rhythm of the stroke...your thoughts

B

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
what do you think the pros and cons of these 2 rhythms are??
the rhythm of pitching pennies/bowling /slow pitch softball
where the rhythm is smooth not jerky..slow back swing with a smooth transition
and smooth forward swing
no marked pause/ hesitation and forward stroke
or
archery
slow backswing with a marked pause and forward stroke (release of the arrow)
i find if i try to make the pause obvious it doesnt feel natural and there is tension in my arm as i "hold" the momentum at the top of the back swing
when i SMOOTHLY come back slow and then accelerate it feels more natural
what do you think?
is a marked pause desirable?
fwiw
if you watch a true pendulum swing back and forth
there doesnt seem to me to be a distinct pause at the top of the back swing
it just goes back and forth smoothly
 
Last edited:
bbb said:
what do you think the pros and cons of these 2 rhythms are??
the rhythm of pitching pennies/bowling /slow pitch softball
where the rhythm is smooth not jerky..slow back swing with a smooth transition
and smooth forward swing
no marked pause/ hesitation and forward stroke
or
archery
slow backswing with a marked pause and forward stroke (release of the arrow)
i find if i try to make the pause obvious it doesnt feel natural and there is tension in my arm as i "hold" the momentum at the top of the back swing
when i SMOOTHLY come back slow and then accelerate it feels more natural
what do you think?
is a marked pause desirable?
fwiw
if you watch a true pendulum swing back and forth
there doesnt seem to me to be a distinct pause at the top of the back swing
it just goes back and forth smoothly
Click to expand...

1) "Different strokes for different folks"

2) Some very fine players who are said to pause at the end of their final backswing barely do--they rather take progressively slower practice strokes before their final stroke

The deciding "vote" here has to do with your comfort level and whether the balls are finding the pockets.
 
bbb said:
what do you think the pros and cons of these 2 rhythms are??
the rhythm of pitching pennies/bowling /slow pitch softball
where the rhythm is smooth not jerky..slow back swing with a smooth transition
and smooth forward swing
no marked pause/ hesitation and forward stroke
or
archery
slow backswing with a marked pause and forward stroke (release of the arrow)
i find if i try to make the pause obvious it doesnt feel natural and there is tension in my arm as i "hold" the momentum at the top of the back swing
when i SMOOTHLY come back slow and then accelerate it feels more natural
what do you think?
is a marked pause desirable?
fwiw
if you watch a true pendulum swing back and forth
there doesnt seem to me to be a distinct pause at the top of the back swing
it just goes back and forth smoothly
Click to expand...
The pause (when I'm disciplined enough to use it)

- "insulates" the shot stroke from any backstroke imperfections
- promotes a fixed elbow and straighter shot stroke
- sharpens focus, especially on speed control

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
The pause (when I'm disciplined enough to use it)

- "insulates" the shot stroke from any backstroke imperfections
- promotes a fixed elbow and straighter shot stroke
- sharpens focus, especially on speed control

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

pj
i really cant agree with you here
although you are one of the smartest posters on here
my rebuttal
.....
if you are offline in the backstroke you stopped off line
has nothing to do if you drop your elbow on the follow thru
maybe
 
bbb said:
pj
i really cant agree with you here
although you are one of the smartest posters on here
my rebuttal
.....
if you are offline in the backstroke you stopped off line
has nothing to do if you drop your elbow on the follow thru
maybe
Click to expand...

If you pull offline, you should stop and reset.
Max Eberle said that. And it takes discipline to do that .
 
bbb said:
pj
i really cant agree with you here
although you are one of the smartest posters on here
my rebuttal
.....
if you are offline in the backstroke you stopped off line
has nothing to do if you drop your elbow on the follow thru
maybe
Click to expand...
It does the things I described for me. I sometimes do adjust my position slightly during the pause.

YMMV

pj
chgo
 
Last edited:
I think it is very hard to change once you have a learned tempo.

So, the question is, what is the better tempo to teach to a new student who has never played before. I think there are a lot of advantages to the way Allison Fisher does it.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think it is very hard to change once you have a learned tempo.

So, the question is, what is the better tempo to teach to a new student who has never played before. I think there are a lot of advantages to the way Allison Fisher does it.
Click to expand...
So, ya gonna keep us in suspenders, or wat?

pj
chgo
 
Bob Jewett said:
Belt and suspenders and duck tape.

She has a long pause at the back at which time her eyes move from the cue ball and focus on the object ball. And, then, pow!
Click to expand...

I've copied her PSR that includes lining the cue to the same part of the pectoral every time ( if possible ).
I can't get the hang of the long pause at the end of the backstroke though.
 
JoeyInCali said:
I've copied her PSR that includes lining the cue to the same part of the pectoral every time ( if possible ).
I can't get the hang of the long pause at the end of the backstroke though.
Click to expand...
I never learned a proper pause but I can fake one if the situation demands it.:wink:
 
A fast back stroke will almost always lead to a bad stroke. Sometimes a player can get away with it, but it's usually just a mess by the time the tip hits the cue ball. BUT, a fast back stroke with a decent length pause at the end can salvage the stroke timing and even produce a good result --- Not always the best, but good enough.

So then, why doesn't everybody just slow down their backstrokes? Many have tried but only few have succeeded. It's hard to change your stroke rhythm. In those who can't, they're much better off taking the pause.

When you think of a player who you consider to be a 'natural,' watch his backstroke. It's perfect.
 
FranCrimi said:
A fast back stroke will almost always lead to a bad stroke. Sometimes a player can get away with it, but it's usually just a mess by the time the tip hits the cue ball. BUT, a fast back stroke with a decent length pause at the end can salvage the stroke timing and even produce a good result --- Not always the best, but good enough.

So then, why doesn't everybody just slow down their backstrokes? Many have tried but only few have succeeded. It's hard to change your stroke rhythm. In those who can't, they're much better off taking the pause.

When you think of a player who you consider to be a 'natural,' watch his backstroke. It's perfect.
Click to expand...

I have changed.
Pause before the last stroke, slow pull, a slight pause then shoot.
It took hundreds of straight in shots.
Pulling offline is a no-no as well. You can't correct an offline pull by getting back in line with the last forward stroke.
 
thanks to all who have responded so far
i am paying attention......:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top