how the @$!% do I get my stroke in line

Russ Chewning said:
I used to be amazed at players who could play well one handed. Then, I worked to perfect my stroke by using the bottle as detailed before. My fundamentals were solid, but I had never thought of playing one handed.

Then, in an attempt to handicap myself against a date adequately enough to give her a chance but still push myself to play hard, I started playing her one handed. Only to find that the shots weren't much harder one handed than they were two handed. And I played some run out 8 ball playing one handed. After that day, it made me realize those old time hustlers weren't really doing all that much playing one handed against really weak players.

Russ Chewning
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I have to do this against my kid brother in law, play him one handed, i find it easy. What he makes me do is pocket each ball on the table doesnt' matter what ball just pocket it, and all he has to do is make the eightball and win. A great challenge and i manage to beat him about 90% of the time :D
 
Russ Chewning said:
I used to be amazed at players who could play well one handed. Then, I worked to perfect my stroke by using the bottle as detailed before. My fundamentals were solid, but I had never thought of playing one handed.

Then, in an attempt to handicap myself against a date adequately enough to give her a chance but still push myself to play hard, I started playing her one handed. Only to find that the shots weren't much harder one handed than they were two handed. And I played some run out 8 ball playing one handed. After that day, it made me realize those old time hustlers weren't really doing all that much playing one handed against really weak players.

Russ Chewning
Click to expand...

What Kinister shows how to do in the video is find your own personal perfect alignment. He has you shoot one handed straight in shots, with the object ball on ball's width off the long rail on the 2nd diamond, and the cue ball on the 6th diamond, also near the long rail. He shows how to do this one handed. He wants you to shoot the shot and pot the object ball 10 TIMES IN A ROW... Why 10 times in a row? Because it is impossible to make that shot 10 times in a row by luck. Although he doesn't say it on the video, I can attest that the 5 or 6 hours or whatever it may take someone to shoot that shot 10 times in a row will help them to get the FEEL of what a shot that is made without ANY muscle effort, just the dropping of the arm, like a hinge, FEELS like. That feeling can't be taught, and it is the key to making this shot work. Then he has you shoot the shot two handed, but make the cue ball pot the object ball, and roll forward to REPLACE the object ball. This is not a stop shot, it's a pure center ball shot. Then he has you shoot the same shot with an open bridge, drawing the cue ball table length.

After all this, the feeling in the arm when executing these shots is what one's looking for.

It's an alignment/stroke/aiming/feel thing. He doesn't say that, it's just MHO.

Top notch stuff.


Flex
 
Egg, what I did when i had an instructor point out that my elbow was drastically outside of my hand, was to get a mirror(mine was 2' by 3'). I set the mirror up at the far end of my kitchen table(did not have a table at the time) facing me. I then proceeded to practice swinging down into my stance while watching in the mirror to make sure my stroking arm stayed straight(elbow over hand) and also that it was in line with my bridge hand( similar to how Cory Duel swings into his stance). Once down into my stance I practiced stroking towards the mirror(stopping just short of it) and trying to touch my tip to the one in the mirror in sets of 25 before getting up and retaking my stance to ingrain this pattern and make it natural. I did 200 a day for 1 month.

When I first started doing this, I had to alter my stance as being a bigger guy I was running into my stomach wich had caused the original flaw. I also found that after some experimenting if I put a line (be it string or tape) on the table 90 degrees from the mirror it helped to keep me straight into the mirror and not stroking towards it on an angle.

Try it it could help

Bern
 
Ok, I didn't read all (any) of the thread, so if this has already been suggested forgive, I am very tired and am going to bed.

I know the stock answer in these cases is to recommend an instructor. Well my advice is to get an instructor :D.

When it comes to a bad stroke, there is usually something (other than a crooked stroke) you are doing wrong but you just can't find it yourself. Maybe your forearm and elbow aren't in line. Maybe your stance is too square, or too angled. Maybe your grip is off (very likely). I dunno, never seen you play.

An instructor will notice these problems very quickly and give you solutions talored specifically to you.
 
