Digicue Blue Causing Frustration

Jimmymack

Registered
I've been practicing with the Digicue Blue for about 4 months now. I use it set to the Intermediate settings and get almost perfect scores with it when when I'm doing stroke drills such as the "MOFUDAT". I can bounce the cue ball up and down the table hitting the two center diamonds 90% of the time at multiple speeds up to a "3" speed.

My frustration with it comes with other shots around the table. It seems to give me errors in my stroke even though the shot executes text book. For example if I'm practicing following the OB into the pocket. One shot it will give me great scores in my stroke. The next shot, with the exact same results on the table, it will give me a tip steer error. And the errors aren't consistent either. One shot will be tip steer left score of 6, next will be tip steer right score of 5, next will be tip steer 0. I'm being super careful with my pre shot routine, set up, stance, stroke, etc. I've spent the last few months since I've bought this thing working on my stroke. I've done Tor Lowry's stroke drill with it ~2000 times. I've bought and read Mark Wilson's "Play Great Pool" and have been following his method. The majority of my practice time is spent just on my Fundamentals and although my performance at the table has gotten much better my Digicue scores have not.

I have found an instructor where I live but I won't meet with him until September. In the meantime, has anyone else here had this same experience with the Digicue Blue? Am I beating my head against the wall for no reason here trying to satisfy a device when the results at the table are there?

Thanks
 
Last edited:

tableroll

Rolling Thunder
Silver Member
I've been practicing with the Digicue Blue for about 4 months now. I use it set to the Intermediate settings and get almost perfect scores with it when when I'm doing stroke drills such as the "MOFUDAT". I can bounce the cue ball up and down the table hitting the two center diamonds 90% of the time at multiple speeds up to a "3" speed.

My frustration with it comes with other shots around the table. It seems to give me errors in my stroke even though the shot executes text book. For example if I'm practicing following the OB into the pocket. One shot it will give me great scores in my stroke. The next shot, with the exact same results on the table, it will give me a tip steer error. And the errors aren't consistent either. One shot will be tip steer left score of 6, next will be tip steer right score of 5, next will be tip steer 0. I'm being super careful with my pre shot routine, set up, stance, stroke, etc. I've spent the last few months since I've bought this thing working on my stroke. I've done Tor Lowry's stroke drill with it ~2000 times. I've bought and read Mark Wilson's "Play Great Pool" and have been following his method. The majority of my practice time is spent just on my Fundamentals and although my performance at the table has gotten much better my Digicue scores have not.

I have found an instructor where I live but I won't meet with him until September. In the meantime, has anyone else here had this same experience with the Digicue Blue? Am I beating my head against the wall for no reason here trying to satisfy a device when the results at the table are there?

Thanks

I have had similar issues with the digicue. I have found that if I "exaggerate my follow through from 4 to 6 inches and go 6 to 8 inches instead, I get better results. I also have Mark Wilson's book and find it to be a better help than the digicue. The digicue has been very helpful though in giving me a more intense focus on what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong. You have given me hope though in knowing it is not only me that finds the digicue very sensitive on the most difficult setting. I guess it was designed that way because pool is such a precise game. I re read chapter 6 yesterday in Mark's book. I have to read it over a few times a year to re focus on fundamentals.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
... One shot it will give me great scores in my stroke. The next shot, with the exact same results on the table, it will give me a tip steer error. And the errors aren't consistent either. One shot will be tip steer left score of 6, next will be tip steer right score of 5, next will be tip steer 0. ...
Set up a video recorder. Record a session of maybe 30 shots (going through the rack twice) and note the Digicue results for each. Then go back and compare those results with the video.

When you set up the video it is important to frame as tightly as possible and along the right line if you are looking for a swervy stroke.
 

tableroll

Rolling Thunder
Silver Member
Set up a video recorder. Record a session of maybe 30 shots (going through the rack twice) and note the Digicue results for each. Then go back and compare those results with the video.

When you set up the video it is important to frame as tightly as possible and along the right line if you are looking for a swervy stroke.

I will try this Bob.
 

Jimmymack

Registered
Set up a video recorder. Record a session of maybe 30 shots (going through the rack twice) and note the Digicue results for each. Then go back and compare those results with the video.

