How do you stay in stroke?

L

LPHooper03

Shape Shooter
Silver Member
I go through periods of time where I can shoot like a god and attempt 'almost' any shot and have a good feeling that I will make it. But then there are times that I am so inconsistent, not being able to hit long straight in shots, banks, caroms, etc....I end up getting frustrated and walking away from the table pissed off. I try to practice more to overcome these bad weeks, but it seems inevitable that I will be out of stroke for an unknown amount of time.

Does anyone else experience this same phenomenon as I do?

I will be in dead stroke for a day and out of stroke for weeks. Is there anything that I can do to counteract this? I want to remain consistent in my stroke, so I'm more confident in tourney's and money games. Someone lend me a little bit of advice, please.
 
When I stick to my mother drills my stroke stays in tune for the most part. Things start to go bad when I get lazy on my practice.
 
I go through the same thing. I tried devoting more time to playing, tried drills & exercises, etc. Nothing worked. When I was stroking good I was good, really good. But the rest of the time I was inconsistent & could play a B game at best. I never did figure out how to turn on the "dead stroke" so to keep it on every time I played. I exhausted all ideas I had to figure it out. Good luck. Personally, I think it's the difference between us & the truly great players. Either you got it or you don't. I don't have it. I got just enough to see glimpses of what I could be if......but I don't. I have come to terms with the fact that i'll never be a "great" player because it's simply not something I have.

Now I play for the enjoyment & I appreciate the good strokes & understand the bad ones. I learned to deal with it. I'm still competitive & love action & love the game. But I know i'll never be Johnny Archer, nor will I be that pigeon score. I'm somewhere in the middle, glimpses of great but not enough to be a great. It's who we are. When you get past the guys like us, then you get TAR matches. Otherwise, you join the ranks & fall in. Again, good luck. Hopefully you got what it takes to rise above.
 
Just knowing that you aren't perfect and you're going to go through fluctuations should be all you need to know. Know that when you come through a slump, you always come out better then you were prior.

I'm going through it myself just so you know. I went from running open tables fairly consistently to doubting myself on simple cuts as of recent. I'm pulling out of it though I believe.. just need the table to work with me now and i'll be good to go hopefully.

Can someone post the link to the mother drills? I keep hearing about them.
 
Well, I took third at a tournament here recently with some pretty strong players. I thought that I was in stroke, because I played decent enough to win money. But the truth is, that I didn't feel confident about half the shots that I was taking. The week prior to that I double dipped. I have been doing good in league and am holding the number 1 spot, but I just am not feeling confident. I'm making mistakes that I know I shouldn't and it kills me. I feel like I am on the brink of really taking my game to the next level if I can get this doubtedness under control. I play GREAT under pressure and actually play better when I have a crowd. It keeps me focused and emphasizes the reason I am there. I haven't had nerves while playing for quite a long time.

I have an 8' Olhausen table that I play on at home. Several months ago, I could run 2 to a 4 pack without missing a ball or shape. But I have been struggling to run 1 rack as of late.

Thanks for your replies so far and I too would like to know about these mother drills.
 
Eyes are in the wrong position.............

LPHooper03 said:
I go through periods of time where I can shoot like a god and attempt 'almost' any shot and have a good feeling that I will make it. But then there are times that I am so inconsistent, not being able to hit long straight in shots, banks, caroms, etc....I end up getting frustrated and walking away from the table pissed off. I try to practice more to overcome these bad weeks, but it seems inevitable that I will be out of stroke for an unknown amount of time.

Does anyone else experience this same phenomenon as I do?

I will be in dead stroke for a day and out of stroke for weeks. Is there anything that I can do to counteract this? I want to remain consistent in my stroke, so I'm more confident in tourney's and money games. Someone lend me a little bit of advice, please.
Click to expand...

Hi there,

There are days when you can't seem to miss a shot. Every player has had these days. What you don't know is you can have the head to the right or the left up to an inch sometimes and still see the shot as makable when really it is not.

Pool is a house of optical illusions. We have lines and curves all over the place. This is what makes it such a fascinating game.

Try this. When your having one of those days try moving your head and eyes to the right or the left when you are down shooting a straight in shot. On this shot you will be able to find out how far off the eyes were when you find the spot that looks good.

This should help. Have a great day Geno.................
 
genomachino said:
Hi there,

There are days when you can't seem to miss a shot. Every player has had these days. What you don't know is you can have the head to the right or the left up to an inch sometimes and still see the shot as makable when really it is not.

