I don't "jack up" my cue on anything other than on jump shots, shots off the rail and when shooting over a ball. There's a big difference between the correct cue angle and "jacking up" or a "jacked up" cue position.
That's why you want to use some of these techniques so you pass on knowledge from experience, not from just theories that don't hold up to real competition. Playing in a league or tournament is good experience so to at least relate to playing in "battle conditions". Sometimes things look good on paper (?) and don't hold up in the "real world" of competition.
You say I'm discouraging "them"....who do you speak of? I would honestly say there's VERY FEW beginners on this Forum. And if there are beginners here I think they should have an opportunity to speak for themselves.
If there's any beginners out there reading this please let us know with a private message and let me know what you would prefer to learn and how. This will be a positive and constructive way to understand if we need to tone it down a bit as is being suggested.
If you consider yourself intermediate we would like to hear from you as well to get insight on what you want to learn on the new video section coming soon to AZBILLIARDS. Thank you in advance.
While I've "played pool" for over 40 years, I was purely a recreational player (never practiced) up to April of this year which is the time I took a lesson from Scott and started practicing two hours per day. While in the big picture, I still suck, I'm now an APA 6 in 8 ball and very competitive with the other 6's and 7's in the league. Scott taught me the fundamentals of a good stroke and help me set up drills for structured practice. I've purchased lots of books and DVD's, the best of which were from Jerry Brieseth and Dr. Dave's VEPS. Since Scott doesn't live next door, understanding the "why's" is extremely beneficial as I practice each day and work through problems I encounter. At the end of day though, it is simply my behavioral type that demands knowledge and understanding of the things in life I'm passionate about. I'm simply more of a knowledge and facts guy versus a touchy feely sort of guy. Everybody is different though, certainly there are those who would prefer to just bang balls around and feel their way to a solution.
If I read something here and think it makes sense at all (and sometimes when I don't think it makes sense), I try it. I've tried everything you've discussed here CJ. Some things I try, I like and adopt. Sometimes, what I try leads me to adopt a part of it. Other times, it doesn't appear to work for me and I discard it.
I think the issue here is that theories, etc. are often discussed as black and white. Reality is there are the full spectrum of colors in between. Everybody is different in behavior and personality and people's circumstances (work, family, age, passion, etc.) are different. These things being discussed and often hotly debated don't have to always be right or wrong, some will work well (or seem to work well) for some people and not for others. That's why the aiming discussions are so crazy. I hear people rave about CTE/Pro1 and SEE. I took a personal lesson from Stan on CTE/Pro1 and purchased the SEE DVD. Neither seem like a concept I want to use, I prefer ghost ball, fractional and SAM aiming systems combined with my own intuition. I believe, however, CTE and SEE are valid systems and can work for some people. Again, different strokes for different folks, no wrong or no right.
With the obvious reality of my age, I don't want to take 5 years and rely on HAMB to get better. I absolutely believe, at least for me, having a sound, consistent fundamental stroke is the best way for me to improve at the fastest and most efficient rate. I cannot imagine any aiming system being effective if you can't place the CB where you're aiming on the object ball.
So I can't speak for everyone but as a "relative beginner", I thirst for the knowledge and understanding. To me, "real competition" occurs anytime you're playing someone else at the table. For me, it is the love and passion for the game. I couldn't afford the cut in pay by becoming a top professional, I'm quite happy with my pursuit of simply becoming a very good player.
