Cataract surgery is not on my immediate to do. Other than pool I’m ok but pool means a lot. See you when I see you. I am in Pa June-Oct. We might connect.
Face square?
- Thread starter dquarasr
- Start date
I'd be very interested in hearing that story!
"The Haunted House" by Irving Berlin. John Frew, artist. | Irving berlin, Haunted house, Vintage sheet music
Oct 2, 2012 - "The Haunted House" by Irving Berlin. John Frew, artist.
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Wow! I didn't even know about that song. Check out the top hat and tails too! LOLI'd be very interested in hearing that story!
"The Haunted House" by Irving Berlin. John Frew, artist. | Irving berlin, Haunted house, Vintage sheet music
Oct 2, 2012 - "The Haunted House" by Irving Berlin. John Frew, artist.
OK, well since you asked: Back when Amsterdam Billiards was the site of Corner Billiards, the layout was a little different. There was a cafe where the entrance is now. The ghost would appear in an area of about 1000 sq. feet of the 7000 sq. ft. pool room, from the cafe to the restrooms. He never ventured beyond that area as far as we know.
I never saw him, but I often heard the men's room door slam as my practice table was right next to the restroom entrance. I'd investigate, because the pool room was closed, but nobody was ever there.
The cleaning guy would carry a boom box and play it when he was in that section of the room. He told me it was because he didn't want to hear the ghost anymore who liked to come up to him and say "hello!" He said he saw the ghost once, dressed in top hat and tails.
Yolanda, the woman in charge of the kitchen, was cooking to get things ready for opening time when she heard someone at the counter say, "Hello!" She looked under the double swinging doors and saw someone in dress pants, tails, and spats. She called out, "I'll be right there!" forgetting that the pool room hadn't opened yet. When she came out of the kitchen into the cafe, nobody was there.
We sort of got used to living with the ghost in the morning hours. On occasion, I'd be there alone and that men's bathroom door would always slam shut. We didn't know who he was until one day when I happened to be taking a coffee break in the cafe, a couple walked in with a tour guide book and asked for help. They were looking for a particular address which didn't seem to be here anymore. The book said it was where Irving Berlin once lived, and they were both fans.
Based on the location in the guide book, I managed to figure out that his house was where that section of the pool room is now. Then it hit me... could he be our ghost?
Great story, and very sleuthy of you to figure out the limits of his original home!
I wonder what would happen if you played some Irving Berlin songs early in the morning!
Oh wow! I wish I'd thought of that back then!
Maybe he's still around...
Different pool room, different owners, different situation. That would no longer be possible.
I'm confused. Corner Billiards turned into Amsterdam Billiards down on 10th St. This was happening when it was Corner Billiards? I assume Amsterdam is still operating there, no?
Right. I was the house pro at Corner Billiards for the 12 years that they operated. Amsterdam is a different organization, and they run things in their own way. I don't know what the atmosphere is there in the mornings before opening. I told the story to the owner one time years ago, but he didn't seem interested, so I dropped it. I get it. It's not an easy story to believe.
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I think there is something to it, even though 99% of such stories are fake or explainable. I'd at least have considered the story from a marketing perspective.
dquarasr
Registered
I try to post updates on progress based on the advice I get here.
After watching Joshua Filler, I tried a few things he does, in particular with his stance and step-in. Like I've seen recommended many times, he stands behind the shot, completely square (Niels said it in his back to fundamentals video - like waiting for a bus LOL). He then steps very slightly to the side with his back foot, then comes down onto the shot line.
I had been working on being more consistent yet less mechanical in getting my back foot positioned. I also tried just "letting it happen", and neither was terribly successful for me. So I tried how Filler does it, and I found it works pretty consistently for me. So, one part of the PSR has been regimented without being robotic. (At least for now!)
As far as my face being square, I tried unsuccessfully for the last few weeks to be very square. Um, not so good. I just couldn't see the line, and I'd miss both to the left and right. Well, I could see what I *thought* was the line, but obviously it wasn't. And on top of that, it wasn't very comfortable so I was not able to sustain it over a match's duration.
