Can't do a draw shot to save my life

[PaulHarvey]

You will almost NEVER be able to hit the cue ball a second time.
randyg

????? With a short bridge and follow through? It happens quite often. Either that or I jump the ball. At least that's what I think is happening :/

 

[PaulHarvey]

it appears there is some training available in Dayton I would consider both if I were you.

Do they have a website? I googled all forms of the keyword "pool instructors in Dayton" and got no hits. Are they in the phone book?

You can draw the cue ball. Trust me you will draw the cue ball the first day you get a lesson from a good teacher.

Yes, I can draw the ball. Just not consistently. I'm working on a new method though. Thanks much for the tips!

Harvey

 

[nobcitypool]

Do they have a website? I googled all forms of the keyword "pool instructors in Dayton" and got no hits. Are they in the phone book?




Yes, I can draw the ball. Just not consistently. I'm working on a new method though. Thanks much for the tips!

Harvey

Scott Lee travels all the time, he's only a few hours from Dayton. I'll bet you'll consistently be drawing the ball if you spend a day with Scott. The bonus is you'll have a much better stroke that will also help with all other aspects of your game.

 

[scottjen26]

Thank you, Sir!

There are some things in this video that confuse me though.

1) In his drawing of the "theoretical miscue limit" (about 2:30 into the vid), the six o'clock position of the circle appears way higher than where I've been told countless times to hit the QB. And the 'good chalker' and 'lazy chalker' limits are even higher. BTW, I'm a 'good chalker.'

Harvey

I didn't even watch the video, but I can tell you that the reason the theoretical miscue limit seems higher then normal is because it's the TOP of your tip that's hitting this point, not the center or bottom. The reverse is true on follow shots, similar with side spin limits as well.

When using a typical stripe ball, the top of your tip hitting the bottom of the stripe is close to the limit, and there isn't much clearance between the stick and the cloth at that point. Hitting the cloth first will almost always result in a miscue (might get lucky and bounce up into the cue ball, maybe). But as long as your stroke is returning the tip to the point of your initial setup, your fine.

Not to mention you can get some pretty crisp draw at 1 full tip of draw - some people refer to this as 2 tips of english, but it's really 2 half tips. This would be closer to the center of the tip being at the stripe, as opposed to the maximum point which is about 1 1/2 tips (some people call this 3 tips) of draw.

Hope this helps. Several people have already suggested the 2 main causes of not getting the expected astion (not hitting low enough or decelerating through the shot), that's almost always the cause with any students I've seen as well.
Scott

 

[hang-the-9]

You'll have to break down your game to the beginning fundamentals, you're cue is moving so much that you are pretty much randomly hitting the cueball in different areas, but not straight and not where you aim. That's why you "sometimes" jump, "sometimes" draw a bit, "sometimes" stop. To be really brutally honest, your stoke is like a blindfolded lumberjack trying to cut down a tree while swinging as fast as he can, the axe is sure moving a lot but the tree is laughing at him.

I'm sure a good instructor will help a lot, but you'll be at the baby step of hitting the cueball slowly with control.

A hard hit without a good stoke will not get you draw, it will just send the object ball bouncing off a bunch of rails. The first part is to be able to hit the cueball properly where you are actually trying to. In the video you aim to the middle then swoop down on the practice strokes, but only sometimes. Sometimes you just swing to the middle of the ball. So when you actually hit, you are not hitting the cueball where you want to, because your tip is actually not on the bottom half of the ball at contact.

You look a bit like me when I was trying to have a stroke like Efren after I started watching him play in my late teens, lots of flashy arm action with no result hehe.

 

[elvicash]

Do they have a website? I googled all forms of the keyword "pool instructors in Dayton" and got no hits. Are they in the phone book?

I would look into finding or getting a hold of Jason Miller or Dee Adkins both great players in the central Ohio area and inquire about lessons. I am pretty sure Dee has been giving some lessons lately and Jason is from the Dayton area. Also have you been to to Airway Billiards and inquired about lessons. In closing Scott Lee travels and will bring the lessons to you in your home.

 

[PaulHarvey]

This is a test. I'm replying to my own post to see how (or if) it shows up.

Okay, that didn't work.

 

[PaulHarvey]

Scott Lee travels all the time, he's only a few hours from Dayton. I'll bet you'll consistently be drawing the ball if you spend a day with Scott. The bonus is you'll have a much better stroke that will also help with all other aspects of your game.

