Striving For A Perfect Stroke?

That's a great post Tin Man! I have sort of done that with my practice for years but not as concretely. I definitely need to focus specifically on my stroke being more comfortable.

As a follow on your great post, what do you think is an acceptable miss rate during your practice sessions? I'm coming to the realization now, much too late, that I'm consistently too far outside my comfort zone and miss too often during practice.

lfigueroa said:

I've always felt that the key to pool was improving your stroke.

Not to an idealized, perfect, piston motion, but to what produces results you're satisfied with. Too many guys shoot the way they shoot because... it's the way they shoot. Motion, stance, bridge, grip. And though I believe you should do what feels natural, within the range of "natural" are a whole subset of small but incredibly important mods you can make to improve your game. You just need to look and pay attention.

Lou Figueroa

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I have known Lou over 20 years. In my view, he is uniquely qualified to talk on this, and I would have liked to hear more. Lou has often threatened to write a book, I would be the first in line if it ever comes out. I know from spending time with him, that he has done what he implores the OP to do--observe and make adjustments.

To the original poster, I work hard on my stroke having been heavily influenced by Lou and Mark Wilson. However, I save that work for the practice table. I can't say I have ever consciously changed my stroke or PSR mid-match with good results.

I think there are a lot of smart questions in your one question.

What is the right way to practice?

How much practice should be given over to mechanics vs. game play vs. action? All of these are worthy of thought.

I do think there is a lot of value in being wholly conscious of what you are doing while setting up to shoot a pool shot. A non pool book that I believe has really helped my pool game is called The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. The book is dedicated to the study of practice.

kollegedave

pogmothoin said:

I think part of what Mr. Wilson said is that the method he teaches is not the only way to develop a consistent stroke. He cites examples of pro's who do not have a textbook stroke but are great players in spite of whatever peculiarities they may have because they have developed a repeatable and consistent stroke through many years of practice.

I think part of what he said is that the method he endorses may be the quickest way for the average player to see marked improvement. He doesn't claim it's the only way though.

I've been playing for around 6 years where I've actually tried to learn how to play. I am a fan of the method he teaches though I have not achieved the level of play I would like. I have improved quite a bit since concentrating on having a more consistent approach.

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Good post. A "perfect" stroke is a stroke that consistently allows the cue to strike the cb within a millimeter of where where you intend to strike it sending the cb to where it needs to he everytime. I've seen a few very non-traditional strokes from a very strong players. At first glance you think, "wow, that's weird...I got this guy beat already!" Then you watch as this oddball stroke of his repeatedly works with the consistency of machine.

A solid psr helps maintain the consistency.

FeelDaShot said:

Mark Wilson suggests that we should always be focused on making our stroke better. Even in a serious match, we should be analyzing our stroke after every shot and thinking of a way to improve it for the next shot. The same goes for practice.

Prior to reading his advice, I never put much thought into improving my stroke from one shot to the next or even one day to the next. I've always had the attitude that my stroke is not perfect but certainly good enough. So I would work on other aspects of the game with a lot of focus on the mental side of the game.

Lately, I've switched my tune and have been dedicating about 75% of my practice time to stroking better.

With that being said, how much emphasis do you put on achieving a perfect stroke? Do most people continually try to improve their stroke or settle for what they've got after a while?

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Safer ground IMHO than perfecting a stroke drill on a rare shot (perfect straight shot, for example):

* Work on a silken, smooth stroke

* Work on a relaxed, smooth backstroke

* Work on a relaxed body and mind during the stroke

* Etc. which will pay off handsomely for the average player

50%

BasementDweller said:

That's a great post Tin Man! I have sort of done that with my practice for years but not as concretely. I definitely need to focus specifically on my stroke being more comfortable.

As a follow on your great post, what do you think is an acceptable miss rate during your practice sessions? I'm coming to the realization now, much too late, that I'm consistently too far outside my comfort zone and miss too often during practice.

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Thanks guys!

BasementDweller, that's a good question. I agree that missing too much isn't useful. But it is tempting to challenge yourself with hard shots.

For me I've found all of my life I've gravitated to shots that are about 50%. Sometimes I'll find a groove and catch a gear and make 4-5 in a row. Other times I'll just be sawing wood and dogging it for a few shots in a row. But at 50% I feel I always need to bear down, always need to dig deep, but that it isn't out of range.

What about you?

Tin Man said:

Thanks guys!

