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Saijin

Saijin

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I took a 1 year hiatus from playing pool to focus on my Golf and other things.

I notice a couple of things and was wondering if you guys can give me some tips:

1. I tend to flare my right arm out, so I'm conscious about keeping it low and 90*
I use a pendulum stroke. I notice that my right shoulder / neck area starts to become sore
after an hour.

2. What is the best way to aim straight? I have been drawing a straight line with the target ball to the pocket then aim for that dot behind the target ball and aim my cue stick there while I stroke the white ball.

3. Do you look at target ball or cue ball? I tend to aim at that dot I mention above on the target, but once I'm set I keep looking at the cue ball to make sure I strike it exactly where I want.
 
get mark Wilson/s new book, "play great pool"......all that will be addressed, and/or get an instructor.
 
Saijin said:
I took a 1 year hiatus from playing pool to focus on my Golf and other things.

I notice a couple of things and was wondering if you guys can give me some tips:

1. I tend to flare my right arm out, so I'm conscious about keeping it low and 90*
I use a pendulum stroke. I notice that my right shoulder / neck area starts to become sore
after an hour.

2. What is the best way to aim straight? I have been drawing a straight line with the target ball to the pocket then aim for that dot behind the target ball and aim my cue stick there while I stroke the white ball.

3. Do you look at target ball or cue ball? I tend to aim at that dot I mention above on the target, but once I'm set I keep looking at the cue ball to make sure I strike it exactly where I want.
Click to expand...


1. The soreness could just be because you haven't played in a while and will go away the more you get used to playing again. It could also be from being too tense, or too tight so try to play loose and smooth. That's also a key to shooting straight.

2. A key to learning to shoot straight is first being able to hit the cue ball along the center vertical line. Try putting a piece of chalk on the center diamond at the foot of the table. The put a ball on the head spot. Try to stroke the ball to the chalk but stay down on your follow through. The ball should come back on the same line to your cue tip. If you have a plain cue ball with no markings, using a striped ball is good. Place the stripe so that it goes straight up and down. Aim for the center of the stripe, a little above center so that the ball rolls forward without any sliding. If you hit it dead straight, that stripe will look like a tire rolling down the table.

3. You go where your eyes go. Remember that, as it applies to a lot of things in life. Eye pattern is actually a lesser known secret of good stroking. When you are taking your practice strokes on the cue ball, this is when you should have where you are going to hit the cue ball locked in. After that, either before your backstroke or before you hit the cue ball, your eyes should be focused on where you want the cue ball to go.

If you can get some instruction/coaching from an instructor, it will pay off much greater than pretty much any other investment in the game you could make.
 
Geno is going nuts rehabbing the new knee awaiting the other new knee and fighting shoulder issues so I am sure he is bored to death and would love to spend some time on the phone with someone trying to get their game on track.... His mobile is 715.....563//////8712... Be by a table when you call or set up a time to call with him when you can be.... Yeah he can help you over the frickin phone.... I went 6 months not calling thinking there was no way he could help on the phone..... I was wrog... rwon... worng... worgn but I have a hard time saying ti.... err you get it.....

Chris
 
Saijin said:
I took a 1 year hiatus from playing pool to focus on my Golf and other things.

I notice a couple of things and was wondering if you guys can give me some tips:

1. I tend to flare my right arm out, so I'm conscious about keeping it low and 90*
I use a pendulum stroke. I notice that my right shoulder / neck area starts to become sore
after an hour.

2. What is the best way to aim straight? I have been drawing a straight line with the target ball to the pocket then aim for that dot behind the target ball and aim my cue stick there while I stroke the white ball.

3. Do you look at target ball or cue ball? I tend to aim at that dot I mention above on the target, but once I'm set I keep looking at the cue ball to make sure I strike it exactly where I want.
Click to expand...


Just my opinion here
1. Don't worry about 1. Watch youtube videos of SVB,Mika.... Ingrain it
2. Look at CJs stuff and look at the OB last
 
Saijin said:
I took a 1 year hiatus from playing pool to focus on my Golf and other things.

