How do you go from sitting to making a tough shot?

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
You have watched your opponent run a bunch of balls he leaves you a long tough shot
How does one get better at being able to get out of the. Chair and make that shot with confidence?
 

alphadog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If there is only 1 shot I am focused on it from the minute I get out of the chair. It is me and the shot.

If there are choices, analyze the benefits analyze the percentages/degree of difficulty. Commit to the choice you make. It is a ball and a stick!
 

Get_A_Grip

Truth Will Set You Free
Silver Member
When I am cold and need to make a tough shot, I am reminded of something that John Schmidt said in one of his straight pool vids.

Use your cinch stroke. If you decide to take the shot and it doesn't require a lot of cue ball movement to get on the next shot, just bare down, and put all of your focus on using a dead straight stroke and make the ball. I took it from the way that John shot the really long tough shots in straight pool, that his cinch stroke was more compact and he was trying extra hard to keep his body totally motionless.
 

brainbyte

Registered
Consider your options

If you can't confidently shoot the shot and get shape on the next shot consider playing safe. Never shoot a low % hard shot if you will have nothing after....(a shot or safety).

Play a safe if it is the easier % shot.
A safety battle will break his momentum and slow him down, giving you a chance to get your juices flowing. You may be a better safety player than him and get into his head.

Consider taking a scratch...he may not like the shot he left you...a tough shot for you should be just as tough for him. Just be sure you have a clean safety shot if be gives it back to you.
Giving up a point or two (even a rack) during the course of a game is a skill most top players are familiar with....particularly if they are playing a weaker player.
 

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
If you can't confidently shoot the shot and get shape on the next shot consider playing safe. Never shoot a low % hard shot if you will have nothing after....(a shot or safety).

Play a safe if it is the easier % shot.
A safety battle will break his momentum and slow him down, giving you a chance to get your juices flowing. You may be a better safety player than him and get into his head.

Consider taking a scratch...he may not like the shot he left you...a tough shot for you should be just as tough for him. Just be sure you have a clean safety shot if be gives it back to you.
Giving up a point or two (even a rack) during the course of a game is a skill most top players are familiar with....particularly if they are playing a weaker player.

I agree in principle, but...In real life things are rarely this simple.

1. Good players are unlikely to leave hangers/easy outs, at least no more than maybe once per match.

2. Many people underestimate the difficulty of playing safe in 14.1. When you are playing someone who has a lot of experience, they can seemingly pull amazing shots off out of the pack that are possible because of knowledge. Good 14.1 players have a huge arsenal of such shots, and many specialize in making tricks like that happen, making your odds calculations and decisions "blind" to an extent. You are not aware of all of his "tricks".

3. Passive playing and too much safety will weaken your shotmaking as much as that of the opponent. As you all know, after a long safety battle, it's a lot more difficult to put that long shot down.

4. Taking scratches is a smart thing to do at times. But again...the experienced players know the tricks as well. You'll often end up having to take 3 scratches (which is not the end of the world), but you are very rarely going to completely trick a great player with scratches. Take the 3 if you are stuck and maybe try a trick against someone who may be less experienced, but trying to completely fool a great player...it's going to happen maybe once a decade. Usually what will happen is, you take a scratch, he tries to sabotage/challenge you by scratching back, now you either have to take the 3 or pull off a great shot, usually just a safety (which was what you were too afraid of trying to do to begin with. Now what have you done? You traded a tough shot with yield, for a tough safe that is likely at best going to win you 18 points .

If you have a good shot with a decent yield possibility, IMO you should almost always take it. There may be exceptions, but that's what they are; exceptions, not the rule. You don't take flyers to get hard shots, but if the shot is hard(ish) with a good possibility of getting out, go for it! If you're playing a beginner, then by all means, try to mess with him a little for kicks, but don't expect great players to hand you the match. You have to take it. I've seen it over and over again, and I've done it myself too: Being too careful will lose matches! In pool there is no such thing as a sure thing. You have to take a slight chance at one time or another to win against a great player (unless you are Mosconi).

As for making tough shots out of the chair: Good preshot routine. I think that is key, along with overall strong fundamentals. Some players are rhytm players and need time to get into the groove of things, but if you have very solid fundamentals, you have an advantage from the get-go. Practise long shots, that would be my advice. Practise shooting from the rail, from out of pockets, from over the ball positions...life has a funny way of giving you the exact thing you didn't expect. Expect anything, you'll be ready for everything!
 
Last edited:

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You have watched your opponent run a bunch of balls he leaves you a long tough shot
How does one get better at being able to get out of the. Chair and make that shot with confidence?
If it's an extremely tough shot, you might be looking for a safety, if there is one. Otherwise, if you're playing an agressive shotmaking opponent, you could take the intentional foul and push the CB just slightly in one direction - in order to make it just a slightly easier shot, to tempt your opponent to take the shot. Of course, there's the chance he'll take an intentional foul back at you and push the CB to an even tougher spot than it originally was, in which case you're screwed!
 