It has already been suggested but playing alot of one handed pool will help you get a straighter stroke(maybe). Worked for me.
 
Egg McDogit said:
good suggestion, but even if I use it, my arm will move at a 20 degree angle in respect to my stroking line..
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The third eye stroke trainer will fix your alignment. You will start out conciously making your stroke go straight because of the two prongs, and your arm will get used to it. After using it for a few days, your stroke will feel real light, and you can juice up the cueball like crazy. This thing had me shooting jacked-up on the rail table length draw shots, and I was drawing the cueball straight back. That's how good this thing works.
 
Egg, the first thing you need to do is open your mind and quit saying that nothing suggested works for you. Ther are a lot of good ideas here and keep saying I can't or they don't work for me. Your problem is that you learned to stroke incorectly. It is hard to change old habits. What has been posted CAN work, it just takes time. You didn't learn the wrong way in one day and you can't fix it in one day. Not cracking on ya man, just telling you the truth. I hope it comes together for ya.
Don
 
Let me ask you this - how do you know this stuff works? Have you considered that it doesn't work for everyone? How are you qualified to tell me what the truth is?

And also what would the suggestions do? e.g. stroking out of a bottle or using a stroke trainer? How would the solve my problem? Do you even understand what I'd initially asked?

Purdman said:
Egg, the first thing you need to do is open your mind and quit saying that nothing suggested works for you. Ther are a lot of good ideas here and keep saying I can't or they don't work for me. Your problem is that you learned to stroke incorectly. It is hard to change old habits. What has been posted CAN work, it just takes time. You didn't learn the wrong way in one day and you can't fix it in one day. Not cracking on ya man, just telling you the truth. I hope it comes together for ya.
Don
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Egg McDogit]Let me ask you this - how do you know this stuff works? Have you considered that it doesn't work for everyone? How are you qualified to tell me what the truth is?

I was a registered BCA instructor for two years and was a Certified BCA instructor for five. I worked with the best Master Instructor on the planet. He taught me how to fix problems. WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION MY CREDENTIALS?

And also what would the suggestions do? e.g. stroking out of a bottle or using a stroke trainer? How would the solve my problem? Do you even understand what I'd initially asked?

Up until recently, I felt that it really doesn't matter how crooked your stroke is as long as you stroke the ball. But I'm starting to realize how untrue this is...especially when hitting balls softer or under pressure. And it also has a great effect on your overall precision, beyond just pocketing balls.

The line my stroking arm makes is about 20 degrees off-line in respect with my stick (inwards towards my body)...meaning that I stroke the ball really crooked but my stick goes straight (kind of) because my wrist bends/twists and my upper/lower arm and shoulder all move to accomodate it.

I've tried everything I can think of to try to get it in line, but for the life of me I can't figure it out. I've spent weeks working on this - and am wondering if anyone has had the same problem and managed to fix it somehow. I don't know if it's my build or what.

HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT ME TO READ ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM?

THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL EGG! YOU GOT TO WORK ON IT! BE PATIENT AND OPEN MINDED. LISTEN!

I obviously won't be able to help you because you have no respect for me. That is your problem. You don't seem to have any respect for anybody else trying to help you either.
So again, I wish you luck with your problem. Take care my friend.
Don:rolleyes:
 
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People are trying to help me correct symptoms of the problem and not the root cause. Maybe an analogy will help: say you have a messed up ball joint in your car that makes it veer off and someone tells you the way to fix it is to change the way you steer. Are you going to listen to advice? Are you going to be happy when the people who give it to you accuse you of being closed-minded because you don't take them seriously?

Some suggestions that addressed the root cause:
- copy shannon daulton's alignment - breakup
- look over kennisters (sp) book with specifics on ways to align for different body types flex

Anyways I appreciate the help everyone, but I've decided to stop playing pool seriously.

Purdman said:
I obviously won't be able to help you because you have no respect for me. That is your problem. You don't seem to have any respect for anybody else trying to help you either.
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Purdman said:
I was a registered BCA instructor for two years and was a Certified BCA instructor for five. I worked with the best Master Instructor on the planet. He taught me how to fix problems. WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION MY CREDENTIALS?
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Ok let me ask you a very simple question. Can you tell me how to get out from here? From the 8 to the 9? What kind of english, stroke, etc. do I want to use here?

