If you could no longer physically play pool...

Fred, I could easily see myself having issues with that 6 ball shot. The cue ball is on the rail and you’ve got to pop it pretty good to get back out far enough on the 7 to get shape on the 8.

I’m struggling myself anytime the cue ball is on the rail and I’m stroking perpendicular to the rail - often missing easy shots badly, even double hitting the cue ball. Very strange, as otherwise I’m perfectly fine.
Believe me, that 6-ball to 7-ball was a hanger. Yes, I had to jack up a hair and slightly pop it. But that is well within anyone’s skill level that has state champion and league state best of the best titles under their belt. Blindfolded. One handed. But that’s what the yips are about. Some shots arent straight forward, and my body wont even let me put my hand on the rail.

Maybe I’m not making myself clear. I dont “struggle with this shot.” It’s not like I get down and just can’t make it. I can’t get down at all. And in this case, I forced myself to put my hand on the rail, my arm fired forward before i got a warm up stroke in like it has Tourette’s, and I made the ball and got easy position. As @SpiderWebComm Dave suggests, I have to do my best to time the yips. It’s frickin awful since a a good percentage of time something goes wrong as anyone can imagine. From anyone else’s point of view, I jab/one-stroked it. They don’t see the inner turmoil and battle going on.
 
Last edited:
All sorts of strokes. It started with the break, but certain stretched out shots and certain position shots. And if I showed you some of these shots, you’d be shocked. Here’s a photo of shot that got me. 6-ball to the 7-ball, which is virtually hanging.

If someone were to rack the balls while I was in the bathroom, my body won’t even let me put my bridge hand on the table as if it forgot what to do. I was just on a table that was just a little lower than I’m used to, and my legs could never find my normal stance. In true yips it’s like my brain and body get disconnected, and if I happen to get into position, trying to take warm up strokes is like having momentary Tourette’s.

I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
Fred
i did not know this about you
i feel your pain
glad you have found a way to accept it
wish sometime soon medicine finds a cure
larry
 
Fred...what happens if you tried positioning your body, stance, head/eyes, and stroke opposite handed?
So instead of doing everything as a righty, you set up and stroked as a lefty. I know if I did it myself, I would
shoot like absolute shit having cerebral palsy. But if it was the only way to keep playing the game without the yips, it would be worth the time to hone the skills and accept the challenge. I'm curious to find out what occurs if you did give it a try for the yips part of it when shooting lefty.
 
Believe me, that 6-ball to 7-ball was a hanger. Yes, I had to jack up a hair and slightly pop it. But that is well within anyone’s skill level that has state champion and league state best of the best titles under their belt. Blindfolded. One handed. But that’s what the yips are about. Some shots arent straight forward, and my body wont even let me put my hand on the rail.

Maybe I’m not making myself clear. I dont “struggle with this shot.” It’s not like I get down and just can’t make it. I can’t get down at all. And in this case, I forced myself to put my hand on the rail, my arm fired forward before i got a warm up stroke in like it has Tourette’s, and I made the ball and got easy position. As @SpiderWebComm Dave suggests, I have to do my best to time the yips. It’s frickin awful since a a good percentage of time something goes wrong as anyone can imagine. From anyone else’s point of view, I jab/one-stroked it. They don’t see the inner termoil and battle going on.
Fred, obviously my experience of my yips doesn’t begin to compare with yours. I admire your courage in dealing with this and for sharing this with us, for someone who loves the game as much or more than any of us.
 
Fred...what happens if you tried positioning your body, stance, head/eyes, and stroke opposite handed?
So instead of doing everything as a righty, you set up and stroked as a lefty. I know if I did it myself, I would
shoot like absolute shit having cerebral palsy. But if it was the only way to keep playing the game without the yips, it would be worth the time to hone the skills and accept the challenge. I'm curious to find out what occurs if you did give it a try for the yips part of it when shooting lefty.
When I try shooting lefty, I have always yipped. Lol. That was before I ever had the yips shooting right-handed.
 
Prototype project: Cue Aim and Cue Assist

Based on the demand how would you feel about creating a bridge that can incline, rotate and hold elevation above cloth level at levels of your choosing.

Users loads the cue stick and gravity does the rest.

Youve seen a stimpmeter. Wait till you see the CACA.

Its mech suit for pool, but low tech.
 
Prototype project: Cue Aim and Cue Assist

Based on the demand how would you feel about creating a bridge that can incline, rotate and hold elevation above cloth level at levels of your choosing.

Users loads the cue stick and gravity does the rest.

Youve seen a stimpmeter. Wait till you see the CACA.

Its mech suit for pool, but low tech.
Well I know what caca is, and not terribly surprised you are working on it. Fitting.

 
When I try shooting lefty, I have always yipped. Lol. That was before I ever had the yips shooting right-handed.
LMAO. After suggesting it to you, I got on the table and tried it myself. No yip. I couldn't even make a decent bridge or get into a stance for alignment that resembled a pool player. The first stroke created a miscue that was close to a whiff. End of experiment. Disregard any more of my suggestions. o_O
 
I can still play, but it's a struggle. There's a little neuropathy in my left foot, I've got arthritis in my hands and neck, and my balance isn't quite what it used to be. Still, I do my best and manage to enjoy it. I play less than ten times a year, but every time I play, I'm reminded of my late father, with whom I played pool when I was young.

As for the question asked in the original post, I still get a big charge from watching the best professionals doing their thing, and now that Matchroom has raised the bar so high in pool event productions, it's a good time to be a fan.
 
Back
Top