Me On YouTube

Mike in MN

Mike in MN

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Before you watch, a little background. I'm playing on a 7' Valley in my Dad's garage. I'm using the Magic Rack Pro. I know the angle isn't ideal, I realized that when I got home and watched it back. I'll adjust for next time.

Also, since it would seem everyone who posts videos of themselves always posts their runouts and high runs, I made it a point to post a video of me playing fairly typically of how I usually play. As you'll notice, I come up well short of position on the 4, and I subsequently dog the shot. I know this, you don't have to remind me :p

What I'm looking for is feedback. Anything and everything. Scott Lee, I'll be awaiting your two cents sir.

Without further ado ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfEwLnuJjMA
 
Uh....well.

The only problem I see is...that you look way to much like me. Haha
But seriously...you do okay...you play position slightly differently then I would, but you still get where you need to be. You choose some shots that I would play differently, but thats cuz I'm dumb...and always op to bank my way out of a game. Anyway, just keep up the practice man...your doing fine.
 
You have a lot going for you. You have an intimidating game. Smacking the chalk down every shot is seriously a good rhythm. Some good advice I got for nine ball is to play shape for the corner pockets more often. Side pocket shape is easy to make the shot but is lower percentage for getting good shape on the next few balls. Also shooting in the corners keeps you in stroke.

Keep up the good work brother.
 
Mike...I would agree with Neil. Overall, it doesn't look bad, but several things can be improved. Nothing wrong with being a fast player, but you need to develop a consistent process to get it done without errors. The only time I saw you stop your cue, at the CB, prior to hitting the shot, was on the 5 ball. The others were just "drop down and shoot". Also there is a big difference between warmup strokes and aiming strokes. You move your cue while you're aiming...that's okay, but unnecessary. You have to stop your cue at the CB to tell if you're "aimed" correctly (otherwise how do you know?). Your preshot routine should be consistent (same # of warmups + stop at the CB)...yours is different on every shot. In general, when we hurry our 'process', we hurry to make errors (like you did on the 4ball, which was due to poor position from the 3...because you rushed). On the break, it looked like you aimed above center, but hit draw. Take a little more time. Line up...stop and check...warmup...stop and check...smooth backswing, and nice transition...finish your swing. Hope this helps. :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
This is good stuff guys. Really, thank you. I have felt recently that I play too fast, especially when I practice or shoot alone, and I am going to work on taking more time.

Neil, you're right about my comfort level at the table. I had a recent back injury and I'm still settling into a stance that doesn't hinder my stroke, but at the same time doesn't make my back swell with pain. Also, what you said about picking an exact spot to leave myself rather than a general area is absolutely correct. I could write a book about the number of times I missed position by two inches or less and it ended up costing me a shot, so that is something I can definitely work on.

Scott, thanks for your feedback as well. I look forward to meeting up with you this fall in Fargo so we can iron out some of these things. I'll be in touch soon.

I plan on getting some more stuff on camera when I get my shafts back from getting new tips put on. I'll try to put together a little bit longer of a session
 
9BallMarksman Video recorders, computers, Youtube are making game analysis a easy thing for the pro instructors on this site. What a great resource to have people like Neil and Scott and the rest of the players that comment in a constructive way to offer feed back. This is the type of help that will not only benefit the op but many other people that get a chance to see the thread. It may at first seem like "just another thread" but it is the type of thing that brings this game up.
 
Cuebuddy said:
9BallMarksman Video recorders, computers, Youtube are making game analysis a easy thing for the pro instructors on this site. What a great resource to have people like Neil and Scott and the rest of the players that comment in a constructive way to offer feed back. This is the type of help that will not only benefit the op but many other people that get a chance to see the thread. It may at first seem like "just another thread" but it is the type of thing that brings this game up.
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My thoughts exactly.

I don't know if this sounds too far-fetched, but this sounds to me like that there is a business opportunity here. A qualified coach could give cheaper lessons to someone looking to get some basic instructions. I know that it would not be a substitute for live coaching, but I think this could be an alternative.
 
now i am far from perfect or an instructor but i noticed you doing some things i used to... on the the 3 and the 5 you went for a draw leave when you could have easily followed off the next rail mark wilson always used to tell me there is a 2" or 2 foot leave on every shot you only take the 2 inch if you dont have another choice not that im not guilty of doing it from time to time but it is easy to see when someone else does it
 
Neil said:
You look pretty good. I think that with a few changes you could up your game considerably. The first thing I noticed was how long it took you to take each shot. Shot clocks go for 30 sec.. Here's your times- Break-8 sec., 2 ball-11 sec., 3 ball-9 sec., 4 ball- 11 sec., 4 ball- 4 sec., 5 ball- 5 sec., 6 ball- 11 sec., 7 ball- 4 sec., 9 ball- 4 sec.

