Do you want to learn more about your stroke?

darkSIDEpool

darkSIDEpool

Member
As some of you will know I've been making an app to analyze shots amongst other things to quantitively help prove errors in technique or even performance comparisons when using different equipment. There are even more possibilities I can use this for too, I'm just getting started.

I'm happy to say that I'm now at a stage to move to the next level with this and looking for some keen players to test it further. If anyone is genuinely interested in getting a free report and advice about their technique drop me a message and I'll blow you away with the stats and metrics!

darkSIDEpool's DSP is here -
D.S.P. = Diagnostic Stroke Profiling

'Traditional coaches can guess. I measure. You can argue with a coach; you cannot argue with data.'

All you need to have is a decent video (at least 1080p @60fps) of you playing some shots but message me for more details guys as this will 100% help your game guaranteed!

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a scam. I'm genuinely looking to test the app out and offer some players free insight about their performance that can help them improve.

@dr_dave if you're interested this will blow you away with the data - feel free to also drop me a msg.

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I sent my video to Matt at darkSIDEpool and got a thorough set of analyses.

It helped me confirm some of my suspicions that I had from videos that I took myself earlier. His analyses is an independent analyses and helps me remove some of the confusion and guesses over what the hell is wrong. This gives me confidence to concentrate more on those deficiencies.

Other parts of his analyses went way beyond any of my self analysis. Such as his assessment on my aiming and two types of error.

It seemed from his instructions for using his app that he wanted some proficiency more like an intermediate player than a beginner. Nope. Not necessary as I can attest. Don't worry about that. The setup was not time consuming.

Uploading the two-gigabyte video file was easy and fast to the website he noted.

Here is the report I got:

The camera angle was a bit narrow / low down but I've still managed to get you some pretty conclusive analysis and areas to help improve on. There are some tell tale signs.

Overview I analyzed your 10 attempts at the Stop Shot drill. The results were split exactly down the middle: 5 Pots and 5 Misses.

My goal was to find the difference between the good ones and the bad ones. The data shows that your technique is solid, but it falls apart when you rush.

Here is my diagnosis of your video:

1. The "3-Second" Danger Zone (Rhythm)​

The clearest pattern I found is in your timing. I tracked exactly how long you stayed down on the shot before pulling the trigger.

  • When you potted well: You took an average of 3.7 seconds. You looked settled.
  • When you missed: You rushed the shot, averaging just 3.0 seconds.
My Diagnosis: You aren't missing because you can't aim; you are missing because you are "snatching." On the missed shots, you are skipping the final split-second pause that locks in your accuracy. You are seeing the pot and firing before your arm is ready.



2. The "Steering" Problem (Left vs. Right)​

I looked at where the white ball finished on your 5 Misses to see if you have a "blind spot."

  • The "Small" Misses (Left): You missed twice to the left, but these were relatively close (9-13 inches off the perfect stop area).
  • The "Big" Misses (Right): You missed three times to the right, and these were huge errors (17, 22, and 30 inches off the perfect stop area).
My Diagnosis: Your biggest danger is steering to the Right. When you rush that final stroke (the 3-second issue), your arm collapses slightly or you twist the cue, sending the white ball wildly off to the right. The left misses are just normal aiming errors, but the right misses are mechanical breakdowns caused by speed.

3. The "Touch" (Stopping the Ball)​

I measured exactly where the white ball stopped rolling. Ideally, we wanted it to stop at the 24-inch mark (just behind the object ball)

  • Your Average Stop: 21.9 inches (About 2 inches past the target).
My Diagnosis: You are ever-so-slightly "babying" the shot at 8.4 mph. This causes the ball to drift forward instead of gripping the cloth. On your best shot (Shot #8), you hit it with more confidence at 9.2 mph, and the ball stopped dead perfectly. Trust your stroke—hit it firmer.



SUMMARY & HOMEWORK​



You have a "Kill Zone" in your timing. If you shoot faster than 3 seconds, your accuracy falls apart and you tend to steer the cue wildly to the right.

Homework I want you to play this same shot again with one simple rule to fix the snatching:

  1. The "One-Two" Count: When you get down, take two full feathers (waggles).
  2. The Freeze: Hold your cue still at the back pause for a split second.
  3. The Strike: Deliver the cue firmly (don't decelerate).
If you force yourself to take that extra half-second, that "steering to the right" will disappear, and you will start potting 8 or 9 out of 10.

For reference I've attached the data for your shots in CSV format. Waggles refers to the times you pull the cue back and push it to the cueball before taking the shot.

Please let me know if you have any questions but the most obvious thing I could see was just the snatching on the shot. Personally I would recommend a new pre-shot routine to help you get into a more consistent and deliberate pace.

From what I seen in the video it looks like you get down quite quickly from standing in the same spot. Try stepping backwards a couple of paces and then sight the shot in your mind when standing up and back further away from the shot. Then when you're ready to play step forward and down into the shot. Then get that rock solid waggles working for you and don't snatch and you'll see that consistency you're looking for.

Please let me know though if you have any questions.
 
Hi Paul,

Thanks for the feedback.

