Diagram & Why Do I Miss

[DrCue'sProtege]

Notice the diagram below. I was watching the MNF game between the Jets/Patriots and noticed an extra point went straight through the uprights. so i thought to myself i wish i could shoot that straight. then this drill below pops into my mind. i set the two balls apart with about 1/4" to spare and shot the CB straight through them, hitting it about 6:00 like a draw shot. then i set the two balls apart with about 1/8" to spare and shot the CB straight through them with draw. then i set the two balls apart with about 1/16" to spare and shot the CB straight through them three different times, hitting it at 6:00. i was amazed i was able to do that with only about 1/16" to spare. that told me three things - my alignment, aim, stroke was all good.

So, i then shoot a similar straight in shot trying to draw back - and missed.

WHY???

Mike

CueTable Help

 

[garczar]

Field-goal shot

An answer to that question would put a lot of psychiatrists out to pasture.

 

[larrynj1]

your cte pivot must be off.

 

[randyg]

Draw is a little more dangerous than follow for most. If you strike the cue ball 1/2mm off center it will never come back in a straight line....randyg

 

[justadub]

Neat exercise. Sounds like a fun thing to use for practice, to mix things up occasionally.

Cool.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

Draw is a little more dangerous than follow for most. If you strike the cue ball 1/2mm off center it will never come back in a straight line....randyg

True. but i missed the shot after me being able to stroke that CB perfectly through those two balls with little or no room to spare. i thought i stroked it just like i did when shooting between the balls and i still missed.

i'm more worried about missing the shot rather than being able to draw the CB straight back.

Mike

 

[dr9ball]

True. but i missed the shot after me being able to stroke that CB perfectly through those two balls with little or no room to spare. i thought i stroked it just like i did when shooting between the balls and i still missed.

i'm more worried about missing the shot rather than being able to draw the CB straight back.

Mike

Sounds to me like your not as consistent as you'd like to be Mike. You can't really determine what's wrong based on a single shot. Shoot the shot 20 times and see what your make to miss ratio is. Note any changes to your stroke between the make and miss groups. Then you may be able to answer your own question.

 

[SpiderWebComm]

DCP - Randy gave you your answer. It's tip placement. You THINK you're tip placement isn't messed-up, but it is. When your eyes are shifting to the OB just as you stroke forward, your tip veers off to the side and you fail the drill.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

Sounds to me like your not as consistent as you'd like to be Mike. You can't really determine what's wrong based on a single shot. Shoot the shot 20 times and see what your make to miss ratio is. Note any changes to your stroke between the make and miss groups. Then you may be able to answer your own question.

I've shot this long straight-in draw shot 10,000 times and have found no consistencies except that i miss alot. sometimes i miss to the left, sometimes i miss to the right. and it varies which side of the table i am shooting the OB to.

i miss the OB to the left so i compensate my aim and i still miss to the left. then i make one, and then i seemingly do the same thing and miss to the right. so i compensate and i still miss to the right. then i make one, and then i seemingly do the same thing and i miss to the left again.

Maybe its like Scott Lee said to do......just quit obsessing over this shot and play. Tom Rossman asked me "If you were playing Nick Varner in a race to 11, how many times would this long, straight-in draw shot actually come up?"

i guess it just honks me that after 12+ years of practicing i cant drill this shot time and again.

Mike

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

DCP - Randy gave you your answer. It's tip placement. You THINK you're tip placement isn't messed-up, but it is. When your eyes are shifting to the OB just as you stroke forward, your tip veers off to the side and you fail the drill.

I never failed the drill.

I shot the CB perfectly through those two balls several times and they werent very far apart. But then when i shot this shot with an OB, i missed. how could i be so perfect on all those practice strokes and then miss when i shot at an OB???

Mike

 

[SpiderWebComm]

I never failed the drill.

I shot the CB perfectly through those two balls several times and they werent very far apart. But then when i shot this shot with an OB, i missed. how could i be so perfect on all those practice strokes and then miss when i shot at an OB???

Mike

Can you make the shot just stopping the CB- or only when you draw the CB?

