consistantly missing

K

khristophleon

Registered
Guys! Finally I can post. I don't know why, I've read this board for almost a year and this is the first time it's let me post . . .

Here's the question I've wanted to put to you for awhile: I miss left. Alot. Consistantly. Sure I'll miss some balls on the right side of the pocket, but for the most part I'm always left. Ussually on shots that I have to hit harder for position purposes too.

I figure if it's consistant, it's fixable. Unlike when I play golf, where I have no idea if I'm going to hook or slice.

I also figure I'm hitting the cue ball right of center and throwing the ball left. Am I right? I've tried to compensate, but to no avail. Work on the bridge, the stroke, the mental aspect of planning on missing left? Any suggestions?

A bit about me: I'm Chris, 22, Fayetteville Arkansas. I play as much as I can afford, which lately hasn't been much, which means I play alot at the cheap halls with bad tables (and sets of balls). I shoot decent, but I'll mess up a run and do stupid things all the time (leaving the 9 in the pocket for my opponent). I've been playing for about a year and a half. I've got a Lucasi playing cue and a frankenstien break cue (a butt that I found at a hall I worked at and a shaft that my roomate had that happened to fit). Hopefully I'll be able to participate in some of the discusions here nowadays. Thanks guys!

Chris
 
khristophleon said:
Guys! Finally I can post. I don't know why, I've read this board for almost a year and this is the first time it's let me post . . .

Here's the question I've wanted to put to you for awhile: I miss left. Alot. Consistantly. Sure I'll miss some balls on the right side of the pocket, but for the most part I'm always left. Ussually on shots that I have to hit harder for position purposes too.

I figure if it's consistant, it's fixable. Unlike when I play golf, where I have no idea if I'm going to hook or slice.

I also figure I'm hitting the cue ball right of center and throwing the ball left. Am I right? I've tried to compensate, but to no avail. Work on the bridge, the stroke, the mental aspect of planning on missing left? Any suggestions?

A bit about me: I'm Chris, 22, Fayetteville Arkansas. I play as much as I can afford, which lately hasn't been much, which means I play alot at the cheap halls with bad tables (and sets of balls). I shoot decent, but I'll mess up a run and do stupid things all the time (leaving the 9 in the pocket for my opponent). I've been playing for about a year and a half. I've got a Lucasi playing cue and a frankenstien break cue (a butt that I found at a hall I worked at and a shaft that my roomate had that happened to fit). Hopefully I'll be able to participate in some of the discusions here nowadays. Thanks guys!

Chris
Click to expand...

Missing left consistently? It's quite possible that your grip/hold on the cue may be causing it. If you grab the cue firmly in your right hand when you finish your stroke (I'm assuming you're shooting right handed) most likely you're pulling the cue to the left at the end, putting on unwanted right english. If that's the case, try holding the cue with only the first two fingers, the index and the middle finger, and keep a very light touch when shooting.

It's also possible your eyes are tricking you. For that, I'd heartily recommend Joe Tucker's Third Eye Stroke Trainer. Sure has helped me.

Good luck!

Flex
 
khristophleon said:
Guys! Finally I can post. I don't know why, I've read this board for almost a year and this is the first time it's let me post . . .

Here's the question I've wanted to put to you for awhile: I miss left. Alot. Consistantly. Sure I'll miss some balls on the right side of the pocket, but for the most part I'm always left. Ussually on shots that I have to hit harder for position purposes too.

I figure if it's consistant, it's fixable. Unlike when I play golf, where I have no idea if I'm going to hook or slice.

I also figure I'm hitting the cue ball right of center and throwing the ball left. Am I right? I've tried to compensate, but to no avail. Work on the bridge, the stroke, the mental aspect of planning on missing left? Any suggestions?

A bit about me: I'm Chris, 22, Fayetteville Arkansas. I play as much as I can afford, which lately hasn't been much, which means I play alot at the cheap halls with bad tables (and sets of balls). I shoot decent, but I'll mess up a run and do stupid things all the time (leaving the 9 in the pocket for my opponent). I've been playing for about a year and a half. I've got a Lucasi playing cue and a frankenstien break cue (a butt that I found at a hall I worked at and a shaft that my roomate had that happened to fit). Hopefully I'll be able to participate in some of the discusions here nowadays. Thanks guys!

Chris
Click to expand...

then aim more to the right, J/K :D.

Like Flex said it is probably a stroke problem. Try shooting the cue ball up table and have it come back to your cue tip. Do this with a striped ball so that you can see any unwanted spin.

Of course it could also be that you are simply not learning from your misses. I remember the first time I ever practiced pool, one of the regulars set up shots for me to shoot. I would miss them the same way every single time, until I started learning from it and compensating my aim. But for a while I was shooting cut shots down the rail, and I banked the ball cross corner EVERY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I could still do that.
 
khristophleon said:
Guys! Finally I can post. I don't know why, I've read this board for almost a year and this is the first time it's let me post . . .

Here's the question I've wanted to put to you for awhile: I miss left. Alot. Consistantly. Sure I'll miss some balls on the right side of the pocket, but for the most part I'm always left. Ussually on shots that I have to hit harder for position purposes too.

