Mimicking strokes

[stolz2]

I have been playing pool for a little over a year now, I would say im a measly B player. I have been working fairly hard on my stroke at home using Buddy Halls stroke trainer. I notice with playing with better players and some pro's I often start to mimick there stroke. IE my stroke starts to look like theres. Does anyone else have this happen to people they play with alot, or of players strokes that they look up to. Also, what stroke is less prone to break down or cause error. A pump stroke like reyes or straight stroke like buddy hall.

Thanks, Mac

 

[DawgAndy]

not just strokes

Sometimes I even pick up a little of their pre shot routine as well. You have to be carefull stroking the same way as many pros though, text book stroke first then you can start tweaking it from there. I can't watch Keith play and then go hit balls lol. Santos has a nice stroke but you gotta watch that cue twirl thing he does.

Andy

 

[sjm]

I have been playing pool for a little over a year now, I would say im a measly B player. I have been working fairly hard on my stroke at home using Buddy Halls stroke trainer. I notice with playing with better players and some pro's I often start to mimick there stroke. IE my stroke starts to look like theres. Does anyone else have this happen to people they play with alot, or of players strokes that they look up to. Also, what stroke is less prone to break down or cause error. A pump stroke like reyes or straight stroke like buddy hall.

Thanks, Mac

Go with the Buddy Hall stroke. Fewer moving parts. Efren has been quoted as saying he'd have learned the more conventional stroke fundamentals if he had it to do over again. Efren seems to have done alright with his stroke, though. LOL

Another player whose stroke is well studying is Mika Immonen. Silky smooth, great balance and a squeaky clean follow through.

 

[GeraldG]

I have been playing pool for a little over a year now, I would say im a measly B player. I have been working fairly hard on my stroke at home using Buddy Halls stroke trainer. I notice with playing with better players and some pro's I often start to mimick there stroke. IE my stroke starts to look like theres. Does anyone else have this happen to people they play with alot, or of players strokes that they look up to. Also, what stroke is less prone to break down or cause error. A pump stroke like reyes or straight stroke like buddy hall.

Thanks, Mac

If you're a B player after one year, you don't need help with your stroke from a forum.

 

[Blackjack]

Stolz,
I believe what you are experiencing is mimicking the rhythm, rather than the stroke. Your stroke is an individual thing, and should be developed that way. It is original to you and your natural body movements and rhythm. I cover mimicking other's styles in several of my books, and to save you alot of money, the bottom line is - BE YOURSELF. That usually works best for most.

Good Luck and God Bless

 

[henho]

If there are players whose stroke is good for you to watch, I would say Mika Immonen, Corey Deuel, Buddy Hall, Jeff Carter, and Danny Harrimen. All have rock-solid fundamentals and no unusual aspects to their rhythm.

Mimicking another person's rhythm happens even to pros, and playing very fast or slow to throw your opponent off of their natural pace is a common mental warfare tactic.

 

[stolz2]

stroke

I think its a little stroke and rhythm, for example I have been watching efren play alot the last month at hardtimes here in LA. So I started actually pumping my back arm, now I have found that in my pre strokes if I use a mild pump stroke and ending straight where i aim on the cue ball. I get better feel but sometimes end up aiming wrong. Im just going to keep focusing on whats fundamentaly correct. thanks guys

Mac

Stolz,
I believe what you are experiencing is mimicking the rhythm, rather than the stroke. Your stroke is an individual thing, and should be developed that way. It is original to you and your natural body movements and rhythm. I cover mimicking other's styles in several of my books, and to save you alot of money, the bottom line is - BE YOURSELF. That usually works best for most.

Good Luck and God Bless

 

[Snapshot9]

The stroke ....

The pumping of the arm with up and down motion of the upper arm (elbow up) when stroking is called a 'HullyGully' stroke, and although some young guys think it looks cool, will break down over time or when playing for more money than they are use to ... The upper arm is not suppose to move, hence the pendulum swing of the lower arm.

I agree, start with textbook stroke, and try not to stray much from it. Mika was a good example, and so is Johnny Archer.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that try to play pool without learning the basics first. That's like taking a test without studying for it.
A world of knowledge about anything is a ladder, and you have to start with the bottom rung first.

When I first decided to learn pool (at 14), I studied it for 6 months, watching all the best players in town play, picking up 2 or 3 shots they did better than anyone else in town, and how they did them. plus I studied 3 books on Pool to learn the proper approach to take and learn the proper basics to the games.
I did all this for 6-7 months PRIOR TO EVER PICKING UP A CUE. I like Pool immediately because I have always had a thing for numbers and math, it didn't depend on physical size (I was little growing up, and most sports size does matter), and it just gets in your blood. Besides 6 months after starting to play, I was a 5 speed, 6 after 1 year, 8 after 2. Most of all, I can not stand to be bad at anything, I have to be in the top 10% in everything I do, and better than that if I can ... It takes motivation, drive, and intelligence to be a really good Pool player, sometimes that intelligence comes from the streets, and sometimes from schooling. I have always had an insatiable curiousity
(gets me in trouble sometimes ...<grin>) to know how everything works.
That basic drive will help you become better.