Changing Your Stroke

stljohnny

stljohnny

knowledge > execution. :(
Silver Member
I was just wondering how common it was for you long-time players to change your stroking style? I've only been playing seriously for just over a year and I've changed my stroke about 3 times. I don't consciously think I'm going to change it one day, but it just sorta happens, which makes me take notice, then I work with it until it feels good. It's always an improvement, but I have to wonder just how common is it?

I don't mean huge changes (well, not after I got the fundamentals down anyway), just smaller things like backswing speed, maybe a looser pre-stroke (ala Bustamante, Immonen or SVB). I had for a short while that Frost loop-pause-level-fire thing going on, and while it worked very well for me playing 1P, it destroyed my rotation game. Weird, I know, but that's what I observed.

Just this weekend, I noticed my stroke feeling very foreign, so last night I spent a few hours alone at the table and just kind of let the stroke define itself until it felt good. By the end of the night, it felt like it had always been my stroke; which is good. There's more detail in the blog post below, if you're at all curious.

Would love to hear some thoughts from both long-time players and some of the newer people who are still in the building-block stages, like me.
 
I have changed my stroke in the past 6 months and it has helped me. I used to slow roll nearly everything, I was not really hitting the ball and some would say I had no stroke and would never have one. The fact was I was just not letting my stroke out, I hit the balls firmer now with more confidence and I see an improvement in my game. Having a soft touch though is still nice and comes in handy. :smile:
 
I changed my stroke after I first attended pool school.....and never looked back!

When you get something that works...stick with it.

You hear a lot of talk about how instructors can shorten the learning curve, and you have just given us the perfect example. For years, I was always refining my stroke, trying to find the best way to move the cue. RandyG showed me how in one weekend. Once you know what you are supposed to be doing, it becomes pretty simple...keep working toward that goal.

Steve
 
stljohnny said:
I was just wondering how common it was for you long-time players to change your stroking style? I've only been playing seriously for just over a year and I've changed my stroke about 3 times. I don't consciously think I'm going to change it one day, but it just sorta happens, which makes me take notice, then I work with it until it feels good. It's always an improvement, but I have to wonder just how common is it?

I don't mean huge changes (well, not after I got the fundamentals down anyway), just smaller things like backswing speed, maybe a looser pre-stroke (ala Bustamante, Immonen or SVB). I had for a short while that Frost loop-pause-level-fire thing going on, and while it worked very well for me playing 1P, it destroyed my rotation game. Weird, I know, but that's what I observed.

Just this weekend, I noticed my stroke feeling very foreign, so last night I spent a few hours alone at the table and just kind of let the stroke define itself until it felt good. By the end of the night, it felt like it had always been my stroke; which is good. There's more detail in the blog post below, if you're at all curious.

Would love to hear some thoughts from both long-time players and some of the newer people who are still in the building-block stages, like me.
Click to expand...

i have worked on mine many times. interestingly, i have found that after working on it for hours, i go back to what i was initially doing (ie no change) and feel i am better after i have gone through this process. i dont really understand it, but thats how i feel.
 
When I was first starting out it seemed like my stroke was influenced a lot by the people I was watching play. So if I was watching someone like Bustamante play I would start swinging all over the place. That was the only bad thing I ever noticed about watching better players play - they influenced my stroke. Once I realized this, I made sure to NEVER EVER EVER watch Allen Hopkins play!

I can now say I have my own stroke. The only thing that seems to change from time to time is my bridge length. I have to keep an eye on that, it likes to creep out a bit from time to time.
 
stljohnny said:
I was just wondering how common it was for you long-time players to change your stroking style? I've only been playing seriously for just over a year and I've changed my stroke about 3 times. I don't consciously think I'm going to change it one day, but it just sorta happens, which makes me take notice, then I work with it until it feels good. It's always an improvement, but I have to wonder just how common is it?

I don't mean huge changes (well, not after I got the fundamentals down anyway), just smaller things like backswing speed, maybe a looser pre-stroke (ala Bustamante, Immonen or SVB). I had for a short while that Frost loop-pause-level-fire thing going on, and while it worked very well for me playing 1P, it destroyed my rotation game. Weird, I know, but that's what I observed.

