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Hi Mattie, Firstly, you have a good foundation to work from! You're obviously running balls, so I hate to perturb a mostly-working system, but you asked for feedback so... :) First a question: when you shoot long straight-in stun shots with no sidespin, do you see the cue ball spin in place...

I have to respectfully disagree, Jude. I think it depends on how much of a straight 'feel' vs 'analytical' player you are. The mostly feel player has to constantly be on the table to have a chance to be in stroke, whereas the analytical player can frequently be productive away from the table and...

Absolutely - I totally agree! That is a whole other dimension of the game that I find fascinating and instructive. You can frequently predict the outcome of the shot just by how their preparation changes from their normal pre-shot routine. Also, your comment about Jaspers taking many practice...

Long straight in shots are a great way to measure the baseline margin of error for your technique. There's no judgment involved in how much of a cut to make because the CB and OB centers are perfectly lined up. It's purely about getting the CB from point A to point B as accurately as possible...

Just checking to see if you're paying attention, Jim! ;) I actually almost wrote high-friction (or "sticky") instead, but figured we had so much fun discussing it a while back that I I'd skip the controversy this time around and use the expected term. Besides, that's what I knew Mark was going...

Haha! I guess I'm not the only one. Great minds think alike, eh Mark? Or equally disturbed ones, anyway... ;)

Wow, thanks for posting the link! The table seems to play pretty short. Dick obviously had no problem adjusting, though :) Robert

Thanks for the link, Timur! I enjoyed watched a few and I have one small criticism to make. I really don't like it when match videos cut out the thinking part of the game when the balls are still and only show the shotmaking with the balls moving. I think it encourages a very passive form of...

I just wanted to mention that I may have given the wrong impression by referring only to McKenzie 'exercises' like it was Pilates or something. It's more precise to refer to the McKenzie Method, since it is more a diagnostic approach to troubleshooting back pain in general. There are exercises...

I agree, but to be fair Dave only uses gearing to refer to ball contacts that don't involve a sliding contact. As when a ball contacts the cloth when rolling without slipping, gearing fits for that limited state. The problem is when it's generalized for slipping cases as well, like so many...

I saw doctors and therapists of various kinds without relief, but was determined to figure it out myself when they couldn't do better than painkillers to treat the symptoms rather than determine and address the underlying cause. What worked for me was discovering the McKenzie exercises, and boy...

We think alike, Patrick: a version of that chart has been sitting by my desk since Dave posted the video link :) I was using the Coriolis model in my analysis, which assumes a constant cushion efficiency for all interactions that is independent of the friction coefficient. I know it's a...

If you are serious about improving your pool game, then go to Carom Cafe in Flushing and start playing three-cushion billiards on a regular basis. It's the best place in the country for it, and you'll see why when you get there. They have a league on Tuesday nights that is open to all ages, and...

That's one reason I keep a measuring tape in my case. I've had to use it in tournaments where the director and my opponent were trying to say I lost where I knew I had clearly won. In one case, I was the winner by 1/2" which shouldn't even be controversial, but the tape made it obvious after...

Interesting...kind of like The Price is Right - closest without going over :) It reminds me of an important strategy for lagging that was first mentioned in print by Jack Koehler in The Science of Pocket Billiards: always try to touch the end rail. Or more precisely, everyone has a certain...

That's what I would have played. I originally learned it from watching Carlos Hallon, but Sang Lee nailed it frequently as well. You can get surprisingly accurate with it with practice, and Blomdahl plays on slippery tournament conditions all the time to estimate it well. He hates draw shots...

I don't know how it is in pool, but in international 3-cushion competition you lose the lag automatically if you don't shoot your ball before the opponent's ball reaches the 1st (end) rail. They do this in an attempt to avoid the 2nd player having the advantage of seeing how the lag is...

In 3-cushion, we always lag for the break. I don't know that I've ever seen a coin flip. In fact, 3-cushion players traditionally practice the lag at the end of their warm-up to prepare for that critical deciding shot. I flip coins all the time in pool, usually with opponents who know their...

It's difficult to be sure due to the video quality, but it looks like two ball-first hits and a good call by the ref to me. (the ref was in the perfect angle to see the kiss happen before the 3rd rail contact). Robert

For those interested in another pro player's view on sighting that hasn't been mentioned yet, Joe Tucker has posted a free 5 part video series online. He clearly discusses his approach to sighting as it relates to varying degrees of eye dominance, and how to balance your sight picture and...