The Pause

Matt_24

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is the "pause" necessary in shot execution to be a good player?

Pause at the cue ball?

Or, Pause when the cue ball is pulled back into your bridge (before transitioning through the cue ball) - ala Buddy Hall?

I've seen some phenomenal players who had zero pause. They may slow down their practice strokes as they pin point their cue ball target, but never completely pause.

Just stirring up some discussion.
 
Im currently in the process of trying to regain my ability to to play this game. Back in the late 90s when I first started playing I had a few lessons from Alex Laoingco (Efren Reyes road manager) the way he taught me was to have 3 strokes with no pauses and on the third you would execute your shot as if you are trying to put a hole through the CB and shoot through it. I’m trying to implement that and it’s just not clicking right now.
 
As usual on important matters, I asked The Crazy Redhead.

She said the rhythm of the stroke is vital. She knows nothing about a pause but said that could cause her mind to wander and lose focus at a critical moment.

On the other hand some have said it is important to pause and address the ball.

As I have asserted in these forums in the past I just sort of poke at the white ball and see what happens.

 
It seems to be revered by a large number of instructors such as Mark Wilson from your area.

Personally I would consider it a hindrance. To me a truly beautiful stroke is fluid, it just flows naturally, a pause is an interruption of that. I think it might be right for some mid level players that tend to get “too quick” in their transition, a common cause of misses in that level of player.
 
Frosty said:
It seems to be revered by a large number of instructors such as Mark Wilson from your area.

Personally I would consider it a hindrance. To me a truly beautiful stroke is fluid, it just flows naturally, a pause is an interruption of that. I think it might be right for some mid level players that tend to get “too quick” in their transition, a common cause of misses in that level of player.
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I don't know why, but your post made me think about what the "stroke" actually is... It can be considered just the forward motion of the cue. I think the pause is just a way to settle yourself before you stroke the ball.
 
The only time I ask a student to have a true pause at the end of the back stroke is if they punch the ball with a very, very short back stroke. Often they have nice long, smooth warmup strokes, and then JAB! The pause forces them to have a controlled backstroke.

I never really learned a pause. I can demonstrate it, but I can't play with one.

I do think a pause is needed at address, with the tip close to the ball.
 
Look at how long Ko Ping Chung and Aloysius Yapp pause before their backstrokes in this scrimmage here:
 
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I'm just learning, but I learned preshot stroke = shot stroke, which helps with speed control for me. Ive tried a pause at the back stroke at times and can see the benefit in it for sure, but would lose the benefit of speed control for me.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The only time I ask a student to have a true pause at the end of the back stroke is if they punch the ball with a very, very short back stroke. Often they have nice long, smooth warmup strokes, and then JAB! The pause forces them to have a controlled backstroke.

I never really learned a pause. I can demonstrate it, but I can't play with one.

I do think a pause is needed at address, with the tip close to the ball.
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I've seen good players who slow down their "back and forth" immensely in both timing and distance as they pin point that cue ball address, but never completely STOP. A good player I can think of who doesn't pause is Kim Davenport. I love watching his approach when in dead punch.
 

here's evgeny stalev with a short pause at the cb, sometimes no pause

i like the buddy hall pause personally. i think amateur players that don't have a pause, or only cb pause, are more prone to unwanted body english during follow through
 
Matt_24 said:
Is the "pause" necessary in shot execution to be a good player?

Pause at the cue ball?

Or, Pause when the cue ball is pulled back into your bridge (before transitioning through the cue ball) - ala Buddy Hall?

I've seen some phenomenal players who had zero pause. They may slow down their practice strokes as they pin point their cue ball target, but never completely pause.

Just stirring up some discussion.
Click to expand...

If you want to see me short circuit, force me to pause. I've messed with it just to try it but I am very much a rhythm player and pausing in the back stroke screws up my speed control and rhythm in general. I have also found that on hard shots I would have a tendency to jerk my arm forward instead of having a smooth stroke.

To each their own.
 
Chili Palmer said:
If you want to see me short circuit, force me to pause. I've messed with it just to try it but I am very much a rhythm player and pausing in the back stroke screws up my speed control and rhythm in general. I have also found that on hard shots I would have a tendency to jerk my arm forward instead of having a smooth stroke.

To each their own.
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Same here.

Evertime I watch svb play my fargo drops temporarily, for a day or two.
 
Looking at footage of Lassiter, Mosconi, and Crane (and I need to re-check youtube) but I don't think any of them had a pause. Neither did Allen Hopkins.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The only time I ask a student to have a true pause at the end of the back stroke is if they punch the ball with a very, very short back stroke. Often they have nice long, smooth warmup strokes, and then JAB! The pause forces them to have a controlled backstroke.

I never really learned a pause. I can demonstrate it, but I can't play with one.

I do think a pause is needed at address, with the tip close to the ball.
Click to expand...

When I took a lesson with Scott Lee many years ago, he told me that his review of pro players showed that there was always a pause on the backstroke, even if it was momentary or extremely short.

I see a lot of amateur players that have a jerky transition between the backstroke and the stroke itself, especially on shots where they have to hit the ball hard, and I think the pause is very helpful to counteract that. Do you not see players with that jerky transition? If so, what do you recommend?
 
GideonF said:
When I took a lesson with Scott Lee many years ago, he told me that his review of pro players showed that there was always a pause on the backstroke, even if it was momentary or extremely short.

I see a lot of amateur players that have a jerky transition between the backstroke and the stroke itself, especially on shots where they have to hit the ball hard, and I think the pause is very helpful to counteract that. Do you not see players with that jerky transition? If so, what do you recommend?
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Wouldn't there have to be a "pause" for anything to change direction?

I don't think the insertion of a pause into the proceeds is less or more likely to help smooth out a stroke. More inclined to think two more stop/go points would worsen things.
 
Yet we have or have had alot of instructors (SPF) that teach the Pause as gospel.

Set
Pause
Finish

Of the all time greats the only one that I can recall that actually had a definitive pause was Buddy Hall.

And a change of directions is not a pause.

To each their own, like alot of things.
 
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