14.1 and shxxty fundamentals

Straightpool_99

Straightpool_99

I see dead balls
Silver Member
I've been videotaping myself a lot to find out why my 14.1 game has been slipping, while my rotation skills have been increasing and I noticed something surprising. My fundamentals playing 14.1. are completely different than they are playing any other game. I've played snooker, carom, and rotation games recently but little straight pool. I've worked on compacting my stroke (on slow shots especially), taking my time and using 3 or more practise strokes and staying down. When I watch the 14.1 videos I recorded I couldn't believe what I was seeing: I was one-stroking shots, not moving tip close enough to the cue ball, my stroke was longer than ever (ridiculous really!) and not staying down was the rule rather than exception (although I rise up probably to late to affect the accuracy much).

Not only that, but my body language is completely different as well. I seem hunched over, I sigh and moan a lot. I even caught myself on tape smacking my cue into the table, which is something I would have sworn I never do and secretly have despised others for doing! I'd never believed if it wasn't on tape. I guess maybe because I'm concentrating so hard on the table layout, all other things kind of slip?

I rewatched a video of a lousy 25 break at least 10 times and it is one of the best investments time vise I've made in years in terms of learning things about myself. I couldn't believe I was "that guy" on the video. That guy sucks, lol!

Videotape yourself, today! But don't complain to me if you are "that guy", lol.
 
I'm that guy as well. I think you hit the nail on the head about focusing too hard on the table.

I know for me personally I still struggle with knowing what pattern/shots to take, where in rotation, it's almost automatic now.
 
It's nice to have choices, but having too many usually makes choosing the ideal very difficult. As someone who mostly played 8ball growing up, I used to think rotation games were harder than games that allowed options on which ball or patterns to take. I no longer think that. Rotation games, while they do limit what you can hit first, also removes a bit of guess work from the table layout. Your choice is more narrow and focused. Straight pool requires you to figure everything out yourself. So it's no surprise, that all this thinking could cause the autopilot functions of our brain to misfire.
 
Video is great to review and it gives you a perspective on yourself that you can't truly get otherwise.

I have my highest runs when i'm having fun and have confidence. Sometimes I believe we think too much about outcome and not process. We can control process, outcome not so much :)
 
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