I would suggest you take a couple more sec. each shot to really look at just what you want to do. Just where do you want that cb to end up? Not just a general area, but a spot. Take a couple sec to get a preshot routine down. Try and approach each shot the same way.

On shot 3, which you made, but flubbed position, your body was moving the entire time of the shot. You didn't feel comfortable in the position you were in, and tried to just move your hips without moving your feet to try and get in line. That wasn't working to well, so you ended up moving sideways several times. Then, you felt you were taking too long (all of 9 sec.) and let it fly anyways. Even though you really weren't ready for the shot. You made the ball, but lost the cb.

Supposedly little things, like that, can really cost games. Don't let it go until you KNOW you are comfortable with what the outcome will be. You can easily double your time on each shot, and still be well within any shotclock. Too many people think 9 ball is a fast game, so they HAVE to shoot fast. You will see very, very, few top players playing that fast.

Your speed cost you good position several times. In this rack, it only cost you one ball, but that one ball would have been the game. Granted, it's a barbox. You usually don't need great shape to get out. But, getting in the habit of sloppy position will make it 10 times harder on the times you DO need good position or you will have no shot. The easy shots are the time to try and play precise position. That way you learn to move the cb around as needed. You learn the little subelties that make a big difference.

Incidentally, I timed the shots from when the cb stopped until you hit it. That included walking around the table, chalking your cue, seeing what you wanted to do, getting down, aiming, and shooting. Half the rack was around 4-5 sec per shot.
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When I started watching the top pros on stream I noticed that most took their time for every shot in 9-ball, and the other games too. Since I doubled and tripled my time on each shot I have a lot more runouts. I guess I don't think as fast as I think I do. Johnnyt.
PS:Good shooting.
 
paksat said:
What's with the slamming down of the chalk?
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I've never noticed it before I watched myself on video. Guess it's just one of my quirks. Some people bite their lip, some people whistle when they shoot, some people close one eye, I like to show that chalk who's boss ;)
 
Johnnyt said:
When I started watching the top pros on stream I noticed that most took their time for every shot in 9-ball, and the other games too. Since I doubled and tripled my time on each shot I have a lot more runouts. I guess I don't think as fast as I think I do. Johnnyt.
PS:Good shooting.
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Thanks Johnny. I'm making my pre-shot routine a top priority starting now. And I probably would have never thought of it, so again, thanks to all who provide feedback!
 
try to choose paths of position play where you are moving towards the object ball and in line all the way up to the ball versus a path that has you crossing the point where you need to be. Your margin of error is much larger.

For example on the 3 ball you hit it with what looks to be a bit of draw or right and came up table to shoot it into the side. If you had hit the same shot with left and maybe a touch of top you could have taken the path to come towards the 4 with the position play for the 4 in the corner. You stay in line on that shot all the way to you almost reach the 4 versus the path you took where if you under hit it or over hit it your out of line and have to cut it into the side and go up and down for position.

Most runouts will have these paths that I am referring to. Learning them will make it easier to stay in line and run out.
 
one more thing...On a 9fter the side pocket position might have been the right choice depending on the angle but on a barbox you want to avoid whenever possible shooting into side when a corner pocket position play is also available. Additional stuff to weigh along with staying in line...
 
uwate said:
try to choose paths of position play where you are moving towards the object ball and in line all the way up to the ball versus a path that has you crossing the point where you need to be. Your margin of error is much larger.

For example on the 3 ball you hit it with what looks to be a bit of draw or right and came up table to shoot it into the side. If you had hit the same shot with left and maybe a touch of top you could have taken the path to come towards the 4 with the position play for the 4 in the corner. You stay in line on that shot all the way to you almost reach the 4 versus the path you took where if you under hit it or over hit it your out of line and have to cut it into the side and go up and down for position.

Most runouts will have these paths that I am referring to. Learning them will make it easier to stay in line and run out.
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It's tough to tell from the angle the camera is at, but the 4 didn't go in the bottom left corner. Unless you mean I should have played it in the bottom right corner, in which case, I agree. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess :grin: Thanks for the tip!
 
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