When I practice the mofudat drill, I usually put a slight amount of right english on the cue ball. Are there some common stroke flaws that cause this? Thank you.
Stroke question
- Thread starter Charles Hartfield
- Start date
Typically it is due to incorrect alignment. A little on the right side of the cue ball looks like the center to you. As a check, consciously put your head a little to the left and right of your natural position.
Try a video recording with the camera exactly along the line of shot.
Thank you sir. I will give this a try.
I always use an open bridge when I practice the drill.
Do you normally shoot with an open bridge too?
Yes I do. I use a closed bridge on rare occasion for a power shot.
Well, try the drill with a closed bridge and see what happens.
Why do you shoot mainly with a V bridge?
I will try the drill with a closed bridge. I use the open bridge because it is less friction on the cue. I live in a humid climate. I’m going to try using a glove to see if it helps.
I use an open bridge because it gives me an unobstructed view of my shaft and a better view of the CB. I don't know of any physical disadvantages with it, even for hard high-spin shots. The shaft tends to hop out of the V on some shots, but that's after the CB is gone, and I don't even notice any more.
pj
chgo
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I played with an open bridge for about a year, and that included playing in pro tournaments. I did that because I was playing with Ray Schuler's constant taper which is a taper used by carom players who usually have shorter bridge lengths so they didn't feel the sharp taper going through their fingers with a closed bridge like I did with my longer bridge length. I came to the conclusion that after a year, for me, it was a disadvantage to play 99 percent of shots with a V bridge in pool. It's different in snooker with the smaller,lighter balls and cue. Anyway, I reverted back to a closed bridge and changed my shaft.
PJ...One disadvantage is if you have a issue with tightening up on higher speed shots, the cue can come right off your bridge hand finishing up in the air...never good! The other potential disadvantage, if you are a pendulum stroker using the weight of the cue and timing to create your perfect stroke speed...is the physics of the "bounce factor". The 3-1 weight ratio is plenty to create even break speed with no tight grip or extended followthrough.
So a 6oz CB struck with a level 18-20oz cuestick does provide a modicum of resistance...meaning that even with a perfect swing, the cue could possibly 'bounce' up off your bridge hand a little, perhaps causing a slight execution error. A closed bridge will eliminate that potential bounce, and deliver the cue straight through to the intended target! So I recommend a closed bridge for power shots like the break, or a power draw stroke.
Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
So a 6oz CB struck with a level 18-20oz cuestick does provide a modicum of resistance...meaning that even with a perfect swing, the cue could possibly 'bounce' up off your bridge hand a little, perhaps causing a slight execution error. A closed bridge will eliminate that potential bounce, and deliver the cue straight through to the intended target! So I recommend a closed bridge for power shots like the break, or a power draw stroke.
Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
Charles Hartfield...A glove will make a tremendous difference. Learn to use a closed bridge...it's important. You can like an open bridge better...I do...but you MUST master a closed bridge, among other bridges. We teach 5 main bridge types.
Anyone can make up names for any drills they want to, but it doesn't make them proprietary. We call that one a Mother Drill...just one of seven.
Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
Anyone can make up names for any drills they want to, but it doesn't make them proprietary. We call that one a Mother Drill...just one of seven.
Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
Charles Hartfield...There are any of a dozen reasons why you're not stroking the CB accurately. What they are, and how they affect you (as well as how to correct them) can only be done through video analysis. Seek out an instructor who uses video analysis. I can recommend Rufus Carter in Houston, or Randy Goettlicher in Dallas. Either one of them can help you solve your problem permanently. You can find their information on the PBIA website... playbetterbilliards.com, or PM them here on this site. Or you can PM me for their phone numbers.
Scott Lee
Scott Lee
Thank you for the advice.
So using an open bridge can help reveal the tightening up problem and a closed bridge can mask it. One of the reasons I like the open bridge is that it promotes good cueing.
What execution error is caused by after-contact "bounce"?
pj
chgo
You can miss where you're aiming by a millimeter or more with a tight grip (sometimes a LOT more than a millimeter).
Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
My shaft has a straight conical taper from a 10mm tip to a normal size joint, so pretty steep. But even my closed bridge is very loose, so I never feel it either way - I only use a closed bridge when bridging room is limited (I can make it smaller than my open bridge).
pj
chgo
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Assuming a person has the perfect stroke, off-aim can probably be caused by the difference in sight dominance. This is exaggerated even more when both eyes are not centered over the cue (i.e. tilted head, or side-way shooting).
The pool hall junkies often told me to adjust by compensating the aim when shooting toward the right direction. For me, the problem is not noticeable when shooting cut shots. But quite distinct on straight or almost straight shots.
On that eye-sight dominance, I learned of this from shooting a gun. Connect both indexes and thumbs together, forming a loop. And pick a distant object. Put the object in the center of the loop and look at it with both eyes. Then close one eye. Does the object disappear (or move significantly?) Try it with the other eye. The vision where the object doesn't move much is your dominant sight.