I figure if it's consistant, it's fixable. Unlike when I play golf, where I have no idea if I'm going to hook or slice.

I also figure I'm hitting the cue ball right of center and throwing the ball left. Am I right? I've tried to compensate, but to no avail. Work on the bridge, the stroke, the mental aspect of planning on missing left? Any suggestions?

Chris
Click to expand...
Maybe you're wrong and you are hitting the left side of the cueball deflecting it right and overcutting left.

unknownpro
 
First of all, you need to ask yourself and understand exactly what u did when u missed the ball, ask yourself did I jump up off the shot, did I watch the ball go into the pocket. Number 1 stay down on the shot and watch the ball go into the pocket believe me this will help your shot out and all of the other ones too.
 
try using the cues pivot points then you don't have to worry about the swerve and squirt, and the grip etc... For the grip i have been throwing the cue or sliding the cue in my grip hand lately and been loving it. I wanted to ask this question to all of you, is it good to have that kind of grip to where the cue is sliding in the hand. When the final stroke of the cue i actually throw it to the cueball this is how loose my grip pressure is, now i just started to mess with it, not going to keep this kind of stroke but after watching the Efren clip of his stroke i just wanted to test it out. Thanks.
 
Flex said:
Missing left consistently? It's quite possible that your grip/hold on the cue may be causing it. If you grab the cue firmly in your right hand when you finish your stroke (I'm assuming you're shooting right handed) most likely you're pulling the cue to the left at the end, putting on unwanted right english. If that's the case, try holding the cue with only the first two fingers, the index and the middle finger, and keep a very light touch when shooting.

It's also possible your eyes are tricking you. For that, I'd heartily recommend Joe Tucker's Third Eye Stroke Trainer. Sure has helped me.

Good luck!

Flex
Click to expand...

I agree with everything you said except gripping the cue too tight. That doesn't cause the tip to go to the right. Having your bridge hand too far out to the right cause your tip to go to the right. Having it too far to the left causes it to go left. Your bridge hand alignment with your stroking arm is a very important part of alignment.
 
I do the same to cutting to the right, but I'm left handed. Lots, if not most, have a weak side. As someone mentioned, maybe you need to line the contact points on the OB and CB better. It' helps me.
 
Last night I shot up table (kinda like a lag) and found that most of the time the cue ball ended up on my right side by about a balls width. So I must be in advertantly adding right spin.

Also I noticed that my tip finishes left of my hand, not right. Kind of like I'm coming over the top with my back and and pushing it down. I stay very low on the ball and don't jump up. Perhaps I'm using to level of a cue??
 
I have found a perfect solution for finding my straight stroke before any practice session. This was recommended to me by Charles Bryant and it works.

1. Put an object ball on the center spot of the table.

2. Take ball in hand behind the first diamond as if the kitchen were only half as large as it is. See the WEI diagram.

3. Shoot the object ball diagonally across the table with ZERO english and a medium stroke.

4. Repeat until you shoot all 15 balls in OR you shoot 5 in a row. This option will really make you bear down when you get close to 5 in a row.

Do this everytime you start to practice.:)

START(
%AX4Y8%BV8Z8%C[0O5%DZ7X2%EY9Y4%F\0D8%GV7E0%H[7Z0%I\8Y3%JX8D9
%KW7F9%LU3F6%M^9Z3%NZ4F4%OT7D8%Pn6F0%WD6Z7%XZ0O8%]\7N8%^m7F3
)END
 
all players, even top players, come back to one side or the other during their backswing. just watch the videos closely in slow mo, or ask efren if you can attach a laser to the end of his cue, it will not move exactly strait, there will be lateral movement.

anyway, once you realize this, if your body isnt automatically compensating for it, the best way to deal with it is to learn to hit the exact center of the cueball, at all speeds. having a very true stroke like this is really one of the keys to good pool, and is what takes a lot of time to develop. once you are hitting exactly in the middle as you anticipate, i bet youll miss much less to the left.
 
khristophleon said:
Guys! Finally I can post. I don't know why, I've read this board for almost a year and this is the first time it's let me post . . .

Here's the question I've wanted to put to you for awhile: I miss left. Alot. Consistantly. Sure I'll miss some balls on the right side of the pocket, but for the most part I'm always left. Ussually on shots that I have to hit harder for position purposes too.

I figure if it's consistant, it's fixable. Unlike when I play golf, where I have no idea if I'm going to hook or slice.

I also figure I'm hitting the cue ball right of center and throwing the ball left. Am I right? I've tried to compensate, but to no avail. Work on the bridge, the stroke, the mental aspect of planning on missing left? Any suggestions?

A bit about me: I'm Chris, 22, Fayetteville Arkansas. I play as much as I can afford, which lately hasn't been much, which means I play alot at the cheap halls with bad tables (and sets of balls). I shoot decent, but I'll mess up a run and do stupid things all the time (leaving the 9 in the pocket for my opponent). I've been playing for about a year and a half. I've got a Lucasi playing cue and a frankenstien break cue (a butt that I found at a hall I worked at and a shaft that my roomate had that happened to fit). Hopefully I'll be able to participate in some of the discusions here nowadays. Thanks guys!

Chris
Click to expand...

The great thing about this problem is it should easily be spotted by a good instructor.
 
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