Mike Sigel's stroke -- elegant in the simplicity of its components

arnaldo

arnaldo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
-- 2 or 3 *very* short, aim-rehearsal back & forth cue gliding movements

-- an extremely deliberate, long, slow backswing (way back to the flesh of his bridge hand when power or heavily-englished travel is needed)

-- a barely perceptible transitional pause, then the long cumulatively accelerating forward delivery stroke with an ultra-long follow through when table space or nearby obstruction permits

.... here below is a great example of his beautiful and deadly accurate/efficient and highly-seasoned stroke (which won him an historic, more than 100 professional 9-ball and 14.1 tournaments -- the most won by any professional of the twentieth century (and he was named one of the 5 best players of that century).

A friend of mine was falling into that habit of not staying down on his shots, not following through, and missing too many shots. I sent him a link to the below video and asked him to pay particular attention to the last 5 shots, (beginning at about the 48 second mark) of the very fuzzy and short (2:14) but classic and very instructive exemplar of Sigel's silky, near-perfect stroking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPxTTuKvP0

Shows the kind of relatively easy to learn mechanics my friend reportedly was then able to incorporate into his stroking after a number of dedicated practice sessions. A smooth, pretty, and very efficient stroke. Nick Varner's is almost identical.

Arnaldo
 
arnaldo said:
-- 2 or 3 *very* short, aim-rehearsal back & forth cue gliding movements

-- an extremely deliberate, long, slow backswing (way back to the flesh of his bridge hand when power or heavily-englished travel is needed)

-- a barely perceptible transitional pause, then the long cumulatively accelerating forward delivery stroke with an ultra-long follow through when table space or nearby obstruction permits

.... here below is a great example of his beautiful and deadly accurate/efficient and highly-seasoned stroke (which won him an historic, more than 100 professional 9-ball and 14.1 tournaments -- the most won by any professional of the twentieth century (and he was named one of the 5 best players of that century).

A friend of mine was falling into that habit of not staying down on his shots, not following through, and missing too many shots. I sent him a link to the below video and asked him to pay particular attention to the last 5 shots, (beginning at about the 48 second mark) of the very fuzzy and short (2:14) but classic and very instructive exemplar of Sigel's silky, near-perfect stroking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPxTTuKvP0

Shows the kind of relatively easy to learn mechanics my friend reportedly was then able to incorporate into his stroking after a number of dedicated practice sessions. A smooth, pretty, and very efficient stroke. Nick Varner's is almost identical.

Arnaldo
Click to expand...

I am fortunate to have Sigel as house pro here in Frederick Md.

I can tell you from converstations that Mike figets with his setup from time to time - i.e. moving his arm further away from his body to gain more fluidity.

There are a few of us who thinks he lifts up at the finish of every stroke - hardly noticeable but certaintly there. Whether this occurs during his stroke is hard to tell. Wish I could watch him shoot in slow motion.

What amazes me is that Mike practices a lot less than most pros. Varner came to Germantown and said he had to practice 8 hours a day just to maintain his game. Mike just picks up a cue and starts running 100+ balls like water. I saw him playing straight pool with himself and confronted him: " I thought you said you never practiced". He said he was bored and came in to fire a few balls in (said he had 3 runs of over 100 balls). We in the pool hall indeed never see him practicing much. This says a lot for how good his stroke is. I personally also like his grip.

Mike also, IMHO, has the perfect mind for playing pool. He chooses the best patterns and shots all the time. He is always thinking ahead. He is super confident in himself and this translates over to his game.
 
Pay attention to Mike breaking one of the rules that many preach about changing your shot or aim when down on the table. Doesn't seem to affect him.


.
 
Don't forget, in order to make Mike's stroke work for you, you have to have a huge wad of chewing gum in your mouth and be chomping on it voraciously.

I'm really not kidding. Every video of Mike I've seen where he's in dead punch he's chewing gum, I think it helps him focus.
 
Had lessons with Mike few years ago and then was lucky enough to play some 9ball with him for a couple hours... still a hell of a shooter... can learn a lot just by watching him for a couple hours...

He does fidget like WW said but his stroke is still something else to see in person.
 
supergreenman said:
Don't forget, in order to make Mike's stroke work for you, you have to have a huge wad of chewing gum in your mouth and be chomping on it voraciously.

I'm really not kidding. Every video of Mike I've seen where he's in dead punch he's chewing gum, I think it helps him focus.
Click to expand...

He got that gum chewing thing years ago from his then-closest pool buddy, Nick Varner, who used it as a relaxant or de-stresser. Nick generally was the picture of tranquility and unshakable focus, remaining totally calm even when the likes of Earl were trying to get into his head.

Ultra-fidgety Sigel needed something legal and appropriate like that. Still benefits from the chewing habit when the stress mounts.
 
Mike Sigel is the man. He was my hero growing up and emulated all of his bad habits. He is the main reason why I ever played this game in the first place.

Freddie <~~~ didn't emulate the skill though
 
I have learned quite a bit from Mike. For the price of a lesson you get more than your moneys worth for sure.
After my eye surgery I will be going back for more.
200.00 gets you 3 lessons. Each hour actually lasts about an hour and a half.
I look at it like this, You can just go play him for money and get a lesson the hard way, or have him teach you for a lot less and make a friend too!:smile:
 
Him and Varner were always my favorites. I learned so much watching him....in fact for a long time I broke like him and couldn't understand why everybody didn't break that way. :embarrassed2:
 
I have yet to play on ANY brand table that doesn't allow me to fire a ball from the center of the table into a corner pocket. Not quite sure what the comment about 1.21 in the video was meant to say exactly. That being said, I've fired a couple balls into the corner pockets of valley tables only to have them disappear then fly back up onto the table again. It happened to me twice at last year's ACS state tourney.
 
arnaldo said:
Fans of Mike Sigel will greatly enjoy this well written 5-page article about him from 20 years ago when Sigel's dazzling 14.1 talents were at their peak:

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/The-Poet-of-Pool_6093

Arnaldo
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, good read! I was actually at that tournament that year in New York, was there for work and able to attend, was great.

Even though Sigel always came across as a bit cocky compared to some others, I definitely enjoyed watching him play both 9-ball and 14.1 back in the day, he just had one of those strokes that looked like he would never miss and he dominated for quite a while.
Scott
 
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