CueTable Help

 
Well, if all else has failed:

1. Give up drinking.

2. Have a surgeon fuse the bones in your wrist.

3. Ask a cuemaker to put a 20-degree warp in your stick.
 
Egg McDogit said:
People are trying to help me correct symptoms of the problem and not the root cause. Maybe an analogy will help: say you have a messed up ball joint in your car that makes it veer off and someone tells you the way to fix it is to change the way you steer. Are you going to listen to advice? Are you going to be happy when the people who give it to you accuse you of being closed-minded because you don't take them seriously?

If the guy was an auto mechanic that specialized in front end work, I would listen to him and do what he told me to do. If that didn't fix the problem, then I would question him. That's how it works!
Don
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Dhakala said:
Well, if all else has failed:

1. Give up drinking.

2. Have a surgeon fuse the bones in your wrist.

3. Ask a cuemaker to put a 20-degree warp in your stick.
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No, NO, NO!! Don't do that. They removed the Scaphoid bone in my wrist and fused four bones together. It takes about two years to get close to where you were. Got to retrain your whole stroke.
Now if ya told him to take a couple of tokes and call ya in the morning, I would stay out of it.:D
Purdman;)
 
Egg McDogit said:
People are trying to help me correct symptoms of the problem and not the root cause. Maybe an analogy will help: say you have a messed up ball joint in your car that makes it veer off and someone tells you the way to fix it is to change the way you steer. Are you going to listen to advice? Are you going to be happy when the people who give it to you accuse you of being closed-minded because you don't take them seriously?

Some suggestions that addressed the root cause:
- copy shannon daulton's alignment - breakup
- look over kennisters (sp) book with specifics on ways to align for different body types flex

Anyways I appreciate the help everyone, but I've decided to stop playing pool seriously.
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Exactly what do you mean "quit playing seriously"? Were you hopeing to become a pro, a hustler, professional gambler, or what? I really want to know Egg. That might help me understand you better. I know you are a nice guy and we bumped D heads once, but I still think you are a nice guy.
Don
 
Since it is 9 ball Egg, I would hit the cue ball with medium speed, center ball and have the 9 straight in the corner. If we were playing 1 pocket, I would bank the 8 long rail into the corner oposite the 9 ball or I could cross bank the 8 into the oposite corner at that end of the table. Hell, I might even two rail it into the corner pocket where the 9 ball is. I could go a lot of ways with this one. How about you?
Don
 
IMO potting the 8 is not a problem at all and after that it's only about having position to 9. Keep it simple and let there be space for slight mistakes; pot that 8 with a little left english and that much power that your cue ball will roll from end rail somewhere in between of middle pocket and end rail of that end where you have that 9. Cue ball will stay around center line and all those shots from that mentioned area are easily done.
 
pete-biker said:
IMO potting the 8 is not a problem at all and after that it's only about having position to 9. Keep it simple and let there be space for slight mistakes; pot that 8 with a little left english and that much power that your cue ball will roll from end rail somewhere in between of middle pocket and end rail of that end where you have that 9. Cue ball will stay around center line and all those shots from that mentioned area are easily done.
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HE DIDN'T ASK YOU PETE!!!:p :p ;) :D
J/K Purdman
I could probably tell ya how to 2, 3, 4, and 5 rail that puppy!!!;)
 
pete-biker said:
IMO potting the 8 is not a problem at all and after that it's only about having position to 9. Keep it simple and let there be space for slight mistakes; pot that 8 with a little left english and that much power that your cue ball will roll from end rail somewhere in between of middle pocket and end rail of that end where you have that 9. Cue ball will stay around center line and all those shots from that mentioned area are easily done.
Click to expand...

Probably a bit better is a firm stroke with bottom right english going three rails and travelling towards the nine off the third rail. Much fewer misses than using inside on the eight, and almost no chance to come up short..

Russ C.
 
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