How Does Your Potting Rate - Potting Test.

Absolutely brilliant way to clarify clutter, devised my me.

The table, regardless of size, is 8 diamonds in length by 4 diamonds in width.

Define the shots by their table geography coodinates from the head end of table. Thus:

Shot #1R=7.5 by 1.5.

I will do this and post it if someone does't beat me to it.

Dave Nelson
 
Stop the presses. This needs a little further refinement. I need two coordinates each for the ob and cb. But I'm sure you all see the concept.

Dave Nelson
 
Well I am really struggling with my stroke. I think I will be doing a little better in a week or two.

1R 0 1L 1
2R 0 2L 0
3R 3 3L 4
4R 1 4L 1
5R 4 5L 4
6R 3 6L 2
7R 2 7L 2 (first posstion on the cue ball)
8R 1 8L 1

26 balls out of 80 (I still suck).

Pete
 
Dave Nelson said:
Is there a way to rotate the table 90 degrees so that we could get a larger image on the paper?

Dave Nelson
Click to expand...

I right clicked on the image and clicked on "open image in new window". Then I went to print it. Before I pressed the print button I went into the options and changed it from portrait to landscape. I think I also moved my margins out. This allowed me to print the image as large as I could.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I right clicked on the image and clicked on "open image in new window". Then I went to print it. Before I pressed the print button I went into the options and changed it from portrait to landscape. I think I also moved my margins out. This allowed me to print the image as large as I could.
Click to expand...

Thanks Iused. That should work. I was sure there was a way.

Dave
 
GREAT Point!!!!!

Colin Colenso said:
I think it's good to know where someone is at. They could say I am potting at B level but getting beat by C players. So they'd need to work on the other aspects of their game.

Colin
Click to expand...

For all the aspiring players.....you need to break it down like this IF you are serious! Find your weaknesses and work on them. JMNSHO :smile:

td


p.s. Everything is MY weakness!!!
 
I didn't get much practice today but I couldn't resist trying the test again. I made 18 on the right side and thought I was going to set a new high, then I fell apart on the left side. I had zeros on 2,6 and 7 for a total of 14 which adds to 32, the same as my first try.

#6, which I think is the easiest shot of the test I missed by overcutting 5 consecutive times.

I'd go down to the lake and drown myself but it's cold and snowing out there.

Dave Nelson
 
Dave Nelson said:
I didn't get much practice today but I couldn't resist trying the test again. I made 18 on the right side and thought I was going to set a new high, then I fell apart on the left side. I had zeros on 2,6 and 7 for a total of 14 which adds to 32, the same as my first try.

#6, which I think is the easiest shot of the test I missed by overcutting 5 consecutive times.

I'd go down to the lake and drown myself but it's cold and snowing out there.

Dave Nelson
Click to expand...

Don't be too hard on yourself.

I'm not sure that #6 is the easiest shot. FWIW, many, many ppl do just that; overcut the "blind back cut" shot.

Keep at it, Dave. I'm sure it'll help your game.


Eric
 
Dave Nelson said:
Eric

Thanks for the kind words and encourgement. I appreciate it.

Dave Nelson
Click to expand...

You're welcome.

Try adjusting your aim "one cuetip width" in on the blind backcuts(aim that much fuller). If that helps make the shot, maybe it'll burn that new "shot image" or what it's supposed to look like, into your memory.


Eric
 
Eric. said:
You're welcome.

Try adjusting your aim "one cuetip width" in on the blind backcuts(aim that much fuller). If that helps make the shot, maybe it'll burn that new "shot image" or what it's supposed to look like, into your memory.


Eric
Click to expand...

I will give it a try.

Dave
 
Well off to the pool hall to finally give it a shot. Everytime I have been down there its for leagues, tourney, or betting with friends. HaHa. I'll post results later.
 
Peer Pressure

Ok guys, I made the test so I guess the least I could do was to try it out myself after all the efforts everyone has made.

I didn't really want to because I knew I wasn't ready. My last couple of months pretty much all I've been doing is testing various factors in CTE and ETE type systems. Also, take a look at the firebox surrounded by bluestones it the back left of the garage. Well, about a week ago I had the CB hannging in the far left pocket and while trying to get a line on it my heel backed into the big brick and sent me tumbling ribs first into that steel fireplace. Yes, I'd had a couple of drinks, but not that many. Trust me, I'm not the first to tumble over those blocks, they're an accident waiting to happen. It's my mate's garage, he seems to like them there.

Anyway, my showing confirms the validity of the often heard coach's cry, "Don't be fiddling with new things before an event and get plenty of practice in beforehand."


