WRISTS - The "hidden power catalyst" of a great stroke or "just along for the ride"?

Really? In the picture below is the average earnings for the top 25 players over a period of 11 years. During this same period of time (excluding 2000) I was an OTR truck driver. My net income was more than Bustamonte's, making me number 3 on this list in earnings. I also wonder what percentage of THEIR income is lost to entry fees, motel rooms, and meals on the road? You might think that these expenses would be offset by endorsements...but, you would be wrong. Endorsements are very limited. How many pool cues, pool tables, and billiard attire have YOU bought in the last 10 years? How many pay per view events have YOU purchased? Even CJ admits to having used the same cue for over 20 years. FYI, the pro golfer changes his equipment about every 3 months and uses 5-15 $4 golf balls in every round! Not to mention their wardrobe, which could be the most expensive item of all!
I bet very few, if any, would make the sacrifices in time spent with your family, living in motel rooms, earning substandard pay...to play in a dying sport. Playing in local tournaments (or as someone called them 2-bit) is what most pro players (in level of skill) do, because it is all they are willing to sacrifice!

People do what they love to do whenever they have a chance to do it. Money earned isn't the only driving force in life, nor should it be.
 
I appreciate that, even though it may be difficult to imagine that "we'd all like you to win that one".....I have a feeling there would be some of my "fans" that would rather I didn't.

Oh, I think most of us can separate CJ the Internet forum presence from CJ the pool player. Heck, nobody's wiggier than Earl, and I detest his antics at times, but I'm still a fan because I always hope to catch that incredible high gear that he is capable of. Many folks may dislike your posting style here, but I doubt there are many of them who wouldn't be excited if you were still standing on the last day of the Open.

If you really want to have everyone accept you here, you will need to change the way you come across. If you really want people to respect your game again, you will need to put your rep on the line again and enter International competition. If you do play in the Open, I will be cheering you on. Until then, it's just empty talk. I hope you change your mind. I think it will be great for pool.
 
Oh, I think most of us can separate CJ the Internet forum presence from CJ the pool player. Heck, nobody's wiggier than Earl, and I detest his antics at times, but I'm still a fan because I always hope to catch that incredible high gear that he is capable of. Many folks may dislike your posting style here, but I doubt there are many of them who wouldn't be excited if you were still standing on the last day of the Open.

If you really want to have everyone accept you here, you will need to change the way you come across. If you really want people to respect your game again, you will need to put your rep on the line again and enter International competition. If you do play in the Open, I will be cheering you on. Until then, it's just empty talk. I hope you change your mind. I think it will be great for pool.

It is nice to know you have little respect for someone's past accomplishments! You sound like Eddie Murphy in his standup routine (Raw) where he asks, "I love you baby, but what have you done for me lately?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90mFGwYJ0s8
 
People do what they love to do whenever they have a chance to do it. Money earned isn't the only driving force in life, nor should it be.

We seldom make career decisions based only on ourselves! We must make career decisions that affect our families too!
 
If you really want to have everyone accept you here

Oh, I think most of us can separate CJ the Internet forum presence from CJ the pool player. Heck, nobody's wiggier than Earl, and I detest his antics at times, but I'm still a fan because I always hope to catch that incredible high gear that he is capable of. Many folks may dislike your posting style here, but I doubt there are many of them who wouldn't be excited if you were still standing on the last day of the Open.

If you really want to have everyone accept you here, you will need to change the way you come across. If you really want people to respect your game again, you will need to put your rep on the line again and enter International competition. If you do play in the Open, I will be cheering you on. Until then, it's just empty talk. I hope you change your mind. I think it will be great for pool.

"really want to have everyone accept you here" - you do know this is an internet forum don't you? And you say I make silly statements? This is tough to beat........

Everyone on an internet forum would NEVER accept one person, even if they were GOD manifesto. :yeah: Furthermore, how can I change my mind when the decision hasn't even been made yet - there's several months before the tournament.
 
We seldom make career decisions based only on ourselves! We must make career decisions that affect our families too!

Some decisions effect many people when it comes to business.

Pool tournaments these days are not exactly a prudent use of time because there's no TV coverage.
 
