After viewing the other video yesterday, I was a little disgusted with what I saw. So today I worked on fixing some of the problems. This one is only two sets of ten balls. I believe it went quite a bit better. I didn't use a striped ball for the cb this time, instead focused on drawing straight back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr7RyCCFS2o&feature=youtu.be
Critique this video 2
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
I'm not going to critique your video, but I do have a question if you don't mind. When you step up to the shot do you put your right foot on the shot line or off to the side? I can't really tell from the video. It looks like you are leaning into the shot....kind of like your torso is twisted. I might do the same thing though. I know I move my cue out and in when drawing the cue ball like on your video yesterday.
The fact that you made a turn around like you did in one day says a lot about you. I'm impressed.
I'm no expert and I'm learning as much as I can lately by watching different instructional videos. Your posts help me out too.
The fact that you made a turn around like you did in one day says a lot about you. I'm impressed.
I'm no expert and I'm learning as much as I can lately by watching different instructional videos. Your posts help me out too.
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I used CTE/Pro 1 to aim in this video. Don't know if you are familiar with it at all. What I did is line up center cb to left edge ob, and right edge cb to "C" or right 1/4 of ob. At that point, my right thigh is on that line. Looking down, with my foot at about a 45 degree angle, the cue would come right across the base of my big toe. Torso isn't twisted, just looks that way.
I will try this, as it seemed to work very well for you.
There is a little more to CTE than I mentioned. But the stance stays the same.
Neil,
This is a solid stroke on this video. It seems that the only problem I see is one I have had to deal with in the past, also. It comes and goes as you shoot.
In the first rack, the 7,8, and 9 ball shots are the examples. Your backstroke veers into your body slightly and you swipe at the cue ball on the forward stroke compensating for the off line pull back. You shorten your backstroke in your practice strokes, too. It's like your subconscious is picking up on the small swerve in the back stroke and shortens it.
Your last long stroke makes it come back and you compensate nicely for it. The look on your face shows you felt something because you pause for as second. We all know that feeling. :grin-square: The ball went in, but you steered it slightly.
I would say your palm pad or your small finger is pulling the stick off line. Maybe your visuals. I've had this problem, too. It's intermittent, but a PITA! Some players can get away with it. I can't.
Best,
Mike
This is a solid stroke on this video. It seems that the only problem I see is one I have had to deal with in the past, also. It comes and goes as you shoot.
In the first rack, the 7,8, and 9 ball shots are the examples. Your backstroke veers into your body slightly and you swipe at the cue ball on the forward stroke compensating for the off line pull back. You shorten your backstroke in your practice strokes, too. It's like your subconscious is picking up on the small swerve in the back stroke and shortens it.
Your last long stroke makes it come back and you compensate nicely for it. The look on your face shows you felt something because you pause for as second. We all know that feeling. :grin-square: The ball went in, but you steered it slightly.
I would say your palm pad or your small finger is pulling the stick off line. Maybe your visuals. I've had this problem, too. It's intermittent, but a PITA! Some players can get away with it. I can't.
Best,
Mike
Part of it too is that shaft tends to hang up in my bridge hand. Other shaft doesn't do it, just that one. Might have to break down and get one of those gloves.
Neil:
I agree with Mike here. I finally had a chance to watch your two videos, and I chose this second video to do so (to me, no use in watching the first video, if you've already self-diagnosed your own video).
A couple things:
1. It looks to me like you have a case of the "grabby grabbies" -- meaning, a hook in the cue delivery due to the [possibly forced] opening/closing of the grip hand. On many of the shots, one can see your cue tip hook violently to your left (the viewer's right) after contact with the cue ball. Yes, it's after contact as far as I can tell (which is of no concern if the cue ball is already away)... but is it? Only a slo-mo video can tell. One thing's for sure; I'm not a fan of the opening/closing of the grip hand, because it's far too easy to "force" the opening/closing, especially when the shooter is under duress (e.g. playing a high-stakes/-profile match, or if camera shy). Forcing the opening (on the back stroke) and the closure (on the delivery) can and does induce yaw in the pull-back and delivery. As you know, the human hand is an asymmetric device, and opens/closes in one direction only -- fingers to palm. This unidirectional closure can pull the cue offline.
2. It looks like your stance has you "standing away from" the cue. Almost like you are angled more than 45 degrees to the cue as you hold it, and you're "leaning over" from that stance "to meet" the cue. As evidence of this, your rear end is way over by the collection of object balls by your table's left corner pocket (your left, as you stand at that end of the table), but your right arm/elbow is "out there" in space over by your table's right corner pocket, not even close to your body, even though the elbow is properly positioned over the cue. It could be my perception / camera angle, though. And, it could be, too, that I'm biased to the snooker stance, which has one more square-shouldered over the cue. (As you know, I prefer the snooker stance, because it positions you where you're delivering the cue "from your chest" -- right arm is very close to the body, and you use your body to help stabilize the arm rather than have it flap in the wind. Again, IMHO.)
