Billiards greatest strokes

Based on your list, you're looking for top 5 ever in each category. I can't comment on anybody pre-1965, and my choices will reflect it.

5 most Powerful strokes:1.Mike Massey 2. Earl Strickland 3.Larry Nevel 4. Corey Deuel, 5. Tony Ellin

5 prettiest strokes: 1. in a landslide, Steve Mizerak, 2. Jack Colavita, 3. Buddy Hall, 4. Mika Immonen, 5. Ralf Souquet

5 ugliest strokes: 1. Allen Hopkins, 2. Mike Davis, 3,4,5 ???
 
Prettiest, Buddy Hall, Kim Davenport and Choo Choo Coltrain before he got sick. He had a stroke you'd kill for.
 
The most powerful strokes had to be from the era of slow (Stevens) cloth. For that reason I'm very surprised this guy hasn't been mentioned. CORNBREAD RED! He would pump it like a machine gun and let it loose and balls would explode everywhere. His stroke was all controlled power. He had a cannon for an arm. SCARY!

Of course Mike Massey is a modern day freak. He is by far the most powerful man ever to play pool. They didn't call him the Tennessee Tarzan for nothing. In his day all the arm wrestling bandits would duck him.

And the most beautiful strokes occured in this era also. Number one and it isn't close is MARVIN HENDERSON. If you ever saw him play, you would never forget the sheer beauty of his stroke. It was like watching a pianist perform. Second was Ed Kelly who also had the sweetest swing you ever saw. I loved watching him play. It was like ballet on a pool table.

Now combine the two (most powerful and most beautiful) and you have the MIZ!!! He had the alltime stroke, it looked great and the cue ball was at his mercy. Miz may have had the best pure stroke and way of going thru the ball of anyone ever. Buddy is second in this department. Buddy always made the purest hit on the cue ball, time after time.

Honorable mention must go to Harold Worst. His stroke wasn't that pretty, in fact it was quite compact, but he could make the cue ball stand up and sing. Kind of like Allen Hopkins on steroids.

Nicest slip stroke belonged to Jimmy Moore. Poetry in motion is the best description.

Ugly strokes, let's see. Greg Fix comes to mind. Keith's side arm delivery fooled many a prospect. Allen's punch is like a little jab. But the uglest I ever saw was Archie the Greek's. Not a good player, just the highest gambler ever. His "stroke" was a combination of a lunge and a thrust. All in all it always looked like he hit it at the wrong time. It was the perfect stroke for bar room hustles, which was his pool forte.
 
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Archey sucks, I tell you the whole story, before he made his score at the Rum Runner, I have it in my head and on my Moms Grave on Mothers Day I know the whole thing, details and nothing left to guess 100% factual information for your book(s) Jay should you want to use it.

too many typo's tonight I'm off to bed, I miss my mom more than anything ever, Happy mothers day Mom, 2/27-3/05, i'll never be the same, if you have a mom call her and send flowers because when you cant it hurts like hell and then some. now back to pool sorry but Mom gets some recognition here, thanks gentalman.
 
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Barboxlegend21 said:
5 ugliest strokes:

#4.Nick Varner
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I don't get this. Varner has a kind of hitch in his delivery, but it is quite smooth and very pure.

Mizerak had the prettiest stroke I've ever seen.
 
strokes

Strong strokes Semih Sayginer and Mike Massey. smooth Jay Swanson and Miz. Mike Massey came to San Diego around 1980 and did a show, his power strokes shots were amazing. jeff olney
 
My favorite stroker was Jack White. What Mike Massey does with raw power, Jack did with timing and smoothness.
 
strongest strokes.

1. Saygnir (the first poster who mentioned him is 100% correct, watch his exhibition video on Carom cafe unbelievable)

2. Jack Hynes (after watching Mike Massey draw his rock up and down the table Jack {in only a way Jack could challenged him to the stroke shot} Mike does not gamble though)

3. Mike Massey (some of his shots can not be duplicated in artistic pool competitions)

4. Cornbread Red (Fired balls in with that slip stroke)

5. Chris Szuter (Pump handle goofy looking but he can move whitey0
 
Miz and Ed Kelly were something special,

buddy hall(who is one of my favorite players) stroke looks ok-what makes him look so good is his CB control, if you just look at him and not the rock his stroke dosent compair to Ed Kelly or Miz. If you look at everything, stroke, balls etc then he looks better, to me anyways. But thats not to say he dosent have a great stroke, just not like the guys above.

