Do you pause

[3RAILKICK]

as a part of the final delivery stroke?

...pause at the cb, to end the last practice stroke, then make final delivery stoke, without pause..as if it were another full practice stroke???


...pause(stop) at the back of the delivery stroke, then accelerate forward to strike the cb?


...both?


...neither?...delivery stroke could be any of last two, three practice strokes, since all the same at this stage of readiness?



I've tried all versions.

I find that the 'first' version works best for me. Stopping at the cb, tells me that practice strokes are over. As I am older, the pause at the cb allows me time to allow my eyes to do one last cb-ob focused alignment...then begin the last continuous full shooting stroke.


The pause and restart at the back of the final stroke from a dead stop, causes me to sometimes 'load up' stored energy, and pull the cue offline with the shoulder, similar to 'coming over the top' in a(my) golf swing...


What do you do, and why?


thanks


...this is a question primarily for non-instructor members/what you do...as opposed to what we should be doing..

 

[SARDiver]

No, I don't, and I don't for the same reason I perform a pre-shot "waggle" with the clubhead before swinging in golf. I find that when my muscles are already engaged in an action, it is easier to be smooth when shifting action. A pause disrupts the fluidity of the motion as far as I'm concerned.

 

[billiardthought]

Pause when first addressing the cue ball, practice strokes, then pause at the cue ball after warm up strokes, before my final backstroke

 

[Bavafongoul]

It's The Pause That Refreshes........

I always pause before starting my forward pendelum and I find that when I am really shooting well........just envisioning the actual collision point and resulting reaction of the cue ball and the roll of the object ball in my mind before I actually stroke the cue ball......when I am in that type mental zone, my pause actually increases a little bit more....the backstroke becomes like the cocking of the hammer on one of my pistols......I draw the hammer back until I hear and can feel the final last click......I don't just pull the trigger of the gun right away.

Well, that's how I use my backstroke pause.....,,,,,after having cocked the hammer on my pistol, my hand movement shifts and now my index finger come into play.......I feel the burrs of the trigger against my trigger finger pad and slowly squeeze.........Bam! I use the backstroke pause the same way.......I draw the cue back to a point I have in mind.....could be a shorter stroke for a delicate, soft shot, or a little longer to go down & back on the table or even 3 rails......my point is I don't start my forward stroke until I have had a pause......I don't quickly pull the trigger after getting the hammer cocked unless I happen to be in some sort of frenzied fire fight......I have a routine which is a deliberate pattern of movement.........I consider the pool stroke to be the equivalent.

Look, I know there are times where your stroke feels more fluid and there a sense of dance to it.....but the backstroke pause remains an essential part of the stroke and you can alter it any way you prefer as long as your cue remains perfectly level or angular for a raise bridge. It's when you hold a pause too long or have barely any or none whatsoever, that you start screwing things up. Play with a pre-determined routine for stroking the cue ball, ex., chalking, backstroke pause, your bio-rhythmn, etc......you'll find your performance becoming better and more consistent at the same time.

Matt B.

 

[Tony_in_MD]

Pause at start, to determine go/no go, and to allow eyes to transition to target.

I have a short pause in my backstroke, mostly to ensure that I don't short stroke a shot.

Some players have very little pause in their backstroke some have a long and extended pause, of which Buddy Hall comes to mind.

The length of the pause at the end of the backstroke is not as important as a smooth transition between backstroke and forward stroke.

 

[KMRUNOUT]

as a part of the final delivery stroke?

...pause at the cb, to end the last practice stroke, then make final delivery stoke, without pause..as if it were another full practice stroke???


...pause(stop) at the back of the delivery stroke, then accelerate forward to strike the cb?


...both?


...neither?...delivery stroke could be any of last two, three practice strokes, since all the same at this stage of readiness?



I've tried all versions.

I find that the 'first' version works best for me. Stopping at the cb, tells me that practice strokes are over. As I am older, the pause at the cb allows me time to allow my eyes to do one last cb-ob focused alignment...then begin the last continuous full shooting stroke.


The pause and restart at the back of the final stroke from a dead stop, causes me to sometimes 'load up' stored energy, and pull the cue offline with the shoulder, similar to 'coming over the top' in a(my) golf swing...


What do you do, and why?


thanks


...this is a question primarily for non-instructor members/what you do...as opposed to what we should be doing..

Great question. I always pause at the cue ball. Kinda like SVB...he starts slowing his practice strokes down, slower, slower, until he comes to a stop. Pause, then delivers the stroke. Although I come to a complete stop a bit more abruptly than Shane.

As for on the back stroke, sadly that is variable for me. One time I was allowed to stay in my local pool hall overnight by myself. I hit a billion balls at a relatively fast pace on the super tight table. I caught a very high gear and felt in dead stroke. Thankfully, I caught myself and tried to reverse engineer my game from there. I observed carefully what I was doing. What where my mechanics. What did I look at. Basically I wanted to record all the details of my top gear so that I could practice making them the norm. What a great idea. My game permanently went up because of that one night.

