Can't get my stroke straight. AARf

Solartje · 2009-04-27T12:09:57+00:00

Hi all, I have been checking my errors with many hours of vid's, and the main reason im inconsistant, is because i can't deliver my cue in a straight line. I played snooker for around 6 years, and used a tipical snooker position with 4 contact points with the cue. (chin, chest, bridge and grip) Ive started playing pool 4 years ago, and i wanted to play pool and not snooker, so i watched many hours of players, and i changed my position. I am a bit higher (chin 2-5 inches above cue), i dont use my chest as a guide anymore and i use a closed bridge. I have been training my straight stroke for over a year now and its STILL not working. I used the bottle drill, i used the lagshot with the measle ball to see if i put unintentional english, i used a self made cheap-mans-copy of the straight stroke trainer (board with 4 things sticking out where you place your cue in), but its still not straight. When concentrating on it, i can deliver it perfectly straight, but as soon as i'm in a game, i lose it. Either i concentrate on the straight stroke, but i miss the shot-position, or I dont concentrate and im not stroking straight. I'm always puting up 0.5/1 tip of english to the left side. My back arm swings outside at the end of my stroke. Ive thought it over, and it looks like (one ) of the problems is, that when my griphand is in finish position at the shoulder, and my stroke doesnt come to a natural rest there, but is forced to stop because my griphand can't go trough my shoulder, the backarm swings sideways to stop the movement. (i hope this is clear :s ) slow shots, griphand stops naturaly till the shoulder. hard shots, griphand penduls till the shoulder, and once it at maximum closeness to the shoulder, the arm bends out untill the stroke is totally finished. as the bottle drill, lagdrill with striped ball or measle ball, is always played at slow speed, so i dont have as much problems as where in a match i often need to play shots harder then a lagshot. I have tried so many different grips, and even if some seem to be better then all, if the stroke aint straight, a good grip will also result in non center hits, so its harder to judge wich is best. I'm using a VERY lose grip at the moment, i don't close my griphand at the end of the stroke, but i leave it loose. I'm getting very frustrated, because i master many advanced things, but I can't master a straight stroke. Its been 15 months now, and its still not there... im getting frustrated... Sometimes i'm thinking of going back to my snooker stance, and use my chest to garantee !! that my cue will go straight, but I want to play pool like a poolplayer, and there are SO many pro's who dont use there chest and deliver it perfectly straight, i refuse to admit that a chest is needed as a guide. :( The weird thing is, on many video's the stroke looks perfect (grip, eye, cue, bridge in one perfect line, but i just know im not stroking straight.