Training videos

Simple solution to get all this info between your ears, and into you brain is many many hours of practice until it's part of you.

Problem is most people hate practicing.

People use to ask for me to show them something, I got to the point of doing it once, if they could not do the first task. No second lesson.

duckie said:

Practice is more than always putting balls in pockets or wherever.

It is also about self awareness......becoming aware of what you are doing.

Learning to be aware of what you are doing will lead to the discovery of why you shoot good on some days and not so good on others.

You are doing something different between those days and being self aware is the only way to find those differences.

I just become aware of what I was doing different in practice and play. If I did not spend the hours at the table that I do, I would never have noticed the slight difference in my attitude between the two.

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This is a great post. Thanks.

duckie said:

So, there is a thread in the Instructor forum about getting your back foot on the shot line.

Great, but what about shooting positions that do not allow for placing the back foot on the shot line?

In the videos are examples of these shooting position.

In the 14.1 match, Orttman sits on the side of the table. How can he get his back foot on the shot line?

How bout when using a bridge?

The advice given on placing the right foot on shot line is only good for one type of shooting position.

So, all you instructor types, how do you get into the proper shooting position when you must sit on the side of the table, or stretch or use bridge and so on?

I don’t expect a answer, cause there is not set of instructions that addresses those shooting position.

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It's like throwing a baseball. I played center field in high school and college, sometimes played 2nd base also. Any ball player knows that when you throw the ball you step in the same direction you are throwing the ball. But there are times when your body is not positioned ideally for that fundamental throwing stance. Knowing where the ball must go and feeling/knowing how to put it on that course from any body position is more important than ensuring your front foot is stepping in the same direction the ball needs to travel.

In pool it's the stroke. There is a fundamental stance to ensure the stroke is moving along the proper line needed to make the cb get to where it needs to go. And though it's an important fundamental, it's not as important as just recognizing where the stroke needs to be, and regardless of body position, being able to feel or know that you have your stroke in the correct position to send the cb exactly where it needs to go.

duckie said:

So, there is a thread in the Instructor forum about getting your back foot on the shot line.

Great, but what about shooting positions that do not allow for placing the back foot on the shot line?

In the videos are examples of these shooting position.

In the 14.1 match, Orttman sits on the side of the table. How can he get his back foot on the shot line?

How bout when using a bridge?

The advice given on placing the right foot on shot line is only good for one type of shooting position.

So, all you instructor types, how do you get into the proper shooting position when you must sit on the side of the table, or stretch or use bridge and so on?

I don’t expect a answer, cause there is not set of instructions that addresses those shooting position.

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It should be obvious that any discussion about having the back foot on the line only pertains to standard shots.

When we develop a true and trusting relationship between our eyes and the tip of our stick, many of our little pool playing problems will go away.

Boxcar said:

When we develop a true and trusting relationship between our eyes and the tip our stick, many of our little pool playing problems will go away.

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I agree. It's quite amazing how the brain controls fine motor skills with surgical precision based on just a little visual input.

I think of a tennis player waiting on the serve, how a quick view of the server's body position automatically sets the receiving player's body in motion. The server hasn't even made contact with the ball yet and the receiver's brain has already determined where the ball is going to be and how the muscles in the arm and wrist will have to react in order to hold the racquet at the correct position and angle to return the serve. All of this happens within a few microseconds of seeing certain hints in the server's form.

It's the result of experience. I mean, unless you're a professional tennis player, you won't have the experience to know what to look at in order to automatically set your body in motion for the shot. You'll have to rely on watching the ball, which is moving 100+ mph, and by the time your brain estimates where your body and racquet should be, it's too late. But with practice and experience you get better at recognizing what to look for, and your brain gets more in tune with matching that visual input to the muscles that control your body and tennis racquet.

BC21 said:

I agree. It's quite amazing how the brain controls fine motor skills with surgical precision based on just a little visual input.

