What is the correct way to shoot this????

Center ball players are different than side spin players. I don't appreciate someone saying that hitting center ball is more effective or more efficient or even better overall. It's not.

Center ball players have to punch the ball more often than players who spin the cue ball. Efren, for example is a spin player. He rarely punches the cue ball and as a result, his ball pocketing speed is much more efficient than punching the ball.

There are good and bad about both styles, but to say that one is superior to the other is just opinion and nothing more.

I prefer to spin the cue ball rather than punch it. It just works better for me.

:thumbup2::thumbup2::thumbup2:

Very well said & in so few words. Where have you been the last 2 days?

Best Wishes,
Rick
 
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Playing inside the cue ball is not the same as playing center ball, you still use spin, you still stroke through smoothly, punch and stun strokes are not even in the equation, unless a punch stroke is required for the task at hand.

Playing spin is just another section of the cue ball to use, if you need extreme then use extreme, if you need a small amount then use a small amount.
Add it to your arsenal of total command of the cue ball.

There does not have to be one way or the other to play, use the entire cue ball, and be the complete player with all the strokes.

The true art of any form of billiards,
The cue ball, everything else is second place.
 
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Playing inside the cue ball is not the same as playing center ball, you still use spin, you still stroke through smoothly, punch and stun strokes are not even in the equation, unless a punch stroke is required for the task at hand.

Playing spin is just another section of the cue ball to use, if you need extreme then use extreme, if you need a small amount then use a small amount.
Add it to your arsenal of total command of the cue ball.

There does not have to be one way or the other to play, use the entire cue ball, and be the complete player with all the strokes.

The true art of any form of billiards,
The cue ball, everything else is second place.

Yes.

I even find myself referring to it, the cue ball, as I & myself at times.

It's all we can control with the tip on the end of the stick at the end of our arm & in our fingers.

It's all about the cue ball.
 
Playing inside the cue ball is not the same as playing center ball, you still use spin, you still stroke through smoothly, punch and stun strokes are not even in the equation, unless a punch stroke is required for the task at hand.

Playing spin is just another section of the cue ball to use, if you need extreme then use extreme, if you need a small amount then use a small amount.
Add it to your arsenal of total command of the cue ball.

There does not have to be one way or the other to play, use the entire cue ball, and be the complete player with all the strokes.

The true art of any form of billiards,
The cue ball, everything else is second place.

this i can agree with 100%....:wink:
 
There does not have to be one way or the other to play, use the entire cue ball, and be the complete player with all the strokes.


this i can agree with 100%....:wink:

Well, yes and no. If you ask a player, who prefers to punch the ball, to use side spin with a smooth delivery on a shot that he would normally punch, he will be out of his comfort zone, and vice-verse.

These are two different styles of play and I don't see players crossing over in style.

I have found a strong correlation between punch-style players and a preference towards snooker and 14.1, or who at least, got their start playing those games.

I also have noticed a similar correlation between spin players and rotation games.
 
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Hi Fran,

I hear you, but there are alway exceptions.

I've been spinning the ball for more than 4 1/2 decades & have hardly ever played rotation games.

Maybe I'm a bit of an enigma or maybe it's because I started @ 13 with my own table.

I think it's a good idea to know the different strokes & strive to use them appropriately.

I'm fairly sure, or at least I think, you would agree that one should not limit oneself.

Text alone is tough at times, so I'm sorry if I misunderstood your post. If so, this is an opportunity to clarify.

In case I have not said it recently, which I don't recall, I'd like to thank you for all the great advice you give out here on AZB, for free.

You're one of AZB's Best Assets.

All the Best @ to You,
Rick
 
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Yep. There are always exceptions, Rick. It's just something I noticed over the years. I started playing 14.1 so I'm an exception also, but once I started playing rotation games, I never looked back. I felt at home playing rotation games.

A lot of the old time 14.1 players punched the ball a lot, like Mosconi, Balsis, Butera --- the list goes on and on.....not many of them were able to make a successful transition to 9-Ball.
 
There does not have to be one way or the other to play, use the entire cue ball, and be the complete player with all the strokes.




Well, yes and no. If you ask a player, who prefers to punch the ball, to use side spin with a smooth delivery on a shot that he would normally punch, he will be out of his comfort zone, and vice-verse.

These are two different styles of play and I don't see players crossing over in style.

I have found a strong correlation between punch-style players and a preference towards snooker and 14.1, or who at least, got their start playing those games.

