The most common mistake U see low SL's make?

Kickin' Chicken

Kickin' Chicken

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Just wondering what you all think is the single most common mistake lower skill level players make.

What I personally see over and over again is that when getting down in their stance, so many never seem to make it down to where they need to be. Specifically, they don't get their heads low enough to get the best view of their shots. This is such an easily correctable problem!

With your chin close to the cue (when possible) you will gain a much better view and feel for the shot you're about to take.

I actually see a number of decent players who stand tall over their cues much of the time, looking down at their shots. I don't believe, though, that they'll be progressing much further than just "decent".

Keeping your chin down, almost touching the cue, will get much better results. :thumbup:

What are some other mistakes we see?

Best,
Brian kc
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
I actually see a number of decent players who stand tall over their cues much of the time, looking down at their shots. I don't believe, though, that they'll be progressing much further than just "decent".

Keeping your chin down, almost touching the cue, will get much better results. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

See: Buddy Hall.

There is no absolutely correct height at which your head must be to play well. Some heights closer to the cue are better for building solid fundamentals early on, yes, but it's negotiable.
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Just wondering what you all think is the single most common mistake lower skill level players make.

What I personally see over and over again is that when getting down in their stance, so many never seem to make it down to where they need to be. Specifically, they don't get their heads low enough to get the best view of their shots. This is such an easily correctable problem!

With your chin close to the cue (when possible) you will gain a much better view and feel for the shot you're about to take.

I actually see a number of decent players who stand tall over their cues much of the time, looking down at their shots. I don't believe, though, that they'll be progressing much further than just "decent".

Keeping your chin down, almost touching the cue, will get much better results. :thumbup:

What are some other mistakes we see?

Best,
Brian kc
Click to expand...

Hitting the ball too hard for no good reason, other than being "a man." If you are talking really low level, it is the bridge. I see so many guys that might as well be bridging with the back of their hand....
 
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they go into robot mode when they make 3 consecutive balls or sometimes 2 and don't take their time and look at the situation.
 
RoryHunt said:
Hitting the ball too hard for no good reason, other than being "a man."
Click to expand...

Oh and THIS gawd someone rep this man.

Manly pool for the win.. none of that hitting it soft puss sh*t and don't even get me started on that sissy safety play.
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Just wondering what you all think is the single most common mistake lower skill level players make.

What I personally see over and over again is that when getting down in their stance, so many never seem to make it down to where they need to be. Specifically, they don't get their heads low enough to get the best view of their shots. This is such an easily correctable problem!

With your chin close to the cue (when possible) you will gain a much better view and feel for the shot you're about to take.

I actually see a number of decent players who stand tall over their cues much of the time, looking down at their shots. I don't believe, though, that they'll be progressing much further than just "decent".

Keeping your chin down, almost touching the cue, will get much better results. :thumbup:

What are some other mistakes we see?

Best,
Brian kc
Click to expand...


Almost all of the pre 1970s players stood up a lot more than the players do now. Watch the video of Fats vs Mosconi, I don't think either one of them bent over at the waist must less crouch down over the cue. Although beginners may not know the correct way to stand, there are plenty of top level players that also play with the head a foot or more from the cue. Although I don't see how they can shoot that way either, it's not always a bad sign.

There are many many things poor players do. Standing unballanced, waiving the stick around during the shot like it's in hurricane force winds, not hitting the cue ball in a precise spot, I think those are the #1 reasons they miss a shot 2 inches from a pocket.
 
The biggest problem with lower skill leavels is they think they are better than they really are and go for unrealistic shots. if they play within thier ability they would be much better off.
 
Hitting too hard is definitely the biggest problem. If you are coaching you must explain why they have to hit softer. They believe that hitting hard is going to prevent the cue ball from rolling off.

You must explain that it's impossible to hit the center of the cue ball with your tip accurately at high speeds and then explain how anything off center makes the cue ball squirt and curve.
 
RoryHunt said:
Hitting the ball too hard for no good reason, other than being "a man." If you are talking really low level, it is the bridge. I see so many guys that might as well be bridging with the back of their hand....
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As a member of the "low SL" club, I'll tell you this is very true. I don't know if it's just a "manly" thing, as I see many ladies hitting too hard too often, as well. There is just so much of a loss of control hitting so hard, especially for we beginners.