Thanks. So many people recommended Scott that I checked him out in the 'Instructor Reviews' section. There were many glowing reviews and no bad ones, so we scheduled a lesson.

The stellar reviews are well deserved; I got way more than my money's worth! (Actually, my girlfriend's money )

 

[PaulHarvey]

I didn't even watch the video, but I can tell you that the reason the theoretical miscue limit seems higher then normal is because it's the TOP of your tip that's hitting this point, not the center or bottom. The reverse is true on follow shots, similar with side spin limits as well.

When using a typical stripe ball, the top of your tip hitting the bottom of the stripe is close to the limit, and there isn't much clearance between the stick and the cloth at that point. Hitting the cloth first will almost always result in a miscue (might get lucky and bounce up into the cue ball, maybe). But as long as your stroke is returning the tip to the point of your initial setup, your fine.

Not to mention you can get some pretty crisp draw at 1 full tip of draw - some people refer to this as 2 tips of english, but it's really 2 half tips. This would be closer to the center of the tip being at the stripe, as opposed to the maximum point which is about 1 1/2 tips (some people call this 3 tips) of draw.

Hope this helps. Several people have already suggested the 2 main causes of not getting the expected astion (not hitting low enough or decelerating through the shot), that's almost always the cause with any students I've seen as well.
Scott

Thanks much Scott, that cleared up much of the confusion. However, it's a moot point now (and will be for a while), as I'm giving up on draw and focusing on that new stroke you taught me.

I'm doing the drills religiously and have got them down to where I can execute each one flawlessly seven out of seven times, consistently. However, any time I introduce an object ball into the mix, the only thing I do consistently is miss. Even shots where the OB is mere inches from the pocket.

Don't know why that is but I can only assume that, as much as I try to ignore it, the OB is messing with my head. So I'm giving up all other forms of shooting 'til I get the stroke down to where I'm doing it in my sleep. My plan is to out-smart the OB by training my body to do the stroke without my brain getting involved.

So HAH, take that object ball, evil spawn of Satan that you are!

Thanks again Scott; I had a blast that day. Oh, and I had a tad bit of trouble with your DVD's myself. I found a way around it though. Will explain next time we talk.

Later,
Harvey

 

[PaulHarvey]

You'll have to break down your game to the beginning fundamentals, you're cue is moving so much that you are pretty much randomly hitting the cueball in different areas, but not straight and not where you aim. That's why you "sometimes" jump, "sometimes" draw a bit, "sometimes" stop. To be really brutally honest, your stoke is like a blindfolded lumberjack trying to cut down a tree while swinging as fast as he can, the axe is sure moving a lot but the tree is laughing at him.

I'm sure a good instructor will help a lot, but you'll be at the baby step of hitting the cueball slowly with control.

A hard hit without a good stoke will not get you draw, it will just send the object ball bouncing off a bunch of rails. The first part is to be able to hit the cueball properly where you are actually trying to. In the video you aim to the middle then swoop down on the practice strokes, but only sometimes. Sometimes you just swing to the middle of the ball. So when you actually hit, you are not hitting the cueball where you want to, because your tip is actually not on the bottom half of the ball at contact.

You look a bit like me when I was trying to have a stroke like Efren after I started watching him play in my late teens, lots of flashy arm action with no result hehe.

Thanks a lot for the good tips, not to mention the time & trouble you took to respond. I've learned much since I made the original post from so many helpful people here. And I'm getting much better as a result.

As for my stroke, it evolved on its own in my youth. I never watched anyone or was taught by anyone; I learned by myself, shooting on the table in my basement. I think that's much of my problem today :/

Thanks again,
Harvey

 

[ENGLISH!]

Paul,

As for drawing the ball, even though I did not watch the video, I've found that it sometimes takes a different stroke on different days to get the desired draw on the cue ball. I don't mean different forces of hit. I mean a totally different type of stroke. I know the physics that can & will be argued & they are the truth. However, how one delivers those physics principles can vary & how one delivers those levels of force are what I am talking about.

Some times 'hitting the cue ball low with a very 'level' cue & a pop stroke works well on some days & then on others a more thorough finish or follow through is required. Sometimes even a change of cue stick with a different tip is beneficial. What hardness of tip are you using? You might want to go to a softer tip. (I know, I know, a hard tip can put as much spin on the ball as a soft tip. But... the stroke forces required are different due to different compression levels.) Sometimes elevating the butt end of the cue a bit can have beneficial results. All of these differences are due to different conditions from day to day or table to table or the perception of the shooter.

