Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
Thank you for the help everybody. I am still go to experiment with the suggestions my next practice session. If I’m going to fix it I’d rather it be fixed than just put a bandaid on a bullet hole.
A little help with my stroke
- Thread starter Willowbrook Wolfy
- Start date
The "best" investment in any pool lesson begins with a twice thorough reading of this book- combined with extensive self video taping of your adherence to and progress forward relative to all of Mark's teachings in the book. Just my opinion, but I have been at it with this book and the video taping for 16 months now and has resulted in my most accelerated improvement over any other pool instruction methods available.
I would never suggest eliminating great one on one in person instruction, or other very good pool teaching aids available in print or on the internet. As well as incorporating the live and u tube viewing of pro player matches. I have and continue to avail myself of all of these teaching methods; but , to me, Mark's book, as long as you have continuous video feedback on your stroke, will do wonders for your game.
Why not provide a clickable link to the website?
Ok, I'll do it instead for interested folks:
https://playgreatpool.com/product/play-great-pool-book/
Arnaldo ~ Original price was $75 when I got mine, and worth every penny. Still worth every penny of the new (higher) prices they're getting for it. The printing & photographic qualities, the graphics, and the instructional value were, and are -- unprecedented.
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Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
All right I only had a few hours last night. But gave the shorter grip a go. Definitely a bit more accurate. Maybe by 1/2”. The thing I didn’t notice until last night was with my shooting hand on grip it’s actually hard to make the cue go “funny”.
Is that the spot to aim for on the cue? Or is a pool stroke more like a carburetor or head bolt where you find the sweet spot or torque to spec then turn it down or loosen it up another 1/4 or half turn?
Is that the spot to aim for on the cue? Or is a pool stroke more like a carburetor or head bolt where you find the sweet spot or torque to spec then turn it down or loosen it up another 1/4 or half turn?
Someone mentioned elevation already. But i noticed you were shooting off the rail with a full closed bridge creating a much higher elevation.
Do you normally shoot off the rail like that ? Or was that a one time thing ? Normally people people play off the rail by using the rail and hand over the cue to get a more level shot.
Do you normally shoot off the rail like that ? Or was that a one time thing ? Normally people people play off the rail by using the rail and hand over the cue to get a more level shot.
Translation please?
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I find the balance point to be the pinnacle of accuracy. If it's too far up for the particular shot, move hand back, but keep it as close to balance point as possible. I think Mosconi said 4-6" behind the balance point. Once you get some consistency going, see if you can make your ring finger lead the stroke. If the ring finger has the same feel to it you are likely stroking close to the same. It's different for everyone but after reading about it in something @gregcantrall posted I tried it. It's pretty awesome how well it works. IDK why, maybe it's because the ring finger is "dumb" and doesn't try to steer the cue... maybe it's that it has less tension than other fingers... but it works. It's kind of like a motion of trying to slide dice or an underhand lob type throw... but if you find the way to make your ring finger lead it's a pretty powerful thing. When the ring finger leads, everything else seems to fall into place for me.
When you grip further back, you have to also put more stick out in front of the bridge hand. Pros might have a 14" bridge... old school 14:1 might have 4" bridge... the more stick in front of your bridge hand, the more stoke inaccuracies are multiplied. Here's some reading: https://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2008/dec08.pdf
Also:
Bridge Length Advice - Dr. Dave Pool Info
Answers to frequently-asked questions about pool bridge length advice.
billiards.colostate.edu
You don't have to be a scientist to understand this or anything, but knowing the concepts lets you do some mad scientist type experiments in the lab. See what works best for you.
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Ah hah, now I remember.
The 4-6 inches is where I started with the pamphlet by Willie. I start holding the cue at the balance point, which gives me a measuring device for where I need to set the stance. (One handed practice) Once I set the feet then bridge, I adjust the rear hand to the 4-6 which should put the forearm vertical or 90 degrees.
The lab experiment makes the morning workout fun and even education.
The 4-6 inches is where I started with the pamphlet by Willie. I start holding the cue at the balance point, which gives me a measuring device for where I need to set the stance. (One handed practice) Once I set the feet then bridge, I adjust the rear hand to the 4-6 which should put the forearm vertical or 90 degrees.The lab experiment makes the morning workout fun and even education.
