Hand follows Eyes!!!!!!!!!! Makes sense to me also. Thanks Steve, you are the best....randyg
Best pool-shooting advice you've ever gotten from this site
- Thread starter Maniac
- Start date
Hand follows Eyes!!!!!!!!!! Makes sense to me also. Thanks Steve, you are the best....randyg
Aiming the CB's center? The CB contact point? Your stick? You're aiming all these things but there's only one fixed target that's always found on the OB - the OB contact point. I like being aware of where I'm aiming my stick/CB center, but always in relation to the OB contact point - everything in aiming keys off of that.
Maybe the OB contact point isn't where everybody should look last; but I haven't heard any reason to think it's "wrong" to do that.
pj
chgo
Truer words have never been spoken....
I was teachin my bro how to play pool, starting right after PHJs came out, and about six months into him starting to play, he decided to take some lessons from one of the top players in our area.
He came up to me after the lessons and told me about it and stated one of the things that he was taught.
It turns out he was taught some good things, but also a specific thing that was detrimental to his game that the person who gave him the lessons knew damn well was bad and would never do himself.
He was giving bad information to prevent his game from possibly getting better than his...
Watch out for bad info although that is hard to do when you're learning how to play....
Tough to know what is good and what is bad.
Jaden
I was teachin my bro how to play pool, starting right after PHJs came out, and about six months into him starting to play, he decided to take some lessons from one of the top players in our area.
He came up to me after the lessons and told me about it and stated one of the things that he was taught.
It turns out he was taught some good things, but also a specific thing that was detrimental to his game that the person who gave him the lessons knew damn well was bad and would never do himself.
He was giving bad information to prevent his game from possibly getting better than his...
Watch out for bad info although that is hard to do when you're learning how to play....
Tough to know what is good and what is bad.
Jaden
I agree with this general principle, but I also think neat shorthand axioms like this are often taken too literally. Focusing on a specific target is an important guide for what your hand/arm does, but I don't think it's necessary to focus on a target that your hand/arm should move precisely toward. For instance, basketball players don't look up in the direction they're initially sending the ball, even though that's the direction their shooting hand goes -they look at the ultimate target: the basket. Same is true in throwing a baseball or football - you don't look at the initial direction your hand sends it; you look at its ultimate destination so your brain has that unchanging target to coordinate all your movements around.
Most shots in pool are similar: you have a fixed target that you can send the CB to in a variety of ways, often sending it on a curved course by first pointing it somewhere else.
pj
chgo
Banks
Banned
Take tips for what they are.. tips. Try things out, see what works for you. I've done alright just playing and adjusting for what I'm doing wrong.
One of the things I did pick up and noticed a little more consistency with was keeping the pinky off of the stick on your back hand.
Colin Colenso's break video is good, it explained a little more about what I was doing to get a good break.
Want to get a better break and understanding of the 9-ball break? Get Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets - it's a "must-have". That's provided me with the quickest change to my game in a long time.
If it isn't a serious game, play aggressively.. you'll learn more shots that way.
One of the things I did pick up and noticed a little more consistency with was keeping the pinky off of the stick on your back hand.
Colin Colenso's break video is good, it explained a little more about what I was doing to get a good break.
Want to get a better break and understanding of the 9-ball break? Get Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets - it's a "must-have". That's provided me with the quickest change to my game in a long time.
If it isn't a serious game, play aggressively.. you'll learn more shots that way.
So many great contributions from instructors and players alike.
Love Dr.Daves site and has helped my game immeasurably.
Probably the way I'm thinking at this moment, the many discussions on the mental part of the game, has helped me straighten my head and game out
when times get tough during league play.
Love Dr.Daves site and has helped my game immeasurably.
Probably the way I'm thinking at this moment, the many discussions on the mental part of the game, has helped me straighten my head and game out
when times get tough during league play.
It's hard to pick just one piece of advice as other have pointed out. I have read a lot of good tips, but if I had to pick one it would be the video from Max Eberle. While it was more of a drill it was great advice. Max's video has helped me tremendously.
dkrager
Registered
Let me clarify, I am NOT pointing the stick at the contact point. I am dropping down into the shot plane using the contact point of the OB as a reference point (since it can be seen) and matching it up the contact point on the front of the of the CB. For me at least, this method is much more accurate than shooting at imagined targets such as the center of a ghost ball.
The whole point is that the body follows the eyes so by locking on to the contact point which was established in the standing position and maintaining that lock during the set and pivot I am more likely to come down in correct alignment because I am not breaking the connection to the shot as I transition from the 3D standing view to the more 2D view when down on the table. If I lose the connection to the shot during this process the odds go way up that I will have an alignment error and miss the shot even though it technically looks correct when I am down on the table.
Hope that explains it.
