controlling shooting power and consistency

[BillardBill]

As the title says. I want to get consistent. I never until recently started playing all the time. There are times i can run the table like no other then there are times i cant seem to find my groove. I have the habit of shooting way to hard also. I have missed gimme shots that way. I am just looking for advice on making shooting stance concentration and shot power second nature. Any tips would be great thanks in advance.

 

[Rod]

As the title says. I want to get consistent. I never until recently started playing all the time. There are times i can run the table like no other then there are times i cant seem to find my groove. I have the habit of shooting way to hard also. I have missed gimme shots that way. I am just looking for advice on making shooting stance concentration and shot power second nature. Any tips would be great thanks in advance.

As your fundamentals get better your speed will improve. You will learn to slow everything down into a smooth effortless motion. At that time you'll know it's not necessary to hit hard and acheive excellent results. It's all about delevering a straight, unhurried, smooth stroke through the c/b exactly where you intended. There are many drills to help you along at different web sites not to mention books and video. Others will chime in on that matter.

Rod

 

[BillardBill]

I think i am very good. I just need to constantly remember to hit soft.lol I was just wondering what methods other have used. My strengths are cuts that most think are impossible. Long shots are my weakness. Just wanted some tips. I am trying to learn straight pool.

 

[crawdaddio]

See a qualified instructor. Seriously. It's cheaper than a cue, and it will help your game immensely.

~DC

 

[vapoolplayer]

I think i am very good.

ok, we've identified the first problem. once you actually are realistic with yourself about your playing ability you will get better. no offense, but if you were "very good" you wouldn't need to remember something. its not just as simple as changing ONE thing most of the time. once you realize what your weaknesses are you will start to improve.

I was just wondering what methods other have used.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE............the balls are round, they will roll. as stated above, you're fundamentals could probably use ALOT of work. as speed becomes much easier with correct fundamentals and alot of practice.

My strengths are cuts that most think are impossible. Long shots are my weakness. Just wanted some tips.

what about LONG CUTS that people think are impossible??? LOL

must not hang around alot of serious poolplayers if they think its impossible.........LOL.........start playing with guys that are better than you, even if you have to gamble a little. if the people you are playing are shocked with the shots you are making........you're playing the wrong people.....(unless you're gambling )

seriously though, long shots are the SAME as short shots, except for the speed that you make the hit with. if you're having trouble with long shots its most likely your fundamentals. closer shots leave more room for error than long shots, so on longer shots, the flaws in your fundamentals are showing much more.

don't mean this to be a confidence killer, just that you really need to be honest with yourself on your ability, the first step to improvement is realizing EXACTLY what your weak points are.

VAP

 

[sjm]

As the title says. I want to get consistent. I never until recently started playing all the time. There are times i can run the table like no other then there are times i cant seem to find my groove. I have the habit of shooting way to hard also. I have missed gimme shots that way. I am just looking for advice on making shooting stance concentration and shot power second nature. Any tips would be great thanks in advance.

Sounds like you have a decent shooting eye and some natural ability, but you'll need to take lessons to get your stroke fundamnetals in proper working order, as developing a repeatable stroke must become your top priority.

As for hitting the balls hard, the story goes that BCA Hall of Famer Cisero Murphy once asked Mosconi for some advice about his game, and Mosconi told him "learn ot hit the balls easy." I'm sure Willie would have said the same to you.

Finally, as for missing gimme shots, Lassiter was quoted as saying that "the day I stopped missing easy shots was the day I realized no shot is easy." In other words, learn to take every shot seriously, because just about everything is missable. the operative word is that you must play with "commitment" to what you are doing.

 

[Billy_Bob]

For shooting too hard problem...

Practice by breaking all 15 balls, then shoot each ball so it just goes up to the pocket, but does not drop into the pocket. You will learn how softly you can hit many shots. It is incredible how soft you can hit some shots on a fast table and make the pocket.

Also practice shooting just the cue ball just 1/2 diamond distance (not easy).

For long shots, practice "progressive" drills such as the following. Cue ball always at same spot. Start with OB furthest away, then bring closer and closer after each shot. Can do the same by leaving OB in same spot and moving CB further and further away. And with cut shots - move OB further and further away from pocket, etc.

http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/

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[BillardBill]

thanks for the advice and yeah alot of times i dont take SIMPLE shots serious enough. I just gotta get a habit i follow when i play. Honestly my biggest weakness are long straight on shots. I can make long cuts short cuts like i said even some cuts that most people consider tricky or say hard to make. I also excell at two the three ball combo shots. thanks for the advice ill keep playing and hopefully find my groove.

 

[vapoolplayer]

thanks for the advice and yeah alot of times i dont take SIMPLE shots serious enough. I just gotta get a habit i follow when i play. Honestly my biggest weakness are long straight on shots. I can make long cuts short cuts like i said even some cuts that most people consider tricky or say hard to make. I also excell at two the three ball combo shots. thanks for the advice ill keep playing and hopefully find my groove.

i'm going to play devil's advocate here............

you excel at all those things but can't make a straight in shot???