Now before I get jumped on, I am talking about controlling my draw. I can always draw the ball but sometimes getting control of the amount of draw is a bit elusive. I play near to New Orleans & the humidity varies quite often. I once changed shafts with a different tip & the control was there immediately. I know I would have gotten it under control eventually with the other shaft but why wait & work when a simple tip change can bring it all under control.

In my opinion, it is easier to control where one hits the ball on the vertical axis if one utilizes a straight line away from & into the cue ball without the cue tip moving down, up & down during the stroke. That is not to say that one can not be proficient with that type of stroke as quite a few certainly are.

I would suggest that you focus ONLY on stroking the cue ball to get it to draw with no focus on making the object ball at all. Then, when you get the ball drawing back, start trying to send the ball toward the pocket & getting the cue ball to draw. Again, don't worry about making the ball. just send it toward the pocket & get the cue ball to draw back. Once you are comfortable & confident that the cue ball will draw back, then focus on making the ball with that draw stroke.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I certainly hope that it does. The first or second thing that my Dad taught me when I was 13 yrs. old was how to stop & draw the ball. I can hardly imagine playing the game without being able to do that at will whenever one wants or needs to do so.

The best of luck in you finding your way to get it done.

Rick

PS Paul, another idea that might help is to soft stroke a striped ball toward an object ball frozen on the rail at the other end of the table & notice the back spin on it & when it turns over & starts to roll. Stroke one progressively harder until you can get it to go the full length of the table with out turning over. Then put an object ball about two diamonds away & stroke it the same. See what happens. If need be stroke it a bit harder. Keep in mind that it is not just about how hard & low to hit the cue ball. It's about the spin to forward speed ratio that one can put on the ball.

 

[PaulHarvey]

I would look into finding or getting a hold of Jason Miller or Dee Adkins both great players in the central Ohio area and inquire about lessons. I am pretty sure Dee has been giving some lessons lately and Jason is from the Dayton area. Also have you been to to Airway Billiards and inquired about lessons. In closing Scott Lee travels and will bring the lessons to you in your home.

I'm relatively new to Dayton, having moved here about a year ago. So I never heard of Airway Billiards 'til now. Thanks for the tip! I've Googled them and I do know where Needmore is

As for lessons, I've since met up with Scott Lee and he helped a great deal! I think I'm good for a looong while

Thanks again,
Harvey

 

[PaulHarvey]

Okay Paul, lets try this.

Hold the cue with the index finger pad and thumb pad. No other part of your grip hand can touch the cue. Bring the cue straight back and strike below center on the cue ball.

This is just an exercise to demonstrate how little effort is required to draw the cue ball back after contact with the OB. Space the two balls 12 " apart. As you become efficient at the 12" start increasing the distance between the two balls.

It's going to be a looong time before I get efficient at 12" since I can't even get consistent draw on 4". I tried your 'finger & thumb' grip 103 times right after you posted this (sorry for the delayed response) and got the same results I get with my regular grip: inconsistency.

Hang in there :wink:

John

Thanks, but I'm giving up on draw 'til I perfect a new stroke Scott Lee taught me last week.

Later,
Harvey

 

[ENGLISH!]

Paul,

When one is 4" from the ball there can be a subconscious fear of stroking through for fear of the cue hitting either the object ball or the cue ball. Try elevating the cue & hitting down on the ball but below the equator with a short but firm pop stroke. I many times wind up over drawing the ball with this type of stroke as I don't use it very often but it does come up from time to time. Please try it.

Good luck.
Rick

PS What hardness of tip are you using? I have been spinning my ball for 47 yrs. since I was 13 & I have always used a soft tip. When one wants to spin the tennis ball alot it is easier to do when the strings are not strung too tight. Tight = hard. Loose = soft.

 

[PaulHarvey]

Paul,

Sometimes even a change of cue stick with a different tip is beneficial. What hardness of tip are you using?

I have no idea. How can you tell? Several ques came with my table, plus I have my own. All the tips look and feel the same to me.

... the stroke forces required are different due to different compression levels.) Sometimes elevating the butt end of the cue a bit can have beneficial results. All of these differences are due to different conditions from day to day or table to table

hmmm...interesting. My room is often quite humid and I'm playing on a slooooow table. What speed of stroke and level of elevation would you suggest for those conditions?

... humidity varies quite often. I once changed shafts with a different tip & the control was there immediately.

