Luther Lassiter Video

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks! He had a nice straight stroke- all the greats do- even if it looks a little different sometimes- they all get the cue straight and all the way through the cue ball - the cue itself does not have to be perfectly straight- only the tip is hitting the cue ball -but the stroke sure does to be consistent,
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks! He had a nice straight stroke- all the greats do- even if it looks a little different sometimes- they all get the cue straight and all the way through the cue ball - the cue itself does not have to be perfectly straight- only the tip is hitting the cue ball -but the stroke sure does to be consistent,
Did anyone notice how much he chokes up on his cue with his right hand for most shots? It looks like he holds it at the very bottom of the forearm/beginning of the linen - a good 14 to 16 inches of butt exposed behind his hand.
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Did anyone notice how much he chokes up on his cue with his right hand for most shots? It looks like he holds it at the very bottom of the forearm/beginning of the linen - a good 14 to 16 inches of butt exposed behind his hand.
Ha HA- sort of belies the idea that your stroking forearm should be straight up and down when the cue tip is touching the cue ball doesn't it? His stroking forearm is bent half way forward as strikes the cue ball- no formal stroke training back then- guys just tried to figure out what worked best for them. Some just naturally had it right- their cue went straight through the cue ball most consistently - most never reached that goal.
Today we have video, training, instructors, internet, etc. - just look at the Europeans who are robot like in their approach.

Most of the old timers could not even describe what they did with their cue in terms of mechanics, just that it worked for them. at least he had a stroke- Alan Hopkins has almost no pull back at all on his cue- but , again, he delivers it straight and somehow with that poke he gets it through the cue ball enough to get desired cue ball action.
 

JusticeNJ

Four Points/Steel Joints
Silver Member
"Two and a half hours without missing, and still had a perfect break". How many balls do you think he ran in those 2 and a half hours? Very cool video.
My guess figuring he'd get through a rack in 5-6 minutes on average: 350 - 400+.
 

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Did anyone notice how much he chokes up on his cue with his right hand for most shots? It looks like he holds it at the very bottom of the forearm/beginning of the linen - a good 14 to 16 inches of butt exposed behind his hand.
I find myself choking up on really touchy shots requiring follow but very small cue ball movements after the shot. I'd imagine it looks "goofy" to anyone seeing me do it, but the cue ball just behaves better that way on those types of shots.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
I mentioned once to Nick Varner that Lassiter was considered the straightest shooter of his era. Varner replied that Lassiter may have been the straightest shooter ever. I stood corrected.
 

arnaldo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Most of the old timers could not even describe what they did with their cue in terms of mechanics, just that it worked for them.
Exactly right, Mike. And very pertinent to your spot-on comment, there's a now widely-known anecdote relating to the time when Luther had just completed a long, flawless Straight Pool run-out in front of a packed house. He was busy screwing together his cue when a dazzled teenage fan in the front row asked him a clearly heard question:

"Do you ever give lessons Mr. Lassiter?"

Luther politely replied: "No, son -- I can't teach pool, because I don't know what I'm doing."

Many in the crowd chuckled heartily, but most just smilingly agreed and nodded, knowing full well the subtlety of what Luther meant by the answer. He was often heard to give the same answer during many later years.

True story. I was about 15 feet away, having served for this particular match as one of the many volunteer, rotating scorekeepers at this mid-1960s World Invitational 14.1 Championship -- an event that was one of many in the exciting series of them founded and managed by Fred Whalen in the huge downtown Elks Club in Los Angeles. Fred held these ambitious 14.1 Round-robin events annually -- from the early 1960s thru the early 1970s. The counterpart, (unrelated) NYC 14.1 Invitationals were held for a number of years by different organizers, in the Hotel Commodore. Mandated tuxedos on both coasts. Lassiter and Cisero Murphy had a memorable Commodore match there one year.

Addicted LA locals like myself and about a dozen other fellows during that decade, loved scorekeeping those matches, because during those 3-week round-robins we got to meet and get to know every one of the star entries who turned out for the tourneys. There was always plenty of press and TV interview coverage every year, and always in attendance were show biz folks who liked great 14.1 (Fred Astaire, Peter Falk, Johnny Mathis, Paul Sorvino, etc.). I got to know my fellow New Yorker, actor Vic Morrow, very well. He loved watching professional 14.1. I often casually coached him in Red Baker's North Hollywood room half-a-block from the corner of Magnolia & Vineland.

I was working graveyard tool-making shifts at Lockheed (Burbank) and had plenty of convenient time available to Freeway-down for those dream scorekeeping duties at the daily matches.

I've still got a few of the annual event official programs from those years that I'm going to scan and pdf for the AZB pool history project recently announced on this forum. My 1970 program bears the enjoyably-wrought signature of Mizerak and a number of other top invitee players.

Arnaldo
 
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WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
Did anyone notice how much he chokes up on his cue with his right hand for most shots? It looks like he holds it at the very bottom of the forearm/beginning of the linen - a good 14 to 16 inches of butt exposed behind his hand.
Right you are. Here's a good example, when he was playing with a Harvey Martin cue. Luther always held the cue very high on the wrap, and he had a shorter bridge than what most of today's players would have.

All the best,
WW
Lassiter Martin.jpg
 

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
thanks for the link WW
enjoyed watching
(y)
You're welcome. For those who remember Lassiter, here's probably the best view of him with the cue many thought was a Bushka, but pretty much proven to be a Tad.

All the best,
WW
 

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straightline

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You're welcome. For those who remember Lassiter, here's probably the best view of him with the cue many thought was a Bushka, but pretty much proven to be a Tad.

All the best,
WW
No thread on it. Dead giveaway. Somebody ask Mr. Kohara if he's still around.
 

OldOrvis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I find myself choking up on really touchy shots requiring follow but very small cue ball movements after the shot. I'd imagine it looks "goofy" to anyone seeing me do it, but the cue ball just behaves better that way on those types of shots.
I hold my cue at the joint ....helps a lot
 
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