Instruct me!

Cuebuddy said:
Your stroke looks good.
Your bridge hand seems solid.
You draw the ball well.
But on the second video (I might just be hearing things) it sounded like you put the chalk down upside down on the rail.:eek: :grin-devilish: :o
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I did that today and cringed. Had a piece of chalk that came out of the wrapper and put it down. When I was racking I noticed what I had done and felt a little embarrassed for doing something like that. I'm the guy who before going through the grocery aisle that says 20 items or less I actually count the stuff in basket. I do that because it aggravates me to no end being behind someone in that aisle that has a cart full of crap.
 
gunzby said:
I did that today and cringed. Had a piece of chalk that came out of the wrapper and put it down. When I was racking I noticed what I had done and felt a little embarrassed for doing something like that. I'm the guy who before going through the grocery aisle that says 20 items or less I actually count the stuff in basket. I do that because it aggravates me to no end being behind someone in that aisle that has a cart full of crap.
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i bring it up and ask to go ahead of them. i hate that stuff too
 
poolplayer2093 said:
i bring it up and ask to go ahead of them. i hate that stuff too
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I always check my receipt after going through to make sure I counted right too. I had one girl tell me that she could get me in her aisle and I didn't know what to do, but say "uuuuh but I have like 30 things."
 
on second thought... you are gripping WAY to hard on every shot

if you can't feel the cue slip in your grip hand you are not hitting the cueball where you think you are...

I bet draw shots are a real problem for you...


Quit trying to hit me and hit me!!!!!!!
Morpheus
 
I haven't watched yoru videos but based on what others are saying I will give you a practice routine that will help you develop good patterns.

throw out three balls - take ball in hand and run them. When you do three then throw out four and keep increasing by one ball. If you miss go back a ball. DO NOT CHEAT YOURSELF and go on when you shouldn't or fail to go back when you should.

Part of the problem with people practicing with whole racks is that they never can really analyze where they got in trouble. If you do it this way you will quickly see where you start to play the wrong shots and get out of line. And you will start to see the patterns emerge and quickly figure out what works and what doesn't.

Sometimes when I want the drill to be really hard I will consider it a failure if I get of line and not even try to complete the run out. This isn't because I think I can't make the shot but instead because a big problem with amateurs is getting out of line and having to come with hero shots. So I force myself to try really hard to stay in line by considering it a miss when I get out of line.

And if you don't know what "out of line" means it is when you put the cueball in a position that makes it difficult to make the shot and get position on the next ball. Position where you have to work extra hard to get shape on the next ball.

Also I would reccomend doing this drill sometimes without using sidepin. Just try and use only top and bottom and speed and see how you do. You will be surprised how often you can run out with no sidespin by just using the proper amount of speed control and draw or follow.
 
It looks to me like you need to relax and play a little more loose. Your stroke looks like you are putting too much effort into it.
 
Cuebuddy said:
Your stroke looks good.
Your bridge hand seems solid.
You draw the ball well.
But on the second video (I might just be hearing things) it sounded like you put the chalk down upside down on the rail.:eek: :grin-devilish: :o
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LMAO... That is some good stuff.
 
The Prodigy said:
cuebuddy its safe, I always put my chalk facing up. So I was at the pool hall tonight playing some league and decided to shoot some vid of my while in some actual light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrQFiwkR4ZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9dX3z1adzg
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I think more than anything, your pattern play could use the most work.

You played the 1 ball nice, but the 3 ball was the deal breaker.

I would have either played this:

CueTable Help



to this

CueTable Help



or

play the 2 the way you did and cut the 3 with maybe 4:00 english like this:

CueTable Help



Either way, banking the 3 ball was the reason you didnt get out.

You seem to be able to pocket balls fairly well, so I think if you work on your position and thought process, you will run out more often.
 
The Prodigy said:
cuebuddy its safe, I always put my chalk facing up. So I was at the pool hall tonight playing some league and decided to shoot some vid of my while in some actual light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrQFiwkR4ZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9dX3z1adzg
Click to expand...
I noticed that your camera guy was like you want me to shut it off yet , But i think you did alright , you do need to work on your preshot routine but just keep practicing you'll get better , just think everyday you learn somthing new in the world of billiards .:)
 
With the break, try keeping your hand on the table throughout the stroke. You'll gain more control this way.