But how did you know which shafts and tips to switch to? In other words, which conditions require which type of equipment?

I would suggest that you focus ONLY on stroking the cue ball to get it to draw with no focus on making the object ball at all. Then, when you get the ball drawing back, start trying to send the ball toward the pocket & getting the cue ball to draw. Again, don't worry about making the ball. just send it toward the pocket & get the cue ball to draw back. Once you are comfortable & confident that the cue ball will draw back, then focus on making the ball with that draw stroke.

Thanks for the tips but I'm giving up on draw for now. I recently learned a new stroke (actually the first stroke I ever learned) and am working on perfecting it. I'll start on draw again afterwards.

The best of luck in you finding your way to get it done.

Rick

PS Paul, another idea that might help is to soft stroke a striped ball toward an object ball frozen on the rail at the other end of the table & notice the back spin on it & when it turns over & starts to roll. Stroke one progressively harder until you can get it to go the full length of the table with out turning over. Then put an object ball about two diamonds away & stroke it the same. See what happens. If need be stroke it a bit harder. Keep in mind that it is not just about how hard & low to hit the cue ball. It's about the spin to forward speed ratio that one can put on the ball.

Thank you again! I'll try all this after I get that stroke down

Harvey

 

[ENGLISH!]

I have no idea. How can you tell? Several ques came with my table, plus I have my own. All the tips look and feel the same to me.

If you drop a shaft or a cue from a certain height onto a hard floor you'll get an idea but I don't think you need to do that unless you just want to find out which of the ones you have might have a softer tip. If they all feel the same to you then they may very well all be the same.



hmmm...interesting. My room is often quite humid and I'm playing on a slooooow table. What speed of stroke and level of elevation would you suggest for those conditions?

How can anyone correctly tell you a speed & elevation without personally knowing the conditions? You've received some good advice, you just need to experiment to find what works best for you. I have always preferred a cue as level as possible with a loose free flowing wrist action quick stroke so as to get as much spin on the ball with the least amount of forward momentum on the ball. It is about the spin to 'speed' ratio of the cue ball. There are other physical methods to get the same results.

But how did you know which shafts and tips to switch to? In other words, which conditions require which type of equipment?

The ball only knows the physics that is applied to it. One can usually adapt one's stroke to the conditions but if an equipment change can speed up & widen the margin of error then why not simply make a change in equipment. On the particular day to which I was referring, I was using a shaft with a medium tip & the temperature had just dropped a bit. I would assume the humidity lowered as well but not necessarily. In any case I would not get the draw that I wanted one time so I would apply a little more spin the next time & would get too much. So I went to a shaft with a super soft tip & I got the draw that I wanted with the stroke that I wanted to use. Your question makes it look like a very simple question to answer & it could be if all other things are equal in the comparison. My point being that I could get more than enough draw with either tip but it is about the amount of force at a certain tip below center that is required with one tip vs another & what force stroke one is comfortable playing with.



Thanks for the tips but I'm giving up on draw for now. I recently learned a new stroke (actually the first stroke I ever learned) and am working on perfecting it. I'll start on draw again afterwards.

If you wait until you perfect a stroke you may never attempt to draw a ball again. How often is a human being perfect? What you choose to do is certainly up to you. I just know that I was drawing the ball the same day my Dad showed me how when I was 13 years old. I don't think my stroke was perfect then or is it perfect now.

In any case, I certainly wish you good luck & good results.

Thank you again! I'll try all this after I get that stroke down

Harvey

Best Wishes to you,
Rick

 

[hang-the-9]

Thanks a lot for the good tips, not to mention the time & trouble you took to respond. I've learned much since I made the original post from so many helpful people here. And I'm getting much better as a result.

As for my stroke, it evolved on its own in my youth. I never watched anyone or was taught by anyone; I learned by myself, shooting on the table in my basement. I think that's much of my problem today :/

Thanks again,
Harvey

Put up another video, would be nice to see the progression.

 

[hang-the-9]

It's going to be a looong time before I get efficient at 12" since I can't even get consistent draw on 4". I tried your 'finger & thumb' grip 103 times right after you posted this (sorry for the delayed response) and got the same results I get with my regular grip: inconsistency.




Thanks, but I'm giving up on draw 'til I perfect a new stroke Scott Lee taught me last week.