Some decisions effect many people when it comes to business.

Pool tournaments these days are not exactly a prudent use of time because there's no TV coverage.

Exactly! People who want to see the action have been unwilling to pay to see the action!
Unfortunately, pool is a dying sport. CJ, if you never play another tournament, I could certainly understand why! However if you do, you have my support! I hope to make it to Dallas this summer! If I do, I'm going to kick your butt...on the golf course, of course!
 
The game must change for the game to change!!!

Exactly! People who want to see the action have been unwilling to pay to see the action!
Unfortunately, pool is a dying sport. CJ, if you never play another tournament, I could certainly understand why! However if you do, you have my support! I hope to make it to Dallas this summer! If I do, I'm going to kick your butt...on the golf course, of course!

The game has been changed through the years and is only a shadow of it's full potential.

Unfortunately, the changes have effected the best qualities, now it's no longer entertaining to watch.

The good news is this can be changed and pool can be catapulted back into the public spotlight. I am very confident this will happen, of course there's no way of predicting exactly when this will happen - no human will ever be able to forecast the future.

At one time (in the 70s) on WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS their #1 show was about pocket billiards, at that time they had the correct formula.

This time will be different, however, one thing's for certain THE GAME MUST CHANGE FOR THE GAME TO CHANGE!!!

'the GAME is the teacher'
 
This is a really effective way to groove the stroke and feel that "SLOT/TRACK"

I've now been using the "Push Hammer Drill" drill in my lessons and it's made a noticeable improvement in targeting the cue ball as precisely as possible.

It's a drill that requires you to get down and place the tip to the center of the cue ball and PUSH the ball into the pocket with just a Hand/Wrist/Forearm motion.....the practitioner must be very precise of the ball with squirt off path very noticeably, and when done correctly it grooves the stroke in a very effective way.

I put all 15 balls up two diamonds and "Push Hammer Style" all 15 balls down to the opposite corners and then repeat for a total of 30. Then I put the balls an inch off the rail and "Push Hammer Style" the balls again, with my cue elevated like I'm shooting off the rail.

This is a really effective way to groove the stroke and feel that "SLOT/TRACK" that I've referred to in this thread several times. I also shoot all the balls off the rail "Mexican Rotation" style after the "Push Hammer Style" drill to groove the stoke for acceleration.

I've been incorporating these drills in my lessons with noticeable results. I have an entire 3 hour training that I"m doing on request where I oversee the player do a regiment of the most effective drills I know.....it's like going through a workout, however the results are worth it for those that truly want to improve.

We offer this 3 hour session on request and will schedule or answer any questions at - thegameistheteacher@gmail.com
 
I'm so happy for you CJ. You finally learned how to hit the center of the cue ball.

Congratulations!!!

happy%20woman%20%20Ermolaev%20Alexander%20.jpg
 
I'm glad you like it, I have a feeling my trusty Bludworth will be the "weapon of choice"..... it's won it's weight in gold.

mahalo_stencil_with_hibiscus_hawaii_thank_you_16_5_x_7_inches_66eb3e32.jpg

So did this one. In April 1996, gold was $393 an ounce and the cue is around 20 ounces which is $7860. The tournament paid $10,000.
 
I wanted it in the hands of someone that would appreciate the hit.

So did this one. In April 1996, gold was $393 an ounce and the cue is around 20 ounces which is $7860. The tournament paid $10,000.

You have a good point there, and with the "extras" it ended up making far more than that.

I'm glad you ended up with that cue, I wanted it in the hands of someone that would appreciate the hit.
 
Pool at the highest levels is calculating odds, percentages and margin of error. These odds and calculations are directly related to the players skill level and knowledge of levels of the game that one must be willing to believe are there.....and then seek to find them.

The deeper your understanding of this game, the more you'll see how much there is to learn....and your depth of questioning will evolve exponentially. 'the GAME is the teacher'

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I hear ya'! Back when I was refining my stroke (Uhh....for the 44 years before last Monday) I'd rather knaw on my nuts than play 14.1 or the ghost. I started playing both Monday. While I haven't had much real success yet, I've improved drastically from day to day. I can't wait to get to the table every day. It' really easy calculating the odds, percentages and margin of error if he cut is 30 degrees or less. No matter how long, if the CB is a few inches off the rail, odds are I'll make it, I'll miss a small percentage of them, and the margin for error is very small.
 
