straight-in stop shot cue ball travel

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evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
if the shot is straight into the pocket (balls are aligned)
we can make the shot and
the cue ball can "stop" right behind where the object ball was
in the same line, showing no evidence of side spin

what I'm wondering is
is any margin of actual cue ball travel/side spin on this shot acceptable
before you'd think something was particularly wrong with a person's aim/stroke?
 
BC21

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
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evergruven said:
if the shot is straight into the pocket (balls are aligned)
we can make the shot and
the cue ball can "stop" right behind where the object ball was
in the same line, showing no evidence of side spin

what I'm wondering is
is any margin of actual cue ball travel/side spin on this shot acceptable
before you'd think something was particularly wrong with a person's aim/stroke?
Click to expand...

Any unintended side spin would indicate an off hit on the cb, which means you didn't hit it where you intended to hit it. This could easily cause a miss depending on the distance between the balls and the distance from ob to pocket. Could be a stroke issue or a vision issue. If the cb drifts left or right after shooting a straight in shot, but it doesn't look to have any side spin on it, then you simply didn't hit the ob dead on. That could be due to a slight off-center hit on the cb or a slight error in aim.
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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evergruven said:
... is any margin of actual cue ball travel/side spin on this shot acceptable before you'd think something was particularly wrong with a person's aim/stroke?
Click to expand...
Of course not. Different people have different skill levels. Better players will be able to hit a good stop shot better than not-so-better players.

The stop shot is a good measure of basic skills. It is not a litmus test. There is no sharp line of acceptable performance.
 
E

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bob Jewett said:
Of course not. Different people have different skill levels. Better players will be able to hit a good stop shot better than not-so-better players.

The stop shot is a good measure of basic skills. It is not a litmus test. There is no sharp line of acceptable performance.
Click to expand...

hi bob
my question probably could have been phrased better, but just to be clear
you mean some margin *is* acceptable, because folks play at different skill levels?

I guess I should have just gotten to the point
from distance, I'm having trouble stopping the cue ball
it usually moves a bit, not a lot, but enough to bug me
while I'm at it, I would like my potting to be more accurate
maybe I'm focusing on the cue ball too much
I'm ok on most all other shots
but the straight-in shot continues to vex me
I've been trying to narrow the variables down
but something, or some combination of them
is getting me down

thanks for the replies.
 
B

bbb

AzB Gold Member
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i am a simple guy so here is a simplistic response
lets use target shooting as an analogy
since you are trying to hit a bullseye on the cue ball (perfect vertical axis and perfect cue tip placement based on speed and distance of the stop shot)
and a bullseye on the object ball (its perfect vertical axis)
the better you are ie the more accurate you are
the closer to perfect you will be able to execute consistently
but even the bullseye is not a dot on the target
but a perfect stop shot requires hitting a dot
THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO............:eek:
so
you have to accept your variance from perfect as an indicator of your proficiency
there is no fargo rate for how off you are out of 10 compared to the next guy
but the guy with the higher fargo probably will do it better
i would also work on shorter stop shots and master those and only increase distance when you are happy with your proficiency on the shorter ones.
why you fail is another question
and the answer probably needs the help of an instructor
i hope this post was a simple enough reply.....LOL......:grin:
good luck with your game.....:)
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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bbb said:
...
but a perfect stop shot requires hitting a dot
THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO............:eek:
...
Click to expand...
While "perfect" is hard, hitting a very, very good shot is easy. I described why in an article in Billiards Digest that you can find in my on-line archive, and I'm sure Dr. Dave has it covered, but basically it's because the distance the cue ball will travel forward/back is proportional to the square of the spin (follow/draw) on the cue ball. That means if you double your spin accuracy, your stop error will improve by a factor of four and if you triple your spin accuracy, your movement error will go down by a factor of nine.

It is much easier to stop the cue ball dead (within a quarter-inch) than it is to draw it back exactly two ball diameters (within a quarter-inch).
 
Last edited:
E

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
bbb said:
i am a simple guy so here is a simplistic response
lets use target shooting as an analogy
since you are trying to hit a bullseye on the cue ball (perfect vertical axis and perfect cue tip placement based on speed and distance of the stop shot)
and a bullseye on the object ball (its perfect vertical axis)
the better you are ie the more accurate you are
the closer to perfect you will be able to execute consistently
but even the bullseye is not a dot on the target
but a perfect stop shot requires hitting a dot
THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO............:eek:
so
you have to accept your variance from perfect as an indicator of your proficiency
there is no fargo rate for how off you are out of 10 compared to the next guy
but the guy with the higher fargo probably will do it better
i would also work on shorter stop shots and master those and only increase distance when you are happy with your proficiency on the shorter ones.
why you fail is another question
and the answer probably needs the help of an instructor
i hope this post was a simple enough reply.....LOL......:grin:
good luck with your game.....:)
Click to expand...

hi larry and thanks
you might not be an instructor
but you have a generous spirit
and I always appreciate your advice
I think putting things into perspective is sound
as is progressive practice
I'm learning these things for myself
but it's great to get confirmation
from somebody whose opinion
you respect
thanks again
 
F

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
evergruven said:
if the shot is straight into the pocket (balls are aligned)
we can make the shot and
the cue ball can "stop" right behind where the object ball was
in the same line, showing no evidence of side spin

what I'm wondering is
is any margin of actual cue ball travel/side spin on this shot acceptable
before you'd think something was particularly wrong with a person's aim/stroke?
Click to expand...

Don't get too caught up in that.

It's all about what your requirement is for that shot. That will determine if the result you get is acceptable or not. Let's be practical. Most players' goals are not to shoot nothing but drills their entire lives. It's all in preparation for actual position play during a real game. The balls are round and we are imperfect because we're not machines.

Most position shots have an allowable margin of error. It's rare that the shot requires total perfection. No one has a totally perfect stroke.
 
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evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
FranCrimi said:
Don't get too caught up in that.

It's all about what your requirement is for that shot. That will determine if the result you get is acceptable or not. Let's be practical. Most players' goals are not to shoot nothing but drills their entire lives. It's all in preparation for actual position play during a real game. The balls are round and we are imperfect because we're not machines.

Most position shots have an allowable margin of error. It's rare that the shot requires total perfection. No one has a totally perfect stroke.
Click to expand...

hi fran, thanks for the shout
agree completely and honestly that's why I felt compelled to ask
I know what I think, and ultimately in gut I trust
but I'm not very 'hip
so I come here
and hope that you lot are kind enough to check my work
thanks again :)
 
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