My first video...12 ball run

how long have you been playing?

HAKurtz said:

Playing 14.1? 4 months.I learned 9 ball about 8 years ago but never really took it serious. Been really trying to play seriously and learn the right way to play in the last year or so

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i'm no professional instructor or anything but it looks like you're doing enough right. you're full stroking the ball and don't seem to be jumping up that's more than i can say for myself

watch your shoulder when stroking , you should keep it still. good run, you will run more soon but also always check the table layout, seems like you play and then look whats available next. you should know that before you shoot but that will come after playin and playin and playin the game.

Very nice

Nice shooting. Good stoke. You let that cue ball start to run away which made the shots get harder & harder but we all do that. It is a part of learning.
Keep up the good work & Congrats of the 12. Now you need to set your goal on 14 with a break shot to get onto the next rack.

Hi Heather

Nice run and nice video production. I predict that you will be into the second rack in a very short time.

Dave Nelson

watch as many tapes as you can get, especially john schmidt, that helps a lot !

I'm a nobody, but I see a few things.

The ball colors are hard to see, so I may be talking about the wrong ball, but I'll go in order as you shoot.

The six goes in and you float the cue ball, ok.

I think you should have played the eight with a little draw, bringing the cue ball closer to the side rail. That gives you a little angle on the one so you don't run into the fourteen. Then you could have rolled the one in and bounced up for the fourteen.

You still could have gotten there if you drew off the five, but you played a stop shot (standing up a little as you pulled the trigger, but it was a good stroke).

You put the seven in the side nicely, but you let the cue ball roll. You could have stopped for the two in the side giving you a shallow angle for the eleven, or rolled a few inches for the ten in the corner, which blocks the three ball.

You played the pink ball (just above the nine) with draw (too much). I would have tried to roll it or slightly draw to the rail and out, so the cue ball comes toward the bottom rail, just below the ten, to pick up the fourteen. That might have been tricky, with the threat of a scratch or getting hidden by the ten, or getting straight in on it.

When you do shoot the eleven, you should have rolled down for the fourteen.

Then you get distracted talking to someone, and you blast the ten, letting the cue ball run wild.

You have to shoot the break ball from a long way off, but you stand up again as you pull the trigger (good shot anyway). But you hit it with follow instead of holding the cue ball, to pick off the remaining balls.

In general, you shoot straight but too hard, but the two and the eight in the side showed a good touch when the cue ball is close to your work.

Watch Efren at the Maine event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUUb5BU5mEQ

Very nice evaluation by JohnnyP. It should be of great help to you.

Dave Nelson

HAKurtz said:

I tend to hit balls harder when i am not 100% sure i can make the shot ( and i have already taken all the "easier shots")

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When going through a rack of straight pool, taking all the "easier shots" up front will get you in trouble because now all you'll be left with are the tougher ones.

Ideally, you would like to eliminate trouble (balls on rails, clusters, etc.) as early as possible so that all you are left with are easy shots.

I wish we could see the break which resulted in that spread Nice shooting for a small background, conrats on the run, thanks for posting a video and enjoy 14.1 as much as you could! You are yet to face the disappointments this game involves, so don't let despair ruin your love to straight pool

Hey Heather;

One bit of advice from the person least qualified to give advice. When you get that shot that you "don't quite feel comfortable with", straighten up step back, and start over. I remind myself of this all the time, after the shot. I'm sure somebody else has told you this, but just in case.

Dave Nelson