I also have noticed a similar correlation between spin players and rotation games.
fran
i can understand and agree with you that it may be hard for old dogs to learn new tricks
meaning if someone has developed a style it would be difficult to change it
but
this may be an incorrect assumption
many of the people asking questions are trying to develop as pool players
so not restricting yourself to one style as you are practicing and developing your game
i think would be a good thing
icbw
 
fran
i can understand and agree with you that it may be hard for old dogs to learn new tricks
meaning if someone has developed a style it would be difficult to change it
but
this may be an incorrect assumption
many of the people asking questions are trying to develop as pool players
so not restricting yourself to one style as you are practicing and developing your game
i think would be a good thing
icbw

A style is what makes a player who they are. Some players never develop to the point where a particular style starts to emerge. But spinning vs. punching is not an age thing. The two types are very prevalent today. You don't really see both styles of play in the same person because, in a way, they are contradictory.

Of course you will see the odd shot here or there that crosses over. Nothing is exclusive, but if you look at the player as a whole, you will notice that they tend to favor one over the other.
 
i play one pocket and 9/10 ball
dont those 2 games require different styles of strokes???
wouldnt it be better to be good at both styles for each game rather try to put a square peg in a round hole??
its possible(probable ) i havent found my style yet so i cant see things from your perspective
 
i play one pocket and 9/10 ball
dont those 2 games require different styles of strokes???
wouldnt it be better to be good at both styles for each game rather try to put a square peg in a round hole??
its possible(probable ) i havent found my style yet so i cant see things from your perspective

Just because you haven't found your style yet, it doesn't mean that you can't recognize other players' styles.
 
Yep. There are always exceptions, Rick. It's just something I noticed over the years. I started playing 14.1 so I'm an exception also, but once I started playing rotation games, I never looked back. I felt at home playing rotation games.

A lot of the old time 14.1 players punched the ball a lot, like Mosconi, Balsis, Butera --- the list goes on and on.....not many of them were able to make a successful transition to 9-Ball.

I hear you.

I remember when I was having a bit of trouble controlling follow when joining that individual in house league that exclusively used the red circle cue ball & you gave me your advice regarding me trying to spin it forward vs. your suggestion to do it without trying to spin it forward.

You were correct as you almost always are.

Best,
Rick
 
Yep. There are always exceptions, Rick. It's just something I noticed over the years. I started playing 14.1 so I'm an exception also, but once I started playing rotation games, I never looked back. I felt at home playing rotation games.

A lot of the old time 14.1 players punched the ball a lot, like Mosconi, Balsis, Butera --- the list goes on and on.....not many of them were able to make a successful transition to 9-Ball.

I think a great example of an exception would be Darren Appleton. He uses that punch stroke, and plays all games exceptionally well.
 
I think a great example of an exception would be Darren Appleton. He uses that punch stroke, and plays all games exceptionally well.

Mosconi would run rack, after rack, after rack of 9 ball. He just didn't like the game and preferred not to play it.
 
Growing up on old nap cloths that were slower than molasses we played all games such as, 14.1, 3 ball, 6 ball, 9 ball, 1 pocket, pill pool, cribbage, Chicago, 3 cushion and any other game you can think of, never for funsies, always for cash. Everybody had a big stroke, you had to be able to move the cue ball, power draw was power draw, today you can bunt the ball and draw full table.

I had my first 100 ball run at 16 yrs old on my birthday, a 131, using a house cue and a hard as rock champion tip, the table had holes in the cloth and cigarette burns. Looking back I realize I knew nothing of what I was doing.

As the game progressed and table conditions changed so did I. For the most part faster cloth and rails.

I am O.C.D. to a fault. I have studied every player; every style, books, systems until my brain explodes, and then I study it again. I will study after I write this, it might be about fishing but I will study and learn.

From playing many different games I learned to use the entire cue ball. I learned to apply it as needed, a flat hit, use of spin, speed, and stroke required when called upon.

It is not one style or another, as far as I am concerned it's the only style and the best way to play with the cue ball. Anything else and you are cheating yourself. To each their own I guess.

The days of punch players are gone. For every punch player there are 100 flow players. Don't mistake a short backstroke as a punch stroke as many do. Players today worldwide are moving the cue ball around beautifully, using all the strokes.

If a player wants to play a one dimensional game that is all well and good. If teachers want to teach that style that is fine also. I personally think its old news, ancient. Many things I read should be put in the archives in the yesterday's news section.

