3 things that quickly upped my game (like overnight upped it)

Pete

Pete

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Koop. Koop taught me how to aim in a way that works well for me.

Perfect Aim. It taught me how to align my eyes.

Lee Brett The Secret Art of Pool. Really helped a lot.

These guys helped me get the fundamentals to pocket balls well.

Now there are others I have worked with, and they helped me improve, but these three gave me info that helped what seemed overnight...
 
Pete said:
Koop. Koop taught me how to aim in a way that works well for me.

Perfect Aim. It taught me how to align my eyes.

Lee Brett The Secret Art of Pool. Really helped a lot.

These guys helped me get the fundamentals to pocket balls well.

Now there are others I have worked with, and they helped me improve, but these three gave me info that helped what seemed overnight...
Click to expand...

Yeah Pete, what did I teach you again...LOL
I honestly forget but I'm glad it worked for you.

I also did a lesson with Gene on Perfect Aim and it really helped.
 
Pete said:
Koop. Koop taught me how to aim in a way that works well for me.

Perfect Aim. It taught me how to align my eyes.

Lee Brett The Secret Art of Pool. Really helped a lot.

These guys helped me get the fundamentals to pocket balls well.

Now there are others I have worked with, and they helped me improve, but these three gave me info that helped what seemed overnight...
Click to expand...

Cool, head over to Ayer Tuesday at 7, tournament there, you can show off your new aiming :) I would say Wed at Snookers but I likely won't be there then, but should be in Ayer tomorrow.
 
3 things that quickly upped my game

1. Don't drink alcohol and gamble
2. Don't drink alcohol and play tournaments
3. Chalk is free

I swear, I can run out when I'm sober and use that blue stuff.
 
Koop said:
Yeah Pete, what did I teach you again...LOL
I honestly forget but I'm glad it worked for you.

I also did a lesson with Gene on Perfect Aim and it really helped.
Click to expand...

So here's a copy of the email Koop sent me (I stopped playing for a will and he was kind enough to send me this, Thanks Koop).



Hey Pete,

Hope all is well. I was on vacation for a while so I am swamped at work, otherwise I would have responded sooner.
So, if I remember right, the system I told you was the one I use mainly where there is no pivot.

Cut One: A slight cut to the right. Aim the center of the cue ball at the left quarter of the object ball. Half way between center and edge.
For a slight cut to the left just reverse so it’s center to the right quarter ball.

Cut Two: A thinner cut to the right. Aim the center of the object ball at the left edge of the object ball. Reverse for cut to the left.

Cut Three: Very thin cut to the right: Aim the right quarter(inside) of the cue ball at the left edge of the object ball. This one you may need to move your head slightly to the right to see the line. Not much but maybe a little. Reverse for cut to the left. Left quarter ball(inside) to the right edge of the object ball.

A good way to practice until you know instinctively which one to use when is to start out with an easy cut and make it progressively sharper. This will tell you when you need to switch from one to the other. After time it will just come naturally and you will know.

If you need any help just let me know but this should get you well on your way.

Koop



It works great for me because I only use front hand English (so my stroke feels right). So what I did I called calibrating my eyes. After loosening up my stroke (2 racks) I would put the object ball on the spot and shoot 15 straight. then continue doing 1, 2 & 3 15 each side. I did this 5 days a week for a month or so. My game got better every shot I took. Now when I have time of I go back to this.

Pete
 
Pete said:
So here's a copy of the email Koop sent me (I stopped playing for a will and he was kind enough to send me this, Thanks Koop).



Hey Pete,

Hope all is well. I was on vacation for a while so I am swamped at work, otherwise I would have responded sooner.
So, if I remember right, the system I told you was the one I use mainly where there is no pivot.

Cut One: A slight cut to the right. Aim the center of the cue ball at the left quarter of the object ball. Half way between center and edge.
For a slight cut to the left just reverse so it’s center to the right quarter ball.

Cut Two: A thinner cut to the right. Aim the center of the object ball at the left edge of the object ball. Reverse for cut to the left.

Cut Three: Very thin cut to the right: Aim the right quarter(inside) of the cue ball at the left edge of the object ball. This one you may need to move your head slightly to the right to see the line. Not much but maybe a little. Reverse for cut to the left. Left quarter ball(inside) to the right edge of the object ball.

A good way to practice until you know instinctively which one to use when is to start out with an easy cut and make it progressively sharper. This will tell you when you need to switch from one to the other. After time it will just come naturally and you will know.

If you need any help just let me know but this should get you well on your way.

Koop



It works great for me because I only use front hand English (so my stroke feels right). So what I did I called calibrating my eyes. After loosening up my stroke (2 racks) I would put the object ball on the spot and shoot 15 straight. then continue doing 1, 2 & 3 15 each side. I did this 5 days a week for a month or so. My game got better every shot I took. Now when I have time of I go back to this.

Pete
Click to expand...

Yep, now I remember. Got it from Hal.
To be honest, I use this and perfect aim now.

Still an aspiring D player but getting better!
 
Koop said:
Yep, now I remember. Got it from Hal.
To be honest, I use this and perfect aim now.

Still an aspiring D player but getting better!
Click to expand...

As soon as I read this I recognized it as Hals. It's simplified from his exact explanation, but is the single best thing I was ever taught..
 
Koop said:
Yeah Pete, what did I teach you again...LOL
I honestly forget but I'm glad it worked for you.

I also did a lesson with Gene on Perfect Aim and it really helped.
Click to expand...

Don't teach Gene anymore, he's good enough as it is.:smile:

Good to see Hal's technique in simple terms..
 
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Pete said:
Koop. Koop taught me how to aim in a way that works well for me...
Click to expand...
If that's the case you got the 6...

