getting worse before you get better...is this normal??

[bbb]

i have a tendency to put unintentional left spin on the cue ball when hillting stop shots and draw
i can make several balls in a row doing the long diagonal stop shot sometimes its a perfect stop shot but often it can be a stop shot but the cue ball has some left spin
if i miss its because the cue ball has squirted alittle to the right
....
what i have discovered is i have a tendency to take the cuestick back and to the right so when i come forward im coming alittle outside in
this occurs especially if i use a longer backstroke than normal
......
so i have been very concious of watching my stick in my back and forward stroke to be sure its straight
and now i seem to be missing cut shots i would normally make
especially back cut shots
any thoughts??

 

[FranCrimi]

i have a tendency to put unintentional left spin on the cue ball when hillting stop shots and draw
i can make several balls in a row doing the long diagonal stop shot sometimes its a perfect stop shot but often it can be a stop shot but the cue ball has some left spin
if i miss its because the cue ball has squirted alittle to the right
....
what i have discovered is i have a tendency to take the cuestick back and to the right so when i come forward im coming alittle outside in
this occurs especially if i use a longer backstroke than normal
......
so i have been very concious of watching my stick in my back and forward stroke to be sure its straight
and now i seem to be missing cut shots i would normally make
especially back cut shots
any thoughts??

Yes. You had been compensating for your error. Now that you are in the process of fixing your error, your compensation isn't working for you. You will have to set up a new approach and alignment for yourself and learn how to adapt it to a straighter stroke. It will take time and patience. Go back to the beginning and take it one step at a time.

 

[SmoothStroke]

The double lock

Lock your chin and shoulder

 

[Big C]

You gotta break some eggs to make an omelette.

Here's a really good tutorial for checking you alignment and diagnosing the cause of your missed shots.
http://billiards.colostate.edu/pool_tutorial.html#Aiming

 

[bbb]

thanks for the reply fran
i thought it might be something like what you said
i do believe in the long run i should be more consistent even if this is a temporary setback

 

[Donny Lutz]

Yes!

Yes. You had been compensating for your error. Now that you are in the process of fixing your error, your compensation isn't working for you. You will have to set up a new approach and alignment for yourself and learn how to adapt it to a straighter stroke. It will take time and patience. Go back to the beginning and take it one step at a time.

Perfect answer!