It's like having a box of tools and using 1 tool, which may not be the right tool for the job; it may get the job done, with a lot of extra and unnecessary work, or could cause more harm than good. Golfers have a variety of clubs, you don't putt with a driver and you don't drive with a putter.

Knowledge and applying that knowledge is power.

I have established players who take lessons on a regular basis; most are B+ and better players, some are beginners

Some are spin players some are punchy players, some are both, and some have no clue yet. I teach them to play inside the cue ball and around the world. They learn to play a complete cue ball.
This is training, we hit hundreds of balls, not a 3 hour session on how to stand, bridge, aim,9 hours of filming the elbow, never to see the student again. We do cover everything from stance, bridges, head, eyes, in out aiming, kicking, banks, safety, 3 cushion etc.etc.etc.

We keep it simple, nothing that is going to fry their brain, pool 101. Not even near the complicated mumbo jumbo I read that's out there. Most of all we have fun, and they love it.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, this is my way, it's very effective and rewarding.

I don't really care what anyone else does or how they do it. This is mine and would not trade this style for anything.
 
Growing up on old nap cloths that were slower than molasses we played all games such as, 14.1, 3 ball, 6 ball, 9 ball, 1 pocket, pill pool, cribbage, Chicago, 3 cushion and any other game you can think of, never for funsies, always for cash. Everybody had a big stroke, you had to be able to move the cue ball, power draw was power draw, today you can bunt the ball and draw full table.

I had my first 100 ball run at 16 yrs old on my birthday, a 131, using a house cue and a hard as rock champion tip, the table had holes in the cloth and cigarette burns. Looking back I realize I knew nothing of what I was doing.

As the game progressed and table conditions changed so did I. For the most part faster cloth and rails.

I am O.C.D. to a fault. I have studied every player; every style, books, systems until my brain explodes, and then I study it again. I will study after I write this, it might be about fishing but I will study and learn.

From playing many different games I learned to use the entire cue ball. I learned to apply it as needed, a flat hit, use of spin, speed, and stroke required when called upon.

It is not one style or another, as far as I am concerned it's the only style and the best way to play with the cue ball. Anything else and you are cheating yourself. To each their own I guess.

The days of punch players are gone. For every punch player there are 100 flow players. Don't mistake a short backstroke as a punch stroke as many do. Players today worldwide are moving the cue ball around beautifully, using all the strokes.

If a player wants to play a one dimensional game that is all well and good. If teachers want to teach that style that is fine also. I personally think its old news, ancient. Many things I read should be put in the archives in the yesterday's news section.

It's like having a box of tools and using 1 tool, which may not be the right tool for the job; it may get the job done, with a lot of extra and unnecessary work, or could cause more harm than good. Golfers have a variety of clubs, you don't putt with a driver and you don't drive with a putter.

Knowledge and applying that knowledge is power.

I have established players who take lessons on a regular basis; most are B+ and better players, some are beginners

Some are spin players some are punchy players, some are both, and some have no clue yet. I teach them to play inside the cue ball and around the world. They learn to play a complete cue ball.
This is training, we hit hundreds of balls, not a 3 hour session on how to stand, bridge, aim,9 hours of filming the elbow, never to see the student again. We do cover everything from stance, bridges, head, eyes, in out aiming, kicking, banks, safety, 3 cushion etc.etc.etc.

We keep it simple, nothing that is going to fry their brain, pool 101. Not even near the complicated mumbo jumbo I read that's out there. Most of all we have fun, and they love it.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, this is my way, it's very effective and rewarding.

I don't really care what anyone else does or how they do it. This is mine and would not trade this style for anything.

Well stated.

I am now pulling the cue thanks to your earlier post. I had forgotten, 68 year old's forget that kind of stuff. :(

John
 
Mosconi would run rack, after rack, after rack of 9 ball. He just didn't like the game and preferred not to play it.

I remember a story I read, perhaps in a Billiards Digest back in the 1980's.

In the early 1950's, at a straight pool event. A nine ball player kept barking at Willie. Finally Mosconi relented and played the guy nine ball for $50 a game. That was a big chunk of money back then. Willie won the lag and broke and ran racks until the guys backer pulled up. At which point the player says, "How can you pull up? You haven't even seen me shoot." To which the backer replied, "I don't need to see you shoot.":cool:
 
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