hitting to hard

[Chicken_Blood]

You could try not hitting as hard...

 

[Rod]

hey i am looking for some help for a buddy of mine who i shot pool with all the time. he shoots very when he stays focused, but he gets easily down on himself and distracted because he seems to hit the cueball to hard. from what we both seem to discover last night after videotaping him playing is that he is hitting the cueball to hard and causing him to get out of line quite a bit. when i asked him how come he hits so hard he just responds with that i didnt hit it hard, i thought i hit it soft. i am not sure how to approach this and try to help him out. if nebody has any advice or past expierences we would like to know them. thanks...

Hitting to hard is what I call, "hit instinct". Which simply means they hit at, rather than go through. Once a person experiences and begins to learn the effect of a smooth stroke through the ball their game improves very quick. Little effort is needed to move whitey around by striking it exactly where intended.

Then a much slower stroke is needed to accomplish what they did at probably twice the speed or more. Just two major problems. They need to slow down and getting them to trust the new movement. It's really is more involved with mechanics and mental but that is the basics of what's happening.

Keep the pace of the back swing "slow". Use any speed forward but gradually accelerate. It's best learned at slower speeds to start. That way the pace is near the same back and forwards. The follow thru happens naturally with a " light grip". Speakng of grips, those that hit to hard are usually guilty of this item, gripping to tight.

If you imagine a baseball pitcher, they wind up at a very slow pace compared to their arm speed forward. If they throw a slow ball it looks near the same but with slower arm speed forward. Their follow through is less as well, but they do follow through. Just think slow back with a relaxed grip, and the rest will happen in time.

A good instructor can easily see the pace of a persons swing. Cure that and softer accurate shots are just around the corner.

Rod