force follow power shot, how to hit?

J

judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
maybe a dumb question, but here goes: when I see the pros or really good players hit the force follow power shot, the cue ball just takes off after hitting the object ball. im sure you have seen this shot, and with either left or right high spin, the ball really takes off in that direction. to me its one of the coolest shots in pool. I can get a little force follow, but nothing like the pros do. whats the secret? I use a short bridge, so I know im not getting much muscle or stroke into the cue ball. but when I use a longer bridge, I still dont get close to the cue ball just taking off after hitting the object ball.

and I also see on videos on you tube, just regular guys hitting shots with follow, with nice curves and spins.

whats the secret?? hitting the very top of the cue ball? more muscle? more back stroke?

thanks for any info. judo
 
Bobkitty

Bobkitty

I said: "Here kitty, kitty". Got this frown.
Gold Member
Silver Member
judochoke said:
maybe a dumb question, but here goes: when I see the pros or really good players hit the force follow power shot, the cue ball just takes off after hitting the object ball. im sure you have seen this shot, and with either left or right high spin, the ball really takes off in that direction. to me its one of the coolest shots in pool. I can get a little force follow, but nothing like the pros do. whats the secret? I use a short bridge, so I know im not getting much muscle or stroke into the cue ball. but when I use a longer bridge, I still dont get close to the cue ball just taking off after hitting the object ball.

and I also see on videos on you tube, just regular guys hitting shots with follow, with nice curves and spins.

whats the secret?? hitting the very top of the cue ball? more muscle? more back stroke?

thanks for any info. judo
Click to expand...

Super high English. My teacher can take you through a morning of FF drills but here is one. Put a ball in the jaws or near the rail and just keep practicing with super high English on the CB and watch what happens.
 
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B

bstroud

Deceased
Judo,

It is a combination of timing and being able to hit high on the cue ball without miscuing.

A lot of the action seems to come from the wrist timed at the very last instant.

A food follow through is essential.

The small muscles of the wrist are what can really accelerate to get the cue ball going.

Force follow is difficult to explain but easy to demonstrate by a good player.

Bill S.
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
judochoke said:
maybe a dumb question, but here goes: when I see the pros or really good players hit the force follow power shot, the cue ball just takes off after hitting the object ball. im sure you have seen this shot, and with either left or right high spin, the ball really takes off in that direction. to me its one of the coolest shots in pool. I can get a little force follow, but nothing like the pros do. whats the secret? I use a short bridge, so I know im not getting much muscle or stroke into the cue ball. but when I use a longer bridge, I still dont get close to the cue ball just taking off after hitting the object ball.

and I also see on videos on you tube, just regular guys hitting shots with follow, with nice curves and spins.

whats the secret?? hitting the very top of the cue ball? more muscle? more back stroke?

thanks for any info. judo
Click to expand...
More impressive when performed on new cloth, like the pros are usually playing their tournaments on, as on a full hit on the object ball, the cue ball may actually spin in place for a split second before taking off. Imparting maximum topspin with considerable force, a level cue stick and an exaggerated follow through are critical.
 
M

MitchAlsup

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
judochoke said:
maybe a dumb question, but here goes: when I see the pros or really good players hit the force follow power shot, the cue ball just takes off after hitting the object ball.
Click to expand...

The stroke and wrist action is just like a long snap draw; except you hit high on the CB instead of low. You want good (but not excessive speed) on the stroke, and just before contact, you snap the wrist forward to impart cue acceleration at the moment of contact.
 
Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Try this practice:

Shoot follow shots using a striped ball as your "cue ball", with the stripe horizontal like an equator. The top edge of the stripe is about the highest you can hit without miscuing, so that's where you want to try to hit it. (Keep the butt of your cue as low as possible.)

Check the chalk mark on the "CB" after each attempt. Your follow will improve as you learn to reliably hit closer to the miscue limit (the top of the stripe).

Do the same thing with the bottom of the stripe for draw.

pj
chgo
 
grindz

grindz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Timing, acceleration, a looser grip, an accurate stroke placement, and lots of experimenting...
You’ll get there ...keep at it..start small ...

Td
 
Slasher

Slasher

KE = 0.5 • m • v2
Silver Member
Relaxed muscles allow you to generate cue speed, more speed = more reaction, you must keep the tension out of the arm and let the cue and arm flow through to a natural finish. The grip needs to be relaxed all the way to the time of contact, this helps you keep the tip on course, if you tighten the grip you will pull the tip off line. Raise the bridge to try and get a level cue and strike as high as you can, oh and chalk up :)
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
judochoke said:
... What's the secret? ...
Click to expand...
There is no secret. You have to hit the cue ball hit to get top spin on it and hard to get a lot of top spin.

Well, maybe there is one secret but it has been discussed here many times so it isn't very secret any more. Wax the cue ball or rub it with silicone spray. That won't get any more spin on the cue ball but it will look a lot more impressive.

If you want to be able to shoot such shots, try playing a simple follow shot nearly straight along the side cushion and work to get the cue ball to hit the far end rail and come back to the other end rail.
 
Lawnboy77

Lawnboy77

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
FF is a very weak area of my game. I catch an index finger, or thumb on the rail so much of the time in an attempt to get the cue as level as possible. Especially the lip of the pockets. You would think that with only about an 1/8” lip it wouldn’t be a factor, but it’s usually enough contact with a finger to make me miss the shot, or ruin the CB position. Keep those tips and drills coming, I need all the help I can get.
 
chefjeff

chefjeff

If not now...
Silver Member
us820 said:
Practice Earl’s “picnic shot”.See youtube.
Click to expand...

I was going to mention Earl's high bridging method.

He showed us that, I dunno, maybe 10 years ago. I had sore fingers for a week after practicing it, but now I use it quite often for high force follows and a few other shots.

The bridge being high enough is one of the secrets, but don't tell anyone.;)



Jeff Livingston
 
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