Help with my stroke
- Thread starter Dockter
- Start date
You're going to get banned with talk like that!
BTW, I noticed the thread starter is from the home of SVB, find out where he likes to play and ask him for a few friendly games, probably in 15 minutes you will be on your way to jumping a level.
BTW 2, can't wait to see an updated video in a week to see how you did with some changes.
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Relax!!
I'm no pro, but you look uncomfortable and tense! Relax and try and thinking about stroking the ball nice and smooth. Also! GRIP! Make sure it is nice and loose and you don't tense up through your stroke! I have a fair amount of stroke and can get plenty of power and action out of the cue ball but its because I have a nice light grip and I let the cue do the work!
Also be still, practice staying down for as long as possible after you shoot!
I'm no pro, but you look uncomfortable and tense! Relax and try and thinking about stroking the ball nice and smooth. Also! GRIP! Make sure it is nice and loose and you don't tense up through your stroke! I have a fair amount of stroke and can get plenty of power and action out of the cue ball but its because I have a nice light grip and I let the cue do the work!
Also be still, practice staying down for as long as possible after you shoot!
Wow, you really went out of your way Hang the 9. I really appreciate all the feedback I've got in this thread and I'm suprised how cool almost everyone has been.
Just a small update. I shot again today and this time I tried shooting in my contacts for the first time. I uploaded 2 videos and waiting on the third. It allows me to get lower on the cue if I can remember to.
I'm still over hitting long shots and trying to do to much with the cb but I'm going to be practicing like crazy. Also, I thought every time I needed to make an adjustment I stood back up. After watching the the videos I realized I'm still adjusting at times while I'm down on my shot and I'm going to try to fix that.
I thought the 2 stroke would be easier to fix. At times I did it when I was thinking about it but after watching again for the most part I still 2 stroked.
I didn't think about it yesterday but it was my first time in months shooting without the balance rite in so I threw that back on today. I feel more comfortable with it but I don't feel like I can draw much with it and when using the top of the ball I over hit a lot.
Thanks again everyone!!
Edit- I'm pretty sure anyone on the forum could have ran out Luckys Game 3 5/26 besides me.
I've actually shot Shane scotch doubles one time and got 1 shot. When he is at random places he normally has a group playing with him and I don't bother him when he is practicing at Luckys.
Just a small update. I shot again today and this time I tried shooting in my contacts for the first time. I uploaded 2 videos and waiting on the third. It allows me to get lower on the cue if I can remember to.
I'm still over hitting long shots and trying to do to much with the cb but I'm going to be practicing like crazy. Also, I thought every time I needed to make an adjustment I stood back up. After watching the the videos I realized I'm still adjusting at times while I'm down on my shot and I'm going to try to fix that.
I thought the 2 stroke would be easier to fix. At times I did it when I was thinking about it but after watching again for the most part I still 2 stroked.
I didn't think about it yesterday but it was my first time in months shooting without the balance rite in so I threw that back on today. I feel more comfortable with it but I don't feel like I can draw much with it and when using the top of the ball I over hit a lot.
Thanks again everyone!!
Edit- I'm pretty sure anyone on the forum could have ran out Luckys Game 3 5/26 besides me.
I've actually shot Shane scotch doubles one time and got 1 shot. When he is at random places he normally has a group playing with him and I don't bother him when he is practicing at Luckys.
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Are you the guy from The Hangover movies ...dat you?
Are you the guy from The Hangover movies ...dat you?
If I was I'm sure I would have an instructor down here now.
But now that you mention it, if he ever needs a double maybe I should apply.If I was I'm sure I would have an instructor down here now.
just watched your new vids and that who you reminded me of :thumbup:
Bridge hand is not stable. Get the palm of your hand on the table.
Bridge length is too LONG. You're playing on a Valley, shorten that bridge distance up, you'll see a big improvement in making balls.
Shooting off rail, You using a standard open hand bridge, and then putting it on top of the rail, and thus you perception is now way different from most of your other shots. I'd much prefer you use the rail as your bridge, with your thumb as the guide, and folding your finger over top of the shaft.
