Feedback on My Stroke & Mechanics – Looking to Improve Fundamentals

R

Renderu

Member
I've uploaded a short video of myself playing pool and would really appreciate some constructive feedback. What I'm mainly interested in is how my stroke, stance, grip, follow-through, and overall mechanics come across to more experienced eyes.

Thanks. Also, this is my first post!
Practice Session
 
Welcome!

I noticed that you lean your entire body and head forward on the final stroke of each shot. No saying if keeping that still will improve your game or not...
 
iusedtoberich said:
Welcome!

I noticed that you lean your entire body and head forward on the final stroke of each shot. No saying if keeping that still will improve your game or not...
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Yup, he sure did.

Make sure to keep your bridgearm and body as still as possible during the stroke. Pretend the arm is dead. I also noticed some head movement, which is particularly bad and will cause misses.

Your stroke looks ok, smooth even. You could benefit from trying to minimize cue butt elevation on some shots.

As a snooker player I'm a stickler for pre-shot routines. We like to stay away from the table as we walk around, chalk and find the line and then step into the shot. You tend to walk around the table close, step back and then step in. Get a chalk holder or keep the chalk in your pocket so that you don't have to step in to get it off the rail. Some of this may be a function of your room being a little small. Still worth considering I think.

There are other things to say, but I think minimizing movement and elevation should yield almost immidiate improvement, with little effort.
 
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Swaying into the shot, also a common problem in golf.

Start watching your final back and forward stroke with your lower peripheral vision. This will give you feedback that you aren’t hitting the ball where you think you are. Once you do this for a while and convince yourself you are hitting the cue ball where you intend your body English will start to go away.
 
Just another addition… body English in general is a manifestation of hope from an incomplete prediction of what is going to happen. Take the time to run your mental simulator on every shot, think about what the cue ball will do, what the object ball will do, what other balls in the path of the cue ball will do. If you have deliberate intentions absolutely then the symptom will be something that looks like a great stroke.
 
I hesitated to respond. I’m not an instructor etc…. I noticed the body movement. Can any of the mechanics- like shoulder movement be attributed to grip. Looking at shot on 6 ball then 7 ball. Grip contributing to issues?

But OP. You are shooting well
 
He really needs to go watch video of top players. Watch their PSR as well as their delivery. IMO its WAY easier to watch-mimic than to go by what someone says on a forum. His stroke isn't too bad, he just need to see/grasp how good players do it. Watch some of Niels' stuff, he really is someone to copy.
 
I believe you would benefit from getting 4 points of contact on the cue - both hands, chin and chest. Hard to tell, but it looks like you only have both hands always on contact with the cue. If you can't get 4 try get 3 at least and have the chest always in contact.

As other have mentioned the body and head movement is very noticeable. Hard to tell why from this video tbh.

Uploading a video is all well and good of you making all the shots but you would be better served uploading a video of you missing shots as that's when things have gone wrong. Not sure how mobile you filming set up is either, but more focus on you rather than the table would really help too.

I'll finish by saying I would take what lots of people here say with a pinch of salt, my self included in that.
 
JPB2 said:
I hesitated to respond. I’m not an instructor etc…. I noticed the body movement. Can any of the mechanics- like shoulder movement be attributed to grip. Looking at shot on 6 ball then 7 ball. Grip contributing to issues?

But OP. You are shooting well
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It takes me at least 10 tries to clean the table. So lots of takes before I got this one right.
 
Renderu said:
Thanks everyone! I have been aware of my movement 'into the shot' and have struggled to stop this.
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You are moving your entire body forward, which could mean that you are transfering weight from your back foot to your front foot, like one would do on a break shot.

Try to shoot some shots and focusing on keeping the weight the same on each foot throughout the shot. I mean try to feel the weight on each foot before you start stroking. Lets say it's 55-45 or something between the back and front foot. For the moment it doesn't matter how much weight you have on each foot, just that it doesn't change during the stroke. Then focus on keeping the weight you feel the same throughout the shot.

Obviously you must keep the head and arm still, but I think the movement may come from the feet so you should start there and see if that improves things.
 
Renderu said:
I've uploaded a short video of myself playing pool and would really appreciate some constructive feedback. What I'm mainly interested in is how my stroke, stance, grip, follow-through, and overall mechanics come across to more experienced eyes.

Thanks. Also, this is my first post!
Practice Session
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You need to finish your DIY projects! You have a lovely hardwood floor, a great paint color (I have the same one), but no baseboard!!!! Come on!

This will improve your game significantly. :)

Good shooting.
 
Old Time Method

1. Piece of cardboard folded in an "L".
2. Horizontal leg is base. In vertical leg, cut an appropriate size hole at appropriate height. (As you get better: new cardboard with smaller holes.)
3. Place on table. Weight with quarters if needed.
4. Stroke away.

I used this when young to develop stroke. Misstrokes are readily apparent. Will not damage shaft. Portable. Cheap!

New Days/Tech: Add "video cam" set-up and obtain assistance appropriate analysts.

After viewing your video, I, for me, would work on getting rid of the "pause" just before you pull trigger. It is too "jerky", I want smooth, continuous, rhythmic, movement -- this element assists in carrying me through those times when "the fat is in the fire" and all is falling down around my ears.
 
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Renderu said:
LOL. Sound like my wife. I've had this room built for over 2 years but not quite done. It's functional.
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Oh, you didn't mention a wife. You got no shot at getting good now. ;) Seriously go watch vids of top players. You'll be amazed at how much you will see/soak up.
 
I see so many flaws, you need some professional help. Asking the internet for help isn't going to work You need hands on with an instructor.

Timing is off, Why the heck to you lean into the stroke, Every shot is jacked up. Approach is horrible. I can't see your stance.

As a bonus your playing will improve, the downside it's going to take a bit to get these new things ingrained.
 
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