Just this weekend, I noticed my stroke feeling very foreign, so last night I spent a few hours alone at the table and just kind of let the stroke define itself until it felt good. By the end of the night, it felt like it had always been my stroke; which is good. There's more detail in the blog post below, if you're at all curious.

Would love to hear some thoughts from both long-time players and some of the newer people who are still in the building-block stages, like me.
Click to expand...

I dont think about my stroke, I was told a long time ago that you have
to develop your own stroke. Everybody has a diff stroke and you would
be wasting time trying to copy someone else's. A stroke needs to be a
natural thing although I agree with the SPF being a part of the stroke.
Your stroke will develop with your game IMO
 
pooltchr said:
I changed my stroke after I first attended pool school.....and never looked back!

When you get something that works...stick with it.

You hear a lot of talk about how instructors can shorten the learning curve, and you have just given us the perfect example. For years, I was always refining my stroke, trying to find the best way to move the cue. RandyG showed me how in one weekend. Once you know what you are supposed to be doing, it becomes pretty simple...keep working toward that goal.

Steve
Click to expand...

Hey Steve,
I believe I have either heard or read somewhere that the stroke tought at the BCA schools is the Allison Fisher style stroke where she seems to pause a the cue ball, pause at the end of her back swing, and then follow through.

thanks, Jim
 
Main Event said:
Hey Steve,
I believe I have either heard or read somewhere that the stroke tought at the BCA schools is the Allison Fisher style stroke where she seems to pause a the cue ball, pause at the end of her back swing, and then follow through.

thanks, Jim
Click to expand...

The "P" in SPF stands for Pause. Allison is not the only player to use this type of stroke...just possibly the best known. There are many who have found the benefits of the 3-stop pendilum stroke.

Allison is evidence as to how well it works.

Yes, her stroke is textbook as far as what we encourage our students to strive for.

Steve
 
pooltchr said:
The "P" in SPF stands for Pause. Allison is not the only player to use this type of stroke...just possibly the best known. There are many who have found the benefits of the 3-stop pendilum stroke.

Allison is evidence as to how well it works.

Yes, her stroke is textbook as far as what we encourage our students to strive for.

Steve
Click to expand...
Buddy Hall may be the best example of this.
 
I have refined my stroke little by little over time. I can honestly say that the hardest thing to do is to shorten your stroke. When I went to see Steve Jennings (poolteacher) he let me know that my stroke was super long (over a foot). When I tried shortening it to even 10" it felt like I was 2" away from the CB. I had to slowly move myself closer over time until I was comfy.

I still say that the one thing that helped my stroke more than anything is practicing on a snooker table. When you play for a while aiming is natural, but making a 2.25" ball into a 3" pocket takes a very straight stroke which I found was not natural for me.
 
Hi outhere :)

it s sometimes funny when ppl are talking about problems with their strokes or even changing it or working on it- but most of the time without *plan* or no know why. I also often notice, that if i m showing someone some *easy* drills which will make it possible for him to work on his stroke...and then even so often *the guy* thinks that it makes no sense (something like the motherdrills are taught in pool-school).
With the experience i think more and more, that many players (not all, but many ^^) are always searching for excuses instead on working hard on their fundamentals and just keep it simple. If you re seriously working hard on the beginning of your *pool carriere* on your fundamentals you ll have success for a life time.
Keep it simple, and you l have more fun for other things ^^

and.....you ll never stop learning^^

lg and happy new year,

Ingo
 
If you have a stroke that works dont change it. But if by "works" you mean would get destroyed by any A player then be open to changing it.
 
Learning to adjust..........

Changing your stroke isnt necessary at all.....REFINING YOUR stroke is where it's at. It's true what the previous have stated about finding YOUR own stroke. Imitating someone just isnt the way to go. Most would like a nice free flowing flamboyant stroke like busty etc, but if it's not how YOU stroke then stay away from it. Instead, when watching top players play..don't pay attention to THEIR mechanics..pay attention to WHERE they strike the cue ball, how level the cue is, how far they follow through, how much they pull back, and/or how far they bridge away from the cb. Imitating THOSE things is what I would advise you on doing. You will in turn learn how to adjust your stroke so that you can play the same kind of stroke shots you see the pros do..forget style imitation... look at the EXECUTION of the shot itself...THEN you will figure out what you need to do or what you arent doing.
 
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