When you set up the video it is important to frame as tightly as possible and along the right line if you are looking for a swervy stroke.

Thanks Bob! I was thinking the same thing. I just thought it was funny that if I was, for example, to take 3 shots following the cue ball into the pocket and get the same results on the table for all 3 shots that I would get such different results on the digicue. It's probably a stance or alignment issue that I'm compensating for. I'll try the video and see what I find out.
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Thanks Bob! I was thinking the same thing. I just thought it was funny that if I was, for example, to take 3 shots following the cue ball into the pocket and get the same results on the table for all 3 shots that I would get such different results on the digicue. It's probably a stance or alignment issue that I'm compensating for. I'll try the video and see what I find out.
I think it's entirely possible for your subconscious to make gametime corrections for quirks in your stance/stroke - but of course less of that is better.

pj
chgo
 

Balls

Big Brass Balls
Silver Member
Not an Instructor but digicue blue owner

I am a digicue blue owner and yeah this thing can get annoying. I did a couple things.

First I started using the custom settings and set them to the to the type of shot I was taking and what I wanted to concentrate on. Mostly tip steer and straightness.

Then I got a set of blue dot practice balls and lined them up at the first diamond which unlike your drill allows me to walk back, line up, walk in, hand down, and shoot. Then repeat over and over unlike your video where the person is always down and resetting. (I have purchased items from him too). second set of diamonds and along the rail too. Repeat as necessary. Use different bridges too..

Shoot 8 in each corner and have fun mixing it up with draw, English and a little top when that annoying shark is in range for one flying out of the pocket. Not that I would do that. I've shot a good 40 to 50,000 over the last year or so as warm ups.

Now if you watch the path and spin on those balls on every shot and your aiming at something like the facings or the line between them and the pocket, over time you will stop thinking "what did I do" and instead, "yeah I know, shut up" and you will recognize what you did.

To hit those higher levels, you also need to be at those levels in health, position and muscle memory, concentration and distraction level. at least I do.

Practicing one handed 9 footers using the balls as object balls has helped a lot to.
 

L I F D 1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Digicue and Digicue Blue has a 50/50 rating with aZ members.
Personally, I didn't like mine.
 

tableroll

Rolling Thunder
Silver Member
I've been practicing with the Digicue Blue for about 4 months now. I use it set to the Intermediate settings and get almost perfect scores with it when when I'm doing stroke drills such as the "MOFUDAT". I can bounce the cue ball up and down the table hitting the two center diamonds 90% of the time at multiple speeds up to a "3" speed.

My frustration with it comes with other shots around the table. It seems to give me errors in my stroke even though the shot executes text book. For example if I'm practicing following the OB into the pocket. One shot it will give me great scores in my stroke. The next shot, with the exact same results on the table, it will give me a tip steer error. And the errors aren't consistent either. One shot will be tip steer left score of 6, next will be tip steer right score of 5, next will be tip steer 0. I'm being super careful with my pre shot routine, set up, stance, stroke, etc. I've spent the last few months since I've bought this thing working on my stroke. I've done Tor Lowry's stroke drill with it ~2000 times. I've bought and read Mark Wilson's "Play Great Pool" and have been following his method. The majority of my practice time is spent just on my Fundamentals and although my performance at the table has gotten much better my Digicue scores have not.

I have found an instructor where I live but I won't meet with him until September. In the meantime, has anyone else here had this same experience with the Digicue Blue? Am I beating my head against the wall for no reason here trying to satisfy a device when the results at the table are there?

Thanks

I find that on soft and medium soft shots I can get good scores. As speed increases, my scores hardly ever are in the green on "straightness" and "tip steer". Not sure why the scores are like that. Seems like if I score well on smooth on medium shots, harder shots should not matter if you are really focused in on straightness of stroke. Perplexing for sure.
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
I've been practicing with the Digicue Blue for about 4 months now. I use it set to the Intermediate settings and get almost perfect scores with it when when I'm doing stroke drills such as the "MOFUDAT". I can bounce the cue ball up and down the table hitting the two center diamonds 90% of the time at multiple speeds up to a "3" speed.

