Do You Trust Your Stroke?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I think the best tip I ever got that really helped my shot-making percentage on tough shots was a comment that Steve Cook said to me years ago. He said if you don't trust your stroke you'd never get any good on pressure shots. Do some drills to see how straight your stroke is. If it's straight…then forget about it. Once your locked on to where you want to hit the QB, and you have a solid bridge…forget about the QB. Keep 90% of your focus on where you want to hit the OB and at what speed. If you have a straight stroke and you know where to hit the OB just trust your stroke to hit it there. I was amazed how this little tidbit of advice helped my long shots, both straight and cuts. Since then anytime I start missing a lot of long shots I go back and do some drills to see how straight my stroke is. Most every time it's some basic fundamental that I'm doing wrong or skipping all together.
 
Johnnyt said:
I think the best tip I ever got that really helped my shot-making percentage on tough shots was a comment that Steve Cook said to me years ago. He said if you don't trust your stroke you'd never get any good on pressure shots. Do some drills to see how straight your stroke is. If it's straight…then forget about it. Once your locked on to where you want to hit the QB, and you have a solid bridge…forget about the QB. Keep 90% of your focus on where you want to hit the OB and at what speed. If you have a straight stroke and you know where to hit the OB just trust your stroke to hit it there. I was amazed how this little tidbit of advice helped my long shots, both straight and cuts. Since then anytime I start missing a lot of long shots I go back and do some drills to see how straight my stroke is. Most every time it's some basic fundamental that I'm doing wrong or skipping all together.
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i agree about 1 month ago i was useing a aiming system i was shooting ok but recently i have been practiceing shooting with confidence an instinct look at my cb maybe once then look at the ob all the way till u shoot

i have been shoooting better then ever
 
Johnnyt said:
I think the best tip I ever got that really helped my shot-making percentage on tough shots was a comment that Steve Cook said to me years ago. He said if you don't trust your stroke you'd never get any good on pressure shots. Do some drills to see how straight your stroke is. If it's straight…then forget about it. Once your locked on to where you want to hit the QB, and you have a solid bridge…forget about the QB. Keep 90% of your focus on where you want to hit the OB and at what speed. If you have a straight stroke and you know where to hit the OB just trust your stroke to hit it there. I was amazed how this little tidbit of advice helped my long shots, both straight and cuts. Since then anytime I start missing a lot of long shots I go back and do some drills to see how straight my stroke is. Most every time it's some basic fundamental that I'm doing wrong or skipping all together.
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That is why I say its "all in the fundamentals", if you have the straight, pure stroke then you find the spot to aim at and stroke down that line.
The key is in doing ALL the fundamentals, in the proper sequence, every time!
A pre-shot routine that you follow religiously. That is the difficult part and that is also what seperates the players of different levels. IMO.
Mark
 
All i try to do is stay down and follow though the best i can on the tougher shots.

Such as shooting over a ball the length of the table. Eye the shot low and level then slowly bring up your cue and choke down on the butt as you elevate the cue to keep your stroke path straight and on point. Take slow and steady warm ups.....Pause stay down and follow through and TRUST your stroke. If you miss so what. We all leak oil and if its a tough shot then its a tough shot. As long as i miss close i dont mind.

If you are faced with the hard length of the table shot over a ball shot and follow what was meantioned above..... You will make it not because your appoarch was correct but because you BELIEVED you where gonna make it. If there is any doubt at all in your mind step back from the table.....Clean your shaft....drink some water...Do anything to clear your mind so you can set up again. Ive found that after having this appoarch to tough shots ive drew a lot of claps and whistles and man does it feel GOOD!!! :cool:
 
hdgis1 said:
I trust the hell out my stroke! I just don't trust my vision...:rolleyes:
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I feel your pain!!!
My stroke is one part of my game where I have total confidence.

Now, if only my eyes were as good as they were when I was younger...:(

Steve
 
RunoutJJ said:
All i try to do is stay down and follow though the best i can on the tougher shots.

Such as shooting over a ball the length of the table. Eye the shot low and level then slowly bring up your cue and choke down on the butt as you elevate the cue to keep your stroke path straight and on point. Take slow and steady warm ups.....Pause stay down and follow through and TRUST your stroke. If you miss so what. We all leak oil and if its a tough shot then its a tough shot. As long as i miss close i dont mind.

