Can You Trust Your Stroke

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I can remember far back when I started really getting good at this game. It was when I found I had a good smooth straight stroke that was repeatable. Then I learned to trust it along with what I was seeing. Everything else just seemed to come together after that. I started NOT missing many balls, my table speed improved helping my position improve very fast. After having a few heart attacks and stokes that erassed everything I did on automatic piolit in pool. A 5 year lay-off added to the problem. I am now just starting to trust my stroke again (after 1 1/2 years) and my game has zoomed ahead in the last few weeks.

If you have a good stroke learn to trust it. You will see a big improvement just about right away. Johnnyt
 
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Johnnyt said:
I can remember far back when I started really getting good at this game. It was when I found I had a good smooth straight stroke that was repeatable. Then I learned to trust it along with what I was seeing. Everything else just seemed to come together after that. I started NOT missing many balls, my table speed improved helping my position improve very fast. After having a few heart attacks and stokes that erassed everything I did on automatic piolit in pool. A 5 year lay-off added to the problem. I am now just starting to trust my stroke again (after 1 1/2 years) and my game has zoomed ahead in the last few weeks.

If you have a good stroke learn to trust it. You will see a big improvement just about right away. Johnnyt
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Great point, Johnny. I might add that it's possible to have a crooked ugly stroke, and still play pretty solid...as long as you TRUST the stroke. Most balls are missed before the bridge hand ever touches the table, imo.
 
stroke

I'll bet that you can ride a bike tooo after years off of it. Remember a pool stroke is a neuro-muscular pathway. Once created and refined all it takes is some practice to bring it back. Sometimes layoffs are even beneficial. People with severe brain damage can be retrained to walk again with extensive physical therapy. Now get out there and ride that bike again.
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
 
Very good point. I often have students set up and then close their eyes before they shoot. With eyes closed, all you can do is trust your stroke! When you have that consistent repeatable stroke, trusting it takes a lot of the worry out of the shot.

Good job!

Steve
 
Johnnyt said:
I can remember far back when I started really getting good at this game. It was when I found I had a good smooth straight stroke that was repeatable. Then I learned to trust it along with what I was seeing. Everything else just seemed to come together after that. I started NOT missing many balls, my table speed improved helping my position improve very fast. After having a few heart attacks and stokes that erassed everything I did on automatic piolit in pool. A 5 year lay-off added to the problem. I am now just starting to trust my stroke again (after 1 1/2 years) and my game has zoomed ahead in the last few weeks.

If you have a good stroke learn to trust it. You will see a big improvement just about right away. Johnnyt
Click to expand...

Great point, so true... :thumbup:
 
pooltchr said:
Very good point. I often have students set up and then close their eyes before they shoot. With eyes closed, all you can do is trust your stroke! When you have that consistent repeatable stroke, trusting it takes a lot of the worry out of the shot.

Good job!

Steve
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I was trying to say. Too much bla, bla from me. Thank you. Johnnyt
 
I always understood the importance of trusting it but have a little trouble. I've been trying new things for a while now, from adding the pause to trying to keep my elbow still to adjusting my sighting to looking at CB last.

Sometimes I feel a little distracted by all that and my stroke feels more forced, less natural. A few years ago I wasn't bothering with any of it and I trusted it all day.

I can still make plenty of shots eyes closed but not as consistently as I want.

Forum member Ratta, who is an instructor, can actually walk up to a certain shot and close his eyes BEFORE getting down on the shot... plant his bridge and fire it in. And it's a tough shot, harder than a spot shot. :o Hopefully I didn't embarrass him by posting that, but it's impressive.
 
i trust my stroke 100%, what i dont like is the "noise" in my brain and distractions, when I can get those eliminated I play much better. I have awalys had a good stroke, its the other stuff thats harmed my game.


Edit: Playing for alot of $$$ does calm me down, the more I bet the better I seem to play. To a limit, if its too high then it becomes a bad thing. I have a range of $$$ that optmizes my game, its less than 10K and more than 1(I'm not saying how much). Below $1K I cant really get into it, above a certain number less than $10K brings out the best in me. At 10K I get a little tight, but i'm going to fix that and play at that level until I hit another number that tightenes me up. I look at Justin Bergman he is loose as a goose playing for $20 in the middle, thats how I want to be, I have been in that spot and the noise started back up-it was out of my betting range, I know my self well enough that I know what I need to do to get past the $20K in the middle hurdle and keep playing good. Someday I will be able to play for any amount-it might take a while but I will make that happen.

Its funny how $$$ can effect your stroke, so do i trust my stroke? yes but only up to a cretain price.
 
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I trust it better when I am winning!!! I still got it made in the shade but too many misses are tough to fade.
 
I think the stroke is only part of the equation, Johnny. You do need to be able to trust your stroke, or at least have confidence in it's repeatability, that's for sure, but I feel that shot percentage is the ultimate goal in cue sports. The higher the percentage of shots made, the greater the chances of success for the player. Conversely, the lower the percentage of shots made, the less chances a player has in winning.
Whenever we watch a professional pool player work their magic at the table, someone will invariably say "That guy never misses.", or something to that effect. It's because his or her shot percentage is so high we tend to pay little attention to the misses.
So what is really happening I believe, is your shot percentage is returning. The more you play, the closer it gets to the level at which you remember it to be. After all, you already knew how to play pool. :smile:
 
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