If you don't want to miss this shot with the OB--- shoot it another 10000x, you'll get it--- i have faith in you.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

Can you make the shot just stopping the CB- or only when you draw the CB?

If you don't want to miss this shot with the OB--- shoot it another 10000x, you'll get it--- i have faith in you.

stun is not a problem. i only miss when i hit the draw shot. putting that extra "oomph" into the shot to get the draw must be throwing me off - ever so slightly.

Mike

 

[SpiderWebComm]

stun is not a problem. i only miss when i hit the draw shot. putting that extra "oomph" into the shot to get the draw must be throwing me off - ever so slightly.

Mike

Find inner stillness and peace at the moment of truth and commit. You're probably Fred Flintstoning the CB by ooomphing it to the OB.

Be SMOOOOOTH. As Bruce Lee used to say, "Be like water."

You're just not water and that's why you're missing.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

Find inner stillness and peace at the moment of truth and commit. You're probably Fred Flintstoning the CB by ooomphing it to the OB.

Be SMOOOOOTH. As Bruce Lee used to say, "Be like water."

You're just not water and that's why you're missing.

you're probably right. i've noticed at times i am just real loose and relaxed with a nice follow through, and the ball goes down and the CB comes straight back.

just dont know why i cant do that all the time

Mike

 

[SpiderWebComm]

you're probably right. i've noticed at times i am just real loose and relaxed with a nice follow through, and the ball goes down and the CB comes straight back.

just dont know why i cant do that all the time

Mike

Cause you don't play 10 hours a day and you have a real job. This game ain't easy.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

Try setting the same shot up using the two object balls. Now take an object ball and place it in line to make it. So now you have your original shot set up but have just added the object ball you plan to make. It will take some precision to set this up. Now shoot the shot.

Did you make it? Did you hit one of the blocker balls?

I think your problem may be in aiming. Now try this---Set up your straight in shot but aim at the base of the object ball (where it touches the table). Let me kinow what happens.

 

[PaulieB]

I am not an instructor, so take this as entirely my opinion, but I find a lot of people end up hitting their draw shots way too hard, thinking that the harder they slam the ball the more action they get. Whether you think you are or not, you may be sacrificing accuracy for power because you think you need the extra power to get the draw. Maybe video tape yourself doing the shot without an object ball for 20 times, then do it with an OB and a stop shot 20 times, then 20 times trying to draw. Don't look at results, just look at the video for changes in your shot speed, stance, alignment, etc. for the draw shot attempts.

I bet you will find something completely different in your draw shot attempts.

 

[Ratta]

Cause you don't play 10 hours a day and you have a real job. This game ain't easy.

:thumbup:
Some guys have to notice, that they just haven t got the fundamentals you probably need. No bad comment towards Mike- but consistancy is the key-and this is a result of a repeatable, straight stroke. If you can truly say, that you re having a repeatable and straight stroke.............the game slowly begin to become a bit easier ^^

And.........several 100.000 of pocketed balls...not to forget )
lg
Ingo

 

[dr9ball]

stun is not a problem. i only miss when i hit the draw shot. putting that extra "oomph" into the shot to get the draw must be throwing me off - ever so slightly.

Mike

It could be that you are squeezing the cue/gripping too hard on the power draw (high speed draw shot).

it's really hard to say without seeing you do this on video or in person.

I think Scott has given you some good advice. Do you still have fun when you play pool or has your quest for perfection taken all the fun out of the game?

 

[pooltchr]

I never failed the drill.

I shot the CB perfectly through those two balls several times and they werent very far apart. But then when i shot this shot with an OB, i missed. how could i be so perfect on all those practice strokes and then miss when i shot at an OB???

Mike

The balls are the same for all shots. The cue is the same for all shots. The pockets are the same for all shots. Nothing changes with any of them from shot to shot. The only variable between shots is what you do.

If you hit the shot with top spin, but miss it with draw, you are changing more than just the tip position on the cue.

As someone pointed out, I can only assume that your fundamentals are not quite as rock solid as you believe they are. Something is changing with your stroke.

Steve