(kidding, Koop is great people, even had a door installed in his new house just for me)
 
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Icon of Sin said:
If that's the case you got the 6...

(kidding, Koop is great people, even had a door installed in his new house just for me)
Click to expand...


I would love to meet and rack for anyone on the forum. Sadly I think I am back a a D - C level. Since 2009 I haven't kept up with my game. I'll start to play and then get distracted like this past summer. I was feeling good, and then stopped playing for 4 months straight. But would love to meet up and rack for you...
 
This is just ONE of Hal's methods. A very simple one but also effective. A bunch of us were around a table at SBE one year discussion Hal's methods and Freddie Agnir showed us this one.

JoeyA also showed me the virtues of Perfect Aim while I was in New Orleans. I can definitely see the merit in it.

I would like to add that Joey also advocates being very exact in how you hit the object ball and what you want the cue ball to do. Not just sorta kinda but VERY PRECISE. When I played him he showed me what that level of precision means. And for one pocket it's extremely necessary to put the cue ball exactly where you need it to be because a half-inch the wrong way ends your run or sells out.
 
Hit nearly the same shot 100's and 100's of times over and over and you'll gain muscle memory and visual memory. You will just know exactly where to hit them after 100's of times.

ZeroX billiards is a pretty damn good FREE instruction video from beginner to advanced. WARNING ITS LIKE 3 HOURS LONG SO, I WOULD NOT TRY TO ABSORB IT IN ONE SITTING. watch a portion and go shoot, repeat.

http://youtu.be/Pm-VDuGzJS4
 
Billiardbills said:
Hit nearly the same shot 100's and 100's of times over and over and you'll gain muscle memory and visual memory. You will just know exactly where to hit them after 100's of times.

ZeroX billiards is a pretty damn good FREE instruction video from beginner to advanced. WARNING ITS LIKE 3 HOURS LONG SO, I WOULD NOT TRY TO ABSORB IT IN ONE SITTING. watch a portion and go shoot, repeat.

http://youtu.be/Pm-VDuGzJS4
Click to expand...
Not the same thing. In actual games you come up against thousands of slightly different shots. No person has time to practice all of them. What you can practice is how well you aim and how precise you can be on demand. This then works for any shot you face.
 
That is pretty much what I meant. I didn't mean to set the cue ball and object ball at the same location. I really meant roll the ball out there near the location and take the shot, do this over and over and over and over time you will learn what works and doesn't work.

That being said, there is no substitution for real playing time on a great tight table. I play twice a week on a good week (wife, 1.5 year old, baby on the way, career, and cue business) and I struggle to maintain my skill level and it is definitely VERY difficult to get any better. I shoot roughly as an A+ or in APA I would think around a 6 or at best 7 in 9 ball, or a 5 or at best 6 in 8 ball. I do not shoot leagues anymore but have played APA, BCA, cash leagues, as well as a few other smaller leagues.

What I have found to be the best to help me, is shooting on the Diamond ProAm (only 9 footers) tables if at all possible or any table that is a 9 footer with tight pockets and true rails. An hour spent on these tables is like 2-3 hours on any other tables.

I try not to shoot on 7 footers ever as I never play tournaments on them anyhow and I feel it is counterproductive to my game.

Regarding one pocket, I watch Scott Frost's Power One Pocket once a day and I think I will be awesome at it when I get the chance to play it.... <----------------- That was a joke, but I have watched it. Lol. I Just do not have all day to play that game, although the game is intriguing to me. I recently heard someone say that One Pocket is a retired man's game, Lol.
 
TATE said:
Don't teach Gene anymore, he's good enough as it is.:smile:

Good to see Hal's technique in simple terms..
Click to expand...

HAHA, Chris.
Believe me, Gene did all the teaching. I doubt I have anything I could teach him.
 
JB Cases said:
This is just ONE of Hal's methods. A very simple one but also effective. A bunch of us were around a table at SBE one year discussion Hal's methods and Freddie Agnir showed us this one.

JoeyA also showed me the virtues of Perfect Aim while I was in New Orleans. I can definitely see the merit in it.

I would like to add that Joey also advocates being very exact in how you hit the object ball and what you want the cue ball to do. Not just sorta kinda but VERY PRECISE. When I played him he showed me what that level of precision means. And for one pocket it's extremely necessary to put the cue ball exactly where you need it to be because a half-inch the wrong way ends your run or sells out.
Click to expand...

John, I've found that this way of aiming coupled with Perfect Aim from Gene is about as good as it gets. At least for me anyway.
Puts me right on the shot line consistently.
 
Pete, if you want to attempt the pivot, this is the best one Hal taught me that worked for me. It's called Shish-K-Bob and this explanation was written by my friend Bill Senko who grasped it better than I did at the time.

The different ways to aim are:

1. On very shallow to slight cuts - 1/2 tip of inside english on CB - aim tip of cue to CENTER of OB- pivot tip back to center of CB - stroke

2. Cut angle beyond slight - ONE TIP (1) of inside english on CB - aim tip of cue to CENTER of OB - pivot tip back to center of CB - stroke

3. Sharper cut angle - ONE TIP (1) of inside english on CB - aim tip of cue 1/2 way between the center of the OB and the edge of the OB -
pivot tip back to center of CB - stroke

4. Acute cut angle - ONE TIP (1) of inside english on CB - aim tip of cue to the EDGE of the OB - pivot back to center of CB - stroke

Start out with the CB/OB about 12 - 24" apart when you're first learning all of the angles, aim points, tip offset, etc. in the beginning. As you gradually figure things out and get used to it, you can increase the distance. Also go from a very shallow cut to more extreme gradually as I had you do it today in order to see when and where you make your adjustments.

Koop - YMMV
 
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