Almost by accident, I let my head tilt a little bit naturally, where my neck wasn't so strained trying to have my face square. Accuracy went up significantly. And it wasn't just that session. I have been able to duplicate it every day for more than a week now. So I'm OK with not being square. I think I've found the "formula" for my particular vision center and physical constraints, and so far it seems that since it's natural, it's repeatable over a session, and from session to session.
I played some ghost today, and failed miserably (I won't admit publicly whether I was trying 9-, 6-, or, um, x-ball ghost, well, you get the idea. LOL). Mostly because of not correctly predicting CB path. I found I'm terrible at determining what side spin to use off cushions. So, per a suggestion I had seen from Tor Lawry, I played a few racks where I was not allowed to hit anything but CB center, and control CB path working with the angle to the pocket with top or bottom only. I found something interesting.
When I sought true CB center, I noticed I was actually positioning the tip slightly right of center. So previously, on shots where I was putting right spin, I was imparting more than I expected, and on shots with left spin, less left than expected. Hmmm. That solves a mystery. I had many shots recently where I was very surprised with the behavior of the CB off a cushion.
I also found that I had fallen into the habit of using spin too much to compensate for gearing (throw), so I paid attention to adjusting with aim rather than spin. And of course the CB behaved much more predictably with center CB. So I'm going to continue to stay closer to the center, and only slowly start adding small amounts of side spin as I practice in the coming weeks.
As always, thanks for joining me on this journey and your comments and assistance.
After watching Joshua Filler, I tried a few things he does, in particular with his stance and step-in. Like I've seen recommended many times, he stands behind the shot, completely square (Niels said it in his back to fundamentals video - like waiting for a bus LOL). He then steps very slightly to the side with his back foot, then comes down onto the shot line.
I had been working on being more consistent yet less mechanical in getting my back foot positioned. I also tried just "letting it happen", and neither was terribly successful for me. So I tried how Filler does it, and I found it works pretty consistently for me. So, one part of the PSR has been regimented without being robotic. (At least for now!)
As far as my face being square, I tried unsuccessfully for the last few weeks to be very square. Um, not so good. I just couldn't see the line, and I'd miss both to the left and right. Well, I could see what I *thought* was the line, but obviously it wasn't. And on top of that, it wasn't very comfortable so I was not able to sustain it over a match's duration.
Almost by accident, I let my head tilt a little bit naturally, where my neck wasn't so strained trying to have my face square. Accuracy went up significantly. And it wasn't just that session. I have been able to duplicate it every day for more than a week now. So I'm OK with not being square. I think I've found the "formula" for my particular vision center and physical constraints, and so far it seems that since it's natural, it's repeatable over a session, and from session to session.
I played some ghost today, and failed miserably (I won't admit publicly whether I was trying 9-, 6-, or, um, x-ball ghost, well, you get the idea. LOL). Mostly because of not correctly predicting CB path. I found I'm terrible at determining what side spin to use off cushions. So, per a suggestion I had seen from Tor Lawry, I played a few racks where I was not allowed to hit anything but CB center, and control CB path working with the angle to the pocket with top or bottom only. I found something interesting.
When I sought true CB center, I noticed I was actually positioning the tip slightly right of center. So previously, on shots where I was putting right spin, I was imparting more than I expected, and on shots with left spin, less left than expected. Hmmm. That solves a mystery. I had many shots recently where I was very surprised with the behavior of the CB off a cushion.
I also found that I had fallen into the habit of using spin too much to compensate for gearing (throw), so I paid attention to adjusting with aim rather than spin. And of course the CB behaved much more predictably with center CB. So I'm going to continue to stay closer to the center, and only slowly start adding small amounts of side spin as I practice in the coming weeks.
As always, thanks for joining me on this journey and your comments and assistance.
its great to get a progress report and find out what has and has not worked for you
thanks
dquarasr, I think I mentioned this before, but I'm going to be a little more forceful here. You're in a trap. Right now, you're like a ship that's taking on too much water.