BasementDweller, that's a good question. I agree that missing too much isn't useful. But it is tempting to challenge yourself with hard shots.

For me I've found all of my life I've gravitated to shots that are about 50%. Sometimes I'll find a groove and catch a gear and make 4-5 in a row. Other times I'll just be sawing wood and dogging it for a few shots in a row. But at 50% I feel I always need to bear down, always need to dig deep, but that it isn't out of range.

What about you?

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When there's a choice, I often choose non-obvious shots that I need work on, but also try to continue to practice the "easy" ones too.

pj
chgo

Hmmm

I pretty much never practice easy shots as I focus on them during play.

I'm probably around 50/50 too but I have been thinking that's too tough as I've been getting too frustrated and I'm still struggling with shots I've worked on for years. I'm thinking 70% might be a better number. Focusing more on progressive practice could probably put me in that ballpark.

Still thinking out loud...

May need to follow PJ here and start with easier shots each session and go from there. My improvement may be more apparent this way too. My biggest struggle with practice is I don't have as much time as I would like (do any of us) so I'm always wanting to stretch myself. So I think this is why I constantly start too far out of my comfort zone and it has become counterproductive.

BasementDweller said:

So I think this is why I constantly start too far out of my comfort zone and it has become counterproductive.

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I was watching Mike Sigel warming up one time and he started hitting some simple shots to start. He said, "I don't want to shark myself." What he meant was that by warming up with difficult shots he might lose confidence if he wasn't making them all. This is World Champion Mike Sigel saying that, so...

jrctherake said:

To bad someone didn't hire him an instructor, he may have been a good player if he could have "fixed" his stroke....lol

Don't know if there is a better example of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".....

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Yup!!
And these "Balance Rite" guys lol!!!!!

I spend not more than 10 mins max practicing the perfect stroke which is of course pool’s Golden Fleece.
Sure, all of us frequently, but seldom consistently, hit the cue ball with the perfect stroke which can change
based upon the pool shot. In general, the perfect stroke should be a medium speed stroke that goes the
length of the table & back again abouncing off the head rail 12-18”. This is unlike practicing a lag shot.

To practice this stroke, I found a semicircle design cue ball. Half is white and the other half is red. Place
the ball in the kitchen and shoot the vall the length of the table and back as I earlier described. Closely
observe the cue ball for any wiggle or wobble and the more noticeable it is, the worse is your stroke. The
goal should be to roll the cue ball down and back with no movement other than end over end (normal roll)
without any wiggle or wobble. You can’t stroke the ball hard because velocity disguises a poor stroke and
so your need a slower rather than faster stroke. So use a medium stroke and see how long it takes you to
do it once, then do it again. You see once is luck, twice is a coincidence but three times in a row,well, then
you know the shot. It is harder than it looks and I’ve had players try this and basically just quit trying and
just settled for a small amount of wobble as the best they could achieve. I use this cue ball for 5-10 mins
and it helps establish your stroke before you start pocketing balls. You develop a sense of rolling the cue
ball instead of pushing it and you have to stroke through the cue ball in a straight line or else it will wiggle.

^^^^^^^^
you could have a perfect stroke with your drill above and still get wobble
if your vision center was off and you thought you were hitting on the vertical axis but you were not.
you would deliver the cue perfectly to the wrong spot on the cue ball
the thread is on the stroke and not on vsion center so if anyone wants to discuss it please pm me
i dont want to sidetrack the thread
but felt this is a point worth mentioning
icbw

Amen
Great post about edge of comfort zone

I beg to differ......the stroke has to be steady, straight and smooth and penetrate the cue ball
and extend inches beyond in order to deliver a movement free roll of the cue ball.

That is as close to a perfect stroke as I can imagine.......straight, smooth & steady without
movement or else you aren’t going to get the semicircle cue ball to roll “perfectly”.

If there is a better practice exercise or drill, I’m interested but until someone comes up with
something that offers you better instant visual feedback, then I’ll stick with this.

I've been playing again 6 days a week for 4 hours a day after a 20 yr absent. For 5 yrs now always work on the stroke. However just realized that alignment and walking into your shot correctly is as important as anything you practice. Nail this down and a lot of your stroke faults will go away. Another thing thinking about your stroke in a match is not good.. Make sure your walking into the shot right. If your alignment is off you can have the straightest stroke in the world but you won't pocket the object ball.