VAP

 

[BillardBill]

Yes its like alot of times i must shoot them too hard i get weird caroms off the cue ball. And yes i am great at the shots i listed as funny as that sounds.

 

[Billy_Bob]

It can be fun to whack in balls fast, but when I seriously want to win, I take my time and will try to use the amount of force necessary to leave the cue ball lined up for the next shot. Many times it is a very light hit. So light in fact, that I had to change to a lighter cue once I started playing this way. I could not accomplish such light hits with a heavier cue. Other times I will use a fast hit to get the cue ball to wind up at the opposite end of the table. My speed of hit is dictated by where I want the cue ball to end up. [Very light hit to very fast hit.]

Keep in mind that some shots will not work with a fast hit. Like a ball near the rail shot into the corner pocket. With a fast hit, the OB hits the pocket facing and picks up spin. Then the OB bounces to the opposite facing and the spin spins it back out of the pocket. A medium or soft hit will pocket the ball whereas a fast hit will not pocket the ball.

 

[BillardBill]

Yeah i am finding on my trouble shots i am missing them because i hit too hard. And i noticed if i slow it down a tad and hit lighter i make them. Pool is definetly a game that takes mins to learn but a lifetime to master. I really appreciate all the pointers you guys on here are willing to give. When i shoot long straight shots my instinct is to kill the ball and i end ringing the pocket and it flings out. I need to work on my repetition and control myself with shot speed and concentration. Thanks guys and i will keep reading your wisdom on the forums i learn alot about the game this way. I been playing straight pool as best i have figured it out. thanks again

 

[vapoolplayer]

Just play every shot just like its a combo...the "pocket" is the ball you want to combo.....that should solve all your problems...

Something I found by accident that helps with the "overhit" of shots... (The wife was sleeping in the next room) Shoot "quietly" ...shoot as quietly as you can... (The click of the balls...and the ball hitting the back of the pocket) You will find that your stroke smoothes out and you will find that you can actually move the CB just as well if not better than when you shoot hard...

So just imagine that someone is asleep under the table and you don't want to wake them....

Also...go watch a live pro match..."listen" to the sounds...The sounds you hear from a pro player are different than an ameature....You have to "listen" though don't just look...

I would venture to say that the are some instructor types on this board that can tell how good a player is just by listening to the sounds without ever seeing the guy shoot...

good post. jimmy reid actually preaches that before you shoot your shot, picture yourself shooting and making the shot, and to imagine the sound of the shot. he says that if you can imagine the sound it will make at different speeds then speed control will be much easier.

VAP

 

[Egg McDogit]

that's interesting with the sounds...I'll have to try that
out. am I supposed to imagine the sound of the ball
rattling out of the pocket too?

peace
-Egg

 

[NewGuy]

I think i am very good. I just need to constantly remember to hit soft.lol I was just wondering what methods other have used. My strengths are cuts that most think are impossible. Long shots are my weakness. Just wanted some tips. I am trying to learn straight pool.

You sound just like me before I started taking lessons. First thing my instructor asked me after watching me shoot a couple of easy short shots was "You have problems with long shots, don't you?", and she was absolutely right. It turns out that my stroke, stance and bridge were pure shit. I corrected my fundamentals with her help and my game has improved tremendously. I agree totally with crawdaddio, see a qualified instructor right away. I waited a year after I started playing to take a lesson and I wish I hadn't. My game would've been so much better now and I wouldn't have formed so many bad habits.

 

[BillardBill]

I have also noticed the table i play 80 percent of the time on is my dads brunswick and its only three years old. And i have noticed the table is fast and the balls are very sensitive. So this is probably amplifying my problems. I have noticed i play better on other older tables that dont play as fast. I know what you mean about the sounds though very good point.

 

[mjantti]

that's interesting with the sounds...I'll have to try that
out. am I supposed to imagine the sound of the ball
rattling out of the pocket too?

Only when your opponent is at the table

Hey BilliardBill, I'm sorry to say, but if you can't make a long straight shot, how can you make 2 or 3 ball combos ? They both require a very accurate shot. I've noticed that many beginners & mediocre players think that they are good at making combos. I don't know from where this fallacy comes from, because the combos, especially if there is some cut involved, are one of the hardest shots on pool table. Try playing a top notch straight pool player and he rarely shoots combos unless they are dead or there's nothing else to play. If you start gambling with him, you'll soon notice that you shouldn't shoot them either unless you have a big fat wallet

Also, many players start to fear long shots and when coaching them, they tend to have movement in the body because they expect to miss the long shot and use their body "guiding" it in. When I'm not shooting them straight, I place a few balls between side pockets and put the cueball behind the head string and shoot them in the far corner as dead straight shots. Don't fire them in, just make sure you get the ball in and stop the cueball. If you have a tendency to miss longer shots, this exercise will tell you if you miss them to left or right from the pocket. It just might be, that you stiffen up on longer shots and thus making your cue go off the aiming line.

