Accelerating stroke........

Gatz

Gatz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know a stroke involves accelerating to the cue ball, to get that sweet hit and maximum spin/juice (lol).

Now what i can't figure out is when someone hits the ball really hard, and hits it straight they don't get any spin at all. Usually this is a beginner that is trying to use backspin, they sort of "KILL" the ball. Is this because they stopped accelerating the stick by the point of contact?, or is it because they start off with such a high speed of acceleration from the begining of the forward stroke that they run out of accelerationby the time they hit the cueball?.

Im just trying to figure out the stroke, because I can draw the ball very good but I sometimes can draw it so good that I wish I could do it again so I could feel that stroke out. Then there are times where I hit the cueball with low spin, it just dies, and it feels like i hit it good. This usually feels like I had no more acceleration for the ball when I hit the cueball at contact point.

I guess its harder to hit the ball harder with still accelerating the cue. Im sure you have all seen this shot from Corey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_plsd-1TNNw at 1:52. Amazing stroke shot....
 
Normally it's because they drop their elbow/shoulder and hit the cue ball higher than intended, therefore taking the spin off the cue ball.

Jim
 
I think for the beginner it's probably more likely that they're not hitting as low as they think.

Edit: beat me to it!
 
hmmm intresting your shoulder should only drop after you have followed through the ball correct? thats what i see mostly on video's etc..
 
I'm not 100% sure how that phenomonen happens, but in a cool interview with Efren He sais he likes playing beginners because they pull off shots no "Pro" would do, and you can learn things this way.

cool thread though!
 
Gatz said:
I know a stroke involves accelerating to the cue ball, to get that sweet hit and maximum spin/juice (lol).

Now what i can't figure out is when someone hits the ball really hard, and hits it straight they don't get any spin at all. Usually this is a beginner that is trying to use backspin, they sort of "KILL" the ball. Is this because they stopped accelerating the stick by the point of contact?, or is it because they start off with such a high speed of acceleration from the begining of the forward stroke that they run out of accelerationby the time they hit the cueball?.

Im just trying to figure out the stroke, because I can draw the ball very good but I sometimes can draw it so good that I wish I could do it again so I could feel that stroke out. Then there are times where I hit the cueball with low spin, it just dies, and it feels like i hit it good. This usually feels like I had no more acceleration for the ball when I hit the cueball at contact point.

I guess its harder to hit the ball harder with still accelerating the cue. Im sure you have all seen this shot from Corey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_plsd-1TNNw at 1:52. Amazing stroke shot....
Click to expand...

Try this for kicks and giggles:
When you are doing your stance, look at your grip from your back arm. Make sure your finger knuckles (you know, the portion of your knuckle you give your little brother the noogie or use to knock on the door) are flushed with your wrist. It will seem as if the upper portion of your knuckle is a little off the outside but you will see that your whole arm is straight. When you grip your cue, (and I stress) DO NOT tight up your grip. Just grip it so that your cue is litterately on it's own (i.e. holding the cue so that it doesn't fall... litterately). As a little cherry on top (and as Scott Lee recommends) do not drop your elbow throughout the stroke (although I have an opposition to that, nevertheless it still works :) ). Go as low as possible without miscuing (like around 1 3/4 tips below center) with a good coating of chalk and try to swavely "push" the ball and not "chop" it. Stroke medium-soft to medium at first with your CB and your OB at around 18" at first and then progress the speed or lengthen the distance of the two balls.

If this does not work... I just don't know what does. :cool:
 
i think you are overthinking this slightly gatz, and overcomplicating it.

Then there are times where I hit the cueball with low spin, it just dies, and it feels like i hit it good. This usually feels like I had no more acceleration for the ball when I hit the cueball at contact point
Click to expand...

i am 90% sure you DIDN'T actually hit the ball with low spin. you intended to of course, but you didn't. unless you were playing some slow motion shot or something the chances of no accelerating through the cue ball being the reason for no draw is extremely slim. when we are talking playing world class super draw shots then yes, these issues come into it. but for now, back to basics.

key thing is just to make sure you hit the cue ball very low. the reason why beginners 'kill' the cue ball is because they don't hit low. simple as. they intend to, and in their quest for an uber draw shot they hit it really hard, and of course because their stroke is crap they don't hit the spot on whitey that they wanted to - very low. they hit it in the centre, or maybe a smidgeon below.

oh and don't raise the back end of the cue. you want it as close to parrallel to the table as possible.
 
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Look, it's really very simple. Don't try to overanalyze this. The tip hits the cueball at a specific location and takes on the characteristics associated with that particular hit. That is to say, if you hit the cueball low, it will take on reverse spin (commonly known as draw). If you hit it high, it will take on forward spin (commonly known as follow). Whether your cue is accelerating or decelerating at the moment of impact is nearly irrelevant. Hit it high, get follow. Hit it low, get draw. Jabbing or following through will have some influence but not as great as you might wish.
 
Gerry said:
I'm not 100% sure how that phenomonen happens, but in a cool interview with Efren He sais he likes playing beginners because they pull off shots no "Pro" would do, and you can learn things this way.

cool thread though!
Click to expand...

That was me he was talking about. I've taught Efren a lot of things he didn't know he could do. I'm not sure why he called me a beginner though. :D
 
The wording helps me...

I can't think: "accelerate through the ball" and get this to work.

What I can do is try to think "follow through" so the tip of my cue stops a foot and a half past where the cue ball was. Then when I am stroking and thinking about doing this while stroking, I am actually accelerating through the ball!

So if having trouble with the word "accelerate", instead try leaving the tip of your cue a foot and a half past where the cue ball was. See what happens. Can be a medium speed stroke - not too fast.

Note: If the object ball is closer to the cue ball than where your tip will stop, you will get a cue ball double hit (foul).

High speed video of double hit...
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/high_speed_videos/new/HSVA-12.htm
 
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