Advice needed! 10 ball ghost games

T

tangte

Registered
I recorded some of my 10 ball ghost games. I am not happy with the way I was playing. I think I still have a lot of room to improve my concept, so the game could be easier. Anyway, there are quite a few games in this video, some of them I ran out, some of them I didn't. Any suggestion is appreciated!
Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2COzd2KggI

I also have quite a few 9 ball ghost video on my channel. Feel free to comment on those games too.
 
Well I watched the 10 ball set. I saw mostly good things, and just a few things I picked up on that I want to comment on.

I noticed a number of times you jumping up on your final stroke. Staying down and freezing until after the ball is pocketed can be a way for you to break that habit.

You really need to work on your 10 ball break, were you breaking soft on purpose?

You tend to show frustration easily, and I suspect that is the same when you compete. Some players hide there emotions well, Some wear it on their sleeves. I think you should work on hiding or eliminating a show of frustration.

I think there are times when you tighten up your either during or at the end of a shot. I noticed a number of times your tip coming up on a firmly stroked shot with an open bridge that is a fairly clear indication of that.

You get on balls well, and have angles most of the time to get on other balls. There were a few times where you ended up straight on balls, or you had an excessive angle (that shot down the long rail to the corner that you missed comes to mind) My only observation and suggestion on this is to look for alternatives. I noticed that you like to draw the cueball mostly. There were a few times that I would have chosen an alternative.

Otherwise keep working on it, and lighten up a bit, you may play better by not putting undo stress upon yourself.
 
Hi Tony, thanks for your valuable suggestions. You have pointed out exactly what my problems are.
1. Poping up problem. I don't know when I started to develop this bad habbit. But you are right, I do have this problem. I used to play a lot of 8 ball and snooker in China, 10 years ago. I had a very nice snooker stance back then. Since I got to America in 2005, I started to hang out with some pool hustlers. Most of them shoot like that (jumping up). I guess I started this bad habbit from there. Now since you pointed it out, I should start to pay attention to this.
2. Emotion control. You are absolutely right. I play like a crying baby most of the time. I know it's bad. But it's always easier to say than to do. I guess I will try to do my best. Thanks for letting me know. Now I will remember this forever.
3. Tighten up. This problem will be more obvious when I am under pressure. I really have no clue how to get rid of this problem. This is another thing easier to say than to do. I guess I need to play more tournaments and more gambling. What do you think?
4. Looking for alternatives. This is the 'concept' problems I was talking about. You are right, there are ways to make the game easier. I will post some pictures in the future so we can discuss how to run out some specific pattern.
By the way, the soft break was on purpose (I didn't even use my break cue). That's just because I saw a lot people break like this when they play 10 ball ghost. I found it pretty effective because you don't have balls clotted up most of the time. There is a youtube video where Efren Reyes was playing the 10 ball ghost. He broke like this too.
Thanks for your advice again. You will see me play better in my next video.
 
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Remember to stay down and focus on holding a long finish pose. That should help break the habit of jumping up.

As far as emotions that is a difficult one. I had the same problem in my younger days, due to I was always a perfectionist, and very competitive. Additionally my genetics didn't help either(LOL). There were things I did, that I didn't even notice. I needed my wife to point them out to me when she saw me in competition. For 10 years I have been working on this myself, and it has difficult. You have to create a new mindset with expectations for playing the game. For me, everything was competition, everything mattered, and the worst, I never had fun playing was like a job. It wasn't until I could learn to play pool and have fun that I was able to turn the corner.

I think the times that I saw you tighten up are related to the above too. There are drills that could be used to help you to stay focused on staying loose, but I think it is more important to address the top two first.

Patterns yes, there are always alternatives, you have to weigh in your mind the risk and rewards of different paths to take. Next time you practice for each shot verbalize three different options you can see to obtain position on the next ball in rotation. Taking the time to ID and verbalize this, may help you look at various options.


