Thanks much Rick, and the same holiday greetings to you!..I guess I tend to get carried away, when I see some folks might be headed in the absolute wrong direction, pool wise!..(at least IMHO
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How long after you started playing...
- Thread starter ENGLISH!
- Start date
Thanks much Rick, and the same holiday greetings to you!..I guess I tend to get carried away, when I see some folks might be headed in the absolute wrong direction, pool wise!..(at least IMHO
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Ron, whatever you're comfortable with...The important thing, is to learn it ASAP!..Ball pocketing skills will vary, even among the best player's..But they will all have one thing in common..Exceptional knowledge and control of their 'spin'. (ie; cueball direction, reaction etc.)..That is what makes them rise well above the average player!
Immediately, and ever since (although been working towards the center and using less and less for a while now). I got into pool by seeing Efren play, and learned how to play by trying to emulate him. Still working on the "emulating him" part
Who isn't!!!!!
Ron, whatever you're comfortable with...The important thing, is to learn it ASAP!..Ball pocketing skills will vary, even among the best player's..But they will all have one thing in common..Exceptional knowledge and control of their 'spin'. (ie; cueball direction, reaction etc.)..That is what makes them rise well above the average player!
Thanks. I was asking not just for me, but what works for other learning players in general. For me, once I started to use english gradually 1/2 tip at a time, my knowledge and control picked up.
I see some instructors and advanced players at my pool hall advising low level players to use 2.5, 3 tips of english. This didn't work for me as it made pocketing so difficult, I stayed away from using any english at all.
Ron,
That is THE mistake, IMO.
When practicing or playing for 'nothing', what does it matter? If a shot requires maximum spin then shoot it with maximum spin. Like SJD said, one will never know when the NEED for it will come up & if one has not shot with it enough to become comfortable & not fearful of it then how can one expect success with it when it IS needed.
What you did is sort of like driving a car & you did not turn right as well as you did turning left so you rarely turned right & instead went the long way around turning left only. By the time got where you wanted to be, someone else that turned well in both directions had taken that prime front door parking spot that you wanted but would not turn right to get.
If young pups like me & those here that started using it at rather young ages could do it then why can't anyone do it? They can IF... they don't put up mental road blocks like fear... or fear of looking silly IF they miss, or whatever it is.
Youth has no fear of such things & the exuberance of youth to learn & do everything is the right & correct way.
How many of us would not give all the material things that we have for Youth & all, well, almost all, that comes along with it.
Like the song says... "If You're Young at Heart.'.
Living on the edge ... of the cue ball will not kill you & it could get that front door prime parking spot instead of giving it up to someone else that is not afraid to turn right.
Like SJD said, learn it ASAP. It's that of which Master Pieces are. I know of no paint by numbers paintings that are handing in the Louvre.
Best Wishes
PS There is a book & movie about the baseball player Jimmy Piersal (spelling?). The title is Fear Strikes Out.
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Started playing 5 years ago, just got real comfortable and confident using spin about 2 years ago. Still learning stuff on almost a daily basis.
How do you know what requires maximum spin vs. medium or minimal ?
When I started, I was using 2 tips of english on everything. I didn't know any better. Pocketing balls was difficult, CB was zipping around the table and difficult to control. To me, that was english.
It wasn't until I started to use english gradually in small increments that I started to understand what was necessary. Pocketing and CB control increased. My game made a clear fast jump.
I see people in my local hall doing the same as when I started. 2 tips on everything. They have not gotten better.
Maybe some of us learn better with progressive methods ?
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You 'know' based on experience & if you don't use it, you will not get or have any experience with it & hence you will never learn.
I think your mistake was hitting everything with the same amount.
What ever made you think that every shot needed the same amount?
When I was 13 & using it within weeks of my introduction to the game, if I wanted english, I went for as much as I could get. Once you see & know what that is, you can back off from there as needed. You need to know the max & the minimum & how to gauge all in between.
If I had to guess I'd say you use it by the BHE method.
Would I be correct?
Yes, I use BHE. It works well with my shaft. Most people I see use FHE or parallel.
Like most beginners, exact tip placement was not consistent. I was not paying attention to how much english I was using. It was later that I realized I was using 2 tips on most english shots.
I see many other beginners doing the same thing (using FHE or parallel). They don't realize how small 1/2 or 1 tip is, nor how much affect it has. They put 2 or 2+ tip of english, marvel at how the CB zips around the table, but rarely make the shot, control position or do both.
For myself, my wife and a few others I practice with, progressive learning has improved us faster.
I am 50 yrs. old, been playing 4 yrs. 3 yrs of league play, 1 yr of tournaments. Currently rated C+. All play on 9 ft tables. I expect to get to B, hopeful to B+, goal is A level. Age and available time will limit me.
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Yeah, you started late.
Keep in mind that it's about the spin to speed. How hard are you going to hit a shot & how much spin do you want on the ball will dictate how far out on the ball you might hit.
Your'e in a bit of an unusual situation starting at 46.
I was helping a retired gentleman that had barely ever held a cue until he retired. We became rather good friends. He passed away a couple of years ago. I had him playing very well but he always marveled at how far out I could hit on the cue ball. He couldn't do it for fear of miscuing, I think.
I learned with what is called parallel & had no thought to CB squirt. My focus was more on the swerve as I was not hitting that hard.
I'm not sure what I would actually tell you given your situation & your goals.
You may be on the best path for you. If you were younger, I'd say take some time off of playing & it every shot with all forms on spin. You may still want to do that as you are NOT... THAT old.
In any case, Good Luck with YOUR Journey, Best Wishes, & Shoot Well,
Rick
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Thanks.
I did play as a kid and in college. All for fun, never any kind of competition, instruction, or attempt at learning. Then did not touch a cue for 20 yrs. until my wife and I joined a league.
I do practice using all kinds of spin to see how the CB reacts. I'm finding I rarely need more than a 1 tip (using tip diameter).
Maybe it's just my style and preferred way to learn/play. I do like to keep things simple and methodical progressive learning is what I did in other sports. I think it has merit and there are instructors that recommend progressive drills.
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I'm going to PM you a link to a Slo Mo video. May help & may not as t is not directly on topic.