Anyway, I noticed (and have noticed other times) that when I play best, I have a pronounced pause on my back stroke. It's not a long pause...maybe 1 second. Maybe a bit less. But it sure does help me deliver the cue smoothly and straight.

Brian Parks has a very pronounced pause on the back stroke. He plays pretty sporty. Check it out:
https://youtu.be/_tFcm2BpkPQ?t=23m57s

KMRUNOUT

 

[336Robin]

When I pause right

I pause at cue ball address after my prestrokes, it helps me relax my arm and play better position.

 

[randyg]

Yes.

The stop at the cue ball is commonly referred to as a
SET, STOP, not a PAUSE.

The transition of the back stroke is commonly referred to as a PAUSE.

Yes, I do both.

SET for aim
PAUSE for transition.
FINISH for the evidence of my stroke.

randyg

 

[SugarMaple]

The pause is so important in your stroke , that, PT 109 , does it twice !!!!!

 

[larry732]

I have been teaching for many years and find it is easier for a woman to pause on the backstroke and when men pause there, they have a tendency to tighten up or load up for the hit. Stopping at the cue ball on the last stroke gives the eyes a chance to make tiny corrections before the release and gives the shooter time to shift his focus to the object ball. Stopping with the cue in back does nothing for the aiming process.but a slight pause at the back stroke is important for smooth transition of different muscles.

 

[GoldCrown]

Yes. Set PAUSE Finish.

 

[Kim Bye]

I pause at the backstroke Niels Feijen style. I find it helps me focus.

 

[poolguy4u]

:shakehead:



No pause for me...I just bang 'em.



:yes:


.

 

[skins]

No pause at the back end. Just smooth forward transition...

http://youtu.be/mvaFxs-jKo8

Skins ----------- thinks the camera adds 30 lbs...

 

[Zphix]

Yes, I do pause.

Just recently picked this up and it has done wonders. Was watching a US Open 8-ball match on YouTube where Ken Shuman was talking about John Morra and he said that John has a pronounced pause on every shot and that he's one of the best examples of a solid stroke/PSR.

He described it as being akin to a baseball pitcher pausing before the throw. Kind of like storing up your power reserves before taking the action. If I can find the part in the match again I'll post it - I know it was John Morra vs. Dennis in the most recent US Open 8-ball.

 

[Shannon.spronk]

To be honest I have no idea what I do

 

[FranCrimi]

To be honest I have no idea what I do

And yet you have the capability of knowing exactly what you do. For example: The way you list your billiard belongings with such clarity and attention to detail:

Custom Set: Jim Baxter
Playing Cue: Burl on Burl with OB1 (Kamui Brown Medium)
Extra Shaft OB1 (Kamui Black Hard)
Break Cue: Burl on Redwood Burl with OB Break (Samsara)
Jump Cue: Predator Air II
Extension: 5.5" Burl
Case: Whitten 3x6
Chalk Holder: Custom 3D Printed Nickel Steel by ME

 

[skins]

And yet you have the capability of knowing exactly what you do. For example: The way you list your billiard belongings with such clarity and attention to detail:

Custom Set: Jim Baxter
Playing Cue: Burl on Burl with OB1 (Kamui Brown Medium)
Extra Shaft OB1 (Kamui Black Hard)
Break Cue: Burl on Redwood Burl with OB Break (Samsara)
Jump Cue: Predator Air II
Extension: 5.5" Burl
Case: Whitten 3x6
Chalk Holder: Custom 3D Printed Nickel Steel by ME

Very perceptive Fran..:thumbup2:

 

[Patrick Johnson]

I pause at the CB with each practice stroke to fine tune my aim. I'm not consistent at pausing between the back stroke and the shot stroke, but I'm trying to be. When I'm doing it I have a clearer visualization of what I want to do, better focus, smoother shot stroke, better tip/ball accuracy, easier CB action and better speed control.

It's definitely better for me.

pj
chgo

 

[ENGLISH!]

We hit so many shots that are different.

Some will so no, they are all the same.

No, not really & not in reality. That is one deluding one's self for psychological reasons or being told to treat them as such for psychological reasons.

We hit many different types of shots. Therefore I think to approach each one the same is not being realistic.

The last 5 years or so I have done away with any stroke other than the actual stroke.

I set the tip with the cue aligned & then make the stroke, most with no pause.

Then there are certain shots that I do the same thing but do make a distinct very short pause & a VERY deliberate stroke.

I think whatever one does should "fit" them & NOT be a dictate or any kind of best practices kind of dictate.

If it does not "fit" one & their personality it can be just as much of a detriment for one individual as it can be an aid & asset for another individual.

And I certainly know the physics that a change of direction involves at least an instant of pause, but THAT is not what I think the OP is asking about.

I think if one does not know themselves in this area, they should experiment with both & do what works best with the best results for THEM.

Sometimes what feels best or seems to work best is not always the case or not even the same thing.

On should pay very close attention during their experimentation & perhaps revisit it after the initial decision from the first experiments.

I sincerely think that if one pays very good attention they might find that different types of shots may be better suited to either one or the other & they may wind up doing it both ways with one way being their predominant way & the other for certain shots.

Best Wishes to ALL.