Do you have a good stroke?

[Spimp13]

I'd have to say my stroke is decent, but not as good as what others point it out to be. I think they say that because I make some run outs look very easy which is probably just more of a mental confidence thing vs having a good stroke. I know it's not bad and has improved throughout the years, but it still needs improvement!

 

[dr_dave]

simple test to determine if you have a good draw stroke. Set OB on headstring. Set CB .5 diamond behind OB in kitchen. Your goal is to draw the CB back to the rail (2 diamonds away) without having the OB contact that same rail (18 diamonds travel)

FYI, a demo of this challenge drills is shown in the following video:

NV C.4 - Draw shot challenge drills, from VEPP I

and as we explain and demonstrate in the video, it is easy to cheat (but that doesn't count).

Enjoy,
Dave

 

[bdorman]

My stroke is good...when I pay attention to it (i.e. pre-shot routine). But too often I rush my routine, especially when I don't have to move far to get to the CB for the next shot, or the shot is so "easy" that I assume I can't miss (big mistake).

Other big problem is not taking full-length practice strokes; sometimes my practice strokes are short, half-length practice strokes which are really just wrist action. Then the flaws show up in my final (full) stroke.

I really need to practice my stroke more, but with limited table time the urge to play is too great.

 

[Sloppy Pockets]

I think I have a good stroke, but not a great one. It is vastly improved over what it was like two years ago when I started playing again. Mostly, though, I'm inconsistent.

On days that I am shooting well, my stroke feels smooth, straight, and powerful. When I am shooting poorly, it feels like someone else took control of my right arm. Logic should lead to the conclusion that the poor stroke is responsible for my missed shots, but I think my stroke deteriorates after I start missing, not the other way around.

Seems that my subconscious mind gets desperate to make shots I know from experience should pose no problem to me, and forces my arm to misbehave in an attempt to "fix" the problem. I will doubt my alignment and unconsciously steer the stroke, or stab at the ball, or quit on the stroke on the way to the CB and fail to get through it correctly, creating an out of control feeling to my stroke.

If I take the time to pay attention, I will usually find that there is tension in my grip or my wrist. Just the act of trying to deliver a relaxed and fluid stroke will often improve things right away, but I have to catch myself first. Not always an easy thing to do, at least for me.

 

[trinacria]

im not sure if mine is good or terrible, but I do know that to execute shots consistently you have no choice but to work on your stroke. stroke it dont poke it kinda thing. How good it looks is irrelevent, the result you get is more iportarntant. allen hopkins looks horrible, but he won championships, bustamante looks flamboyant, but hes one of the greats. orcollo uses two fingers, hes pretty good.

 

[naji]

im not sure if mine is good or terrible, but I do know that to execute shots consistently you have no choice but to work on your stroke. stroke it dont poke it kinda thing. How good it looks is irrelevent, the result you get is more iportarntant. allen hopkins looks horrible, but he won championships, bustamante looks flamboyant, but hes one of the greats. orcollo uses two fingers, hes pretty good.

Proper aim for each shot forces your stroke to be good, People with best stroke will miss a shot if the head (EYE) looking at a line of aim and you body off line, especially more than a 1/2 ball hit. IMO it does not matter how you hold the cue; unless you backward swing is quick and jerky.