intimidated by large green spaces

berlowmj

berlowmj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm OK when the CB & object ball are close & the pocket is far away. I'm OK when the CB is far from the object ball, but the object ball is near the pocket.

BUT, my performance is erratic when there are large green spaces between the CB & object ball & the object ball & the pocket. There are psychological as well as technique issues here. Help?

Thanks to all of you for the acceleration of my learning curve on breaking. When I feel my Chi energy in the follow through, balls sink.
 
Fundamentals, funddamentals, fundamentals.

The closer the object ball is to the pocket the more room for error on the contact point, which means your stroke doesn't have to be as accurate. Furthermore when the cueball is close to the object ball you have more room for error in your stroke.

You need to focus on being perfectly balanced and aligned. Make sure on your final stroke you follow straight through, no poking.

Another possible problem is that you could be tensing up on these shots. Many people get tense or grip the cue tighter on their follow through due to being nervous. Try to make your final stroke emulate your practice strokes. Maintain a relaxed arm and the same consistency of your grip throughout the entire stroke.
 
On long, difficult shots, I focus on the shot, not the shape. Most of these shots are missed because the player is trying to do something unnatural with the cue ball.

If you practice spot shots, it will help your aim on long shots immensely.
 
berlowmj said:
What are "spot shots?"
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Think he means when you mark your cueball and object ball location with those little paper hole re-inforcement stickers. This way you can repeat the exact same shot over and over again. Set up the shot you're struggling with and keep drilling it in until you can't miss.:)
 
Hmm, I usually just mark the spots with Chalk but that isn't a bad idea either. You're talking about the reinforcement stickers for the ole three ring binder I assume?
 
xidica said:
Hmm, I usually just mark the spots with Chalk but that isn't a bad idea either. You're talking about the reinforcement stickers for the ole three ring binder I assume?
Click to expand...
That would be them. Get the white ones, you can get 200 for around $1.00. They don't leave residue behind and they actually help center the balls precisly where you want them becasue of the small hole. Chalk isn't the best option, gets in the fabric and being that it's an abbrasive, can wear the fabric down.:)
 
Great idea. Now why didn't I think of that!? :confused:

Thanks a bunch I'll have to grab some and try whenever I'm at an Office Depot or something similar.
 
berlowmj said:
What are "spot shots?"
Click to expand...
In traditional pool speak a "spot shot" was when the OB was placed on the foot spot and shot at with the CB behind the head string.

In many games, before the BIH hand rules anywhere came into play, balls potted illegally were spotted and then shot from behind the head string, thus the name spot shot.

I grew up playing 15 ball rotation and this was a common shot that was practiced a lot.
 
This is an issue everyone encounters from time to time. You're referring to the limitations of your "comfort zone". In otherwords, there are shots that you feel very comfortable shooting (whether you make then all the time or not) and there are shots you feel very uncomfortable shooting.

You should start by setting-up a shot that is well-within your comfort-zone and shooting it a few times in a row. Once you've done that, set-up a similar shot only make it a bit longer and shoot it as many times necessary in order to feel comfortable. Continue lengthening the shot until you've reached the outer-most boundry.

The key is to try and shoot your easy shots and hard ones with a similar approach.
 
Focus hard on where your cue ball is striking the OB, then answer me this: did you strike the OB where you aimed (meaning your contact point was wrong), or did you not hit the right spot (your aim was wrong).

If 1, you need some more visual reference. Jude has a great way to connect an uncomfortable shot to a comfortable one so you have a better reference point. You can work through your difficulties by observing all you can about the shot and really visualizing what you're doing.

If 2, you need to work on those fundamentals. The biggest factor in the consistency of a professional is a stroke and alignment that always contacts the OB where you aim. Jude's test is a good one, but you really need to focus hard on paying attention to where contact is made and driving the CB through that. Making sure you observe this on every shot is a great way to keep from popping up. Look back and forth between the CB and OB many times during your practice strokes so you can really project the ball.
 
Play on bigger tables as much as possible. Believe me, a big ball on a small table looks completely different after you shoot small balls on a big table (ala snooker). When I start having problems making long balls out in the middle of the table (not much problem with straight shots), I jump on the snooker table. Do what Jude told you, and once you get a comfort level established, spend some time on those long shots. You'll be glad you did.
 
As always, you have defined my practice sessions with science & precision. Thank you so much. I could retire & still have insufficient time to master this game.
 
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