i still havent figured out how alan hopkins does it,

Keith is fun to watch, i love the way he floats around the box.
 
jay helfert said:
Now combine the two (most powerful and most beautiful) and you have the MIZ!!! He had the alltime stroke, it looked great and the cue ball was at his mercy. Miz may have had the best pure stroke and way of going thru the ball of anyone ever. Buddy is second in this department. Buddy always made the purest hit on the cue ball, time after time.
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Thank you Jay, saved me alot of typing :D. Honorable mention for smooth stroke goes to {IMO} Toby Sweet, not a household name unless your house flew under the radar...flawless.
 
I could never stand watching Mike Lebron play. I had to hide my eyes for fear that I would emulate some of his movements when I went to play later...

I really like the mechanics of Danny Harriman and Dennis Hatch.

But The Miz and Tony Watson have the best strokes for a guy to watch before you go to play...

Cicero had a pokey stroke, but if you watch the videos of him, you can see that stroke is an integral part of his concentration. Each shot is the entire game to him. He focussed completely on that shot and it has a definate starting and completion point. He is the best example of focus I have ever seen. He was methodical to the point of almost looking like he did not know what he was doing... until you saw balls evaporating off the table.
 
Barboxlegend21 said:
5 ugliest strokes:#1.Dick Lane

#2.Bushwacker Nolan

#3.Mike Davis

#4.Nick Varner

#5.Steve Moore:eek:
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You forgot Keith McCready, looks like he's throwing a side arm fast ball!
 
9BallMarksman said:
How can you mention beautiful strokes and not put Corey Deuel on the list?
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I agree about Corey Duell but I would put #1 for beautiful strokes I have seen Buddy Hall... smooth as butter.
 
Grady said:
Denny Searcy in both catagories
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Grady, unfortunately I have not really had the oppourtunity to see you play. In all candor where would you rate your own stroke.

Please people, if Grady is so kind as to give an honest appraisal of his own stroke (be that appraisal good or bad), do not jump all over him. Just let him speak and leave it at that.
 
Deadon said:
Gotta double that and, (Jay) IMHO, Cole had the smoothest slip stroke I ever have ever seen.

Mike
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Cole also had a super powerful stroke. Thanks for reminding me. He was close to Cornbread when it came to hi-octane stroking.

Denny's stroke was more finesse and smoothness. He caressed the cue ball like no one ever, except maybe Marvin and Kelly.
 
1-pocket-player said:
I think Mark Tadd belongs on the list for powerful strokes. I am referring to when Mark was in his prime.


-Andy
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Mark's stroke looked like all brute strength.
 
Voodoo Daddy said:
Thank you Jay, saved me alot of typing :D. Honorable mention for smooth stroke goes to {IMO} Toby Sweet, not a household name unless your house flew under the radar...flawless.
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Of course I knew Toby (still do haha). He had what I would call a very efficient stroke. Very clean and precise. A great gambler too by the way. He has many, many scalps.
 
BillYards said:
I could never stand watching Mike Lebron play. I had to hide my eyes for fear that I would emulate some of his movements when I went to play later...

I really like the mechanics of Danny Harriman and Dennis Hatch.

But The Miz and Tony Watson have the best strokes for a guy to watch before you go to play...

Cicero had a pokey stroke, but if you watch the videos of him, you can see that stroke is an integral part of his concentration. Each shot is the entire game to him. He focussed completely on that shot and it has a definate starting and completion point. He is the best example of focus I have ever seen. He was methodical to the point of almost looking like he did not know what he was doing... until you saw balls evaporating off the table.
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Cisero had the All Time strangest stroke ever! His arm went in three different directions going back, and that ain't the half of it. When he reached the top of his back swing, he hesitated for about a full second, cocked his arm, and only then went down thru the cue ball. The amazing thing is that it worked! He made it work.

Grady's stroke was nothing to write home about either. He was a little scrunched up, but he could deliver a powerful swing. His cue was nice and level, I will say that. And he always made a good hit. I don't think Grady ever miscued in his life. Kind of like Buddy that way.
 
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