3. Great PSR -- you repeat the same movements every time when chalking your cue, viewing the line of the shot, positioning your feet, shuffling your weight a bit to get comfortable, and then bending down into the shot. Great stuff.
4. You get through the cue ball quite nicely. A nice "snap" as that elbow snaps closed, and the tip descends onto the cloth perfectly. I would recommend that while in this Finish position, that you take a moment while "down there" to look, to see where your cue tip is pointed in reference to the line of the shot. You'll see the hook-to-your-left that Mike and I are talking about. (Again, I personally think that's due to the dreaded "grabby grabbies," and possibly due to the "standing away from" the cue, where you might have the inclination on the pull-back to pull the butt of the cue towards your body, injecting a bit of right-to-left correction on the delivery.)
Great video! I hope to make one myself this weekend, and post it here as well. I do this same exercise on 9-foot tables, so it will be a little different in proportions. I'll try to fit it into the weekend schedule, no guarantees.
-Sean
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A few comments:
1. There is no opening and closing of the bridge hand. Cue just stays cradled in my loose grip.
2. Yes, I am quite "sideways" to the shot. If you watch the first video, you will see me "squarer" to the shot. Like Mike, I am plagued with having to stroke straight. I don't get away with a terrible stroke like you see some do. Close to straight worked for years, in my older age, I want more. So, I set up a mirror (not as easy as some make it out to be, it's a pain in the arse to get one at the right height and angle to see what you want to). I saw from the first video that I had the cue to the inside of my arm. That meant that I had to co-ordinate the delivery of the stroke, instead of just letting it happen.
The position you see me in in the second video is where I had to be to get the cue under my shoulder with my arm in line with it. Looks weird, looks awkward, but isn't awkward at all to me. We are all built differently, and that is what I had to do without getting all twisted up.
3. You need a PC to be able to do this, not a phone- hit play/pause constantly, and you essentially can freeze frame the whole video. Place the edge of a paper or something along the line of the cue. Doing that, one can see exactly how and when the cue is off line.
Take shot #2 in the video. Looks like I hit it real good. However, doing what I stated above, I see that my initial line up was off a small amount. Being a straight on shot, I could see that it was, and did not stand back up. Instead, I adjusted slightly without changing my stance. Slow pull back stayed in line. However, when I added speed , being a little out of alignement, my hand did not want to go down it's correct path, but down it's natural path which was a little off. My subconscious picked it up and corrected it mid swing to hit the cb where I wanted to. Followthrough still went off path of straight. That it occured after contact is visible by the fact that the cb did indeed come straight back, meaning I hit the cb where I wanted to, just not like I wanted to.
You will see that everytime I did not draw straight back, my cue was off line a little. (who said this was an easy game??)
4. Don't know if this stance will stay permanent or not. Still a work in progress. This was shot after I finally got to where I could see my shoulder and arm in line over the cue in the mirror, then tested it out on ten shots, then filmed it. (can't see the mirror when filming, camera in way) Pleased with the improvement, but not done yet. Goal is to get a very repeatable STRAIGHT stroke. I notice that if my forearm is not straight down from my elbow, that is when I tend to go off line a little. Very touchy, will find a way to make it easier. Snooker stance is out, can't get down that low. But, very pleased with the improvement! On the right track, just a few more things to iron out and then make it habit.
5. PSR- that shuffling of my feet is getting the correct visuals for CTE/Pro1. Getting my body aligned to the visuals correctly.
Thanks to those that did comment on both videos. Never too old to learn (I'm 59) and never have said that I know it all. Far from it, just more than most.:grin-square:
Neil,
The more I watch you stroke the cue stick, the more I see myself. It's uncanny from what I can remember of my technique I've seen on video, the resemblance. The weirdest thing is that you seem to have many of the same quirks I've been fighting with lately.
When I made my changes, I got the same results. I traded a fix for a new problem. So, hopefully you figure it out and I can learn from your experimenting. Definitely, GOOD LUCK! :thumbup:
Best,
Mike
PS Keep posting, Sean!
The more I watch you stroke the cue stick, the more I see myself. It's uncanny from what I can remember of my technique I've seen on video, the resemblance. The weirdest thing is that you seem to have many of the same quirks I've been fighting with lately.
When I made my changes, I got the same results. I traded a fix for a new problem. So, hopefully you figure it out and I can learn from your experimenting. Definitely, GOOD LUCK! :thumbup:
Best,
Mike
PS Keep posting, Sean!