If you are faced with the hard length of the table shot over a ball shot and follow what was meantioned above..... You will make it not because your appoarch was correct but because you BELIEVED you where gonna make it. If there is any doubt at all in your mind step back from the table.....Clean your shaft....drink some water...Do anything to clear your mind so you can set up again. Ive found that after having this appoarch to tough shots ive drew a lot of claps and whistles and man does it feel GOOD!!! :cool:
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well put :P A+
 
I gotten to a point where in my game if i miss its due to a stroke flaw, so when i do trust my stroke i play really good but i do tend to fall back into bad habits.

A good drill to help trust your stroke/alignment is set up the drill where you have to hit the cueball down table and back to make your cuetip hit center cueball. Is don't even look at the cueball at all, if i can cover the diamond with my cue i know im aiming center cueball. So days when i shoot good i don't even have to look at the cueball at all, all my focus is on the objectball.
 
There is no better feeling in the world than the day you arrive at the fact you can trust your stroke! when you know where you have to hit the ball in order to make it your fear goes away because you have the stroke that can put the cb right there.
 
Chi2dxa said:
There is no better feeling in the world than the day you arrive at the fact you can trust your stroke! when you know where you have to hit the ball in order to make it your fear goes away because you have the stroke that can put the cb right there.
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Amen that is the best feeling in the world an when that is workin u feel like u r unbeatable
 
I am begininnging to trust it and the problems begin after I doubt it.

I totally agree on the focus on OB especially when getting down and final stroke. I think focusing on tip to CB is important during the practice strokes, stop the stroke check alignment of stick through CB to contact on OB, check where OB and CB go if you pull trigger if good focus on OB slow back pause and finish.

Trust Your Stroke
 
elvicash said:
I am begininnging to trust it and the problems begin after I doubt it.

I totally agree on the focus on OB especially when getting down and final stroke. I think focusing on tip to CB is important during the practice strokes, stop the stroke check alignment of stick through CB to contact on OB, check where OB and CB go if you pull trigger if good focus on OB slow back pause and finish.

Trust Your Stroke
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well i agree on the checking ur tip to cb see if ur useing right English u want to use

but i.m not going to disagree on stop the stroke check the Alignment of stick thru cb to Contact point on ob if u do this u will have to have this in ur Routine an i wouldent want to do this in my Routine becuz u will have to do it all the time an ur trust in ur stroke whont fully be there

but i guess to gain that trust in ur stroke just do it for a few weeks to see if ur inlignment is right then u can slowly get out of checking it an fully trust ur stroke an kick butt :P
 
@Steve, I am so very happy with my presby lasik surgery. Now if the rest of my now older body felt like it used to.
 
a great straight stroke drill: line up all the balls middle of the table from side pocket to side pocket. you'll have an inch or so between balls. if you want more space between balls only line up ten. take cue n hand in the kitchen. starting at the left or right doesnt matter. line up the cue on the first ball nearest to the side pocket aiming straight into the distant corner. use only a center line hit about a 1/2 tip to tip below dead center cue ball. lining up each time cue in hand shoot each ball straight into the corner one at a time into the far pocket. what should happen; 1. cue ball must not touch another ball, 2. cue ball cant go forward of the line, 3. this is not a draw shot exercise so cue ball should achieve minimal draw, even stopping is ok. failure at on or two means a restart.

once you made about seven balls into the same corner pocket having slowly moved across the kitchen from the side rail to the head spot area you will now have to change to the other pocket to make the next seven or eight going from the head spot area towards the rail. if you miss once at any time reset and start again. if you go left to right successfully reset and do from right to left. reset and start from the middle. vary the distance as you improve. i do this on a 9ft. the best ive achieved is making ten left then ten right with the cue ball about 12 inches from the head rail. the usual starting position with the cue ball is about six inches behind the head spot line. let me know how you do.

antoher quickie exercise. throw out all the balls. make all 15 without hitting another ball or a rail.
 
You really want to test your stroke and everything that goes into it.....

Close your eyes then make the shot and put the cue ball where you want.

Thats seeing the shot.
 
I too agree that the more you can take your eyes off the CB, and put them on the OB, the more accurate you're shot making will become. So, in order for you be able to focus less on the CB and focus more on the OB, the stroke, bridge, stance, and all other fundamentals need to be up to par.
When I'm not feeling good (or trusting) my stroke, if tends to force me to focus more on striking the CB exactly where I intend to often resulting in less accuracy with the point of contact on the OB. But when I can take my mind off of stroking the CB exactly where I intend to, it allows me to focus more on the OB and accracy increases signifcantly.
dave
 
duckie said:
You really want to test your stroke and everything that goes into it.....

Close your eyes then make the shot and put the cue ball where you want.

Thats seeing the shot.
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100% on the money, If you trust your stroke you can close your eyes, visualize the shot, then play it out on the table.
Mark
 
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