What do you think the best shotmakers have in common?

I think the biggest difference really comes down to that they relish making the big shots. I think if you had the top 20 players all do shotmaking drills and tracked their results we may be somewhat surprised at the outcome. But perhaps where the real difference is at the top level is in the mindset of the different players when those shots come up.
 
7stud said:
Do you stand closer to your cue to accomplish that lean? How much clearance do you have between your hip and cue?
Click to expand...
There is about 2-3" clearance. My right heel is about directly under the cue and my left toes are about 6" behind the cue. It's like if I'm crouching down symmetrically with my back about 30° from horizontal and my thighs perpendicular to my upper body, and then i twist a little bit to move my head about 6" closer to the ball. My chin is about 3" higher that my cue. If I get much lower, I can't point my face forward enough.
 
1-2%..gotta be mental. my guess, some melange of confidence/desire. a little bit at the top level must go a long way.
 
Oikawa said:
What sort of qualities do you think seperates the best shotmakers from others? People like Filler, Shaw, Shane, etc.

Obviously every pro has their strengths and weaknesses, but what do you think it is that most seperates the absolute top from the rest of the pros, when it comes to pure shotmaking?

Nerves, eyesight, fundamentals, confidence, amount of practice, better hand-eye coordination, talent?
Click to expand...
They can all beat me? 🤷😁
 
Oikawa said:
What sort of qualities do you think separates the best shoemakers from others? People like Filler, Shaw, Shane, etc.

Obviously every pro has their strengths and weaknesses, but what do you think it is that most seperates the absolute top from the rest of the pros, when it comes to pure shotmaking?

Nerves, eyesight, fundamentals, confidence, amount of practice, better hand-eye coordination, talent?
Click to expand...
Their ability to work the middle/near middle of the cue ball, when pocketing 90% of their shots.

bm
 
Rempe is quoted in the Grisham book as saying he watched Jimmy Reid go 20 hrs without missing. Reid later published his "equal angle opposites" aiming trick which I didn't get at first but went back to after I spotted a post about another facet of the geometry here on AZB. It all fits together. You can run through the half dozen give or take, alignment methods on every shot just to check your alignment before pulling the trigger.

Those other machines I would guess are on holographic matching. IOW, their will to win is so strong that anything they're likely to shoot would/would have/ been/ is permanently emblazoned on their psyche for instant reference. lol.

Whatever they do, there is no good reason to ignore the fact that the desired ball alignment can be easily plotted by eye and your cue. You just need to see where your stick goes and trust your stroke.
 
Shaw/Filler/punch their shots.... Scared to spin it?
All top pros are not Scared to spin, they just understand there's more moving parts in the shot, and more chances of error is all.
Like coming across a dark/dirty ball being cut at slow speeds, it's risky if it's hit a ''little'' to slow causing obj ball rotation.
 
Island Drive said:
Shaw/Filler/punch their shots.... Scared to spin it?
All top pros are not Scared to spin, they just understand there's more moving parts in the shot, and more chances of error is all.
Like coming across a dark/dirty ball being cut at slow speeds, it's risky if it's hit a ''little'' to slow causing obj ball rotation.
Click to expand...
I think what he meant by him and svb not being scared to spin it is that they hit a lot of those spinny shots more often than other top pros. certainly more than the other top shot makers, which both certainly are.
Watch any SVB match with Earl commentary and u can hear it str8 from Earl as just about every match he mentions how it is easier for him to predict shane's shots bc he plays like he does. Rarely do the words 'center ball' come out of Earl's mouth. He's almost always using a trace of spin and on many more shots than most players, he uses a lot more than a trace.
 
If one is faced with a tough pot, that he realisticly knows he will make ~75% of the time, even if he deliberately focuses on visualizing the shot go in and doesn't shoot until his focus is in the positive outcome, some part of his brain will, no matter what, be aware of the fact that there is a reasonable chance of missing.

The question then is, how much does that matter? If you program yourself into good habits of visualizing positive outcomes, staying present, letting the subconscious do the work, and so on, will the statistical/analytical part of your brain still have power to ruin things, especially when the pressure rises?

An interesting way of looking at this problem is purposeful self-delusion. If you lie to yourself for long enough, in game situations, that you can make any pot 100% of the time, maybe it might be beneficial? Perhaps Earl's habit of blaming anything but himself for missing is not a personality trait, but a deliberately developed tactic to re-program his mind to let him execute better under pressure?
 
Oikawa said:
What sort of qualities do you think seperates the best shotmakers from others? People like Filler, Shaw, Shane, etc.

Obviously every pro has their strengths and weaknesses, but what do you think it is that most seperates the absolute top from the rest of the pros, when it comes to pure shotmaking?

Nerves, eyesight, fundamentals, confidence, amount of practice, better hand-eye coordination, talent?
Click to expand...
Generally, good fundamentals they don’t waiver from, a consistent pre-shot routine, an incredible amount of confidence from having hit / pocketed millions of balls, and from having proven to themselves they can come through under pressure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top