DO NOT look at the cue ball and try to pocket the shots by feel.

I hear ya'! Back when I was refining my stroke (Uhh....for the 44 years before last Monday) I'd rather knaw on my nuts than play 14.1 or the ghost. I started playing both Monday. While I haven't had much real success yet, I've improved drastically from day to day. I can't wait to get to the table every day. It' really easy calculating the odds, percentages and margin of error if he cut is 30 degrees or less. No matter how long, if the CB is a few inches off the rail, odds are I'll make it, I'll miss a small percentage of them, and the margin for error is very small.

Once a players fundamentals are refined it frees the subconscious mind to do other things.....like play the game at a higher level. It's amazing how much mental horsepower it takes to correct basic, set-up issues.....just so the player can enjoy some amount of consistency.

I would suggest that you practice for 15 minutes a day ONLY looking at the object ball. This means literally DO NOT look at the cue ball and try to pocket the shots by feel.

This drill will make you mentally approach the shots in a way that will utilize a different part of your mental processes. Sometimes it does wonders, you'll just have to experiment with it to see. 'the GAME is the teacher'
 
"The Gathering of the Shot"...players like Buddy Hall do it beautifully

There's more to the pool stroke than just the release, there's also the challenges of controlling the cue ball. There are many ways to learn this, and from my experience, the quickest way is to concentrate on calibrating the back-swing pause (Gathering of the Shot) and the follow through's length.

There is a transition time with every player, it's just a matter of how abbreviated it is. We call this "The Gathering of the Shot"...players like Buddy Hall do it beautifully - this is one of the reasons he was known to have the best cue ball control in history.

It requires energy to take the cue back and it takes more energy to redirect the cue. Mentally (usually sub consciously) there's a calculation that must take place to equate the forward movement of the cue with the speed and length of the shot.

I like to practice exaggerating this technique so that there's a distinct forward motion of the cue......after all, we never hit the cue ball with our back-swing, it's just used to coil the cue back before the moment of release - or they say "the moment of highest tension".

There is one school of thought that the follow through doesn't matter because the cue ball is already gone. This may be true in one respect, especially if you just look at the stroke mechanically. However, from my experience it's vital to control the after contact movement of the cue ball WITH the length of the follow through.

This is what gives the player that high degree of touch and feel for the game that's essential for top notch performance under pressure......when you are in that "do or die" situation.

When I want the "after contact" movement of the cue ball to be exaggerated I exaggerate the follow through, when I want the "after contact" movement to be compact, I shorten my follow through.....even if I want the cue ball to jump slightly I'll use a "staccato type" follow through that creates that movement.

If I didn't have a very good understanding of how the cue moves FORWARD from the top of the back-swing I would not be able to play at the champion's level of performance. Whether a player is aware of it or not the follow through must connect to the "after contact" reaction of the cue ball....or you'll always be playing a "guessing game," and it really shows up under the pressure of a high dollar match or tournament.

The cue ball's reaction, at the highest level is a reflection of what the cue is doing......the more you can calibrate the cue's motion to coincide with the cue ball's "after contact" reaction the better off you will be.......this is one of the essential "differences that make a difference" in winning or just coming close. 'The Inner Game is the Teacher'
 
There is one school of thought that the follow through doesn't matter because the cue ball is already gone. This may be true in one respect, especially if you just look at the stroke mechanically. However, from my experience it's vital to control the after contact movement of the cue ball WITH the length of the follow through.
The follow through doesn't matter, but it does! As described on the follow-through effects resource page,

the follow through is not the "cause" of a good hit, but it is often a strong indicator of a good stroke into the ball ... which does affect the hit

And it can help many players (evidently, including you) to focus on the type and amount of follow through desired to create the desired speed and action on a shot.

When you get a chance, check out the follow-through resource page. I think it describes things in a way that all "schools of thought" can agree with.

Regards,
Dave

PS: The Follow Through is the Teacher! :grin-square:
 
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