Yes, it was easily proven in numerous lessons, by me. Your use of "it" above is telling--no matter how many times I ask people to try it at the tables (learn for themselves when they're being argumentative) they assess from the comfort of an armchair.
I try to be Socratic, so you can learn, thus, some questions:
1) How many pros advocate avoiding dead center ball, and strike above or below dead center, when playing the vertical axis--where you would strike dead center?
2) How many pros say "we pros tend to spin most shots in"? How is this done? Dead center vertical axis strokes with center cue tip, do you think?
3) Do all the pro strokes you've seen that veer after impact have the "problems" that were diagnosed in the video on this thread--or could something else be happening?
PS. Do you stand corrected on the s-swoop stroke? Or will it be your stock-in-trade to call me nonsensical every time I point out your errors?[/Q
1) Could you name some pros as I can't recall having heard one say that.
2) Again, could you please name some as I've never heard one say that either.
3) Video please, because I've watched (in person) and also played, many many pros and I have to tell you that I didn't see much veering going on.
On the contrary I spent a lot of time marveling at how perfectly straight that final stroke was.
1) Aiming at dead center/striking at dead center cue ball is challenging for many players...
A punch stun shot is snapped or punched ⅛" below center. Let the lower arm do most of the work for this stroke.
Willie Mosconi liked to shoot a sixteenth of an inch below center, letting the curvature of his cue tip create stun. There may be an audible pop made when you play this stroke.
A stun-run through is another Mosconi favorite. Aim just above center and run the cue ball just through where the nearby object ball sits now.
I learned this one from Nick Varner in person - the "dead stun spot" is about halfway between the center and bottom of the cue ball. Jack up the cue slightly with your stroke hand. Stroke medium or medium-soft over most cue ball-object ball distances. The ball stops like magic. At close range, you can strike through cue ball center to stop the cue ball after full impact with an object ball. But over this or most any other distance, we can aim lower than center cue ball and/or hit harder if not using the dead stun spot.
Here's a (some pros use this) pro way to play topspin, called "walking the ladder". Aim and practice stroke center ball, take the final backstroke, and on the final forward stroke only, come up to hit the cue ball high. The stick angle helps the immediate forward roll.
2) Have you read on this thread that it was called "carabao english" for quite a while when world-beating Filipino pros were showing it off prominently? I can't give you citations for what pros have told me in person, but here's one from an article:
According to Earl Strickland, currently ranked #4 and winner of dozens of pro events, "I've played so much that I don't have to think about it. But I also spin the balls in, as I think many of the pros do; they're using so much english all the time. Pros spin the ball in the hole and that's mostly from feel. If you're really going to learn to aim, you have to know better how to spin the ball, and what effect that's having on the object ball. Amateurs who don't spin the ball will have an easier time with straight aiming."
Source:
http://www.sfbilliards.com/Misc/PnB_aiming.pdf
Before anyone says "He's speaking of throwing cuts in, not spinning them in," understand he's one of any number of pros who sometimes aligns a cut as a full shot along the line of centers than flicks on the stroke to cut the ball in, and if you think about it--I hope you people will (!)--starting center-to-center then flicking the cut in ALWAYS gives outside (anti-throw!) spin to the shot!
3) It's hard to see when a pro puts up a quarter tip of flicked or swooped english. But you've never seen a pro in person, or online, cut a ball in with spin so that their cue stick follow through was a diamond or more off the shot line? You marveled at straight pro strokes but can't think of a pro who addresses the dead center base of the cue ball then swoops up for center ball/follow? If they address the base of the ball on 100% of regular shots (no interference balls, etc.) how do they use any english at all without swooping for english?