Between all the opinions here and the ones you're getting privately, and all the how-to videos you've watched, you're losing your identity at the table. Each of the pros that you watch have their own distinct identity that makes them who they are.
Learn who dquarsar is at the table. Get familiar with that person. Learn your tendencies. What's your style? What do you like to do? What makes you happy? Then build on that, one brick at a time. Slowly.
Taking in everyone's varying opinions and recreating yourself once a month won't move things forward for you. For example, I wouldn't be surprised if you left behind several things that might have supported your particular style, but you may not have given them enough of a chance, or the combinations you had them mixed into didn't work.
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WobblyStroke
Well-known member
I actually came away with the opposite impression reading his update post. Rather than losing himself, it seems to me he is leaning into his natural tendency to tilt his head and even abandoned his quest to be square entirely in favor of that natural way of playing for him. On top of leaning into what works for his game, he is retooling what doesn't (the issue with english) and playing a more center-axis on the CB type of game.
I think both of the above are great steps in the right direction and it seems to me he is still uncovering his identity at the table rather than losing it. You're right that it would be easy to get lost in all the differing opinions and get confused into trying to be a mosaic of parts taken from various others, but in this case, I think more than anything he leaned into his own tendencies (that he wanted to keep) and exposed other tendencies to work away from. Overall, very impressive progress imo.
I think you make some good points, in that he is doing better now than he was a month ago. However, I think Fran's advice addresses the "big picture." It's OK to experiment but don't get lost in the flavor of the week.
dquarasr
Registered
I appreciate your comments, Fran, but I have to respectfully disagree.
It's true. I do watch a lot of instructional videos. But I do believe I'm savvy enough to incorporate pieces of various styles into my own style of play. In the last year or so I've tried a number of things with the goal of becoming more consistent. I've worked on my head position; my feet position; how I step into the shot; how I align with the shot; how I grip the cue; how I hang my forearm from my elbow; my shoulder position, stroke timing and acceleration, etc.
I did all these things taking the best of various ways I see others shoot, and incorporating them into my game. Some things worked. Many things did not. I had to fix so many things, and I'd try something and give it a few weeks before deciding it did or didn't work for me. I had a crazy S-shaped stroke forever, from when I first started playing pool casually over 20 years ago. Now that I have become more serious about the game in the last 18 months or so, I realized I had to fix these quirks. The "S" stroke was fixed by thumb position and by resisting the tendency to squeeze the cue. I also had experimented with various stances, from very closed to open like a snooker player. I found that my particular style is closer to Mark Wilson's stance, but not exactly. I worked on it then tweaked it for my tendencies (I am almost but not quite left of the shot line with my back foot. Mark promotes having the toes on the edge of the line. I am closer to having the shot line under the ball of my foot. Only 2 or 3 inches different, but enough to impact my performance.)
I had to fix a tendency to chicken-wing, which I believe I have done.
And the biggest thing I've done to improve my game recently, in the last four months or so, is to find my own rhythm in an attempt to quit being so g-damned robotic and mechanical. I watched Efren, how he does practice-practice-pause at CB address, then one last little practice stroke before firing. I don't mimic his exact routine, but I did experiment, using the idea that it's OK to find your own rhythm, and settled on my own particular cadence, that I try to follow every single shot. For me it's align, and pause as long as it takes me to verify I'm aligned, then stop thinking. Then practice stroke, practice stroke, pause at CB address, 1" feather, 1" feather, backstroke and shoot. I stopped thinking about it. Now I just do this every shot. If I even start thinking about this cadence or these steps, my consistency goes out the window.
So what I am trying to say is that I've researched and applied what I think are aspects from many sources, trying to craft a style that is working for me.
Progress is slow, but I do notice that it is coming. I know it is because I keep track of how I do.
Fran, I will keep your comments in mind as I work on refining my game even further, with the goal of continuing to incorporate suggestions and advice into MY game. Oh, and I do know when not to follow suggestions, too, evidenced by coaching I've received but decided wasn't for me.
