best angles to video your stroke for analysis

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Joules

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What are the best angles to capture video for stroke analysis?

Here is my test video of just a couple of draw shots. I can see the massive elbow drop. My eyes don't look exactly horizontal. My and hand and elbow look a little outside of the shotline.. not sure if that is camera angle or not though.

Would overhead behind the shooter on the shot line be the best? Also would need something from the side to see the forearm..

Any comments on the stroke would be welcomed. The last shot at 4m is the only one where I just shoot instead of going through a mental check list to make sure everything is where i think it should be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te3C2lbPuEY

Thanks for your stroke and or video tips,
Joules
 
Joules said:
What are the best angles to capture video for stroke analysis?

Here is my test video of just a couple of draw shots. I can see the massive elbow drop. My eyes don't look exactly horizontal. My and hand and elbow look a little outside of the shotline.. not sure if that is camera angle or not though.

Would overhead behind the shooter on the shot line be the best? Also would need something from the side to see the forearm..

Any comments on the stroke would be welcomed. The last shot at 4m is the only one where I just shoot instead of going through a mental check list to make sure everything is where i think it should be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te3C2lbPuEY

Thanks for your stroke and or video tips,
Joules
Click to expand...

Some camera position suggestions are in the diagrams in this outline of an instructor training course:
http://sfbilliards.com/richandout.pdf -- See page 17.
 
joules...The most important is the view from the side, so we can see your shooting arm and upper body. Elbow drops are unnecessary, and for most people contribute to inaccuracy and poor timing.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
 
A view from your open side shows the most.
About 6 inches in front of the cue ball to the back of your stroke.

randyg
 
I'd be very curious about your stance. Balance has a great deal to do with a stable approach and I sensed that there was a lot of balance adjustments as you aligned the shot.

Most of the shots had a nice straight follow through but on two of them you shot across the face of the cue ball and followed through at an extreme angle....almost as if you were pushing your stroke.

It would be beneficial to have other video angles to really evaluate your approach.
 
Your stroke almost looks like your anticipating the hit, slight body movement right before and tensing up during the stroke. When you follow through - check your grip on the cue, I'm willing to bet you are tightening your grip during the stroke instead of staying loose and relaxed throughout the stroke.

Body movement during practice strokes instead of being relaxed and still.

Elbow drop.. like said before, it isn't a problem if done from contact through the follow through, but if the timing is not consistent it will change the contact point on the cue ball and change the shot. When you try to eliminate the elbow drop, just stay very relaxed and let your arm swing - which is letting the weight of the cue do the work. Start at slow speeds and work up to a faster stroke.
 
Joules said:
What are the best angles to capture video for stroke analysis?

Here is my test video of just a couple of draw shots. I can see the massive elbow drop. My eyes don't look exactly horizontal. My and hand and elbow look a little outside of the shotline.. not sure if that is camera angle or not though.

Would overhead behind the shooter on the shot line be the best? Also would need something from the side to see the forearm..

Any comments on the stroke would be welcomed. The last shot at 4m is the only one where I just shoot instead of going through a mental check list to make sure everything is where i think it should be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te3C2lbPuEY

Thanks for your stroke and or video tips,
Joules
Click to expand...


Joules, I don't want to see your successes. I want to see your failures. But hey, that's just me. Do you know any other shots that maybe you're not shooting at about a 99% success rate like you are with that draw shot?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the suggestions and feedback everyone. I'll try to get some angles from the side and back this week.

This video really wasn't the best to look at my stroke and mechanics with because I was making very conscious controlled adjustments while down. A lot of the adjustments and looking back don't happen when I'm shooting normally.

rwojo -
The elbow drop is definitely an issue and it does cause me a lot of positional issues because i'm not hitting where i want on the vertical axis. It is happening before contact. I'm working on that.

rrick33 -
When I finish across the ball I think it is because the stick isn't straight down the shot line. It is in about an inch and i'm correcting across the ball with the stroke. This is what i'm really trying to address.

francrimi -
I appreciate the optimistic view of the success of these shots. I look at it as 66% success since I'm trying to draw the CB straight back into the pocket each time. I use this drill to try to self-diagnosis stroke issues (which i'm bad at). Is the thinking that a shot that I perceive as more difficult would cause flaws in my fundamentals to become more apparent? I'll definitely look at it. Here I was just trying to see if everything is lined up straight so I went with a straight shot.

All I want is for the cue to be lined up straight down the shot line and for my eyes to see the cue as straight and the cue ball to go where i'm looking. (small ask i know)

Sometimes I feel like my head isn't in the right spot and I move it so the cue looks straight - other times I feel like my cue isn't straight and i move it instead of my eyes. This is what I'm really trying to address but I feel like i'm chasing my tail round and round. I'm not sure which one is off when and if either one are off then I don't send the CB down the right line.

Thanks for your time,
Joules
 
I know you didn't ask, but I see something in your video that I thought might help you stop steering your stroke.

You are lined up too far to the left. I mean slightly. You're looking across the shot line. I would move your head a half inch or so to the right as you're standing up aiming. Your head position should not change when it is aiming down the shot line over the cue stick. You seem to move over the stick on the way down subconsciously. This causes you to re-aim after you're down and steer the cue stick. Notice all the compensating you're doing on the follow through?

As you get down, you very slightly move your head to the right as you settle in. You even move over a hair more as you're practice stroking. This where you should start instead of moving over slowly. Your brain/eyes know where they want to be. You're just getting in the way. :cool:

Best,
Mike
 
Joules said:
Thanks for the suggestions and feedback everyone. I'll try to get some angles from the side and back this week.

This video really wasn't the best to look at my stroke and mechanics with because I was making very conscious controlled adjustments while down. A lot of the adjustments and looking back don't happen when I'm shooting normally.

rwojo -
The elbow drop is definitely an issue and it does cause me a lot of positional issues because i'm not hitting where i want on the vertical axis. It is happening before contact. I'm working on that.

rrick33 -
When I finish across the ball I think it is because the stick isn't straight down the shot line. It is in about an inch and i'm correcting across the ball with the stroke. This is what i'm really trying to address.

francrimi -
I appreciate the optimistic view of the success of these shots. I look at it as 66% success since I'm trying to draw the CB straight back into the pocket each time. I use this drill to try to self-diagnosis stroke issues (which i'm bad at). Is the thinking that a shot that I perceive as more difficult would cause flaws in my fundamentals to become more apparent? I'll definitely look at it. Here I was just trying to see if everything is lined up straight so I went with a straight shot.

All I want is for the cue to be lined up straight down the shot line and for my eyes to see the cue as straight and the cue ball to go where i'm looking. (small ask i know)

Sometimes I feel like my head isn't in the right spot and I move it so the cue looks straight - other times I feel like my cue isn't straight and i move it instead of my eyes. This is what I'm really trying to address but I feel like i'm chasing my tail round and round. I'm not sure which one is off when and if either one are off then I don't send the CB down the right line.

Thanks for your time,
Joules
Click to expand...

You're human, Joules. I think you may be asking too much of yourself with that draw shot. You're making the shot nearly every time and the cb is drawing back near or in the pocket. On a shot like that, that's a success!

Move on. Find other issues in your game that need work.
 
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