One of the most important aspects to pool is feel. When you reach a high level of ability, you will notice that the game is not based on aiming systems hocus-pocus, and textbook-mechanics.
Every top player in this world will tell you that the pool nirvana is dead punch, or dead stroke. This is when your cuestick becomes your brain, and the CB does everything your cuestick tells it to do.
Dead stroke is when the best players play their very best. This is when unknown players win major tournaments.
The way a player achieves dead-stroke is by finding their rythm. Rythm is what makes and breaks a player on any given day. This is what makes a player who started out playing good for a few hours to ending their day playing horrible. Finding your rythm all comes down to having good basic fundamentals. Before you can find your true rythm, and reach your full potential at the current moment, you must first work out every flaw in your fundamentals.
This is what causes players to quit pool for long periods of time. Being out of stroke when you practice on a regular basis, is usually attributed to minor flaws in your fundamentals. These flaws are so small, that they usually go unnoticed. These flaws, however, can create a huge difference in how well someone can play. One of the main reasons why people fall into slumps is because of these flaws, and a main reason why it takes so long to get out of the slump, is because many players do not realize that the flaws are in the EXECUTION, not in the practice strokes. A perfect practice stroke means squat if the execution is not perfect. The problem is, that since execution is but only a split second, the human mind cannot see and recognize the problem. The human mind, however, can feel the problem, but usually not realize what causes it.
Try practicing long straight in shots with draw. Attempt to draw the CB back to your tip, or at least right around the area of the tip. If you cannot do this, you have a problem in your fundamentals. Every single player has different correct fundamentals. The correct fundamentals are not found in some book or pool video, but they are found in whatever you are doing when you are playing your absoloute best. So many players avoid practicing long straight in draw shots because they feel it is of little importance they practice something that will not show up in a game that often. Think of it this way: When you are cutting a ball, you must shoot perfectly straight at the contact point you are aiming for in order to make the ball. This is the same thing as shooting a straight in shot.
When it comes to pocketing balls, there are two ways. There is the good way, and the bad way. Have you ever played a position shot, where you had to sink the OB on a certain side of the pocket to get the position you need on the next OB, only to sink it on the opposite side of the pocket you intended, making a big difference on where the CB comes to a halt? When this happened, you missed the contact point on the OB you aimed for, but sank the ball regardless. Chances are a slight twist in your wrist, a slight movement in your body, or some other quiet error caused this.
Once you have consistent and correct fundamentals, you can do whatever you want with the CB. Once you are shooting perfectly straight, you start developing confidence. With confidence comes your natural rythm of playing. After you find your rythm, you achieve dead stroke.
Enjoy
Every top player in this world will tell you that the pool nirvana is dead punch, or dead stroke. This is when your cuestick becomes your brain, and the CB does everything your cuestick tells it to do.
Dead stroke is when the best players play their very best. This is when unknown players win major tournaments.
The way a player achieves dead-stroke is by finding their rythm. Rythm is what makes and breaks a player on any given day. This is what makes a player who started out playing good for a few hours to ending their day playing horrible. Finding your rythm all comes down to having good basic fundamentals. Before you can find your true rythm, and reach your full potential at the current moment, you must first work out every flaw in your fundamentals.
This is what causes players to quit pool for long periods of time. Being out of stroke when you practice on a regular basis, is usually attributed to minor flaws in your fundamentals. These flaws are so small, that they usually go unnoticed. These flaws, however, can create a huge difference in how well someone can play. One of the main reasons why people fall into slumps is because of these flaws, and a main reason why it takes so long to get out of the slump, is because many players do not realize that the flaws are in the EXECUTION, not in the practice strokes. A perfect practice stroke means squat if the execution is not perfect. The problem is, that since execution is but only a split second, the human mind cannot see and recognize the problem. The human mind, however, can feel the problem, but usually not realize what causes it.
Try practicing long straight in shots with draw. Attempt to draw the CB back to your tip, or at least right around the area of the tip. If you cannot do this, you have a problem in your fundamentals. Every single player has different correct fundamentals. The correct fundamentals are not found in some book or pool video, but they are found in whatever you are doing when you are playing your absoloute best. So many players avoid practicing long straight in draw shots because they feel it is of little importance they practice something that will not show up in a game that often. Think of it this way: When you are cutting a ball, you must shoot perfectly straight at the contact point you are aiming for in order to make the ball. This is the same thing as shooting a straight in shot.
When it comes to pocketing balls, there are two ways. There is the good way, and the bad way. Have you ever played a position shot, where you had to sink the OB on a certain side of the pocket to get the position you need on the next OB, only to sink it on the opposite side of the pocket you intended, making a big difference on where the CB comes to a halt? When this happened, you missed the contact point on the OB you aimed for, but sank the ball regardless. Chances are a slight twist in your wrist, a slight movement in your body, or some other quiet error caused this.
Once you have consistent and correct fundamentals, you can do whatever you want with the CB. Once you are shooting perfectly straight, you start developing confidence. With confidence comes your natural rythm of playing. After you find your rythm, you achieve dead stroke.
Enjoy