Your practice strokes are smooth, but on your shooting stroke, you tighten up your grip and you stroke suffers because of it. The grip should be just as loose when making contact with the cue ball as it was during your practice strokes. Might be the biggest flaw I saw. So, lighten up, literally
Seem to be just "shooting" balls. No real plan. Get use to pointing to the spot with your cue tip where you want the cb to go for next shot. The camera does not lie, and thus, you'll know if you are getting in the vicinity.
Be smooth, and hit the balls "quiet". You seem to want to hit lots of shots hard. Practice hitting most shots way below center with less speed. Keep the cb from moving too much, get a feel for moving the cb around with less effort/power.
Oh, and you need a shave
Bridge length is too LONG. You're playing on a Valley, shorten that bridge distance up, you'll see a big improvement in making balls.
Shooting off rail, You using a standard open hand bridge, and then putting it on top of the rail, and thus you perception is now way different from most of your other shots. I'd much prefer you use the rail as your bridge, with your thumb as the guide, and folding your finger over top of the shaft.
Your practice strokes are smooth, but on your shooting stroke, you tighten up your grip and you stroke suffers because of it. The grip should be just as loose when making contact with the cue ball as it was during your practice strokes. Might be the biggest flaw I saw. So, lighten up, literally
Seem to be just "shooting" balls. No real plan. Get use to pointing to the spot with your cue tip where you want the cb to go for next shot. The camera does not lie, and thus, you'll know if you are getting in the vicinity.
Be smooth, and hit the balls "quiet". You seem to want to hit lots of shots hard. Practice hitting most shots way below center with less speed. Keep the cb from moving too much, get a feel for moving the cb around with less effort/power.
Oh, and you need a shave
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i watched 2 videos...#1 from 5/25 and #1 from 5/26. 5/26 was a little better but man you got no psr...no confidence and no consistency. as for your stroke its the same as your psr. sometimes all right ... some times you punch the cue..some times cue too elevated
the same with your focus....some times you think too much and other times not all
my suggestion is to start all over from square one with simple practice drills and learn a consistent psr. the thing about practice drills is it is easy to get bored doing the same thing over and over but yet doing the same thing over and over until its ingrained in your head to do it automatically with out thinking about it is the key to being consistent.
just think about it ...when you walk you put one foot in front of the other without even thinking. your psr can be the same way ...with enough repetitions.
drill 1. put a piece of chalk on the top rail , center diamond. place a striped ball on the foot spot with the stripes vertical with the number centered. chalk your cue and aim for the chalk . take 4 practice strokes and strike the object ball leaving your cue still at the end of your stroke. if both your aim and your stroke are straight the object ball should come back down table hitting your cue.
you would be surprised how many players can not do this. repeat the exact same psr every time you do this.
drill 2 place the cue ball on the foot spot. place an object ball 6'' away straight in line with an uptable corner pocket. go through your chalk ...aim...4 practice strokes every time and shoot the object ball into the corner pocket using a stop shot. continue doing this until you can run 10 racks with out ever missing or the cue ball moving upon contact.
once you have acheived running 10 racks move the object 6'' farther away and continue until you can run 10 racks with out missing or moving the cue ball.
continue moving the object ball farther away each time until you cant move it any more .:grin-square:
as for focus. you have to treat every shot the same. how many times have you seen some one make a hellacious shot only to flub an easy one after that. its lack of focus. concentrate on the easiest shot you ever attempted just like the hardest shot you have ever attempted.
call my advice crazy if you want but i helped a 72 year old team mate go from a 2 with a 30 % win record to a 3 with a 70 % win record.
just so you know ...on the up table and back drill he went from scratching some times to hitting the cue 4 out of 10 times.
on the stop shot drill he has moved up to having the object a foot away. he has come close to running 10 racks from there but he has not given up yet.
Bridge hand is not stable. Get the palm of your hand on the table.
Bridge length is too LONG. You're playing on a Valley, shorten that bridge distance up, you'll see a big improvement in making balls.
Shooting off rail, You using a standard open hand bridge, and then putting it on top of the rail, and thus you perception is now way different from most of your other shots. I'd much prefer you use the rail as your bridge, with your thumb as the guide, and folding your finger over top of the shaft.
