Hitting Off Center

A

AspiringPlayer

Banned
Hello everyone,
I have been enjoying reading all the posts lately, and I did want to ask a question about long shots. I noticed this past weekend that when I have a longer shot, I usually dont hit the cueball where I want. By this I mean that the cueball isnt going where it should if I would have shot it straight on line.

This was really noticeable on a couple of long, draw shots. The object balls were only about 6-8" from the corner pocket and I was about 4-5 diamonds back. When I tried to draw the cueball it came back, but veered way offline.

It seems logical to me that when I need to hit the cueball harder, with some power, that I lose control of my stroke, and end up hitting way off center. Can anyone recommend anything I can do to fix this problem?

Thanks for the help and any ideas,
Carl
 
For one... hit lower on whitey... and thereby, get as much backspin on whitey without having to stroke so hard (so fast). Try that for starters and see if it doesn't help.
 
I had the same problem and videotaped myself, then played back in slow motion. With a fast shot, I was lowering my upper arm (putting my whole arm into the shot) and was moving my arm out thus causing my aim to go haywire.

With slower shots I keep my elbow up and fixed.

Try videotaping yourself and see what is happening.
 
AspiringPlayer said:
Hello everyone,
I have been enjoying reading all the posts lately, and I did want to ask a question about long shots. I noticed this past weekend that when I have a longer shot, I usually dont hit the cueball where I want. By this I mean that the cueball isnt going where it should if I would have shot it straight on line.

This was really noticeable on a couple of long, draw shots. The object balls were only about 6-8" from the corner pocket and I was about 4-5 diamonds back. When I tried to draw the cueball it came back, but veered way offline.

It seems logical to me that when I need to hit the cueball harder, with some power, that I lose control of my stroke, and end up hitting way off center. Can anyone recommend anything I can do to fix this problem?

Thanks for the help and any ideas,
Carl
Click to expand...

Your main problem is probably ALIGNMENT. Play around with open vs. closed stances (and grip) until you get that cue coming back and forth straight as an arrow and you are following through straight.

I find that getting down lower on the ball gives you less of a chance to be jerking the cue side to side and/or other bad things that can happen if you are standing too upright. Just MHO.

A long hard draw shot will yield the worst results if you are out of alignment.

You should be able to shoot the cueball straight down the table from the headspot and straight back. Try hard shots too. This will be harder to control until your alignment is correct. I like this drill because it is fast and gives you instant feedback without having to bother setting up straight in shots.

good luck
 
You need to run through some drills and practice runs on a tight pocket table. If you play on a table that lets you hit off angle on a straight-in shot by that much, you will end up learning to aim "so-so" instead of dead on. What helped me with my long shots is a few Bert Kinister tapes, 55, 56 and the mighty X one. Try to find them online, I think those are probably the best ones he put out. Do the Mighty X drills on tight pockets, and maybe with a partner/coach, that should cut down on your off-aim hits within a few weeks, and make you consistent on them in a few months.
 
Practice at a closer distance. Try putting an object ball 3 inches in front of the side pocket. Put the cue ball in the middle of the table or a little further back. Now start off by pocketing the ob and having the cue ball follow ob into the pocket. This is harder than it sound. You have a large margin of error to make the ob and still have the cb go off line. If you feel comfortable with this shot try drawing the cb back to your stick. This will not only help you straighten out your stroke, but it will help you to stay down on the shot. When you start to get comfortable with this shot try drawing the cb back into the opposite side pocket. Your stick has to be as level as possible. If the butt is elevated and you are not hitting dead center horizontally you will get a masse effect.
 
AspiringPlayer said:
Hello everyone,
I have been enjoying reading all the posts lately, and I did want to ask a question about long shots. I noticed this past weekend that when I have a longer shot, I usually dont hit the cueball where I want. By this I mean that the cueball isnt going where it should if I would have shot it straight on line.

This was really noticeable on a couple of long, draw shots. The object balls were only about 6-8" from the corner pocket and I was about 4-5 diamonds back. When I tried to draw the cueball it came back, but veered way offline.

It seems logical to me that when I need to hit the cueball harder, with some power, that I lose control of my stroke, and end up hitting way off center. Can anyone recommend anything I can do to fix this problem?

Thanks for the help and any ideas,
Carl
Click to expand...

Put a striped ball on the headspot with the stripe vertical and lined up toward the end cushion.