I think of a tennis player waiting on the serve, how a quick view of the server's body position automatically sets the receiving player's body in motion. The server hasn't even made contact with the ball yet and the receiver's brain has already determined where the ball is going to be and how the muscles in the arm and wrist will have to react in order to hold the racquet at the correct position and angle to return the serve. All of this happens within a few microseconds of seeing certain hints in the server's form.

It's the result of experience. I mean, unless you're a professional tennis player, you won't have the experience to know what to look at in order to automatically set your body in motion for the shot. You'll have to rely on watching the ball, which is moving 100+ mph, and by the time your brain estimates where your body and racquet should be, it's too late. But with practice and experience you get better at recognizing what to look for, and your brain gets more in tune with matching that visual input to the muscles that control your body and tennis racquet.

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Thank you. Most of us can look at a shot and quickly decide what we want to do with the cue ball. Our eyes inform our brain and our brain directs our hands and arms. I have never been able to accurately and effectively hit a baseball that I wasn't looking at. I could foul 'em off or whiff 'em, but my best hits came when I watched the white leather meet my bat. Like I've said before, you only get one split second per shot to affect the outcome. Routines are wonderful, but if, during the execution of the shot, you don't do exactly what you want to do at the exact moment you want to do it, the result will be less than desired.

Let's see, we have a baseball and a tennis ball used in analogies for pool. Both are action by the opponent and then reaction by either self or another player with balls zinging through air from 95+ mph with the baseball and 130 mph with a tennis ball.

There is no action/reaction in pool but you've given me a great idea along those lines to make it that way instead of boringly walking up to the table with stationary balls that only need to be aimed and knocked in a hole 4.5" wide.

Everything about the balls, table, and pockets stay the same. But the way it becomes an action/reaction game is to have multiple cords or ropes hanging from the ceiling above the tables with either bowling balls, tennis balls, golf balls, baseballs, etc. at the end of the rope and controlled by someone(s) above the table flinging/swinging them at the head or body of the player below while trying to aim and take the shot. Naturally it needs to be coming in at 100 mph or more.

In retrospect, I guess tennis balls would be best to alleviate blood on the fresh new Simonis cloth.

Maybe it's just me, but it's an analogy that stays more in line with the ones given. It should also speed up the game by not dawdling like sloths between shots and once down on the ball.

(the devil made me do it) ROTFLMAO

As far as I'm concerned, tennis, baseball, golf, volleyball, soccer, etc. are sports that have nothing to do with pool and can't be compared.

My analogy to getting the CB (bullet) to strike a specific spot on the OB (target) is more like what is shown below. Both are stationary and the care of lining up the two precisely along with the stroke (hand and arm) is like the smooth stroke of the (finger) on the trigger. Different things have to be calculated and lined up by the eyes FOR BOTH...carefully. It's called AIMING.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va9L9_bmOUM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSiN5lHFmr0

SpiderWebComm said:

As far as I'm concerned, tennis, baseball, golf, volleyball, soccer, etc. are sports that have nothing to do with pool and can't be compared.

My analogy to getting the CB (bullet) to strike a specific spot on the OB (target) is more like what is shown below. Both are stationary and the care of lining up the two precisely along with the stroke (hand and arm) is like the smooth stroke of the (finger) on the trigger. Different things have to be calculated and lined up by the eyes FOR BOTH...carefully. It's called AIMING.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va9L9_bmOUM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSiN5lHFmr0

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Good points. Still, the speed at which your brain just knows what to do as soon as your eyes provide the input for it, well...that's the same in every sport or action that requires a collaboration between fine motor skills and vision. As far as the brain function, whether it's tennis, baseball, or pool, or whatever, it's all the same. Your eyes provide visual input, then your brain automatically responds based on experience.

BC21 said:

Good points. Still, the speed at which your brain just knows what to do as soon as your eyes provide the input for it, well...that's the same in every sport or action that requires a collaboration between fine motor skills and vision. As far as the brain function, whether it's tennis, baseball, or pool, or whatever, it's all the same. Your eyes provide visual input, then your brain automatically responds based on experience.