Your practice strokes are smooth, but on your shooting stroke, you tighten up your grip and you stroke suffers because of it. The grip should be just as loose when making contact with the cue ball as it was during your practice strokes. Might be the biggest flaw I saw. So, lighten up, literally
Seem to be just "shooting" balls. No real plan. Get use to pointing to the spot with your cue tip where you want the cb to go for next shot. The camera does not lie, and thus, you'll know if you are getting in the vicinity.
Be smooth, and hit the balls "quiet". You seem to want to hit lots of shots hard. Practice hitting most shots way below center with less speed. Keep the cb from moving too much, get a feel for moving the cb around with less effort/power.
Oh, and you need a shave
Thanks for the tips RJ. I know by bridge is stupidly long and I'm going to try to shorten it but even before posting here I've tried and tried to find a comfortable short bridge and it just feels wrong to me, probably because I started out wrong and for some reason the bridge and the 2 stroke are my toughest things to change. I also feel terrible using the rail as my bridge. I've watched and tried to copy guys that break and use the rail bridge but for some reason I'm really bad at it. I've also been trying to break with a closed bridge as you can see from the games on 5/25 but it just feels wrong to me which is why I go back to open bridge breaks on the ones from 5/26.
I know it doesn't look like it in the videos but I normally have a plan. It just tends to get ruined after the first shot.
You are right about hitting hard. I find myself trying to do way to much with the cb when center ball or a stop shot would have been the better option. Instead I try to use 3 rails and lock myself up.
You're right about the shave and probably a haircut too, but then it would just turn into a fat joke when my friends are calling me mountain man.
lorider;5192305[/QUOTE said:You're right, I pretty much have no psr. I'm going to try something different tonight and this coming week. I know I don't need to chalk after every shot but I'm going to chalk, make sure to check every shot no matter how easy it is, take a breath and go down for the shot.
Believe it or not I do drill before posting these videos. I normally spend 45 minutes - 1 hour drilling before I start playing racks. I'll try out the ones you suggested and if you're actually interested I'll record a few and post them if you feel that would help with suggestions on other things to fix.
Back to my first response. I'm going to be checking every shot. If I feel it's a difficult shot I tend to line it up and make sure I'm where I want to be. If it looks easy I get lazy and as you noticed I miss the simplest of shots.
I really appreciate the feedback from everyone and will be keeping this updated and checking back often. Hopefully you all can watch me improve as I post videos and if not you have a good resource to show others what not to do.
Dockter...Just FYI, I'm in Minneapolis now, for the next few days. If you give me a call, so we can talk, we might be able to work something out.773-551-7473 
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
I'll be in Minneapolis until Sunday for work and don't have the cash laying around right now.
I appreciate all the positive responses in here and look forward to putting them in. Hoping to get out tonight but I'll be out tomorrow for sure. Thanks everyone!
Thanks for this thread Dockter, and to those providing feedback/advice. I'm close to your speed and have consistency/confidence problems also. A few tidbits given on this thread helped me out too, particularly that if you aren't getting the cueball action you're expecting (draw shots) you aren't hitting the cueball where you think you are. Lucky for me I have the calvery coming next week (Scott Lee) to hopefully help me get everything to 'click'.
Dockter...Just FYI, I'm in Minneapolis now, for the next few days. If you give me a call, so we can talk, we might be able to work something out.773-551-7473
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
I'll be getting in late Friday night. I know Saturday my girl is shopping and I may be able to get away for a little bit if you're still around if all goes well on the project I'm working on.
Dockter...If you want to get together Saturday, please give me a call sometime today.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
I noticed a few things: first at the 1:10 mark. When cueing, your tip is a little wild. Looked like you were trying for center ball but before contacting the CB you cue downward. I don't mean that you're elevated so that you're forced to shoot down, I mean that your cue is following a straight line (whether elevated or not) until you strike the CB then your tip comes flying downward. To me, that means you might be pulling your elbow up right before contact.
Then, you should develop a solid pre-shot routine. At the 1:10 mark, you were set on shooting the 15 and after lining up you decided where to get position at. Before you even step into a shot you should know what you're doing and where you're going. You need to have a plan in mind before you're lined up for the shot. Incorporate planning into your PSR and you'll get better.
