Video camera setup test, short 14.1 run, input welcome!

[acousticsguru]

If I may, here's a tip that will greatly increase the accuracy of your position play:

Especially on critical position plays, get in the habit of going beyond your present method of simply making an abstract indirect mental/visual notion of the approximate area where you ideally want the CB to arrive for your next shot.

Instead, do as professional players often do on critical plays -- place your cue tip right above the cloth (or even on the cloth) pointing at the specific small area where you'd like to arrive. This much more firmly concretizes your plan and you'll like the way your arm and subconscious -- given this additional info -- will cooperate in terms of english and speed control, to far more frequently and accurately get that CB just where you'd want it to be.

Also, why not think about a tall floor-standing tripod for the camera (if your pool venue allows this).

Arnaldo

Excellent advice, thank you, and yes, of course you may! Something I know and know I should do, but usually only will do consistently in games like 8-Ball. In Straight Pool it seems I have "rhythm" days when doing it would feel like slowing down, and days where I play slowly (e.g. due to back pain) when I'll do just as you say because I'm playing deliberately anyhow - and it's true it'll make me play better. Even so, those "rhythm days" make me particularly happy - not the quality or size of the runs, it's the mood I'm in, taking the weight of the world off my shoulders for a little while, so to speak (exaggerating negligibly!). The difference in measurable time is huge, by the way, so as you say, best to make it a habit to do it when it's critical only. Even so, there's a stop-and-go aspect to it that on some days I'm trying to avoid. But it's great attitude to consistently do it for any key shot at e.g. tournaments, agree wholeheartedly.

Apart from all that, I was referring to that particular run, not a problem I have in general. I may be over- versus undershooting the cue ball on another day, on another table etc. - the point is that usually, one should see an improvement (or at least some sort of change) within several racks, but here, I invariably seem to just barely get where I want, never really adjust, and of course one of the reasons a per se unproblematic run ends prematurely is because I never do what you're indicating, but just keep going a bit mindlessly…

Having said that, while I usually pay much more attention to what I'm doing during my best runs, I will sometimes reach three digits even without paying too much attention - no justification for being inattentive, and I'm usually unable to remember any of it, and it may be ineffective or wasted practice time, but as I'm getting older, I'm saying to myself it's all right to have more than one approach to the game, as long as I'm not in two minds about it then and there.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

 

[acousticsguru]

You are welcome. I wasn't going to comment on your play because you seemed to want feedback on your camera but I like your game.

One thing I especially liked was twice you used a key ball up table on the same side as the break ball. Some guys recommend getting rid of those balls early but I like those for key balls. A couple times I would have went into the ball harder to open up the stack but your way of bumping balls into position worked great.

I believe Luther Lassiter, a shotmaker rather than a Straight Pool strategist, is most often credited with the concept that one should get rid of single up-table balls ("in isolation" is the term I seem to remember), "but when there are several, it's o.k. to leave them" - to which I would add that this is especially true if they form a pattern (leading to each other), and there's a pattern to get to them, and/or when they for a key ball scenario.

Personally, I believe up-table balls are really only a problem if a single one is on the head rail with no lead ball to get to it easily or perfectly. Having said that, Straight Pool strategists debate so-called "principles" endlessly, and I agree it can be fun to do so, but the reality is that the more often one plays, the more one will use what works at any given time - regardless of whether one is following or neglecting principles.

The problem with "principles" is that they overrule individuality and personality: no use following them out of respect for the superior player who came up with any particular idea, worse yet, allowing our mind (ratio) to overrule our subconscious (which, after all, is going to execute the shot, i.e. pocket the ball and play position).

I have an obsession with insurance balls and scenarios, for example, but there are times when I wonder in hindsight whether I shouldn't instead have done something easier (e.g. shooting the insurance ball ahead of time) instead of what seems right. What happens is that I've become so good at it (recognizing insurance ball scenarios) that shooting a ball where there is no insurance makes me feels ever so slightly less at ease executing the shot - even though there are games where one never has insurance balls, and the same thought would never cross one's mind. It's true that we look for insurance scenarios to eliminate doubt, more to the point, so the consequences of a shot are beyond doubt (scenarios which allow the player to concentrate entirely on the shot, as continuation of the run is guaranteed no matter what happens), but the inverse need not be true (= the absence of an insurance ball scenario is not the end of the world).

What I'm trying to say is, principles are helpful as long as they don't interfere with one's confidence at any given moment. When in doubt, I'd rather follow my gut instinct, regardless of what anyone thinks or says. Even if "those guys" may be right on average, if you see something you like better and that looks high-percentage, do it - just my two cents worth, of course.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

 

[alstl]

I believe Luther Lassiter, a shotmaker rather than a Straight Pool strategist, is most often credited with the concept that one should get rid of single up-table balls ("in isolation" is the term I seem to remember), "but when there are several, it's o.k. to leave them" - to which I would add that this is especially true if they form a pattern (leading to each other), and there's a pattern to get to them, and/or when they for a key ball scenario.

Personally, I believe up-table balls are really only a problem if a single one is on the head rail with no lead ball to get to it easily or perfectly. Having said that, Straight Pool strategists debate so-called "principles" endlessly, and I agree it can be fun to do so, but the reality is that the more often one plays, the more one will use what works at any given time - regardless of whether one is following or neglecting principles.

The problem with "principles" is that they overrule individuality and personality: no use following them out of respect for the superior player who came up with any particular idea, worse yet, allowing our mind (ratio) to overrule our subconscious (which, after all, is going to execute the shot, i.e. pocket the ball and play position).

I have an obsession with insurance balls and scenarios, for example, but there are times when I wonder in hindsight whether I shouldn't instead have done something easier (e.g. shooting the insurance ball ahead of time) instead of what seems right. What happens is that I've become so good at it (recognizing insurance ball scenarios) that shooting a ball where there is no insurance makes me feels ever so slightly less at ease executing the shot - even though there are games where one never has insurance balls, and the same thought would never cross one's mind. It's true that we look for insurance scenarios to eliminate doubt, more to the point, so the consequences of a shot are beyond doubt (scenarios which allow the player to concentrate entirely on the shot, as continuation of the run is guaranteed no matter what happens), but the inverse need not be true (= the absence of an insurance ball scenario is not the end of the world).

What I'm trying to say is, principles are helpful as long as they don't interfere with one's confidence at any given moment. When in doubt, I'd rather follow my gut instinct, regardless of what anyone thinks or says. Even if "those guys" may be right on average, if you see something you like better and that looks high-percentage, do it - just my two cents worth, of course.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

What I meant to say was up table balls near the rail (not frozen) on the same side as the break ball are very good key balls. They can also serve as insurance balls.

How much 14.1 is played in Switzerland?

 

[acousticsguru]

What I meant to say was up table balls near the rail (not frozen) on the same side as the break ball are very good key balls. They can also serve as insurance balls.

How much 14.1 is played in Switzerland?

Very little unfortunately… Big SIGH!!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

 

[SilverCue]

Regarding video size, I found a great tool. It will reduce the size of your file by about 90%, yes I said 90%, and I bet you can't tell the difference between the original and the converted file.

Download freeware called Handbrake. Go to the Video tab and there is a slide bar to the right side of the screen. The slide bar default is 20. Slide the bar to the left until you get to 28. Next, select the source file (the one you want to convert) and destination file. Hit Start and give it a few minutes, maybe 5 or 10 for a file that size. Then upload the new file to Youtube. My files that are about 1.5 G before conversion upload in about 60 seconds. They process in typically 15 minutes, half hour at the very most.

Good luck!

Just marking this for later use.