2024 AZ Billiards Straight Pool Challenge!

[soyale]

Just think you need to really examine the outcome of those last few balls. I think it was more reasonable to hit the key to the key ball softer and accept the shot in the far corner. It looked like a lot to ask to miss both balls and come through the window. It is hard to see, but I am going by what I see and the outcome of your missed breakball and again, what you tried didn't look likely. You overcut it and still hit the 2nd to last ball. Again, I think you take your medicine, hit it pretty soft with high inside and just try to clip the last ball. You do a lot right from what I can see. Surprised you haven't run 50 yet. If you haven't yet, I would suggest just watching a lot of straight pool too.

you are right. i try to muster up confidence from nowhere when im shooting and i often get too big for my britches, thinking i can do more than i actually can. that window didnt even “feel” small when i was shooting that ball, yet i managed to hit the key ball pretty full anyway. You’re absolutely right about the break shot too, i just flat out hit that one bad.

if i ran a 50 i would be ecstatic beyond words.

I think it's not a problem that your grip is too loose, but it is too open. I think there should be no daylight between the stick and your hand.

i never thought about the difference between loose and open. what i was taught was to curl your fingers and rest the cue atop them, and point your thumb down. that morphed into whatever im doing now. it does feel really good when the cue slips through the loose grip, as if that was the straightest possible stroke, but i feel it gives more room for error when the stroke isnt perfect. Does that sound right to you?

In your shot sequence (some say "PSR"), you do not approach the shot along the shot line consistently. Get your head in the right place before you step into the shot.

you are absolutely right. after watching this video a couple times i had a major DUH moment. Ive filmed my practice with an angle that only shows the table so i couldnt see my feet, but i recently changed to an overhead to give playkii a shot. i think my feet are all wrong, or at least doing the opposite of what i was taught. In this run I consistently plant my left foot and bring my right foot back to step on the shot line. i played for an hour today stepping into the shot and keeping my head aligned (per your advice) and it was amazing how many times i had to get up because i had already got down wrong first out of habit.

On a shot choice issue, on ball 15 you played with follow, and the cue ball kissed to above the corner pocket. You have to control where the cue ball lands on the cushion if it does land on a cushion. It didn't scratch only by luck. Either you have to play that shot with a different speed and follow, or you have to draw the ball. I think the standard advice when the cue ball is closer to the center of the table than the object ball is to draw it to avoid the scratch.

i’m ashamed to admit that i have very little experience with break shots. any day i run more than 14 is a “win” so random break shots dont come up much. in the last few months ive tried starting with a steep break shot and just highballing through the rack to give me a good spread and an easier first rack. To my shame, when it comes to the second break shot i dont know what to do, and just hit em and hope.

i have watched pat flemmings “the creative edge” and various other break shot videos but since it rarely comes up it is hard to retain the subtleties. I will try harder.

Thank you both for taking the time to watch and to give advice, a fine example of why i come to azb.

 

[Bob Jewett]

...
i never thought about the difference between loose and open. what i was taught was to curl your fingers and rest the cue atop them, and point your thumb down. that morphed into whatever im doing now. it does feel really good when the cue slips through the loose grip, as if that was the straightest possible stroke, but i feel it gives more room for error when the stroke isnt perfect. Does that sound right to you? ....

There must be no slip in the grip. That's a huge source of variation in the cue action. If you want to experiment with it, save it for a treat for your first 100 ball run. Until then keep your grip as simple as possible.

 

[soyale]

There must be no slip in the grip. That's a huge source of variation in the cue action. If you want to experiment with it, save it for a treat for your first 100 ball run. Until then keep your grip as simple as possible.

