Denny Searcy and David Howard are a couple that come to mind along with the obvious Mr. Nevel - just ridiculous how strong, powerful and true his stroke is.
Steve H.
David Howard's break was even better than his stroke. Gunshot loud!
Denny Searcy and David Howard are a couple that come to mind along with the obvious Mr. Nevel - just ridiculous how strong, powerful and true his stroke is.
Steve H.
Worst was like a slightly smaller version of Mike Massey, also with huge hands and a powerful grip. Mike is very tall, maybe 6'4" or 6'5". Harold was barely 5'11" or maybe 6'. But he was a solidly built man. He probably had the most powerful stroke of his era (the 60's), along with Cornbread Red. Cornbread had a wind-up (his practice strokes) that you had to see to believe. He would whip that cue back and forth like a piston and then let it rip. He could power that cue ball around the table better than anyone else.
The interesting thing is the guys with the smoothest and prettiest strokes (Ed Kelly, Marvin Henderson and Jimmy Moore) could all do the same things with far less effort. It was all about making a good hit on the cue ball. Buddy Hall once explained it to me. He said very few pool players make a good hit on the cue ball. He told me to just listen to the hit, and sure enough only a few sounded like they were making solid contact. Now when Buddy shot, it sounded pure, such a clean hit. Only the very best players (even today) can make a perfect center ball hit. When you hear it, you'll know it.
Buddy's control was so good partly because he went through the cue ball so perfectly. He mastered the art of striking the cue ball. Sounds simple enough, but even that is an art. Buddy didn't have the most powerful stroke (although he was right up there), but he did have the most perfect stroke of his generation.
Then there's the strange case of a certain Mr. Keith McCready. He was the first player I saw who regularly hit the cue ball at different angles, and not just on one plane. He would come at the cue ball in a million different ways and cause it to react crazily sometimes. To this day I've never seen anyone else who could shoot the shots that Keith created (maybe Efren). And these were in games, not exhibitions! He was the master of innovative striking of the cue ball. Probably the Three Cushion guys would understand better what Keith was doing. I sure couldn't.
That's about all I've got for now.
I've got the most powerful stroke on my block! Does that count?
Jay; I'm moving to your block!:grin-square:
Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
I hope Watchez doesn't mind me putting up part of an earlier post by him:
I remember one year in Olathe during a tournament, they used to have a 5 x 10 Snooker table there. Jon Kucharo got into a stroke contest with Larry where they would pocket a ball in the corner & then draw their cue ball back. Everyone in the building wanted to bet on Larry, most had seen him do shots like the jacked up draw shot off the end rail as another poster described. Whitey Walker pulled me aside & told me to empty out on Kucharo. I looked at him like he was crazy but he said told me it was a sure bet, so I did. Kucharo robbed Nevel at this every time. He would draw the cue back to the end rail and then back past the side pocket. The last bet between them, Kucharo grabbed a one piece house cue off the wall & still beat him.
I hope Watchez doesn't mind me putting up part of an earlier post by him:
I remember one year in Olathe during a tournament, they used to have a 5 x 10 Snooker table there. Jon Kucharo got into a stroke contest with Larry where they would pocket a ball in the corner & then draw their cue ball back. Everyone in the building wanted to bet on Larry, most had seen him do shots like the jacked up draw shot off the end rail as another poster described. Whitey Walker pulled me aside & told me to empty out on Kucharo. I looked at him like he was crazy but he said told me it was a sure bet, so I did. Kucharo robbed Nevel at this every time. He would draw the cue back to the end rail and then back past the side pocket. The last bet between them, Kucharo grabbed a one piece house cue off the wall & still beat him.