Later,
Harvey

This still means you are not hitting the cueball where you are trying to aim it at. My son took a while to learn the right stoke to get a good draw shot, he started playing pool at about 8, and even with several good players showing him things (OK, mostly me LOL, along with lots of instructional and match videos), it was not till he was about 12 that he could draw the cueball more than a foot all the time. Take a look at this at 2:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkV079yEFI

You can see exactly where his practice strokes end up in, each time, level and to the same spot. At 13, he drew that cueball 9 feet. Although he played the wrong position for the shot he did make a pretty good out with a few good shots.

Another good part to see is at 19:00, he hits the shot soft but with a good stroke that draws the cueball across the table. You can see how soft he hit that to get that much result. When you were trying in that video, you were hitting 5 times harder with 5 times less effect due to the wrong contact point.

I saw your video, you are about 2 feet taller and 200 lb heavier than him LOL, you should be able to draw the ball around the ROOM much less the table with a good stroke LOL. In your first video, you can see where your tip goes to, and that the tip is moving up and down as you approach the cueball contact point. That is what is causing the random results you get. I hope Scott's instruction will change that for you, it can be very frustrating to play this game when things seem to not work, with your desire to get better I'm sure you'll break though this stage and go on to some great results.

 

[Limpkinw]

Paul,
Once your stroke drills are complete you need to give in to the new stroke and trust it.

Once you get to ball pocketing drills focus on the object ball like you normally did in the past. Trust the stroke and just make the shot.

You will know when/if you stroked it wrong, and if that keeps happening then go back to some stroke drills..

You will not miss the easy shots if you do this.


For draw shots try to shoot a lot softer at the low portion of the ball. You are trying to power them and power is not what it takes. You can full table draw with 1/3rd of the force you are using.

Thanks much Scott, that cleared up much of the confusion. However, it's a moot point now (and will be for a while), as I'm giving up on draw and focusing on that new stroke you taught me.

I'm doing the drills religiously and have got them down to where I can execute each one flawlessly seven out of seven times, consistently. However, any time I introduce an object ball into the mix, the only thing I do consistently is miss. Even shots where the OB is mere inches from the pocket.

Don't know why that is but I can only assume that, as much as I try to ignore it, the OB is messing with my head. So I'm giving up all other forms of shooting 'til I get the stroke down to where I'm doing it in my sleep. My plan is to out-smart the OB by training my body to do the stroke without my brain getting involved.

So HAH, take that object ball, evil spawn of Satan that you are!

Thanks again Scott; I had a blast that day. Oh, and I had a tad bit of trouble with your DVD's myself. I found a way around it though. Will explain next time we talk.

Later,
Harvey

 

[Garo 7]

A drill...

The setup is a straight in shot with the cue ball approx. 2 diamonds away from the object ball. The goal of the shot is to draw the ball back to your bridge hand which you have leave on the table long enough for the cue ball to come back and hit it. Here is the twist. I want you to see the tip of your cue hit the bottom half of the cue ball as you strike it. Pocketing the ball is NOT the goal of this drill. However to draw the ball back to your hand a certain level of accuracy is required. Hit at least 30 attempts a day using this technique. Do this drill everyday for 30 days. At that point you will be drawing like Efren and will have taken a step towards perfecting the game!

Tip: If you do not remember seeing the tip hit the cue ball during the stroke then you must assume that you did not hit the cue ball in the desired location. Push yourself to check after every shot that you remember seeing the tip hit the cue ball regardless of where you hit.

Please post videos of your progress regardless of what you choose to do. There is nothing an instructor likes more than seeing a player work to improve!

Good luck!

Ken

Thanks much, Steve. I printed this out and followed every instruction several times. I never once drew the QB, and some of the times I jumped it. Did you mean to say the stick actually makes contact with the table? I've always read it's supposed to be a straight, level stroke. If it's to touch the table, wouldn't it be a downward stroke?

I think tomorrow I'm going to video myself shooting and see what I can see.

Thanks again!
Harvey

It's about stroke, and stroke is about one thing really: Acceleration. The tip has to be accelerating as it goes through the cue ball. This will happen as a result of your body mechanics. Unless they are lined up, you will be fighting your bodies muscles as you shoot and stroke the shot. Due to this it can affect the amount of acceleration you are getting through the cue ball. Acceleration does not mean pure speed either, you can accelerate with low speed a and power, or high. So just trying to hit with a faster stroke often wont do anything different.