At this stage I'm just proving my app through and helping out by offering some free feedback to players of any level. I'll be looking to make it a more formal thing in the new year once I've added some more features in the app for myself.

I'll also be looking to pair up with some high profile world class coaching brand, can't say anything else about that yet though.

I've had a few other messages and I'll be running the video on some more shots for them soon.

If any one else is interested in learning more about your game just let me know and i'll still provide some free analysis for you.

IF you have a particular shot you always struggle with maybe?
 
Great analysis
Op seems passionate about helping players
Info is helpful
I think he is on to a great app
 
darkSIDEpool said:
As some of you will know I've been making an app to analyze shots amongst other things to quantitively help prove errors in technique or even performance comparisons when using different equipment. There are even more possibilities I can use this for too, I'm just getting started.

I'm happy to say that I'm now at a stage to move to the next level with this and looking for some keen players to test it further. If anyone is genuinely interested in getting a free report and advice about their technique drop me a message and I'll blow you away with the stats and metrics!

darkSIDEpool's DSP is here -
D.S.P. = Diagnostic Stroke Profiling

'Traditional coaches can guess. I measure. You can argue with a coach; you cannot argue with data.'

All you need to have is a decent video (at least 1080p @60fps) of you playing some shots but message me for more details guys as this will 100% help your game guaranteed!

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a scam. I'm genuinely looking to test the app out and offer some players free insight about their performance that can help them improve.

@dr_dave if you're interested this will blow you away with the data - feel free to also drop me a msg.

View attachment 865655View attachment 865656View attachment 865657
Click to expand...
Best of luck to you!!
 
im old fashion i dont need an app to stroke a cue stick. nor an app to blow my nose.

if you want to practice hitting where you aim put a coke bottle on the table or two pieces of chalk and stroke to its inside and when you can do that every time your stroke is straight and you can hit where you aim.
 
Lol, that's about as old school as it gets right?

However I'm not a massive fan of anything like that because what does it really make you good at? Well, cueing into a bottle I guess.

It's like those Chris Henry balls, I'm not bashing his balls but really come on. What is that really doing in all honesty? My mate had some once for Snooker and set up the classic straight blue off the spot at distance into the corner pocket and said I bet you can't get that.

I got it first shot (no joke) and I was like er... ok.

The only true way to get better is to know what you may be doing wrong and then practice to improve that by real play and devotion.

As Bruce Lee once said to O'hara..... "Boards don't hit back....!"

Thanks to everyone who has provided me with some video so far. I'm working my way to process them for you all and hope with the data it will help you to work on some areas to help with that improvement.

In the meantime you can try the bottle thing if you like lol
 
Thanks again for everyone showing interest in this. It's definitely been fun going through the videos so far and seeing different pool room setups!

I've just analysed over 30 shots for someone and the data was pretty epic.

For all those who have sent me video, I'll get around to the analysis soon and get back to you.

It will be worth it!
 
The coaching observations were articulated into helpful, cohesive, cogent suggestions that were straightforward and easy to understand. Heck, you couldn’t expect more from him if he had been by your side as you performed the exercises. I enjoyed his assessment that seemed objective, supported by keen analysis and informative explanations.
 
I think the arrival of Digi Ball is going to furnish really helpful information that will be insightful and can be evidenced to track your progress, overall improvement & consistency. The player has to be open and receptive to utilize the data points.
 
I had my video analyzed. I will spare you all the details but I will say the analysis was spot on and very useful.

It confirmed some things I already suspected but identified a couple of things of which I was not aware.

Bottom line: Very Good Stuff!
 
OP, can you use your algorithm to both measure cut angle of the object ball? I am assuming you are using optical flow and homographic progression. I’ve tried this a few times and I am not as great at image signal processing as I am with hardware stuff. Your system looks promising for this, and is missing from my system.

Real time or short delay post analysis would be the goal.
 
nataddrho said:
OP, can you use your algorithm to both measure cut angle of the object ball? I am assuming you are using optical flow and homographic progression. I’ve tried this a few times and I am not as great at image signal processing as I am with hardware stuff. Your system looks promising for this, and is missing from my system.

Real time or short delay post analysis would be the goal.
Click to expand...
Hi,

Yes I can measure the cut angle.

In essence I've created a shot analysis studio.
 
The software isn't a consumer app I'm planning to release; it's the internal engine for my Darksidepool Diagnostic Lab. I built it specifically to conduct forensic audits on player mechanics that the naked eye misses (and that standard apps can't measure).

I don't distribute the engine, but I do provide the diagnostics.

If you want to test the 'value' of the system, let's run a live audit right here in the thread.

  1. Upload a video (YouTube/Dropbox link) of you playing 5 cut shots.
    • Requirements: Tripod/Steady camera. Decent lighting. I'll need you to also perform a simple ball setup using 5 balls to help with calibration first but this takes less than a minute to do.
  2. I will run it through the Lab.
I will post back your Forensic Report covering:

  • The Hesitation Index: Your exact pre-shot timing stability (down to the millisecond).
  • The Snatch: Detection of any deceleration before impact.
  • The Geometry: Your exact straightness deviation and cut angle consistency.
Let's see what the data says about your stroke.
 
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