tangte said:
Hi Tony, thanks for your valuable suggestions. You have pointed out exactly what my problems are.
1. Poping up problem. I don't know when I started to develop this bad habbit. But you are right, I do have this problem. I used to play a lot of 8 ball and snooker in China, 10 years ago. I had a very nice snooker stance back then. Since I got to America in 2005, I started to hang out with some pool hustlers. Most of them shoot like that (jumping up). I guess I started this bad habbit from there. Now since you pointed it out, I should start to pay attention to this.
2. Emotion control. You are absolutely right. I play like a crying baby most of the time. I know it's bad. But it's always easier to say than to do. I guess I will try to do my best. Thanks for letting me know. Now I will remember this forever.
3. Tighten up. This problem will be more obvious when I am under pressure. I really have no clue how to get rid of this problem. This is another thing easier to say than to do. I guess I need to play more tournaments and more gambling. What do you think?
4. Looking for alternatives. This is the 'concept' problems I was talking about. You are right, there are ways to make the game easier. I will post some pictures in the future so we can discuss how to run out some specific pattern.
By the way, the soft break was on purpose (I didn't even use my break cue). That's just because I saw a lot people break like this when they play 10 ball ghost. I found it pretty effective because you don't have balls clotted up most of the time. There is a youtube video where Efren Reyes was playing the 10 ball ghost. He broke like this too.
Thanks for your advice again. You will see me play better in my next video.
Click to expand...
 
Allowing yourself to get upset during a match takes away from your ability to concentrate and get in the zone, both of which require a pro-active intention. Emotions indicate that you are letting yourself react to table situations.

Displaying emotions is handing your opponents a tool to destroy your game.

Once those they know the situations and circumstances you allow to affect you, they can purposely set up table situations to break your focus.

When I play anyone who starts moaning and groaning about table situations, I own them. At that point, I don't have to win - I only need to help my opponent lose.
 
Thanks for your advice, Allan. You are absolutely right. Being emotional is a bad thing for sure. But I need to work on this slowly. If I totally hide my emotion right now, I believe I will destroy my game too. I grew up in a very competitive environment, in which you would fall behind other people if you didn't work hard. So I don't have much patience with stupid mistakes, not just on pool, but also on everything else in daily life. I know it is bad. But I believe it's gonna take a while before I can fix this problem. I was always wondering how come Earl Strickland play so well with such a bad temper? I am not saying I want to be like him. Actually, I don't, lol.

OK, enough about my emotion problem. Let's look at something specific. Any idea how to run out the 3rd game? I attached a picture here, so you don't have to go back to the video again. Here is the first shot, you get ball in hand. That's where I put the cue ball, so I can make 1 ball in the side and knock the 7 ball away. But still, getting from 5 to 6 seems tough. And that's where I screwed up. Any good thoughts?

problem1.png
 
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Consider yourself to be playing high stakes poker. Don't let the strength or weakness of your hand show in your reactions.
 
Hi. Nice shooting.

I'm not an instructor or a good player for that matter. But I noticed you need pool glasses. I got a set a few years ago and they make a huge difference in what you can see simultaneously at the table. You won't know what you are missing unless you try them. And unfortunately, its unlikely there will be someone local to you with a pair you can try before you buy.

You have all the tell tale signs: adjusting your glasses before each shot. Then, moving your facial muscles to push your glasses higher when down on the shot. Every player I've ever come across without pool specific glasses does the same thing.

Good luck.
 
tangte said:
Thanks for your advice, Allan. You are absolutely right. Being emotional is a bad thing for sure. But I need to work on this slowly. If I totally hide my emotion right now, I believe I will destroy my game too. I grew up in a very competitive environment, in which you would fall behind other people if you didn't work hard. So I don't have much patience with stupid mistakes, not just on pool, but also on everything else in daily life. I know it is bad. But I believe it's gonna take a while before I can fix this problem. I was always wondering how come Earl Strickland play so well with such a bad temper? I am not saying I want to be like him. Actually, I don't, lol.

OK, enough about my emotion problem. Let's look at something specific. Any idea how to run out the 3rd game? I attached a picture here, so you don't have to go back to the video again. Here is the first shot, you get ball in hand. That's where I put the cue ball, so I can make 1 ball in the side and knock the 7 ball away. But still, getting from 5 to 6 seems tough. And that's where I screwed up. Any good thoughts?

problem1.png
Click to expand...

Two options. Just be careful with the two rail option because the side pocket (nearest the 6) plays really big.

TKiDDLCmUg7P_EshASyb.png


oTJAVQ-0x3EykobhD07G.png
 
Thanks! So, either way, I need to be really careful from 4 to 5, right? Actually, my angle on the 4 ball was pretty good. But I made the angle wrong on the 5 ball. I guess the 2nd option works better for my table. My rails are kind of slow. So to run 2 rails, I need a big enough angle on the 5 ball, which is not quite available in this situation.
 