 

[BillardBill]

Well as i said believe me or not i can make complex multiple ball combo shots cuts etc(and i have played with older players that are good that have told me i am strong in this). I think my long shot problem is shot power. I get them alot that rattle out alot.

 

[drivermaker]

Yes its like alot of times i must shoot them too hard i get weird caroms off the cue ball. And yes i am great at the shots i listed as funny as that sounds.

You say you're really a good player and great at the shots you listed, but what you WOULD be is a road player's or better players dream come true. Most who play this game have an over inflated view of the strength of their game. In other posts you say that you have quite a bit of trouble with long straight in shots, hitting too hard, and unexplained weird caroms with the CB. That's not a sign of a "good" player.

Do you know what a good player is? It's someone that can run rack after rack and just dominate anyone of lesser skills, as well as equal skills. It's someone that makes you think that a prank was pulled on you by painting your seat with crazy glue because your ass never comes up off of it to shoot. And when you do, you're just trying to get yourself out of jail and not foul. It's also YOU having the ability to do just what I said.

I'm not quite sure you know how "bad" you really are, but it sounds like you have a lonnnnng way to go. This may be blunt, OK it IS blunt, but sometimes that slap in the face might end up doing you more good than someone agreeing with you. BTW...you're real good in 3-ball combinations? Do you know how often a "good" player has that actually come up or would be willing to chance it unless it was lined up like a laser beam? Keep practicing and working at it...that's all I can say.

 

[vapoolplayer]

You say you're really a good player and great at the shots you listed, but what you WOULD be is a road player's or better players dream come true. Most who play this game have an over inflated view of the strength of their game. In other posts you say that you have quite a bit of trouble with long straight in shots, hitting too hard, and unexplained weird caroms with the CB. That's not a sign of a "good" player.

Do you know what a good player is? It's someone that can run rack after rack and just dominate anyone of lesser skills, as well as equal skills. It's someone that makes you think that a prank was pulled on you by painting your seat with crazy glue because your ass never comes up off of it to shoot. And when you do, you're just trying to get yourself out of jail and not foul. It's also YOU having the ability to do just what I said.

I'm not quite sure you know how "bad" you really are, but it sounds like you have a lonnnnng way to go. This may be blunt, OK it IS blunt, but sometimes that slap in the face might end up doing you more good than someone agreeing with you. BTW...you're real good in 3-ball combinations? Do you know how often a "good" player has that actually come up or would be willing to chance it unless it was lined up like a laser beam? Keep practicing and working at it...that's all I can say.

i didn't want to word it that way.......but.........DM just about said it all.........

i'd like to put what i said out there again..........

obviously you're not playing very strong players if you're wowing people.......good players aren't easily wowed by cut shots........

and you probably don't gamble much..........seems to me that people who don't gamble have this huge illusion that they are good players..............go out and put up your rent money next week and you'll either do one of three things afterwards:

1: the most typical.........you'll swear off gambling totally and go back to that illusion that you play good. when someone asks you to play some cheap, you'll stick your chest out and say "i don't play for money, but i'll play for fun with you" then after they kick your ass you'll say "well it was just for fun, i didn't take it seriously" and you'll be a C or D player well into your 80's but telling all the young players about "when i used to be able to play"

2: second most common......you'll flat out quit playing pool.......you'll get your ass handed to you so bad that you don't even want to see a pool cue. and again when you're 80 and someone that you know mentions pool you'll talk about "how i hustled pool to pay for college"

3: least common.........you'll do what i did, and what alot of other people have.......you'll realize you can't play this game for shit........decide that you're going to change that and you'll be at a pool hall more than you're at work or home. when you're at home its to sleep, when you're at work you're just passing time till the pool hall opens and looking at the forum all day. when you're at the pool room you'll be doing drills for six hours or so a day, its gets boring as hell, so for the first few weeks you'll just play around, then you'll go to a tourney and get your ass handed to you........after that you'll realize that the boring practice is worth it and eventually it will be fun. you'll develop a huge hatred for missing shots or position.......(especially the straight in ones, and you'll learn that a 3 ball combo isn't worth shit....besides how often does a 3 ball combo come up???) you'll find a good teacher/s and always be broke cause you play so much. your gf will hate you for being at the pool hall more than her and even get jeolous when you introduce your road partner (happened to me just the other day when i told her i'd be travelling with someone to most tourneys)

you won't have time for shit else but pool, NOTHING, you will barely be able to breath fresh air cause you're so used to smoke filled pool rooms...............and NO ONE gets to be a "good player" without playing that much, and i'm sure you haven't done that....................so is being a good player really worth it to you?????

you'll probably dismiss the last two posts because you fall into category number one.........but hey you can always TELL people that you can make a 3 ball combo any day..........

good luck and if you don't quit pool next week let us know how it goes.....

VAP