Excuses done with ;), I thought I might be able to pull myself into the zone with a bit of hard focus. But with the camera on and being unprepared I felt a little like I often have in the first round of a tournament. Where the brain is a bit frozen and you can't see what is pointing to what very clearly.

I quicky reverted to some mongrel hybrid of ETE combined with the old trusty get the ball in the pocket somehow by feel technique, spraying in a little CTE for extra confusion on some shots. This isn't what the mind should be doing when aiming, but this is what happens when you don't settle on one method and drill it in.

After a very poor start, 7 misses, I did get myself back on track a few times, but due to the brain fuzziness I couldn't maintain it. I did make 24 from the last 34 shots, one of which was an extra #2. I couldn't even count during the test I was working so hard.:o So my actual test score was 23/40, not 24 out of 40 as I said on the video. equiv. 46/80. Low B - That's about how I was potting today.

I didn't do the other side because I clearly wasn't on my game and I was probably just going to get more confused. lol

I'll do this again with proper preparation one day. I know I can get in the 60s when I'm tuned in. But this test punishes you severely if you're a little off in your aiming.

My tabe is 9 foot, Chinese made, shimmed to 4 1/3" so plays pretty mean. Sits outside in an open door garage (coz some doves are nesting in there) and it was raining all day, which doesn't help.

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cd0Cx-6Vk0
You might notice I'm a little wishy washy on my alignment procedure, that's coz I don't really have one at the moment. lol Fast forward 6 minutes if you want to see me start making balls. That #1 is tougher than I thought. I was making about 1/2 in warm ups, but you've only gotta be a hair off and it misses. I'll need some work on that shot.

[edit]oh, and #3 shot was the most disappointing. I can understand anyone missing 5 #1s coz it's a bit of a crap shoot. Funny thing is my #3 looks like it is about a 5-8 degree cut whereas other guys seemed to be playing it as a straight in. I better check the points. Anyway, missing 3 from 5 just shows I wasn't tuned into where I was lined up. If I missed that shot everyday that often I'd be covered in boot marks from kicking myself.

Colin
 
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Not like I'm qualified to tell you sh1t, Colin....But if you're using ETE/CTE, you can't align low and near the CB the way I saw you in the video. You'll neeeeever get your line that way unless you're Yoda. You have to stand up to see it.

When you drop on the aim line, odds are... you already lost 'it.' Lock onto the line and slide into the shot.
 
Eric. said:
OK, Colin. Sorry for the delay, I got around to filming.

I only shot two shots per, due to pure laziness.

9' Brunswick GC II, double shimmed pockets.

I was rated an APA 6 a few years ago. I guess might be a lil better, now.

I use an aiming system based on Hal Houle, which I modified slightly.

To be honest, the vid is my second take. My stupid dog, "Dumb Dog" sharked me constantly. In fact, on the second take, Dumb Dog was sniffing my nuts while I was about to pull the trigger on a shot :o Regardless, I finished filming, for better or worse.

I thought the first two shots were the hardest. I felt that this was a good drill/ way to access one's potting skill. Also, I think what table matters a lot. If I shot this on a 7' Valley barbox, I might count my misses by the day :wink:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=azb+thing&emb=0&aq=f#

*edit- I'm always open to constructive criticism from anyone.


Eric
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Nice shooting Eric. Was that 13 out of 16? Seems you've got a damn good eye.

Here's a few things you might want to think about re: constrictive criticism (not that your potting seems to need a bunch)
1. When you address the ball, looking for the line, your head and body seems to wiggle a bit each side of the line. It might help if you can smooth out this process, perhaps by sliding into the line more than dropping down onto it.

2. The stroke could relax a little. On some shots it looked a little jabby and swoopy. I mean, comparing it to the silky smoothness of some pros.

Again, good shooting and thanks for putting in a video, even if it was just 16 shots and you got a couple of balls in slightly the wrong places. ;)

Colin
 
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SpiderWebComm said:
Not like I'm qualified to tell you sh1t, Colin....But if you're using ETE/CTE, you can't align low and near the CB the way I saw you in the video. You'll neeeeever get your line that way unless you're Yoda. You have to stand up to see it.

When you drop on the aim line, odds are... you already lost 'it.' Lock onto the line and slide into the shot.
Click to expand...
I do take a bit of a peek from standing up but mostly I'm looking for it from down low. Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try that out.

I actually had a couch at the back of me on most the shots which made my table approach a bit more cramped than I like. Instead of standing back to look at the line (not enough room) I tended to bend forward to look at the line to get the same perspective.

Anyway, interesting that you're very focused on finding the line from the 'up top' stage of the shot.

Colin
 
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