I don't do it on purpose, it’s just a byproduct of my loose grip. it feels as though i hold it as simple as possible. When it isn't loose or if i put more effort into the grip i seem to steer the cue. im sure there is an attainable middle ground somewhere.

running 100 balls is nowhere on my horizon at the moment but maybe thats what you were jiving at

 

[sparkle84]

I don't do it on purpose, it’s just a byproduct of my loose grip. it feels as though i hold it as simple as possible. When it isn't loose or if i put more effort into the grip i seem to steer the cue. im sure there is an attainable middle ground somewhere.

running 100 balls is nowhere on my horizon at the moment but maybe thats what you were jiving at

Have a little time to expand on a couple things. Since SSOP's site crashed that video is gone. Watch his rack of the week 139.
Then watch Precision again. I'd be curious as to whether your perception of Precision changes a little.
One thing about Rack of the week 139 is something Bob K said at 11:18. "All the problems are solved" is a misleading statement.
That is absolutely not the case. It doesn't matter if there's only 3 easy balls left on the table, don't ever relax your attention to detail and pursuit of precision.
Bob Jewett has good advice and working on those things will help but that alone won't get you too far. In addition to missing less balls and playing more precise position, you also have to develop your decision making and creativity. Shot selection is a very big deal in straight pool.

Everything else being equal it's the #1 reason for realizing your potential or not. It reduces the number of recovery/hero shots needed to run balls.
Most people looking for answers tend to focus on end patterns and why they keep messing them up. The reason is usually poor shot selection (decisions) in early or mid rack.
People ask, well, how do you develop good shot selection. It starts with solving problems in the most efficient way while also maintaining the largest margins of error possible. Doing that will tend to lead you to the correct shot.
One big problem with doing this is you will encounter situations that make you uncomfortable and cause you to reject the correct shot. Don't, think outside the box and expand your comfort zone.

 

[soyale]

Have a little time to expand on a couple things. Since SSOP's site crashed that video is gone. Watch his rack of the week 139.
Then watch Precision again. I'd be curious as to whether your perception of Precision changes a little.
One thing about Rack of the week 139 is something Bob K said at 11:18. "All the problems are solved" is a misleading statement.
That is absolutely not the case. It doesn't matter if there's only 3 easy balls left on the table, don't ever relax your attention to detail and pursuit of precision.
Bob Jewett has good advice and working on those things will help but that alone won't get you too far. In addition to missing less balls and playing more precise position, you also have to develop your decision making and creativity. Shot selection is a very big deal in straight pool.

Everything else being equal it's the #1 reason for realizing your potential or not. It reduces the number of recovery/hero shots needed to run balls.
Most people looking for answers tend to focus on end patterns and why they keep messing them up. The reason is usually poor shot selection (decisions) in early or mid rack.
People ask, well, how do you develop good shot selection. It starts with solving problems in the most efficient way while also maintaining the largest margins of error possible. Doing that will tend to lead you to the correct shot.
One big problem with doing this is you will encounter situations that make you uncomfortable and cause you to reject the correct shot. Don't, think outside the box and expand your comfort zone.

alright, i finished my homework. Here are the links if anyone reading is interested

i have experimented with many different styles over the past couple years in my quest for 3 racks. I have tried the mario he approach where you walk the table on every ball. I have tried the jayson shaw approach where you black out and fire through the first rack in 2 minutes to get it out of the way. i have tried playing take-5 to get better at end patterns.

the fact is my cueball sucks and i miss really easy balls. A lot. there is a breakdown somewhere. at times i feel like i dont understand even the simplest principles of pool and throw my hands up, saying “at least im having fun.” Pool is pretty much the only thing that gets me out of the house though, so i put a lot of energy into not getting too frustrated with it.

you are absolutely correct, i need to put more thought in mid rack to optimize my chances for a good end pattern. I generally look for my break ball, look for a key ball, throw a dart at a potential k2 and then take it 3 balls at a time.

I feel like my mind works really fast and so its easy for me to go with my gut in a sort of tunnel vision. for example in the first rack, even though i get down immediately on the 6 i knew i was shooting 6-3-11-8-1. I did not however take the time to think about if those balls might benefit me later in the rack. i think that is my biggest takeaway from this and i do believe it will help me going forward, so thank you.

