A while back I started a thread on the way Alex Pagulayan was stroking (pushing) the cue ball. From what I saw it appeared to look like that. Then watching SVB a trillion times I noticed that he appeared to be using a punch stroke on the cue ball.
I have been watching these two and others and have wandered, what in the heck are they doing.
A year are so ago, a pocket billiard coach,friend and fisherman from New Jersey sent me a word document about controlling the mass. I'll be honest here and say I read it but didn't fully understand it's meaning.
I'm pasting this word document in the hopes that it may help others to understand what SVB, Dennis O, Alex P. are actually doing with their stroke on the cue ball.
Begin: Posted without the owners permission. If the owner should see this post and ask to have it deleted, I will.
Controlling the Mass: An Aircraft Carrier takes 4 nautical miles to stop at full throttle if you shut the power. A small boat takes a few ft in comparison.
It's the mass of the cue we are propelling. If you pull back shorter on the final delivery stroke it's easier to control the mass. Accelerate through the desired length with a smooth transition from beginning to end and clear the cue naturally. As you have seen it's a smooth stroke, but when you mention short stroke technique, automatically everyone thinks it’s a punch stroke, they couldn't be further off base.
Watch Orcullo, Corteza, Pagulayan and many others; the key is to shorten the back swing, and a smooth transition. You can have a 20 inch bridge, pull back short and deliver with required follow through, which is also fairly short, it almost looks like a push stroke, it's sort of 1/2 and 1/2, yet very smooth.
You can get a good feel for it if you shorten your bridge more than normal and practice with that for however long it takes you to get the feel. Then go back to your normal bridge and just pull back shorter and deliver.
I like the longer bridge short stroke technique as it feels loose, too short a bridge feels crammed to me.
You are more accurate and have better control of the stroke with this technique.
It's very difficult to deliver like Shane does on a consistent basis with that long delivery. It has hurt him in world championships not using the short stroke on fast tables. He loses his cue ball due to the mass and has ended up on the 50 yard line many times to cost him the match. As great as he is, and he is one fantastic player, he lacks the the short stroke,imagine when he dials that in.
Short Stroking, Upstroking, Backhand English, 3 tools every player should have.
End.
I have been working with the above for quite a while. I remembered on one of C.J.'s videos where he talks about loosing the feel of the cue. He suggests using just the pad of the thumb and index finger to practice with until you get the feel back. Doesn't mention anything about the cue mass.
Now when I talk about cue mass I'm talking about the mass you have in your grip hand and the cue mass behind your grip hand.
This shows up quite well when SVB is playing on a table 4.5 x 9.0 or larger. He uses an extension that increases the mass of the cue behind his hand, not necessarily the weight of the cue.
The next time your practicing set your bridge hand a couple of inches away from the cue ball and just focus on controlling the mass of the cue to strike the cue ball.
Learn to control the mass and you will learn how to control the game no matter what aiming method you use.
Okay, I'm done.
I have been watching these two and others and have wandered, what in the heck are they doing.
A year are so ago, a pocket billiard coach,friend and fisherman from New Jersey sent me a word document about controlling the mass. I'll be honest here and say I read it but didn't fully understand it's meaning.
I'm pasting this word document in the hopes that it may help others to understand what SVB, Dennis O, Alex P. are actually doing with their stroke on the cue ball.
Begin: Posted without the owners permission. If the owner should see this post and ask to have it deleted, I will.
Controlling the Mass: An Aircraft Carrier takes 4 nautical miles to stop at full throttle if you shut the power. A small boat takes a few ft in comparison.
It's the mass of the cue we are propelling. If you pull back shorter on the final delivery stroke it's easier to control the mass. Accelerate through the desired length with a smooth transition from beginning to end and clear the cue naturally. As you have seen it's a smooth stroke, but when you mention short stroke technique, automatically everyone thinks it’s a punch stroke, they couldn't be further off base.
Watch Orcullo, Corteza, Pagulayan and many others; the key is to shorten the back swing, and a smooth transition. You can have a 20 inch bridge, pull back short and deliver with required follow through, which is also fairly short, it almost looks like a push stroke, it's sort of 1/2 and 1/2, yet very smooth.
You can get a good feel for it if you shorten your bridge more than normal and practice with that for however long it takes you to get the feel. Then go back to your normal bridge and just pull back shorter and deliver.
I like the longer bridge short stroke technique as it feels loose, too short a bridge feels crammed to me.
You are more accurate and have better control of the stroke with this technique.
It's very difficult to deliver like Shane does on a consistent basis with that long delivery. It has hurt him in world championships not using the short stroke on fast tables. He loses his cue ball due to the mass and has ended up on the 50 yard line many times to cost him the match. As great as he is, and he is one fantastic player, he lacks the the short stroke,imagine when he dials that in.
Short Stroking, Upstroking, Backhand English, 3 tools every player should have.
End.
I have been working with the above for quite a while. I remembered on one of C.J.'s videos where he talks about loosing the feel of the cue. He suggests using just the pad of the thumb and index finger to practice with until you get the feel back. Doesn't mention anything about the cue mass.
Now when I talk about cue mass I'm talking about the mass you have in your grip hand and the cue mass behind your grip hand.
This shows up quite well when SVB is playing on a table 4.5 x 9.0 or larger. He uses an extension that increases the mass of the cue behind his hand, not necessarily the weight of the cue.
The next time your practicing set your bridge hand a couple of inches away from the cue ball and just focus on controlling the mass of the cue to strike the cue ball.
Learn to control the mass and you will learn how to control the game no matter what aiming method you use.
Okay, I'm done.
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