I notice a couple of things and was wondering if you guys can give me some tips:

1. I tend to flare my right arm out, so I'm conscious about keeping it low and 90*
I use a pendulum stroke. I notice that my right shoulder / neck area starts to become sore
after an hour.

2. What is the best way to aim straight? I have been drawing a straight line with the target ball to the pocket then aim for that dot behind the target ball and aim my cue stick there while I stroke the white ball.

3. Do you look at target ball or cue ball? I tend to aim at that dot I mention above on the target, but once I'm set I keep looking at the cue ball to make sure I strike it exactly where I want.
Click to expand...

Not an instructor, and my habits are unique to me, but these are my thoughts:

1. As others have said, this will go away. Good exercise targeting your upper back will also help. Every time I experiment with a different 'style' I get this bit of soreness, especially in my shoulder blade, but they fade away.

2. Practice your stroke with the rail or into a bottle to ensure that you are delivering your cue action straight. After that, focus on the object ball and practice shutting off your active thoughts so that the aiming becomes subconscious. Experiment with different cue positions beneath your chin and eyes until you have some success hitting balls -exactly- where you are aiming, then stick to it. When I'm playing well my cue is always brushing lightly along the right side of my chin, for instance. Helps me know I'm in good alignment.

3. I know a good player that began looking at the cue ball last because he felt like he wasn't delivering the cue where he intended to on the CB. Blows my mind to watch him do it, and he is -very- good at it, so that may help if you find you're missing some shots due to accidental spin. I haven't practiced it extensively at all, but I find I can't play proper speed when looking at the CB last, I lose the 'feeling' of the distance between the two balls and that's how I gauge my stroke. So unless you have good reason to do it, OB last instead. I enter into the shot looking at the spot I intend to hit on the OB, as I go down, and if I'm playing well my body plots its course automatically and I find myself properly aligned with my cue at center ball. No need for adjustments -- if you need to shift your body left or right stand up and start over until you do this more successfully.

Loose grip for reliable and consistent english if you aren't already. :thumbup:
 
Saijin said:
I took a 1 year hiatus from playing pool to focus on my Golf and other things.

I notice a couple of things and was wondering if you guys can give me some tips:

1. I tend to flare my right arm out, so I'm conscious about keeping it low and 90*
I use a pendulum stroke. I notice that my right shoulder / neck area starts to become sore
after an hour.

2. What is the best way to aim straight? I have been drawing a straight line with the target ball to the pocket then aim for that dot behind the target ball and aim my cue stick there while I stroke the white ball.

3. Do you look at target ball or cue ball? I tend to aim at that dot I mention above on the target, but once I'm set I keep looking at the cue ball to make sure I strike it exactly where I want.
Click to expand...


1. Don't mess with your mechanics unless you have someone who knows what they're doing watch you...you can screw a lot up trying to "fix" what might not really be broke.

2. That's a good way to straighten your stroke out...another is the rail or bottle method mentioned above. If you've got side to side movement on your stroke, you can rotate you hips slightly and watch your stroke straighten right out. I learned that little trick from Mike Sigel.

3. I look at the contact point like you describe. I imagine it's a speck of chalk that I want to knock off with the CB. Just like trying to side-swipe something with a car, your eyes, hands and brain will put the CB where it needs to. Some folks have success inventing a virtual rifle sight for the CB using the center or edge, I've never been able to. I look at the CB when I'm measuring the shot forward, and I pause at that forward point and look at the contact point. Then I keep my eyes glued to the contact point until the CB hits it. That way I know EXACTLY where I miss it. If I see it hit the contact point and the ball misses the pocket, then I either mis read the contact point when I got down, or didn't account for throw. Looking at the CB last will work for most folks very well...for a while, then as you lose touch with the OB you'll start missing because you don't have that constant feedback on what happens at the other end of the shot. A lot of times you'll look at a shot that you'd swear is straight in...but the table lied to you, it's just a hair off straight. You get down, site it in, pulll the trigger and dive right into the rail by a quarter of a diamond. If you hit the contact point and were looking at that, you'd see right away why you missed (misread the angle)...but if you're looking CB last, you'll go to your grave wondering why you miss straight in shots.
 
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