Cheers,
Dave
Thats is a very good point Dave. I have one video that explains just that, and if you are mindful of what you just said, helps considerably.
Uh, thank you...thank you very much! :grin: It IS rather simple. If you shoot at the pocket, the ball falls right in!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Dr. Dave probably has the most helpful website for us. He has done a great job on his video work. BUT...all that glitters is not GOLD. I think Dr. Dave leaves a few things...unsaid.....SPF=randyg
Thanks Randy.
I liked your first two sentences better.
Actually, I agree with you that many of my online videos leave many things unsaid. If I said everything in every video, they would all be too long (and too boring).
That's why I have lots of additional resources (articles, handouts, FAQ pages, book, DVDs, etc.). They fill in the details of the "unsaid" stuff. I also often recommend that people work with qualified and experienced instructors like yourself. Books, videos, and online resources can't address every individual's learning style and needs, and they can't "see" what an individual is doing and thinking, and they can't offer specific recommendations for a given person.
Randy, I would be curious to know what important things you think I leave "unsaid." I'm always willing to learn and improve my resources. Feel free to e-mail or PM me if you don't want to disclose them in public (although, it wouldn't bother me in the least if you did state them publicly).
Regards,
Dave
Thanks Randy.
I liked your first two sentences better.
Actually, I agree with you that many of my online videos leave many things unsaid. If I said everything in every video, they would all be too long (and too boring).
That's why I have lots of additional resources (articles, handouts, FAQ pages, book, DVDs, etc.). They fill in the details of the "unsaid" stuff. I also often recommend that people work with qualified and experienced instructors like yourself. Books, videos, and online resources can't address every individual's learning style and needs, and they can't "see" what an individual is doing and thinking, and they can't offer specific recommendations for a given person.
Randy, I would be curious to know what important things you think I leave "unsaid." I'm always willing to learn and improve my resources. Feel free to e-mail or PM me if you don't want to disclose them in public (although, it wouldn't bother me in the least if you did state them publicly).
Regards,
Dave
Check your messages....randyg
personal advice
My own post which can be found at.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2140699#post2140699
My own post which can be found at.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2140699#post2140699
Wow, this gets the "Pot, kettle, black" award in my book.
If you want to talk about leaving things unsaid, please take a look in the mirror, or go back you your epic response to my "Favorite cueball only drills" thread where you said, "Um, I like motherdrill #1".
Like I said in that thread, ANY chance of buying your DVD's went out the window for me, and probably several others.
Why don't you just close every post with "Randy G = buy my DVD" since you don't really contribute anything to anybody's posts anyway.
I don't know why I didn't do this before, but welcome to my ignore list dumbass...:wave:
Thanks.....
What happens between Dr. Dave and myself is private.
Remember, I'm on your D-A list....SPF=randyg
Look at it this way, in every other sport in the world where do they look at before they deliver the shot, stroke or whatever.
Shooting Bow/Gun= last look target (bullseye)
Basketball= target(basket)
Baseball=target(ball)
Football=target(reciever)
Soccer=target(goal)
Boxing=Target
GOLF= Target(ball)
so why would billiards and pool be any different?
With most of the sports you have listed, the player is already in contact with the object that is being projected towards the target.
Shooting - holding the gun or bow.
Basketball - holding the basketball.
Baseball - Throwing they are holding the ball. Hitting they are holding the bat, but looking at the ball. They are not looking at where they want that ball to go.
Football - passing they do look at the receiver. But when kicking they are looking at the football, not where they want it to go.
Soccer - they are looking at the ball, not at the goal. Although I could be wrong on this one, I was never in good enough shape to play soccer LOL.
Boxing - Of course he looks at the target, he wouldnt be looking at his hand :grin:
Golf - Like you said, they are looking at the ball, but the actual target is the fairway, green, or cup. There have been a few that looked at the cup while putting, but not many.
With pool we are holding the cue, so our initial target is really a point on the cueball. If lined up properly we should be fine with looking at the cueball last. There have been some VERY talented players that did so.
Dont get me wrong, with the exception of a few shots I have always said to look at the OB when shooting. But I have been thinking about this subject lately and always like to question my beliefs in order to strengthen them.
I can say this, one of the areas I have experimented with looking at the CB last is the break, and I do tend to break better looking at the cueball last.
If we all believe that a pool stroke should be delivered straight, then once we are set up why should we look at the OB?
The only good reasons I could come up with were to have a view of the table through peripheral vision for position play. Or to gain information on how we have aimed, as in where does the ball miss if we miss so we can learn. I think the big advantage for most average players is that they make adjustments during the final stroke that they dont even know they make, due to misalignment at setup.
Reasons for looking at the cueball? That is our initial target, and we all know that missing the point we are trying to hit on the cueball causes problems for both making the shot and gaining shape.
Woody <- trying to reinforce why it is we look at the OB last.