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I agree in principle, but...In real life things are rarely this simple.

1. Good players are unlikely to leave hangers/easy outs, at least no more than maybe once per match.

2. Many people underestimate the difficulty of playing safe in 14.1. When you are playing someone who has a lot of experience, they can seemingly pull amazing shots off out of the pack that are possible because of knowledge. Good 14.1 players have a huge arsenal of such shots, and many specialize in making tricks like that happen, making your odds calculations and decisions "blind" to an extent. You are not aware of all of his "tricks".

3. Passive playing and too much safety will weaken your shotmaking as much as that of the opponent. As you all know, after a long safety battle, it's a lot more difficult to put that long shot down.

4. Taking scratches is a smart thing to do at times. But again...the experienced players know the tricks as well. You'll often end up having to take 3 scratches (which is not the end of the world), but you are very rarely going to completely trick a great player with scratches. Take the 3 if you are stuck and maybe try a trick against someone who may be less experienced, but trying to completely fool a great player...it's going to happen maybe once a decade. Usually what will happen is, you take a scratch, he tries to sabotage/challenge you by scratching back, now you either have to take the 3 or pull off a great shot, usually just a safety (which was what you were too afraid of trying to do to begin with. Now what have you done? You traded a tough shot with yield, for a tough safe that is likely at best going to win you 18 points .

If you have a good shot with a decent yield possibility, IMO you should almost always take it. There may be exceptions, but that's what they are; exceptions, not the rule. You don't take flyers to get hard shots, but if the shot is hard(ish) with a good possibility of getting out, go for it! If you're playing a beginner, then by all means, try to mess with him a little for kicks, but don't expect great players to hand you the match. You have to take it. I've seen it over and over again, and I've done it myself too: Being too careful will lose matches! In pool there is no such thing as a sure thing. You have to take a slight chance at one time or another to win against a great player (unless you are Mosconi).

As for making tough shots out of the chair: Good preshot routine. I think that is key, along with overall strong fundamentals. Some players are rhytm players and need time to get into the groove of things, but if you have very solid fundamentals, you have an advantage from the get-go. Practise long shots, that would be my advice. Practise shooting from the rail, from out of pockets, from over the ball positions...life has a funny way of giving you the exact thing you didn't expect. Expect anything, you'll be ready for everything!

Great post, as usual. Thanks!
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Don't put the tough shot on a pedestal.

Just miss and get it over with.

Or play it right and act you knew the whole time.
 

Ratta

Hearing the balls.....
Silver Member
i agree in principle, but...in real life things are rarely this simple.

1. Good players are unlikely to leave hangers/easy outs, at least no more than maybe once per match.

2. Many people underestimate the difficulty of playing safe in 14.1. When you are playing someone who has a lot of experience, they can seemingly pull amazing shots off out of the pack that are possible because of knowledge. Good 14.1 players have a huge arsenal of such shots, and many specialize in making tricks like that happen, making your odds calculations and decisions "blind" to an extent. You are not aware of all of his "tricks".

3. Passive playing and too much safety will weaken your shotmaking as much as that of the opponent. As you all know, after a long safety battle, it's a lot more difficult to put that long shot down.

4. Taking scratches is a smart thing to do at times. But again...the experienced players know the tricks as well. You'll often end up having to take 3 scratches (which is not the end of the world), but you are very rarely going to completely trick a great player with scratches. Take the 3 if you are stuck and maybe try a trick against someone who may be less experienced, but trying to completely fool a great player...it's going to happen maybe once a decade. Usually what will happen is, you take a scratch, he tries to sabotage/challenge you by scratching back, now you either have to take the 3 or pull off a great shot, usually just a safety (which was what you were too afraid of trying to do to begin with. Now what have you done? You traded a tough shot with yield, for a tough safe that is likely at best going to win you 18 points .

If you have a good shot with a decent yield possibility, imo you should almost always take it. There may be exceptions, but that's what they are; exceptions, not the rule. You don't take flyers to get hard shots, but if the shot is hard(ish) with a good possibility of getting out, go for it! If you're playing a beginner, then by all means, try to mess with him a little for kicks, but don't expect great players to hand you the match. You have to take it. I've seen it over and over again, and i've done it myself too: Being too careful will lose matches! In pool there is no such thing as a sure thing. You have to take a slight chance at one time or another to win against a great player (unless you are mosconi).

As for making tough shots out of the chair: Good preshot routine. I think that is key, along with overall strong fundamentals. Some players are rhytm players and need time to get into the groove of things, but if you have very solid fundamentals, you have an advantage from the get-go. Practise long shots, that would be my advice. Practise shooting from the rail, from out of pockets, from over the ball positions...life has a funny way of giving you the exact thing you didn't expect. Expect anything, you'll be ready for everything!


e x c e l l e n t!!!!!
 
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