Its possible im chasing the wrong ghost. maybe i shouldnt be trying so hard for 3 racks and instead need to focus my energy on my broken process. i guess 14.1 is as good a drill as any to work on mechanics.

See you when i see you, 42.

 

[sparkle84]

alright, i finished my homework. Here are the links if anyone reading is interested

i have experimented with many different styles over the past couple years in my quest for 3 racks. I have tried the mario he approach where you walk the table on every ball. I have tried the jayson shaw approach where you black out and fire through the first rack in 2 minutes to get it out of the way. i have tried playing take-5 to get better at end patterns.

the fact is my cueball sucks and i miss really easy balls. A lot. there is a breakdown somewhere. at times i feel like i dont understand even the simplest principles of pool and throw my hands up, saying “at least im having fun.” Pool is pretty much the only thing that gets me out of the house though, so i put a lot of energy into not getting too frustrated with it.

you are absolutely correct, i need to put more thought in mid rack to optimize my chances for a good end pattern. I generally look for my break ball, look for a key ball, throw a dart at a potential k2 and then take it 3 balls at a time.

I feel like my mind works really fast and so its easy for me to go with my gut in a sort of tunnel vision. for example in the first rack, even though i get down immediately on the 6 i knew i was shooting 6-3-11-8-1. I did not however take the time to think about if those balls might benefit me later in the rack. i think that is my biggest takeaway from this and i do believe it will help me going forward, so thank you.

Its possible im chasing the wrong ghost. maybe i shouldnt be trying so hard for 3 racks and instead need to focus my energy on my broken process. i guess 14.1 is as good a drill as any to work on mechanics.

See you when i see you, 42.

What I highlighted is why you need to try and change your thought process. It's not oriented towards solving problems. Those 5 balls are all easily accessible and aren't a problem. When you shoot them off one after another without using any of them to try and solve the problems that do exist in the rack, you have wasted them. You just killed 5 of your 14 soldiers while doing nothing to improve your chances to win the battle, which is landing good on a breakshot.
Don't feel too bad, this is a very common occurrence with people playing straight pool. You never considered shooting anything but the 6. It's difficult to see due to the camera position but if it was feasible I would have given a lot of consideration to shooting the 15/5 combo. If I had to shoot the 6 I would not have shot the 3 next. That kind of commits you to the 11 and now 3 balls are gone without addressing the problems.
I again suggest doing the brainwash drill and paying a lot of attention to your shot selection.

 

[soyale]

What I highlighted is why you need to try and change your thought process. It's not oriented towards solving problems. Those 5 balls are all easily accessible and aren't a problem. When you shoot them off one after another without using any of them to try and solve the problems that do exist in the rack, you have wasted them. You just killed 5 of your 14 soldiers while doing nothing to improve your chances to win the battle, which is landing good on a breakshot.
Don't feel too bad, this is a very common occurrence with people playing straight pool. You never considered shooting anything but the 6. It's difficult to see due to the camera position but if it was feasible I would have given a lot of consideration to shooting the 15/5 combo. If I had to shoot the 6 I would not have shot the 3 next. That kind of commits you to the 11 and now 3 balls are gone without addressing the problems.
I again suggest doing the brainwash drill and paying a lot of attention to your shot selection.

my thinking was to take care of everything uptable so i didnt have to go back up there, but you’re right, those balls could have potentially given me more options for safely negotiating the problems in the rack.

i tried to think it through more today, high run was 17. Missed a lot of easy balls. again, thanks for your advice. maybe i’ll edit a video of all the balls i missed today so you can see what i’m working with here, lmao

 

[Bob Jewett]

... i guess 14.1 is as good a drill as any to work on mechanics.
...

How about this: notice shots which are a recurring problem during your runs. Might be misses or position errors. Practice them and variations of them, perhaps as a progressive practice. Work on your weaknesses.