Hit the stripe on the center slightly ABOVE centerline so the stripe rolls in line all the way to the cushion. I bet you can do it 10 times out of 10 at any speed.

Do the same thing but hit on the center slightly BELOW centerline. Quite a different result. I bet you can't do it half the time with different speeds.

Long follow shots are a different animal from long draw shots.
 
AspiringPlayer said:
Hello everyone,
I have been enjoying reading all the posts lately, and I did want to ask a question about long shots. I noticed this past weekend that when I have a longer shot, I usually dont hit the cueball where I want. By this I mean that the cueball isnt going where it should if I would have shot it straight on line.

This was really noticeable on a couple of long, draw shots. The object balls were only about 6-8" from the corner pocket and I was about 4-5 diamonds back. When I tried to draw the cueball it came back, but veered way offline.

It seems logical to me that when I need to hit the cueball harder, with some power, that I lose control of my stroke, and end up hitting way off center. Can anyone recommend anything I can do to fix this problem?

Thanks for the help and any ideas,
Carl
Click to expand...


What you're asking here is, "How can I be more accurate?" Well, guess what? Almost everybody here is asking themselves the same question ALL THE TIME. You can point to any one of a number of reasons for it, too. It could be your stance, your stroke, the equipment, your head, your eyes.

If you want to be more accurate, practice more. Watch better players. Take lessons.
 
There was a lot of good advise given here, but I would also suggets looking into Joe Tuckers third-eye stroke trainer.
 
Long follow shots are a different animal from long draw shots.
Click to expand...

For at least two reasons:

1. You have to hit draw shots harder than follow shots.

2. Draw shots are more susceptible to going offline after hitting the OB, because you're typically hitting more downward on the CB, causing a more extreme masse effect with any offcenter hit.

pj
chgo
 
if i had to guess id agree with an earlier poster and say i bet its your initial alignment as well. Alot of times you can be offline and make ur closer and medium shots, but when it comes to longer shots the alignment really rears its head.

Id suggest that after you shoot leave your cue fully extended where it ended up after your stroke, and look at the cue. Is it in a straight line with the line of the shot? If its straight but not in line id say its alignment and you need to work on your pre shot routine to make sure your coming at the ball like you need to. If the cue is straight but the tip is severely pointing one way of the other, id say its a stroke/grip thing....maybe try dropping on a pinky or index finger from your grip hand.
 
To check your stoke, best thing to do is have someone look at you while you shoot (someone who knows the game, your 10 yr old sister probably could not help you here :-) ). You may feel there is something off which how you hit, but someone directly behind or in front of you can see everything, your arm position, if your wrist twists or is too cocked, if your arm goes in a straight line, etc...

The Tucker 3rd eye trainer is good, it feels really weird to shoot with at first, but will help you if you steer or aim off-center.
 
AspiringPlayer said:
I noticed this past weekend that when I have a longer shot, I usually dont hit the cueball where I want.
Click to expand...


You are noticing this because longer shots have MUCH less room for error.

Chances are you are just as inaccurate in medium and short shots but accurate enough to not notice.


Distance is a special variable in our game and long shots are no exception. Think of a triangle and the CB starts at an apex. If it is not hit perfect, the longer the distance, the more it goes off path.

Long shots take special aiming considerations. You must hit the ball alot thicker than the unsuspecting would imagine... Sometimes and off angle shot needs to be hit, almost, dead straigh... go figure...


Anyways, like others said, your accuracy is obviously off. I just wanted to bring up the dynamic of distance and how it could "appear" that you are spot on with shorter shots...


BTW, forget all that stance alignment nonsense :) I know some guys who think once you line up, with your stance, you can bend over with your eyes closed and hit the back of the pocket... Its just not true. Stance makes little difference cause somebody who can aim, will make slight body adjustments while down on the ball... EVERYBODY does but many think the stance vital... Cut one of my legs off and I'll still get out... then sew it on backwards and I threaten the table like I did before the surgery ;)
 
Billy_Bob said:
I had the same problem and videotaped myself, then played back in slow motion. With a fast shot, I was lowering my upper arm (putting my whole arm into the shot) and was moving my arm out thus causing my aim to go haywire.

With slower shots I keep my elbow up and fixed.

Try videotaping yourself and see what is happening.
Click to expand...


You and everybody else... :D LOL

that may be one of the most common flaws of amateur players
 
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