I've probably gone too far the other direction personally, in that I don't hit it hard enough for some shots, to allow a better natural leave. (Those two and three rail follow shots confound me!) But I figure it's got to be easier to learn to add speed than to reduce it.

We have a couple of guys on my team that really drill far too often, and I see it on other teams as well. Rory is right on with this.
 
% bad fundamentals % bad mental/strategic approach.

On the fundamentals, if everyone had the wisdom to start playing by seing an instructor on day one, they would progress much faster in their developing years, in fact shaving many years to acheive (their) high potential.

on the lack of knowledge, it ads to the confusion and frustrate players at first and for a long time, players get angry when they miss a shot - yet they have no idea why. Also they don't realy understand their percentages very well as they progress and don't adapt their game strategy accordingly, it's failed runout after another (going for the shot) vs. how can I win from here.

Their is so much that could be discussed here but i think these two points would summarize where LSL players falter and get confused.
 
Most of them have two common flaws:

1. They shoot where the pocket isn't

2. They shoot draw or low english on every freaking shot
 
Hitting the ball hard is prob the biggest one, but playing shape straight in on a ball when one actually needs an angle to get to the next is another biggie...
 
Something I notice about many lower skill level players, along with hitting hard all the time and thinking they are better than they are (both previously mentioned), is the fact that they don't try to improve. Now for the guy that plays league once a week just to get away from the wife for a few hours I understand. But some people play multiple nights a week and seem to love the game, but they keep doing the wrong things, even after someone tries to help them improve (a friend of mine). These people will always be lower skill level players. They might move up a little over time, but not very much.

You don't just wake up one day as a good player, it takes real practice. Not just smacking balls around. I am not a great player, but I know that and I work to improve.
 
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Lets see.....

Mechanics wise:
Hitting too hard for no apparent reason.
Getting up while stroking.
Unstable bridge.
Off balance stance.

These would be the things I see most.

Head height really isn't something that I think of as an issue. I've seen lots of them that are really low on the cue, but still are not aiming the cue where they're looking.
Have seen lots of players that have their head a lot higher, off the cue, that aim just fine, but have the issues listed above.
One stance does not fit all.
Having good repeatable mechanics is something everyone's game can benefit from.
 
I see them use too much hand chalk. They rub it all over and then clap like they are Lebron James...makes me puke.
 
1. Thinking 4-5 shots ahead. My step-son is a good shot, but he's always thinking about running out. I can seem to get it through his thick skull that you need to execute the shot and shape on the first ball to get to the second ball, and so on. You screw up shape and you go back to square one.

2. Making the run harder than it needs to be. I often see 4+ ball runs that are nothing more than simple push shots. Yet for some reason they feel the need to use english, usually a draw.

3. Trying a difficult bank or cut shot that will inevitably leave the cue ball exactly where your opponent wants it.
 
As others have said. Many of the older greats shot standing much higher than the pros of today, so I don't see that as a main problem. In "The 99 critical shots in pool", Ray Martin specifically advocates a more upright stance, and has pictures of todays stance with captions saying "too low".

I think the 2 biggest mistakes in stroke are that most low SL's drop their elbow a lot before making contact with the cue ball, and even more so, most do not stay down on the shot correctly.

Another problem I see, is that they do not play angles well. They often take BIH and line up a shot straight in that should be hit with an angle for position.

Lastly, they have NO CLUE about speed control or safety play!!!
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Just wondering what you all think is the single most common mistake lower skill level players make.
Click to expand...

as far as 8-ball

poor choices.. they shoot the easiest ball on the table then try to find another easy ball after that.. and it always leads to trouble..

the better players see the patterns that let the CB do what it wants to do..
and it usually leads to runouts.
 
One mistake that I see frequently is trying to show the girlfriends how good they are which usually ends up with them shooting jacked up with a beer in the other hand. Usually ends up with beer being spilt on the table, then I have to interrupt my game to show them the error of their ways.
 
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