EDIT: I noticed these at 1:10, stopped and wrote this. What I saw was pretty consistent throughout your video. They're not major problems but they're hindrances that should be remedied to get even better.
Thanks for the tips RJ. I know by bridge is stupidly long and I'm going to try to shorten it but even before posting here I've tried and tried to find a comfortable short bridge and it just feels wrong to me, probably because I started out wrong and for some reason the bridge and the 2 stroke are my toughest things to change. I also feel terrible using the rail as my bridge. I've watched and tried to copy guys that break and use the rail bridge but for some reason I'm really bad at it. I've also been trying to break with a closed bridge as you can see from the games on 5/25 but it just feels wrong to me which is why I go back to open bridge breaks on the ones from 5/26.
I know it doesn't look like it in the videos but I normally have a plan. It just tends to get ruined after the first shot.
You are right about hitting hard. I find myself trying to do way to much with the cb when center ball or a stop shot would have been the better option. Instead I try to use 3 rails and lock myself up.
You're right about the shave and probably a haircut too, but then it would just turn into a fat joke when my friends are calling me mountain man.
Sometimes if it feels wrong, it just may be right.
Anytime you change something it will feel out of place, so give a whirl, and stay with it for a couple of weeks to make sure it's the new method and not just being "uncomfortable" with the new technique.
And especially on a barbox, don't try to get so perfect. Heck, there really is not a long shot, so get a good look from a little further away, rather then court disaster trying to be perfect on the leave. This is info from a top bar box guy that I met a few years ago, and he was right. I was newer to bar box, as most of my games were on 9 foot tables at home and in league.
This comment looks like it applies to the OP, but it also could apply to me most times, so don't think I am being critical without attempting to also be constructive.
I like the Tor Lowry videos. His style is very instructive, very clear, and he does not forget his topic in the middle of an instruction like some videos do. His voice is clear and mellow, and he never starts a subject only to get off-topic and leave the student hanging - Tor always winds things up so the instruction makes sense.
Tor provides good instruction cheap. Much of his instruction is free on Youtube. Or you can order a set called Zero-X Digital Download Collection - 11 Hours for $29.95, then later maybe the further advancement set Pattern Play Digital Download - 5 Hours for an additional $19.95. Two ebooks are free to download after buying one or the other of the above downloads of DVD sets. Even better, if you lose the download due to a crash you can download again using your original authorization.
I sense you are sometimes not sure of the shot selection, not sure of the speed, and not sure what outcome (final position) you want, so you just hit it hard and hope. Not so good, and I am sure you know it. Tor's instructions on Pattern Play help with that, and his 8 ball instruction is spot on.
Possibly the best Tor offers for lower end and beginning players is a way to get to a solid repeatable stroke and a usable and repeatable sense of position and pattern play. He never retreats into the catch-all of "just do whatever feels good", instead he provides good guidelines to get a player into the area where they can adjust and eventually develop their own style.
Again, it is very difficult to get better at pool, but some instruction can help. I recommend Tor Lowry because his videos are mellow, clear, inexpensive, and provide first rate instruction.
I've been a guy who could beat everyone who couldn't play... think about that. Some of the things I learned from Tor Lowry made me go "Oh boy why didn't I learn that twenty years ago - no wonder those guys who can play have been beating my brains out all this time".
Best of luck, you are trying, and that's as much as most of us we can do.
I applaud your courage posting a video and asking for comments. You were understandably nervous and probably not at your best, but you really deserve high marks for getting in the box and taking a shot.
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Thanks Tex, I'll look into as soon as I have some spare time next week. I've also been told Manning on youtube is worth a look.
I'm going to practice again tomorrow hopefully making for an odd week when I got to shoot 4 nights in a row, normally it's only 1 or 2 in the summer.
I'm actually surprised at how many messages I've got of players at the same skill level as me that haven't posted because at times the forums can be harsh. I want to thank everyone for the feedback so far and I only ask that if someone else does this you are all as kind to them as you have been to me. Also, thanks to everyone that has messaged me giving encouragement and more tips.It seems whenever I get down I find an encouraging message and I really appreciate that. If I can put even half the advice given into practice I should be able to become at least a C shooter.
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