Do you have a good stroke?

Good stroke? Better than most, but still working on good. Better it gets, better I play. When I do it right, it's good. Still working on consistency, which will come in time. Recently re-worked it yet again. Very happy with it when I do what I want to do, just takes time to totally ingrain it.

And, I agree, most do not realize how bad their stroke really is and how much that holds them back.
 
I get compliments quite often on how good my stroke looks.
I never worked on it. Just starting playing at 14 years old and I guess it just came naturally.
When i play i rarely think about it. The only time I give it any thought is when the cue ball is frozen to a rail and I think just keep it short and smooth.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
Thank you for responding, Randy G. I'd like to rephrase my question if I may: In which way does your stroke(s), not just Randys but all who read this thread, differ from someone like Mika Immonen or SVB?
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To me, a good stroke is one that enables you to hit the cb precisely where you want to and at the speed you want to reliably. With great consistency. Consistency is a big thing that separates pros from amateurs.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
I guess you were lucky or talented, or maybe both. I started much later in life and in the beginning my stroke was GOD AWFUL! I actually have a video clip from that time that I watch from time to time and it is a horror show. Every stroke flaw imaginable and then some. The funny thing is that I could still pocket balls, but of course the touch and position play were terrible because of all the steering and corrections. I am still fighting to this day with all the bad habits that formed at the start of my journey. I guess much of it happened because I have a vision center to the left of my chin, yet I am right handed and right eye dominant. I didn't know that at the time, so I would line up crooked and correct it at the last minute. I suspect that's how a lot of stroke flaws develop.
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You know the more I think about it although I never worked my stroke I did grow up in New Jersey and started playing in 1961. Living there I got to watch just about all the old time legends. Mosconi,Crane,Caras,Butera,Balsis,Murphy,Mizerack,Lassiter,
,Martin.and a bunch more.Maybe it was just from watching them.
 
measureman said:
I get compliments quite often on how good my stroke looks.
I never worked on it. Just starting playing at 14 years old and I guess it just came naturally.
When i play i rarely think about it. The only time I give it any thought is when the cue ball is frozen to a rail and I think just keep it short and smooth.
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I star playing at 7 years old, now I'm 67 and my stroke is not is good when I was 14 years old, but I'm working on it.......................
 
My stroke changes weekly. I've said for years," if I were consistent I would live in Vegas".

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
 
I have noticed that my cue rarely travels the same path twice in a row.

Bugs me sometimes, but I usually pick the right swing to pull me trigger on.
 
No, I don't right now. But, it's getting a lot better every day.

I took like 6+ years off from pool, and my main problem was thinking I could just come back and play "naturally" like I always did in the past (where I'm not thinking about the stroke much).

NOPE, that don't work. I only have a good stroke now on shots I go through a freakin' mental checklist on before the final swing. If I forget to do that, it goes out the window. But it's getting towards being automatic again... just need more time (ugh, working 80 hour weeks right now doesn't leave but like 20 minutes for pool a day).
 
What's also weird is that I'm noticing that I do focus on the same thing on all shots... my bridge hand. I'm staring at my bridge making sure my final stroke is the same as the practice strokes. I swear I'm not even looking at the balls when I'm shooting (after I line stuff up). But then after the hit, I immediate watch the balls, and have no idea what's going on with the follow through.

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...
 
After trying LD shafts and different tips. Watching videos and joining a pool forum. I had hernia surgery and swore to only work on my stroke during recovery. Decided to try to learn nothing new until my stroke was better. Naturally my stroke will always need some work but it is probably better than it's ever been. Now when my game goes south I don't try to fix it with equipment. I go directly to stroke drills. Seems to help me.
 
I don't have a good stroke, but a great one. I've been focusing on my cue delivery for a long time and it has paid off.

Cue delivery is not the same as a stroke. The stroke is one part of the cue delivery. Other aspects are the grip, bridge/gripe hand distance, stance, angle of attack.

These all have to be in place in order to stroke with consistently with the cue stick.

I am quite proud of my stroke.......for a banger.

As for what is different from the players listed.....I haven't a clue and don't care how they stroke. They are not me with my body.

Best suggestion is develop your own style.......
 
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Can you please post a video? I'm always interested in watching great strokes. Without watching others I would probably have no idea of how to improve my own stroke and the great strokes are so rare...in my small country you can probably count the truely great strokes on one hand.
 
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Straightpool_99 said:
I agree that consistency is the actual product of a good stroke and the main difference between pros and amateurs. I got to see Mika Immonen live many years ago, and what struck me was the perfect straightness and smoothness of his stroke. I have never seen anything like it in the pool world. Everything is on a perfect line, the timing is perfect, everything. I even got to watch it from above as the poolhall had 2 floors with a view down to the tables. I watched a lot of players and only Mika was always perfectly on line all the time. The others were close, but not as good, even those who were of a similar playing level. Yet, even Mika has off days. That just shows how difficult this game really is!
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Mika's stroke is straight and very accurate however I wouldn't say it's smooth. I think he has a lot of unnecessary movement from his elbow to his shoulder which gets him in trouble from time to time. At times his stroke even looks a bit jerky. He certainly is a great player with an abundance of talent, but in terms of smoothness he doesn't compare to most top pros. As we all know it's hard for most players to be as smooth as the Filipino players but in Mika's case guys like Souqouet, Applteton, Morris, Shane, Corey are all much smoother.
 
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