Best Shot to Gauge Skill

bbb said:
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
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Yes I agree cue ball control trumps just about everything else at the end of the day. I remember the old Mosconi challenge of someone putting a dollar bill on the table with all 15 balls scattered everywhere. The challenge was for Mosconi to run all the balls off the table and have the cue ball end up on that dollar bill at the end of the rack. When Mosconi finished that challenge not only was the cue ball on the dollar bill but most of the time it end up on George Washington's picture!
 
make it simple. put the ball 4 feet away from the cue ball straight in shot and he has to stop the cueball.

see where it stops.
 
I used to bet I'd make 20 consecutive spots shots from behind the line in less than 5 minutes. I had the guy betting, spot balls for me. After 18 shots, most would ask if they can back out of the bet. Don't get me wrong. I don't think this is any amazing fete, especially with 5" pockets on a Gold Crown.
 
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Object ball on the spot. Cue ball near center table, a few inches off center (toward side pocket). Make the object ball in the corner and draw back one rail to center table.
 
Set up a relatively easy cut shot to a corner pocket and place a cube of chalk somewhere at the other end of the table. With ball-in-hand, have each player pocket the cut shot and try to stop the cue ball as close as he can to the chalk. The distances from the chalk will give a pretty good idea of each players skill level.
 
L.S. Dennis said:
Yes I agree cue ball control trumps just about everything else at the end of the day. I remember the old Mosconi challenge of someone putting a dollar bill on the table with all 15 balls scattered everywhere. The challenge was for Mosconi to run all the balls off the table and have the cue ball end up on that dollar bill at the end of the rack. When Mosconi finished that challenge not only was the cue ball on the dollar bill but most of the time it end up on George Washington's picture!
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I'm throwing my challenge flag on this story.
 
bbb said:
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
Click to expand...
Jason Shaw loves to play guys with tight cue ball control.
 
I don't think a single shot tells the story but if I had to choose.....

OB center table, CB in the jaws of a corner. Goal to pot the OB in the opposite corner and follow the OB with CB but stop short of the falling in the pocket.

That will highlight not only potting ability, but stroke mechanics (following the OB), and CB control (stopping short). Even though it's merely a straight shot.

I'd say 95% don't even get the CB tracking toward the jaws
 
bbb said:
What is that supposed to mean?
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It was a joke about him notoriously being a long way from the object ball. He's not known for his position play but is still one of the best in the world. In the old days, players were judged by their position play. In today's game, players can pocket balls so well the strategy has shifted to the highest probability of having a shot...regardless if it's a long shot.
 
RT Ford said:
Set up a relatively easy cut shot to a corner pocket and place a cube of chalk somewhere at the other end of the table. With ball-in-hand, have each player pocket the cut shot and try to stop the cue ball as close as he can to the chalk. The distances from the chalk will give a pretty good idea of each players skill level.
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That's the perfect contrast to my initial shot choice. Would be an interesting experiment to run at a tournament. Do both shots and then rank them and compare them to their their Fargo ratings.

Your shot would have the benefit of everybody actually being able to complete it, while my shot may be better at just identifying the "good" players.
 
Spot shot: but drawing the cue to the side rail and then reversing it to the bottom rail and spinning the cue out three rails to center table. Larry Nevel used to shoot that shot warming up. I never had the need to attempt that shot in a game, but it was fun watching him shoot it. I have to admit I tried it a few times in practice. It's REALLY hard to do.
 
mr3cushion said:
This might be a good test.

CB frozen on the cush, OB center table. Shoot OB in a corner pocket and Follow the CB into the same pocket.

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Nice shot.
I think that's more of a cueing test than a stroke test. It answers if you can cue straight with a rolling cue ball. Someone that can do this can definitely get into the 600s but not sure where their ceiling would be above that without seeing a stroke test.
 
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