Another aspect is, don't 'whip' your stroke, back and forth. That is not a good way to accelerate through the cue ball. I mean, yeah some folks do it that way, but they are way ahead of us. So, when shooting... once you are done with settling in on the shot and your practice line-up strokes, and you have targeted exactly where you are going to stiek the cue ball, pull the cue back slowly to the end of you backward motion, and STOP. At least briefly for a second. Then move it forward accelerating into the cue ball for your shot. And think about not stopping the accelerating at all until the cue ball is down the table. Accelerate THROUGH the cue ball. Try it with an easy, not really hard or powerful or fast stroke. Nice and easy. But pull back to a brief stop, then accelerate forward. Think of it this way as you work on getting there.

Anyway... hey, I am going through the same thing right now. So far in 3 practice sessions I have managed to move the cue ball back oh maybe once or maybe twice, about 1 foot LOL. And this in about 30 tries. Dude, I used to be able to place the cue ball in one corner pocket inside the pocket corners, and the object ball in the far diagonal corner inside the edges, and hit a pure draw with a highly jacked-up cue, and not only make the ball, but draw straight back (touching no rail or edge) and drop the cue ball into the pocket where I started. That is like an 11-foot shot, with 11-feet of draw. Now? I get squat... so far. LOL Well, I think I finally have given up mostly and told myself "Ok, later for that..." This is why we need a teacher sometimes, to make sure the body and arm are properly aligned to allow effortless acceleration to occur. Don't worry though, it quickly becomes natural once we start the get hang of it all. I am going through the same thing myself, being back now after nearly 2 decades of not hitting a ball.

Hello, Harvey here.

I tried searching this thread, but you can imagine how many hits I get for "draw."

Let me start by saying I started shooting pool at about age 12 and played regularly for the next 10 years, then stopped. I was completely self-taught and became quite good, even though I knew nothing about position play, english, draw, or any of that. Again, I had no teacher.

Around age 45 (about 12 years ago), I picked it up again. Much to my chagrin, I found I couldn't shoot worth you-know-what. So I bought books, videos, training aids, etc and used them extensively. I'm getting my shooting skills back but I still can't play position because my CB control, especially draw, sucks. The only time I can draw is when I'm six inches or less from the OB and strike it very hard. And even then the CB only comes back about 3 inches at most.

I'm following all the instructions I've read and watched: level stick; below center (half-tip, one tip), smooth stroke, etc. I've tried all different speeds and distances, with the only results being what I mentioned above.

I've played on all types of tables, too. From super fast to super slow.

Oh, and by the way, I can't make a stop shot either (except under the same circumstances above).

Can you help? I'd really like to get this before I'm too old to stand at the table!

Thanks!
Harvey

I have had read the advice here of the others and it is spot on. One thing though, there is often a disconnect between what we 'feel' our body is doing, and what it is actually doing. So... if trying to stroke straight and level gets no result, it means that the tip is probably moving upwards through the stroke, even though we 'feel' it is even, it is not. So, angling a little downward (which will 'feel' wrong at first) might make it actually be even which is what we are trying to do. We just dont know how that 'feels' yet, cause we have not done it.

I learned this about body mechanics and how they feel in marital arts. I did not win the form competition, and my teacher said, "It is because you are not level to the ground." I said, no... I am level," To which he said, 'Ok, fine. Show me now... do that Kata." So, I turn around (in front of a giant mirror) and start the form, seriously, like I had performed it. After about ten seconds he says, "STOP. Freeze. Dont move! Now, look at the mirror!"

So, I do... and low and behold, the hole right ride of my body, and my shoulder, was lower than the left. LOL It 'felt right' though, oh but it was NOT! So, then he says, "Ok, so now adjust. Make it look level, in the mirror." So I do. It felt 'off'... he says, 'Now that is perfect. You stand like that and you will win next time! Your technique is great, you body was crooked though. So, how does that feel?" I am like, 'Uh... it feels off. Wrong. But it looks straight and perfect."

And he says, "That is because what you are used to feeling, is wrong! Make sure it feels just like this when you practice, and you will be correct! Eventually this will feel 'right', and you will have perfect form."

BACK TO REALITY: So, maybe angle your shaft and aim downwards a little bit, not lower on the ball, just the angel, and try and go straight through with that, and maybe that will give you that level shaft you are looking for at the moment of impact through the ball, even if it feels wrong.

Bravo on picking-up up the stick again! Keep going. It will come! The pool gods are watching! They will honor your desire, and work. And you seem to have some pretty knowledgeable friends here as well! (I dont mean me... )