This isn't quite an Easter Egg maybe, but I stumbled across something that has helped me tremendously in the last month. This is a way to ensure that my stroke is accelerating through the cue ball even on softer shots, and not letting up or decelerating.
I have struggled with this in the past. A typical shot that might give me trouble would be shooting a ball down the rail where I need to use low outside to bring the cue ball back off the rail with a sliding ball, but where I need to leave the cue ball as close to the rail as possible. In other words, I need to choose a speed where I hit as softly as I can while still ensuring I'm sliding all the way to the object ball. It was very easy for me to fear over-hitting this shot and instead letting up on my stroke. The results are disastrous, with the cue ball losing it's back-spin and starting to roll just before contact, and worse with the cue ball twisting off course and over-cutting the object ball and twisting it away from the side rail. This tended to happen when I was under pressure, my stroke would let up trying to avoid shooting too firm.
Another issue I had was I couldn't generate maximum power with accuracy the way the top players can. I watched Shaw land on a ball where I thought he was 'straight in', only to see him whack the ball in the hole with such speed the cue ball traveled across the table, and still enough accuracy to make the shot coming down a rail on a tight pocket. I simply couldn't do that.
What has been working for me is visualizing the shot being hit at soft speed, and then adding speed to my swing to reach the correct speed. This has helped both shots.
In shot one, the 'softest possible stun shot', I actually picture shooting the ball too softly and having the cue ball twist off line first, then I picture what I want to have happen and add to my swing. This has made the shot easier for two reasons. One, I am focused on ADDING speed during my swing instead of me thinking about reducing speed. Second, it is simply easier for me to visualize shooting balls at softer speeds. I've never been a power player so I get to picture the ball at a soft speed and then just trust my stroke will give it the power it needs.
When I'm flat on a ball and need to pound the cue ball a distance I picture myself shooting the ball with a soft stun shot, then I just make sure I'm accelerating the cue stick to get to the correct speed. I learned this from Jerry Brieseth who pointed out the hitch in SVB's game. SVB has a hitch because he makes a point not to try to go from 0 to 60 in no time flat. Instead he starts his swing in slow motion, then begins to accelerate after that slight slow start. This way he doesn't jerk or spasm trying to launch his arm forward too fast. Picturing shooting a hard shot more slowly has helped me stay smooth and calm and have more success visualizing the shot, then I trust that if I add speed and accelerate my cue I will get there. I don't have to do it immediately. I trust my stroke can get the job done. Immediately I started to see a huge increase in accuracy and power.
I'm sorry if I'm not explaining this the best, but this has helped both my soft shots and firm shots, my speed control, and my visualization. It all has to do with rehearsing in my mind softly and then focus solely on adding speed to my swing to attain the correct speed. I feel so solid, smooth, crisp, powerful, and accurate right now, even on shots that would've been really tough for me before. And I can't remember the last time I fanned a ball because I let up on my stroke.
Feel free to share your feedback, your own take on this, or anything else on your mind. Thanks team AZ!
I have struggled with this in the past. A typical shot that might give me trouble would be shooting a ball down the rail where I need to use low outside to bring the cue ball back off the rail with a sliding ball, but where I need to leave the cue ball as close to the rail as possible. In other words, I need to choose a speed where I hit as softly as I can while still ensuring I'm sliding all the way to the object ball. It was very easy for me to fear over-hitting this shot and instead letting up on my stroke. The results are disastrous, with the cue ball losing it's back-spin and starting to roll just before contact, and worse with the cue ball twisting off course and over-cutting the object ball and twisting it away from the side rail. This tended to happen when I was under pressure, my stroke would let up trying to avoid shooting too firm.
Another issue I had was I couldn't generate maximum power with accuracy the way the top players can. I watched Shaw land on a ball where I thought he was 'straight in', only to see him whack the ball in the hole with such speed the cue ball traveled across the table, and still enough accuracy to make the shot coming down a rail on a tight pocket. I simply couldn't do that.
What has been working for me is visualizing the shot being hit at soft speed, and then adding speed to my swing to reach the correct speed. This has helped both shots.
In shot one, the 'softest possible stun shot', I actually picture shooting the ball too softly and having the cue ball twist off line first, then I picture what I want to have happen and add to my swing. This has made the shot easier for two reasons. One, I am focused on ADDING speed during my swing instead of me thinking about reducing speed. Second, it is simply easier for me to visualize shooting balls at softer speeds. I've never been a power player so I get to picture the ball at a soft speed and then just trust my stroke will give it the power it needs.
When I'm flat on a ball and need to pound the cue ball a distance I picture myself shooting the ball with a soft stun shot, then I just make sure I'm accelerating the cue stick to get to the correct speed. I learned this from Jerry Brieseth who pointed out the hitch in SVB's game. SVB has a hitch because he makes a point not to try to go from 0 to 60 in no time flat. Instead he starts his swing in slow motion, then begins to accelerate after that slight slow start. This way he doesn't jerk or spasm trying to launch his arm forward too fast. Picturing shooting a hard shot more slowly has helped me stay smooth and calm and have more success visualizing the shot, then I trust that if I add speed and accelerate my cue I will get there. I don't have to do it immediately. I trust my stroke can get the job done. Immediately I started to see a huge increase in accuracy and power.
I'm sorry if I'm not explaining this the best, but this has helped both my soft shots and firm shots, my speed control, and my visualization. It all has to do with rehearsing in my mind softly and then focus solely on adding speed to my swing to attain the correct speed. I feel so solid, smooth, crisp, powerful, and accurate right now, even on shots that would've been really tough for me before. And I can't remember the last time I fanned a ball because I let up on my stroke.
Feel free to share your feedback, your own take on this, or anything else on your mind. Thanks team AZ!