Neil,
The more I watch you stroke the cue stick, the more I see myself. It's uncanny from what I can remember of my technique I've seen on video, the resemblance. The weirdest thing is that you seem to have many of the same quirks I've been fighting with lately.
When I made my changes, I got the same results. I traded a fix for a new problem. So, hopefully you figure it out and I can learn from your experimenting. Definitely, GOOD LUCK! :thumbup:
Best,
Mike
PS Keep posting, Sean!
Mike, in my video, you can clearly see that the last set of ten was much better. What I did different, but have to clearly refine yet, is a slight turn of the wrist to the outside of my body at initial set up. You don't want to be turning it during the stroke at all. That tends to make the forearm go straighter.
Neil,
Are you saying you slightly turn your wrist away from your body? For instance, move your little finger away and have less of a cradle type grip?
Best,
Mike
No, just sitting wherever you are, put your arm in a pendulum position. Yours might do the same thing mine does...that is, my hand it slightly turned towards my body naturally. (due to different muscle buildup in forearm??) So, I found I have to just turn my wrist so the cue hangs straight and not pointed to the left.
Now, as I'm sure you know Mike, there is an easy way to do that to, for most. Just stand along the shot line with your arm hanging down and cradling the cue very loosely. See where the cue points to. Then, start shifting your feet until the cue is lined up with the shot line, and bend over.
When I do that, I end up in the position shown in the video. Just have to refine it a little yet.
edit: Mike, when I say I turn my wrist out a little, I am not bending it at the wrist joint, but twisting the forearm a little at the elbow to cause my hand to turn the cue tip to the right a little. For the moment, that is what Sean and I call a "band-aid". I have to refine my stance a little so the cue points straight naturally.
When I do that, I end up in the position shown in the video. Just have to refine it a little yet.
edit: Mike, when I say I turn my wrist out a little, I am not bending it at the wrist joint, but twisting the forearm a little at the elbow to cause my hand to turn the cue tip to the right a little. For the moment, that is what Sean and I call a "band-aid". I have to refine my stance a little so the cue points straight naturally.
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I understand. Like the Ralf Eckert video a while back? I tried that and found it's pretty close with what I've been doing. Good stuff there.
I've also been working on pointing my thumb to the ground the last couple of months and it seems to help my wrist curling. I get more of a V grip kind of thing going on. I also have less of a tendency to tighten my index finger which leads the wrist curling spasm. It stays out of the way of my forward stroke.
Have you done any work with your vision centering?
Best,
Mike
Yes, long time ago I started doing that. I've had to change it over the years with eyesight failing, then with wearing glasses all the time. For me, the easiest way, is just take a spare shaft and lay it on the table. Then get in your stance over it with your cue. Just moving your eyes, look down at the cue. You should see even parts of the shaft on both sides of your cue. When you do, that is your vision center. Dr. Dave also has some articles on it.
edit: Jimmy Reid had that stance positioning years ago also.
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Look Tight
Everything looks a little tight, tense,forced,,starting from the PSR to completion
I think if you loosen up a bit you will get better action on the cue ball with 1/2 the effort.
The stroke looks and sound close to a 3 click and you can achieve more with just a 1-1/2 to 2 click from that distance
Everything looks a little tight, tense,forced,,starting from the PSR to completion
I think if you loosen up a bit you will get better action on the cue ball with 1/2 the effort.
The stroke looks and sound close to a 3 click and you can achieve more with just a 1-1/2 to 2 click from that distance
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This is just to address the "hook" mentioned earlier.
My cue hooks to the left 6 inches past the CB. I have found the cause to be that during my extended follow through with my elbow drop, at the 6 inch mark my closed bridge forces the cue into the cloth almost like applying a brake. To avoid digging into the cloth my wrist and elbow relax and swing out wide. From doing this drill thousands of times the marks are wore into the cloth. The line is clear -straight through the cue and six inches past, then the hook left. In a video it can be seen that I don't do this on center ball or high hits so I'm pretty sure it's due to the reason I mentioned. Maybe it's the same cause of yours?
My cue hooks to the left 6 inches past the CB. I have found the cause to be that during my extended follow through with my elbow drop, at the 6 inch mark my closed bridge forces the cue into the cloth almost like applying a brake. To avoid digging into the cloth my wrist and elbow relax and swing out wide. From doing this drill thousands of times the marks are wore into the cloth. The line is clear -straight through the cue and six inches past, then the hook left. In a video it can be seen that I don't do this on center ball or high hits so I'm pretty sure it's due to the reason I mentioned. Maybe it's the same cause of yours?
Just looks tense because it's done the same way every time. I am actually very loose and relaxed. To me, 3 speed is length of the table 3 times with no contact of any ob. I'm half table away and draw it table length. If you can do that with the same speed as a lag shot, which is 2 speed, I'd like to see it.