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I think the biggest difference between pool and baseball is the skill sets needed for each. Anybody can take a cue stick and hit a cue ball. Very few people can hit a high and tight 96 MPH screwball behind the runner on first. Most pool players, unless they have played baseball at minor league levels or above, couldn't even react to a real fast ball quickly enough to swing the bat. What is key is the relationship an athlete has between his you-know-what and his you-know-what. One of the main reasons pro pool is of such little interest to the broad viewing public is that making the 9 ball in the corner pocket just ain't shit compared to an inside the park homerun. Pool is nice, and we all love it, but even girls can play pool.

Boxcar said:

I think the biggest difference between pool and baseball is the skill sets needed for each. Anybody can take a cue stick and hit a cue ball. Very few people can hit a high and tight 96 MPH screwball behind the runner on first. Most pool players, unless they have played baseball at minor league levels or above, couldn't even react to a real fast ball quickly enough to swing the bat.

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You must've not been very good.
Any hayseed busher trying to get into the big show knows that the hardest pitch to hit is the low and away at only around 85-90 MPH.
Find me someone who can hit the low and away at .300 and that person will be in the hall of fame on the first ballot.
(They haven't regularly used the hit and run in the majors in years. Few can choke the bat and slap it into the spot...they're all swinging for the fences)
Some of you "experts" on everything are priceless.

Low500 said:

You must've not been very good.
Any hayseed busher trying to get into the big show knows that the hardest pitch to hit is the low and away at only around 85-90 MPH.
Find me someone who can hit the low and away at .300 and that person will be in the hall of fame on the first ballot.
(They haven't regularly used the hit and run in the majors in years. Few can choke the bat and slap it into the spot...they're all swinging for the fences)
Some of you "experts" on everything are priceless.

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I guess I'm showing my age.

If Ace comes high and tight at most of the girls out there now, they'd be needing a new jock. If Coach put it on, that meant I had a job to do. If Ol' Ace picked it up, he's throwing high and tight to clear the batter's box so Yogi can gun the guy going down.

Oh, low and away is for suckers. About 98% of them miss the corner anyhow.

Boxcar said:

I guess I'm showing my age.

If Ace comes high and tight at most of the girls out there now, they'd be needing a new jock. If Coach put it on, that meant I had a job to do. If Ol' Ace picked it up, he's throwing high and tight to clear the batter's box so Yogi can gun the guy going down.

Oh, low and away is for suckers. About 98% of them miss the corner anyhow.

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High and tight is not a good pitch for Yogi to throw the runner out. I'd steal bases all day long with that pitch location.

BC21 said:

Good points. Still, the speed at which your brain just knows what to do as soon as your eyes provide the input for it, well...that's the same in every sport or action that requires a collaboration between fine motor skills and vision. As far as the brain function, whether it's tennis, baseball, or pool, or whatever, it's all the same.

Your eyes provide visual input, then your brain automatically responds based on experience.

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It doesn't necessarily AUTOMATICALLY respond and it's not all the same. It kind of depends on the circumstances.

There are times when the mind and body combine to lock up based on the stress of the situation and money involved or lost. It goes in slow motion and some bad stupid mistakes are made because you aren't thinking right. The vision gets skewed and things look differently.

World class tennis players start hitting balls into the net or out. Top baseball hitters get frozen at the plate and strikeout every time at bat. And pool players miss easy shots and start dogging it like they have cerebral palsy.

The mind is a great thing until it's no longer a great thing and turns to mush along with motor and coordination functions.

Then we play against someone like James Aranas or Tyler Styer only to realize what it feels like to be a mental midget, comparatively speaking.

I honestly feel your intentions are good but sometimes I think you missed your calling as a rah, rah Pollyanna motivational speaker where everything works perfectly and positively to a best scenario conclusion. But in reality, ca-ca happens since we aren't machines and there is such a thing as emotions, nervousness, pressure and not so good decisions taking over.