just wondering what you guru's out there might think of using a mirror to help check the elbow isnt dropping when i work on the SPF Mother Drills? that would provide immediate feedback over setting up my camcorder.
DCP
DCP
Mirrors & SPF
- Thread starter DrCue'sProtege
- Start date
Get a camcorder.
They are cheap now.
I even found a cheap one at a pawnshop here with SL initials in the case.
They are cheap now.
I even found a cheap one at a pawnshop here with SL initials in the case.
get both if you can
get both if you can. I use a mirror all the time while training. It's way faster then a camcorder and a lot cheaper. the camcorder comes in handy to view your entire body (you cant see everything in the mirror). But the mirror is excellend for elbow drop. Just place some different color dots about a inch from each other down the mirror. Watch what color your elbow is at before the shot and compare it to after the shot. If you're at teh same color then you're all good, if not your elbow is moving.
get both if you can. I use a mirror all the time while training. It's way faster then a camcorder and a lot cheaper. the camcorder comes in handy to view your entire body (you cant see everything in the mirror). But the mirror is excellend for elbow drop. Just place some different color dots about a inch from each other down the mirror. Watch what color your elbow is at before the shot and compare it to after the shot. If you're at teh same color then you're all good, if not your elbow is moving.
Recording your practice sessions has proved to be invaluable to me. Really a great asset. You should buy a camcorder.
Scott Lee said:Mike...Since I TOLD you this on Saturday, I'll say it again...YES! At Cue Tech we have mirrors for the students to be able to view their own mechanics from the side.
Scott Lee ~ guesses he qualifies as somewhat of a "guru"!
oops, sorry maestro, i've absorbed so much lately i guess i fergit a little data every now and then.
DCP
In my pool room I have 1 wall thats covered with 2foot x 2foot mirrors, on the whole wall. It comes in handy when checking out my stance, my stroke, my elevation on jump shots, how much im jacked up etc.txplshrk said:
About 5 of them have cracks in them from balls flying off the table on the break, but I dont care, the guy that lived there before us put them up, must have been a narcissist, he put them up.
Personally, IMO I think that both the mirror and the camcorder have their place. The mirror is great for your mother drills, so you can check your arm placement and follow through etc. The camcorder is good for when you are piling rocks, and when you are playing games so that you can ensure that your mechanics stay the same when you aren't focusing on them. You can get an idea of what particular shots you are having problems with your mechanics (eg. maybe you pop up on long draw shots) and can really focus on relaxing and making sure you stroke smooth on those shots.
I'm not a guru, but I do love what Randyg and company are teaching!
I'm not a guru, but I do love what Randyg and company are teaching!
cbi1000 said:
I asked Mark Wilson about elbow drop, and he was very cautious in his answer to me. He knows it's very controversial, as just about all the pro players do it, at least on some shots. He said to try to minimize it, and didn't tell me to focus on eliminating it.
By the way, an elbow dropping hangup can cripple your game.
Flex
td873 said:
Well, I suppose Mark Wilson knows a thing or two about SPF, because he had specific suggestions for me to change my stroke, and embodied SPF. It was SPF, Set - Pause - Finish, and I use it. While one may assume no elbow dropping, a rigid, absolutely not 1/4 of an inch elbow drop may be fine in theory, like a hinge that never varies. However, hangups over any point in stroking the cue ball won't help anybody, IMHO. I can just see some obsessive types getting psychologically contorted over this. Minimize elbow drop, fine; obsess over it, no good.
Flex
Flex said:
sounds like this "Elbow Drop" needs its own thread. but not going to be started by me...........
DCP
The vast majority of good players drop their elbows on firm and harder strokes. This is simple observation of actual play. The important item is when they drop their elbows, which is after the ball is gone. I think a camcorder is better for seeing when the drop occurs. I think it is hard for a player to see this as it happens and still be "in the shot."td873 said:
As I understand it, the OP is practicing/developming SPF as his instructor suggested. Using a mirror when practing SPF is completely different from playing. Setting up, extended pause and finish, and a quick glance to the mirror are as beneficial during practice as a camcorder would be during play. The camcorder will indicate what degree SPF actually "took."Bob Jewett said:
Lastly, reviewing your habits during practice should never be confused with reviewing your habits during actual play. AKA -> NEVER practice while you play.
-td
While I agree that mirrors and camcorders are an invaluable tool for self evaluation, you are forgetting the very simple way of checking. I'm sure Scott told you the three questions to answer after every shot...Cue still aimed at the original target? Tip level or angled down? And IS MY GRIP HAND HOME? Very simple feedback you can get from every shot. If all three are yes, you had a good stroke.
Steve
Steve
If you're not dropping your elbow. the tip would make contact on the cb then go down. IF you drop the elbow, the tip would go straight thru the cb.DrCue'sProtege said: