Getting Straight

A

AspiringPlayer

Banned
hello everyone, i was at the pool hall playing with a friend a couple of nights ago, and he made a comment that i wasnt going straight through on my shots. he said my tip wasnt going through my intended line.

i know there are some instructors that participate on this forum, and was wondering if there is any advice, or drills they could offer up to help get me going straight through the target line, and not veering off one way or another?

i would appreciate any suggestions or ideas.

Carl
 
straight stroke

How about placing an old glass Coke bottle on the table and try stroking your cue into the open mouth. Try doing it 100 times a day for two weeks or longer. It does wonders for helping focus on the stroke.
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
 
The coke bottle thing is very old school, and we don't use it. The key to an accurate, repeatable stroke is a pendulum swing. This means only moving your forearm, while your bicep/tricip remains basically stationary. Your grip hand will swing forward to your chest, bringing the tip through the CB right where you're aiming (provided you grip the cue where your forearm is perpendicular to the table, when your tip is at the CB). If you practice shooting the CB off of the spot, it will show if you're swinging straight or not, as the shaft should cover the white dot in the middle of the black spot. If you twist your wrist, or grip too tight, the cue won't move forward in a straight line.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
thanks to both for some ideas!

Scott,
can you recommend any other drills that i can do to help me straighten myself out? i will use the one about covering the white dot in the spot the next time i get down to our local hall.

Carl
 
Another one that will show flaws immediately is to put a stripe upright vertically (use the 9 or 13 because they show the chalk mark easily). Stroke through the stripe and see if you can get it to go up and down the table, and come back to your tip. Do this at a slow speed at first. If you can do this several times in a row, your stroke is probably very straight...

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

AspiringPlayer said:
thanks to both for some ideas!

Scott,
can you recommend any other drills that i can do to help me straighten myself out? i will use the one about covering the white dot in the spot the next time i get down to our local hall.

Carl
Click to expand...
 
Two other similar ways to check for a straight stroke...place your bridge hand on the rail and stroke down the rail. Start with the tip over the seam between the cushion and the rail, and see if it's still over the seam when you have finished your stroke.
Also, line up to shoot a ball straight into the center of a pocket. Freeze when you finish your stroke, and see if your cue is still aiming at the center of the pocket.
If the answer is no to either test, find a good instructor to help you understand WHY it is happening. You have to know the cause before you can begin to fix a problem.
Steve
 
Videotape yourself or practice in front of a mirror if possible.

Then you will see what you are doing. Watch the pros and see what they are doing differently.

Someone here gave me some excellent advice a while back. That is your shoulder, when it moves, can move any which way! It is a "ball" joint!

BUT your elbow can only move one direction like the hinge on a door.

So DON'T move your shoulder (upper arm), keep it locked. Just swing your arm forward leaving your elbow up and fixed. Then the only way your arm can go is straight!

Then follow through after each shot and leave the tip of your cue pointing at where you were aiming.

Bad = Using your entire arm to whack the ball and leaving the tip of the cue up in the air to the left or right almost hitting the light fixture!

Good = A nice smooth stroke moving only lower arm, following through after the shot, and leaving the tip of your cue pointing at where you were aiming.

Example video...
(Notice how he follows through and after shooting, the tip of his cue is left pointing at where he was aiming.)
http://www.billiards.colostate.edu/normal_videos/NV2-5.htm
 
sounds like alot of good ideas here to me, thanks to all those that have responded so far!

Scott,
i was shooting the shot over the spot/white dot that you mentioned, and i noticed that my shaft was covering the white dot. however, the cue ball didnt come back to my tip, it usually veered off to the right by about 3-4 inches when it came back downtable.

any idea what i was doing wrong guys?

Carl
 
AspiringPlayer said:
sounds like alot of good ideas here to me, thanks to all those that have responded so far!

Scott,
i was shooting the shot over the spot/white dot that you mentioned, and i noticed that my shaft was covering the white dot. however, the cue ball didnt come back to my tip, it usually veered off to the right by about 3-4 inches when it came back downtable.

any idea what i was doing wrong guys?

Carl
Click to expand...
Aramith has a set of training balls that involve some drills that can help you straighten your stroke. I would suggest spending a few bucks and find yourself an instructor. It will only shorten your learning curve.
 
When I was playing more I always shot 30 (2 racks worth) of long straight in shots every day. OK, I could miss a day every now and then but not very often. I only have a 7' table at home so I would put the cue ball in the corner pocket. Maybe an inch and a half from falling in the hole. Object ball in the center of the table shooting it to the opposite corner. When I did my 30 balls at the pool hall on a 9' table, I put the cue ball about six inches from the corner pocket and the object ball half way between the cue ball and the opposite corner pocket. This is not a down the rail shot, it is opposite corner to corner. Aiming along the rail would give you a mental edge that I didn't want.

These shots can not be made unless you are stroking straight. When I was on my 7' table only center pocket counted as made. On the 9' tables I gave myself a little more lead way but if I hit the side of the pocket at all, it didn't count as made.


Another thing I'll mention is your head. I know everyone says it all the time about keeping your head down. But since what we are talking about here is exactly why you need to keep your head still, I thought I should bring it up. Don't just keep it down, keep it motionless.