When you missed the four, you had a fairly big twitch. Again stay relaxed on all shots. People have a tendency to hit difficult balls differently than they would easy ones. You had a smooth stroke on the first balls, not so much on the four. Try to maintain that on all shots.

Finally I will re-iterate what others have said. Think three balls ahead, you got in trouble because of your shot on the one. You should have drawn back further so that you had a better angle on the two. Analyze the racks and find the key shots that will lead you to the run out. In your rack it was the four to the five, after that it laid pretty easy.
 
Thanks alot for the information guys, I will see if I can find someone to help me with my patterns. Also with the loose grip, does the cue need to slide a bit in my hand when I contact the cue ball?
 
gunzby said:
I did that today and cringed. Had a piece of chalk that came out of the wrapper and put it down. When I was racking I noticed what I had done and felt a little embarrassed for doing something like that. I'm the guy who before going through the grocery aisle that says 20 items or less I actually count the stuff in basket. I do that because it aggravates me to no end being behind someone in that aisle that has a cart full of crap.
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I remember you:). I was the guy who was only buying 1 item and a old woman rolled up behind me with a shopping cart loaded to the top and I asker if she would like to go first because I only have 1 thing.:p
 
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poolplayer2093 said:
i think you should have cut the 3 in instead of banking it cross corner. actually the whole rack seems to have been played with bad patterns
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agreed. aside from looking like you were punching most of your shots, the pattern seemed a little more difficult than it needed to be.
 
The Prodigy said:
Also with the loose grip, does the cue need to slide a bit in my hand when I contact the cue ball?
Click to expand...


it doesn't "need" to.. on softer shots it won't on harder shots it might..

the Idea is to not stop it if it does slide a little bit..

don't let your grip change the trajectory of the tip...

think of it as tossing your cue at the ball

you want it to be basically airborne at impact with just enough pressure from your bridge to keep it in a straight line and just enough grip to keep it from falling on the floor let your cue "float" in your hands during the shot.
 
I shot a few games with a super relaxed grip. I am basically just holding the cue up. Seems a bit different but I think it will become second nature before too long.Now I just need more help with patterns.
 
The Prodigy said:
I shot a few games with a super relaxed grip. I am basically just holding the cue up. Seems a bit different but I think it will become second nature before too long.Now I just need more help with patterns.
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accu stats will help you with that
 
I am no expert, but given the lessons I have taken, and my own experience, I see two things. First, I agree that you are holding the cue too hard, and often trying to accelerate too aggressively through the ball with shots that don't need it. Remeber that it is not speed that creates effective spin. I see that you ar ealready taking people's advise on decreasing your grip. Second, on all of the shots that show your back arm, I noticed that you do not finish your stroke. Watch them and you will see that your hand only comes approx half way to your chest with a lot of your shots, when it should come all the way to your chest. Finish your stroke on all shots and you will be more accurate.

I think its great that youare listening and making the effort to improve. If you really want to get better quicker, I would save some money and take a lesson with someone like Scott Lee. You will be surprised how much it will help if you practice what he shows you.
 
this thread's getting big!

when i was first starting i was always told that you're supposed to throw the cue at the cueball. that's what lead to me playing with a fairly loose grip. over the years i've started to grip the cue a little tighter. basically what i'm trying to say is that don't start holding the cue too loose. just keep practicing and don't make too many BOLD adjustments
 
The Prodigy said:
Thanks alot for the information guys, I will see if I can find someone to help me with my patterns. Also with the loose grip, does the cue need to slide a bit in my hand when I contact the cue ball?
Click to expand...

No!!! Use the thumb and first finger to cradle the cue, and when you reach the point that the cue does not slide you have reached the right tightness for a grip.

Allow the pivoting of the cue at the (Thumb one side/finger on the other) point to actually cause the cue to bind in your hand against the heel of your hand during the follow through. This keeps you from programming excessive movement and muscle data into your stroke.

It also allows you to pinch the cue, and no cue slip. .....:thumbup:
 
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