesn’t use a touch of outside on the case nine ball when they’re cutting it in. You’ll even hear some professional player commentators say that they can’t imagine anybody that wouldn’t. Niels Feijen says things like having to use that touch of outside on a normal cut shot to make sure that he gets good contact. karl and Jeremy had a great little discussion of why you would use that outside English even if they weren’t playing position, and again the basic sentiment from both of them was that they don’t know anybody that wouldn’t. it just makes the game easier.
But, when people are beginners, they really need to be concentrating on that stroke and delivering it straight and repeatedly. That I get. I’ve done dozens of hours of matches with Mark Wilson, and there’s never been any time that he ever suggested somebody shouldn’t use English because it’s too risky.