P.S. - make sure they are straight in shots. If you give it even the slightest cut it means nothing because then you don't have to stroke straight to make it.
 
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Place the OB on the spot and set the CB up straight into the bottom corner about 12" out. Make the OB with a draw stroke and draw the CB back onto your tip, This will force you to stay down and follow straight through the shot. Once this is easy put the OB in the middle of the table and start shooting straight corner to corner shots and slowly increase the gap between CB and OB.

CueTable Help

 
again, thanks for all of the tips and ideas.

i do have a question though. some have mentioned that you should put the cue ball close to the corner pocket and then shoot an object ball straight in to the opposite corner pocket. if you place the cue ball that close to the corner pocket, wont that effect your bridge hand and setup? wont you be shooting in such a way that is different from the normal shot when the cue ball is out in the middle of the table?

Carl
 
So far as getting the cue ball to come straight back, you need to shoot it straight forward and hit the exact CENTER (not left or right side) of the cue ball.

If you hit the left or right side of the cue ball, the cue ball will be spinning when it hits the far rail. Then the spinning ball will grip the rail a bit and send it back a different direction other than straight back.

Try using a striped ball instead of a cue ball. Align the stripe so it is like this | and pointing toward the far rail you are aiming at. Shoot it dead center toward the rail and the stripe should stay like this | as it rolls and when it hits the far rail. Then do the same but hit the left side of the ball and you will notice the ball spinning. You will also notice that the ball will come back off the rail toward the left instead of straight back.

You can hit just a little to the left/right on the cue ball and this will give it a little bit of spin. Just enough so it does not come straight back.

This is hard and takes a lot of practice to hit the cue ball to the far rail so it comes straight back. It is hard to learn exactly where the center of the ball is. Just practice a little each day. After a month or so you will get to be quite good at this!

So far as placing the cue ball near a pocket, yes you may need to bridge differently. And this is where "progressive" practice comes in. Practice shots with the cue ball in different spots. Further out, closer in, etc. A little further out, more further out. Move it a diamond further out after every 10 practice shots. Do the same with the object ball. Move it closer and closer to the cue ball leaving the cue ball in the same spot.

You will learn that some shots are easy for you, and others more difficult with progressive practice. Practice what you are not good at. For example the object ball is right in front of a corner pocket, cue ball one diamond out from opposite diagonal pocket. Easy! Or object ball center of table, cue ball hanging in corner pocket. Difficult.

The reason that the object ball hanging in the pocket is easy is that you can hit the ball almost anywhere and it will go in the pocket. With the object ball in the center of the table, if you are off just a little with aim, this will translate into a big difference by the time it gets to the corner pocket and not make the pocket.
 
AspiringPlayer said:
sounds like alot of good ideas here to me, thanks to all those that have responded so far!

Scott,
i was shooting the shot over the spot/white dot that you mentioned, and i noticed that my shaft was covering the white dot. however, the cue ball didnt come back to my tip, it usually veered off to the right by about 3-4 inches when it came back downtable.

any idea what i was doing wrong guys?

Carl
Click to expand...
That sounds more like you are not making contact on the vertical centerline. That would put sidespin on the ball and cause it to rebound off the rail at an angle. This usually indicates a problem with alignment, not necessarily with the stroke. A good instructor can help with this problem.
Steve
 
AspiringPlayer said:
again, thanks for all of the tips and ideas.

i do have a question though. some have mentioned that you should put the cue ball close to the corner pocket and then shoot an object ball straight in to the opposite corner pocket. if you place the cue ball that close to the corner pocket, wont that effect your bridge hand and setup? wont you be shooting in such a way that is different from the normal shot when the cue ball is out in the middle of the table?

Carl
Click to expand...


Hi Carl,

Happy New Year. Yes, putting it that close to the pocket forces me to use an open bridge and elevate slightly. This puts even more importance on a straight stoke. If I can stoke it straight from there it makes it even easier to stroke it straight when I'm in a better bridge position.

You don't have to start with it back in the pocket that far though. You might (and I have, like if my first couple are off) put it a little farther away from the pocket for a couple allowing you to get in stroke, then move it back to the in the pocket position.

Once you get good at this shot it is a very intimidating warm up exercize.:)

JR
 
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Hal houle all the way

I'm beginning to understand Hal's concepts much more. The most important thing is Aim once you learn this ablity the game is boring because you make all the shots. All shots are centerball with only 3 aiming selections. Google his point and pivot secrets on the internet Hal Houle.
The biggest reason we miss is aim------- not stance, not stroke, not mental, it is due to lack of aim. The greatest player in the world was an idoit savant. He beat Mosconi easily the 2 times they played. Who taught a young Morales fillipino? who taught Archer, Who taught Allison, Corr,who taught Hosa,busta,who tought Oliver Ortman-------Hal Houle. (aim and wac it he sayes) I would like to thank Hal Houle for his gift. And wish him a very Happy New Yr.( all he wants is another nine minutes). I take it back never se him never call. It will give me more time to talk to him and visit. PA I'm thinking of blowing off the derby,and Hopkins just to learn 47 aiming systems. One is all I needed but the knowledge this young fellow has is incredible. Happy New Year Hal - ol buddy-mark
 
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