My frustration with it comes with other shots around the table. It seems to give me errors in my stroke even though the shot executes text book. For example if I'm practicing following the OB into the pocket. One shot it will give me great scores in my stroke. The next shot, with the exact same results on the table, it will give me a tip steer error. And the errors aren't consistent either. One shot will be tip steer left score of 6, next will be tip steer right score of 5, next will be tip steer 0. I'm being super careful with my pre shot routine, set up, stance, stroke, etc. I've spent the last few months since I've bought this thing working on my stroke. I've done Tor Lowry's stroke drill with it ~2000 times. I've bought and read Mark Wilson's "Play Great Pool" and have been following his method. The majority of my practice time is spent just on my Fundamentals and although my performance at the table has gotten much better my Digicue scores have not.

I have found an instructor where I live but I won't meet with him until September. In the meantime, has anyone else here had this same experience with the Digicue Blue? Am I beating my head against the wall for no reason here trying to satisfy a device when the results at the table are there?

Thanks

Here's the thing about an occasional stroke error: It might never be the cause of a missed shot or undesirable cb action. Then again, it might be the sole cause of that occasional miss or bad cb position. What I mean is just because the Digicue finds a flaw, it doesn't mean that flaw is a major problem in your stroke. If you're convinced you don't have an occasional steering problem, then disable that particular parameter on the Digicue app.

If you watch other players play with obvious stroke flaws, like raising up as soon as the tip strikes the cb or tip steering the shots with an obvious left or right swerve in the follow through, you'll learn that it doesn't always lead to a disastrous shot. But the inconsistency in these flaws always leads to inconsistent play/performance.

Maybe the tip steer errors picked up by your Digicue will only cause you bad shot results for 1 out of 100 shots, or 1 in 1000. Or maybe it's worse....1 out of 10!! You are really the only one that can determine this. Let's say your tip steer, when it does occur, is very consistent and happens immediately upon impact with the cb. It would not make a difference to the shot because the cb is already on its way across the table. But let's say your tip steer is inconsistent, sometimes occurring just prior to the tip contacting the cb and sometimes occurring with contact or slightly after contact. In this case, every single time the steer occurs prior to hitting the cb you are prone to miss the shot or get bad position due to unwanted spin imparted on the cb.

This is where the brilliant beauty of Digicue comes into play -- it can highlight errors for you that might just explain that rare or occasional missed shot or bad cb position. Maybe the error is rare, and maybe when it does happen to occur it is not detrimental to the shot.
The Digicue just provides the feedback, the info it records. What you choose to do with the information is up to you.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I find that on soft and medium soft shots I can get good scores. As speed increases, my scores hardly ever are in the green on "straightness" and "tip steer". Not sure why the scores are like that. Seems like if I score well on smooth on medium shots, harder shots should not matter if you are really focused in on straightness of stroke. Perplexing for sure.

Sometimes as speed increases, players will tend to grab the cue during the stroke, simply to hang on to it. That act of grabbing can often result in a slight twist or twirling of the cue.
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Sometimes as speed increases, players will tend to grab the cue during the stroke, simply to hang on to it. That act of grabbing can often result in a slight twist or twirling of the cue.
I had to consciously stop my grip from "bracing for impact" on harder shots. Realizing that the CB gets none of its energy from my hand made it a little easier.

I also had to work out the stance/grip that's most conducive to a natural straight stroke at all speeds - a little different for each player, depending on how their elbow joints and muscles work together. For me it's the feeling of tossing the cue underhand at a target (without actually letting go).

pj
chgo
 

Jimmymack

Registered
I followed Bob's advice earlier in this thread and recorded myself taking several shots. Grabbing the cue on the stroke is exactly what I was doing. I also saw that I had the cue too close to my body, actually rubbing on my ribs, so I think this is why I was getting such inconsistent results. If I was aligned to far to the right of the shot line I would steer the cue around my ribs resulting in left tip steer. If I was aligned properly to the shot line, grabbing the cue was resulting in right tip steer.

Since I've been back from vacation I've hit about 1000 shots just lining all 15 balls on the head string and shooting them into the corners. Grabbing the cue and twisting the wrist is a super hard habit to break!! But I'm making good progress. I'm consistently getting almost perfect scores on the digicue 13 or 14 times out of 15 balls now at various speeds from slow to medium/fast. Still getting bad scores when I try to do really fast speeds. (speeds 3 to 4).

Thanks everyone for your advice.
 
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