 

[sparkle84]

my thinking was to take care of everything uptable so i didnt have to go back up there, but you’re right, those balls could have potentially given me more options for safely negotiating the problems in the rack.

i tried to think it through more today, high run was 17. Missed a lot of easy balls. again, thanks for your advice. maybe i’ll edit a video of all the balls i missed today so you can see what i’m working with here, lmao

Your thinking was somewhat correct. If the downtable layout was more open and accessible then cutting the table in half is a tenet of good 14.1 play.
Options....another key to success, along with insurance.
Like anything else, when you try making changes, results may be worse at first. This is mental. The new is clashing with the established thoughts, causing confusion and lack of focus.
Don't worry about it. Balls are missed due to uncertainty just as much as a poor stroke, etc.

Maybe just a video of a practice session, whether you get any good runs or not. If possible, change the camera to the other end of the table, or rack at the other end.
I'd be better able to point out shot selections you might want to rethink.











L

 

[soyale]

The new is clashing with the established thoughts, causing confusion and lack of focus.
Don't worry about it. Balls are missed due to uncertainty just as much as a poor stroke, etc.

there is a lot of that going on. im constantly thinking about my feet and my approach and my stroke already, as ive mentioned here. im familiar with the process though so misses arent bothering me as much, just trying to learn from them.

Maybe just a video of a practice session, whether you get any good runs or not. If possible, change the camera to the other end of the table, or rack at the other end.
I'd be better able to point out shot selections you might want to rethink.

oof. i cant imagine you have an hour to watch me fiddle my feet around and stare at the table while im trying to digest all of this new information.

This is the session i mentioned earlier where i tried to slow down and fix my stance. varying results. I’d say it was a below average session. some really awful misses but again i expect a lot of that while im messing with everything else. i’ll try to get one in the future from the right side of the table. If it helps you can zoom in if you open the link in youtube.

if anybody protests to my hijacking of this thread i will take it elsewhere, otherwise i hope someone else can learn from my mistakes and improve their game.

 

[sparkle84]

there is a lot of that going on. im constantly thinking about my feet and my approach and my stroke already, as ive mentioned here. im familiar with the process though so misses arent bothering me as much, just trying to learn from them.

oof. i cant imagine you have an hour to watch me fiddle my feet around and stare at the table while im trying to digest all of this new information.

This is the session i mentioned earlier where i tried to slow down and fix my stance. varying results. I’d say it was a below average session. some really awful misses but again i expect a lot of that while im messing with everything else. i’ll try to get one in the future from the right side of the table. If it helps you can zoom in if you open the link in youtube.

if anybody protests to my hijacking of this thread i will take it elsewhere, otherwise i hope someone else can learn from my mistakes and improve their game.

All right, I watched the vid and can see what we're dealing with here. Give me a little time to digest everything and I'll get back to you with some thoughts and recommendations.

 

[DJKeys]

Ran 44 just now-

-dj

 

[jacob]

I ran 95 today! I did not have a break ball in my last rack and hooked myself trying to manufacture one. Fargo 664

 

[batmmann5]

Ran 83 late yesterday/today. No video. It was late. Too bad too. I recently purchased the Aramith 100 anniversary edition balls and will post the video of my next 50 + ball run. I do like how they play. Still partial to the number having a colored circle. I even like the cueball that comes with it. I usually switched out the cueball for a Red Circle and then a Diamond cueball, but the one with the set is alright.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Good shooting all! A new leader, and a couple members moved up on the list. First post updated.

 

[iusedtoberich]

28 ball run. Fargo 571. First post updated.

 

[batmmann5]

Finally had a good week. Runs of 54, 55, 53 and a 54 against someone. This game is so frustrating, but stick with it guys. Make goals. I want another 100 run. So, here is a 54 ball one.

 

[batmmann5]

And here is the 55 ball run. I like these Aramith 100 balls. They play great, even though I like the classic look better.

 

[batmmann5]

67 Ball Run. Thoughts on a super short bridge for thin cut shots? I saw Lou Butera do that and seems to work for me.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Good shooting all! First post updated.