Two good choices from the above poster.


tangte said:
Thanks for your advice, Allan. You are absolutely right. Being emotional is a bad thing for sure. But I need to work on this slowly. If I totally hide my emotion right now, I believe I will destroy my game too. I grew up in a very competitive environment, in which you would fall behind other people if you didn't work hard. So I don't have much patience with stupid mistakes, not just on pool, but also on everything else in daily life. I know it is bad. But I believe it's gonna take a while before I can fix this problem. I was always wondering how come Earl Strickland play so well with such a bad temper? I am not saying I want to be like him. Actually, I don't, lol.

OK, enough about my emotion problem. Let's look at something specific. Any idea how to run out the 3rd game? I attached a picture here, so you don't have to go back to the video again. Here is the first shot, you get ball in hand. That's where I put the cue ball, so I can make 1 ball in the side and knock the 7 ball away. But still, getting from 5 to 6 seems tough. And that's where I screwed up. Any good thoughts?

problem1.png
Click to expand...
 
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BeiberLvr said:
Two options. Just be careful with the two rail option because the side pocket (nearest the 6) plays really big.

TKiDDLCmUg7P_EshASyb.png


oTJAVQ-0x3EykobhD07G.png
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't know how to use the pool table diagram so I'll describe what I would do. I would use the first option, which is the multi-rail option, however, I would instead allow the cb to run along a more natural path and hit the third rail about a diamond before the 6 ball, then float out past the 6 for position on the 6. This is a standard shot in rotation games.

I just don't like that first option. Plus, with that first option, it may not look like it but there's a scratch in the side there if you're not very careful with the speed and spin. The second option is doable but you need the perfect angle for that.
 
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tangte said:
I recorded some of my 10 ball ghost games. I am not happy with the way I was playing. I think I still have a lot of room to improve my concept, so the game could be easier. Anyway, there are quite a few games in this video, some of them I ran out, some of them I didn't. Any suggestion is appreciated!
Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2COzd2KggI

I also have quite a few 9 ball ghost video on my channel. Feel free to comment on those games too.
Click to expand...

OK, I watched nearly all of that video. Overall, I think you are a very good player with a strong stroke. You are working very hard because you seem to be punching a lot of your shots and playing close to center ball a lot. That makes for hard work.

I think you will tire easily working so hard to run out. Watch Efren Reyes play and how effortless he makes moving the cb around the table look. That's because he is a master of top spin and he rolls the ball effortlessly to it's destination.

Even when you use backspin, you can hit some shots softer with less effort if you strike the cb lower.

Regarding your stance, I would like to see you take an approach into each shot from behind the shot and know where you are planting your feet. Right now, I think you are focused on the upper half of your body. The bottom half is important as well.

I'm not sure I like your bridge arm bent like that. It may be a vision issue for you but I would prefer to see it stretched out, but not locked. Just relaxed but straight. I would also like to see you not leaning on your bridge arm.
 
Thanks FranCrimi. As you can see, my table is kind of slow, especially the rails. The rails don't bounce very well. That's why you see me punching the balls a lot. I would use more english on a fast table. Anyway, you know the difference.
My stance is more like a snooker stance, with my two feet in parallel, left leg bent,right leg straight. That's just because I played a lot of snooker before. But thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely keep those in mind.
 
it's very surprising how well you shoot considering how much your technique varies from what's commonly recommended by people here. (tightening grip, twisting, body movement, jerky motion). Seems like any technique can be mastered with enough practice. Good job.:eek:
 
You should watch some snooker video, pleforowicz. The way I shoot is more like a snooker player, except the body movement part. But this is a problem I developed after I met some pool hustlers (I does work pretty well if you want to hustle people, lol). I didn't have this body movement problem before....
 
tangte said:
Thanks FranCrimi. As you can see, my table is kind of slow, especially the rails. The rails don't bounce very well. That's why you see me punching the balls a lot. I would use more english on a fast table. Anyway, you know the difference.
My stance is more like a snooker stance, with my two feet in parallel, left leg bent,right leg straight. That's just because I played a lot of snooker before. But thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely keep those in mind.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe I didn't see your video very well but your stance doesn't look like a snooker stance to me. Standing parallel to your cue is not a snooker stance. However, your shooting arm is very straight. So that part is good.
 
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