And, oh yeah, the Ring finger came from Barry Stark. Search YouTube for grip by him. Platinum stuff. (Classified information)
There a lot of tips here. Now to measure how those tips are working is the real clue you need to know. A straight, consistent forward motion of the cue will tell you what you need to know and the best way to measure that is from the REAR VIEW. Set up a straight in shot of medium difficulty. Video shooting that shot directly behind at medium speed. Then measure up, down, and side ways movement at the butt end of the cue. This will indicate the cue tip movement errors. Repeat this trying to minimize unintended variations.
The next step is repeating this with various shots such as: draw , English, and the 'grand daddy' the break shot.
The next step is repeating this with various shots such as: draw , English, and the 'grand daddy' the break shot.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
YouTube has a free phone app and lets you watch your stroke in slowmo. Just click the gear and set the speed to .25X. That's 1/4 speed (25%). You will see anything you are hoping for, or a nightmare. Guaranteed.
A cell phone tripod is $10 on amazon. Better video than a hollywood studio.
Awesome...thanks so much. How do I access this when I go to You Tube?YouTube has a free phone app and lets you watch your stroke in slowmo. Just click the gear and set the speed to .25X. That's 1/4 speed (25%). You will see anything you are hoping for, or a nightmare. Guaranteed.
A cell phone tripod is $10 on amazon. Better video than a hollywood studio.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Once you upload a video you can play it back. Click the gear icon at the bottom of the video and change the speed.
You can choose a preset speed or custom at the top of the pop out menu. In custom you can change it to whatever you want.
On the two shots pictured, you should have the cue ON the rail so the cue will be as horizontal as possible. If you swing hard and miss, it's probably your upper arm swinging out. Tuck the upper arm into your body during the stroke and try it.
Maybe you have the wrong spectator chair.....
dquarasr
Registered
An iPhone video has the ability to play frame by frame. Just stop the playback and slide right or slide left. During playback use the vertical white bar. See sample:YouTube has a free phone app and lets you watch your stroke in slowmo. Just click the gear and set the speed to .25X. That's 1/4 speed (25%). You will see anything you are hoping for, or a nightmare. Guaranteed.
A cell phone tripod is $10 on amazon. Better video than a hollywood studio.
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for all the input you gave on this. Thank you! I really mean that.
I started out shortening my cueing hand to where it was still comfortable. Then worked on dropping my elbow a bit.
This has really improved my game and confidence level. My draw has also improved. I was having a bit of an issue controlling it.
What I found to be the best way to keep it in check after figuring out a comfortable stance is the preshot routine. Mine is kind of ridiculous looking honestly. But it gets me in line almost every time.
To figure out a good preshot I shot fast for a few hours. Paying attention to my natural tendencies lining up a shot at a quick pace. Then I slowed it down. It’s definitely put me in a good spot fundamentally. I know this for a fact because more balls are falling now.
Thank you for the help every one. And not knocking me too hard on it. Feel like my old shot might be back, and I know my game has improved more since taking care of stance.
I started out shortening my cueing hand to where it was still comfortable. Then worked on dropping my elbow a bit.
This has really improved my game and confidence level. My draw has also improved. I was having a bit of an issue controlling it.
What I found to be the best way to keep it in check after figuring out a comfortable stance is the preshot routine. Mine is kind of ridiculous looking honestly. But it gets me in line almost every time.
To figure out a good preshot I shot fast for a few hours. Paying attention to my natural tendencies lining up a shot at a quick pace. Then I slowed it down. It’s definitely put me in a good spot fundamentally. I know this for a fact because more balls are falling now.
Thank you for the help every one. And not knocking me too hard on it. Feel like my old shot might be back, and I know my game has improved more since taking care of stance.
Let me help with that rail stroke (second photo). You are very elevated. The goal of rail play is to feel like you are taking a regular, near-level stroke. Put a lot of weight down onto the rail with your bridge hand and stroke far more levelly and you will be delighted with the results.