Are you kidding? This cat is not seeking expert advice. I mean, he asked us -- AZB's motley crew. Right?I would suggest you also post this in the Ask The Instructors sub-forum...
I posted recently about not hitting it straight consistently enough and was told that video analysis is the best bet. Here is my video from two angles.
Just from looking at this I see a few minor things - not sure if they are problems:
But I'm no expert so I might be missing something else bigger than the above.
- Dropping the elbow a bit.
- Follow-through could be longer.
- Forearm not perfectly vertical at address, but close.
P.S. Please ignore the crazy stupid bridge I am using. I have thumb synovitis at the moment and while it is recovering I cannot use my standard open bridge. This will have to do for now. I know it is not super stable, but I do not think this is the cause of my issues as I used to have the same issues beforehand with a standard open bridge. No need to tell me. =)
Wise choice. Post some clips with the actual hit and what the balls do.Thanks everyone for the constructive feedback.
I'm going to take it slow and add one thing at a time. Or maybe two. For now I'm just focusing on getting lower on the ball and reducing the cue elevation to make it flatter. So far that has already paid dividends with my straight-in shot drills. But I'm not gonna count my chickens just yet. As with golf, every time you think you cracked the code you end up being humbled soon thereafter.
Unfortunately, Marks book is not available at the present time. That sucks because I agree that it is the the best and worth way more than the price.You are getting a lot of advice here. Not all of it is the same or consistent with one another. Some suggest getting instruction. That is not necessarily bad. However, some instructors are better than others. It looks like you are in NYC. If you are, I would suggest Tony Robles. Other than him, I am not sure. I would hold out for him.
I would agree with those that say your cue is too elevated. Some suggest this is a function of your high bridge, which will be lowered when you heal. One thing I think you should take from this, is that, in my view, most people do not appreciate how certain aspects of their pre-shot routine influence or cause other things. For example, when you address the cue ball, your distance from the cue ball influences head position and grip just to name a few.
I would recommend getting Mark Wilson's Play Great Pool Book. It is expensive, but in my view, it is the best instructional book and easily worth the price.
kollegedave
I posted recently about not hitting it straight consistently enough and was told that video analysis is the best bet. Here is my video from two angles.
Just from looking at this I see a few minor things - not sure if they are problems:
But I'm no expert so I might be missing something else bigger than the above.
- Dropping the elbow a bit.
- Follow-through could be longer.
- Forearm not perfectly vertical at address, but close.
P.S. Please ignore the crazy stupid bridge I am using. I have thumb synovitis at the moment and while it is recovering I cannot use my standard open bridge. This will have to do for now. I know it is not super stable, but I do not think this is the cause of my issues as I used to have the same issues beforehand with a standard open bridge. No need to tell me. =)
"The book" is back in stock.You are getting a lot of advice here. Not all of it is the same or consistent with one another. Some suggest getting instruction. That is not necessarily bad. However, some instructors are better than others. It looks like you are in NYC. If you are, I would suggest Tony Robles. Other than him, I am not sure. I would hold out for him.
I would agree with those that say your cue is too elevated. Some suggest this is a function of your high bridge, which will be lowered when you heal. One thing I think you should take from this, is that, in my view, most people do not appreciate how certain aspects of their pre-shot routine influence or cause other things. For example, when you address the cue ball, your distance from the cue ball influences head position and grip just to name a few.
I would recommend getting Mark Wilson's Play Great Pool Book. It is expensive, but in my view, it is the best instructional book and easily worth the price.
kollegedave
If you can repeatedly successfully complete this drill at slower speeds, then try slowly incrementing the force of your stroke until you start to spray your shots. Note the point in which the errors creep in and stay at that pace until you manage to correct the error. The fact that your "misses" are random and only start to occur when you're ramping up the power, I would look at your grip, and whether or not your body is shifting during the shot.So on hard shots I definitely run into issues with the standard "hit a cue ball down the table and have it come back to your tip" drill. I miss at least 2/3 of hard shots with side spin (not always consistent direction). This tells me I am not hitting it dead center every time, but I haven't actually seen any advice on what to change so I DO hit it dead center every time.