As always, thanks for your input and being an ambassador for the game. BTW, you can call me Doug. My handle here is dquarasr, I'm Doug Quara, Sr.
I'm a teacher, not an ambassador. I don't have the confidence that you have in how you're going about this. You think you're going to become a better player by perfecting your fundamentals, and you've even stated it yourself that you have expectations of success once you get that all straightened out. It doesn't work that way, Doug. You don't need to perfect exactly where your toe is pointed just yet. You can go all the way up to pro level before you have to worry about stuff like that. But you do need to learn how to grind it out, one shot at a time, in a match where you're way behind but refuse to give up.
You need to develop your competitive heart. It's all internal. That's what I mean by knowing yourself and your tendencies --- not how much you tilt your head or how many practice strokes you take. Don't blame your losses on your fundamentals. Put those small details aside for now and get immersed in playing the game. Your whole attitude towards your fundamentals will probably change.
Jeanette Lee placed 3rd in her first pro tournament and she didn't even know how to properly draw the cue ball. I think she could draw it back maybe a foot at the most, and the shot had to be pretty easy. She placed third because she absolutely refused to give up, even though she was lacking in a lot of knowledge at the time.
You need to develop your competitive heart. It's all internal. That's what I mean by knowing yourself and your tendencies --- not how much you tilt your head or how many practice strokes you take. Don't blame your losses on your fundamentals. Put those small details aside for now and get immersed in playing the game. Your whole attitude towards your fundamentals will probably change.
Jeanette Lee placed 3rd in her first pro tournament and she didn't even know how to properly draw the cue ball. I think she could draw it back maybe a foot at the most, and the shot had to be pretty easy. She placed third because she absolutely refused to give up, even though she was lacking in a lot of knowledge at the time.
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dquarasr
Registered
Oh, but by volunteering to teach you are a de facto ambassador.
Ah, gotcha. Learn how to play the game. Not execute; how to play, how to compete. I think I get what you are saying.
Oh, I am all too familiar with having my game go to $h!+ because of a few bad shots. I know my fundamentals don't suddenly up and walk out the door. It's the attitude when things aren't going well that makes or breaks a match. It's easy to be loose and fancy-free when the balls roll for you. Not so much when they don't. I get it. Great point, Fran.
This session, for some reason, I've not fared quite as well as previous. I haven't figured it out yet, but I have been involved in many close matches. This time, though, I seem to be losing the close matches. I am trying to grind it out, as you say.
Stats: Lifetime ; this session:
8-ball 41-20 (67.21%) ; 5-3 (62.5%)
9-ball 38-28 (57.58%) ; 4-5 (44.44%)
I'm pretty happy with that considering APA handicaps are designed to make the probability 50-50. (This also tells me I need to work on my position play in rotation games!)
Keep it comin'!
Oh, but by volunteering to teach you are a de facto ambassador.
Ah, gotcha. Learn how to play the game. Not execute; how to play, how to compete. I think I get what you are saying.
Oh, I am all too familiar with having my game go to $h!+ because of a few bad shots. I know my fundamentals don't suddenly up and walk out the door. It's the attitude when things aren't going well that makes or breaks a match. It's easy to be loose and fancy-free when the balls roll for you. Not so much when they don't. I get it. Great point, Fran.
This session, for some reason, I've not fared quite as well as previous. I haven't figured it out yet, but I have been involved in many close matches. This time, though, I seem to be losing the close matches. I am trying to grind it out, as you say.
Stats: Lifetime ; this session:
8-ball 41-20 (67.21%) ; 5-3 (62.5%)
9-ball 38-28 (57.58%) ; 4-5 (44.44%)
I'm pretty happy with that considering APA handicaps are designed to make the probability 50-50. (This also tells me I need to work on my position play in rotation games!)
Keep it comin'!
LOL. "Keep it comin'? You have an answer for everything. Do I have the word 'sucker' stamped on my forehead? Count me out. But I'm sure you won't be lacking for help from other posters here. My life experience has taught me to know when to fold 'em.