Pool is a house of optical illusions. We have lines and curves all over the place. This is what makes it such a fascinating game.

Try this. When your having one of those days try moving your head and eyes to the right or the left when you are down shooting a straight in shot. On this shot you will be able to find out how far off the eyes were when you find the spot that looks good.

This should help. Have a great day Geno.................
Click to expand...

Thanks. I will try this tonight before league.
 
This is gonna sound stupid perhaps, but I'll offer it and you can give it a try. It's simple and instant. It works for me.

I believe this is all a matter of confidence and focus, and a by product of it all ends up being short stroking shots. I know I won't explain it well, I'm sure, but I'll try.

Let's say your stroke's total swing is 20". It doesn't matter exactly, that's just a number for the sake of explanation. Let's also say, for the sake of explanation that your backstroke is divided equally in length as your forward stroke. It may or may not be.

Differentiating the start of each part of the stroke happens when your arm is perpendicular to the floor.

Whatever it is, consciously take 2 inches off your backstroke and add them to your forward stroke, and slow the stroke down on the forward part a tad. Pay super attention to the contact point on the OB.
 
I see what you are saying....To subconsciously pay more attention to my forward follow through than my back swing. This might not be a bad idea, as it will make me concentrate on hitting straighter.
 
Great commentary from everyone! I'll add something from Tommy McGonagle, author and player. I posed a similar question to him and he stared back at me and said "Pool is the most difficult game in the world. My stroke can vary depending on how work is going, whether I had an argument with my wife, etc." It was then that I discovered that pool is just a game. Treat it like fishing. Even when its bad, its still good. It will help you get over the bad times more quickly.
tim
 
L drill for me.

Lets me feel better, get the feel of the table, rails etc.

When I get to the pool hall, I shoot this for 10-15 minutes and then I feel like I am ready to go.

I do the remainder of my drills at my home table.

Ken
 
LPHooper03 said:
I go through periods of time where I can shoot like a god and attempt 'almost' any shot and have a good feeling that I will make it. But then there are times that I am so inconsistent, not being able to hit long straight in shots, banks, caroms, etc....I end up getting frustrated and walking away from the table pissed off. I try to practice more to overcome these bad weeks, but it seems inevitable that I will be out of stroke for an unknown amount of time.

Does anyone else experience this same phenomenon as I do?

I will be in dead stroke for a day and out of stroke for weeks. Is there anything that I can do to counteract this? I want to remain consistent in my stroke, so I'm more confident in tourney's and money games. Someone lend me a little bit of advice, please.
Click to expand...




I name the three different parts of my stroke. Then I grade them each Practice session....SPF=randyg
 
Call for new imfo..............

Pete said:
If that helps you, buy the DVD. It's pricey but I'm glad I did...
Click to expand...

Hi there Pete,

Make sure you call to recieve the new Drift Method. It's free to anyone that has purchased the video.

Thanks Geno.
 
genomachino said:
Hi there Pete,

Make sure you call to recieve the new Drift Method. It's free to anyone that has purchased the video.

Thanks Geno.
Click to expand...

Thanks Geno, I'll try to call you later this week or early next week. By the way, DAMN, this is really helping alot...

Thanks again, and thanks toi Spidey for suggesting I get it...

Pete
 
Easy drill to try (maybe)

Line up all 15 balls from side pocket to side pocket. Start with cue ball 2 diamonds away and shoot 8 balls in the LH corner pocket and 7 in the RH corner pocket, in order. Just make the ball with a stop shot and take ball in hand for the next shot. Start over after a miss. I shoot this with closed bridge and open bridge. Treat every shoot like it's a must make the ball to win match.

BTW, I'm on a 9 foot table. You can change it up by starting with the cue ball closer and then farther. You can draw back and then shoot with follow. You will see trends. Maybe missing because there is unintended english or all missed shots go right. Pay attention.

regards and good luck..............Paul
 
When you are in dead stroke, take the time to write down everything you are doing in detail, such as: how far is your head above the cueball, your stance, especially your grip (should be very very light), the position of your grip on the cue, any rthyms you might be in such as eye movements (i.e. 1-2-3 pause, look up at the object ball, shoot), am I keeping my head own and not lifting up, etc.

Then when you out of stroke you have a baseline to go back working on.

Practice practice practice, incorparating drills that help you do all the things right when you were in stroke.

I write my own tips on a business card and stick it in my pool bag.
 
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