Best Shot to Gauge Skill

JABSolstice

JABSolstice

Well-known member
Full disclosure, this is a direct copy of a post from @BasementDweller

I thought it would make a good thread to talk about.

If I had a room full of players and I had to separate them by skill level and the only information I got came from observing them all shoot one shot of my choice, what shot would I choose? I wouldn't pick an intricate positional route, instead I'd probably just lineup a long straight in shot and tell them to draw it back into the corner pocket. How they cued it would tell me all I needed to know.

What shot would be most telling?
 
Put a ball frozen on the rail right before the side pocket.

Have them cut it straight down the corner.

Give them some angle but don't make it too hard. See how many times they can sink it.
 
Nice thread. 😀

My thinking is like this: the player that has the skill in their arm to execute the difficult shot will, in the end, pass by the player that can complete every cute positional drill under the sun. It all boils down to - what can my arm actually accomplish. We spend a lot of time trying to hide our limitations.
 
BasementDweller said:
Nice thread. 😀

My thinking is like this: the player that has the skill in their arm to execute the difficult shot will, in the end, pass by the player that can complete every cute positional drill under the sun. It all boils down to - what can my arm actually accomplish. We spend a lot of time trying to hide our limitations.
Click to expand...
i dont necessarily agree with you
the old saying about willie mosconi was someone watching him play after he ran 125
"he cant be good he never had to shoot a hard shot" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the player that has better CUE BALL CONTROL
i would bet on all the time
jmho
icbw
 
If the idea was that you can ask them to shoot that same shot over and over, I'd pick a long straight in shot, drawing it straight back into the corner pocket. Mighty X style.

If they were only allowed to shoot it once, I'd prioritize what their technique tells me instead of the shot result, since an one-off shot result gives very little information. I'd either pick a tough long shot where the CB is frozen to the rail, a moderately elevated draw shot from near the rail, or a tough jump shot. Hard to gauge which would give the most accurate information over a large sample size.
 
JABSolstice said:
Full disclosure, this is a direct copy of a post from @BasementDweller

I thought it would make a good thread to talk about.

If I had a room full of players and I had to separate them by skill level and the only information I got came from observing them all shoot one shot of my choice, what shot would I choose? I wouldn't pick an intricate positional route, instead I'd probably just lineup a long straight in shot and tell them to draw it back into the corner pocket. How they cued it would tell me all I needed to know.

What shot would be most telling?
Click to expand...
How far are you talking about between the cue ball and the object ball? I’ve seen some players that had extremely powerful draw shots that were not strong players, and some very good players that were not that strong on power draw shots. I agree that would be a good shot to judge skill level, but no more than 4-5 feet between the balls.
 
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