My own practice videos, inspired by PlynSets

lewdo26 said:
Are you still in New York? There's an 8 ball tournament tomorrow. I might play if I can wake up early enough. :o


I am. I live here now. Is that 8-ball tournament a regular thing? I want to find regular (weekly, monthly) tournaments to compete in. Any idea where they have all that info in one place?
 
I think you have a very good stroke.

I think if you work on it, you will see that you don't need a bridge that long on every shot. I find that the closer the cue ball is to the object ball, the shorter the bridge length you need. The further away they are from one another, adding a bit of length helps in the sighting/aiming process. But, if that is something that comes naturally to you, then I would stick with it as you executed very well.

A big thing that will bring your game to the next level is developing a pause before you execute the shot. This will help your speed control immensely. Take your warm up strokes, pause, then execute the follow through. In video one when you are drawing from the 6 to the 7, you draw it about 50% of the way and have to settle for a bank. I think your draw wasn't effective because you didn't take that pause before executing and just kind of poked at the cue ball.

Finally, you want to make sure you line up properly on every shot. In the first video you missed that bank on the seven because you were standing off to the side and weren't properly lined up. You can sometimes get away with this on straight in shots or cuts, but to hit banks accurately you have to make sure you're lined up properly.

You have a great stroke. Good ball pocketing ability and plenty of aptitude. These are just a few observations that are really minor, but could make a big difference in your game. Thanks for posting those videos. Good stuff.
 
I agree with the other posters about your bridge length, I have the same problem. The thing that really caught my eye was how smooth your rythim is. Thanks for sharing the videos. You're definitely a good shooter!
 
StevenPWaldon said:
I am. I live here now. Is that 8-ball tournament a regular thing? I want to find regular (weekly, monthly) tournaments to compete in. Any idea where they have all that info in one place?
Hey, Steve. Welcome to town! No, the 8 ball tournament was a Tri-State Tour event. As you can see, I didn't wake up in time.

The weekly at Masters (Wednesdays) is pretty good, though it's only a race to 5 (ouch!). There is a lot of action there, and one pocket, so you can't afford to stay away from that room too long in New York, IMO.

The Tri-State also has a tournament pretty much every weekend, but most are handicapped. Now go out and do some damage. Take care.
 
Hi Steve. I like what I see. Scott Lee said it best, you need a HOME for your cue tip.

Go back and look at the first video. When you went to draw on the 6-ball for position on the 7-ball you short stroked yourself. Actually you just punched the cueball, no wonder it came up short. Watch your back hand on that sequence and you will see a very tight grip and a very poor stroke.

Max is a friend of mine. Working with him must be fun.....SPF-randy
 
Yeah, I noticed the punchy stroke on that particular shot.

I've never really worked with Max, sadly. Mostly I just pay attention to what he does and try to adpot what can work for me.

Back to practice!

randyg said:
Hi Steve. I like what I see. Scott Lee said it best, you need a HOME for your cue tip.

Go back and look at the first video. When you went to draw on the 6-ball for position on the 7-ball you short stroked yourself. Actually you just punched the cueball, no wonder it came up short. Watch your back hand on that sequence and you will see a very tight grip and a very poor stroke.

Max is a friend of mine. Working with him must be fun.....SPF-randy
 
Well I'm still situating myself into town so I'll start up with the tournaments soon. Hit me up some time and show to Master's. I need to get up to speed with the pool scene in NY.

S

lewdo26 said:
Hey, Steve. Welcome to town! No, the 8 ball tournament was a Tri-State Tour event. As you can see, I didn't wake up in time.

The weekly at Masters (Wednesdays) is pretty good, though it's only a race to 5 (ouch!). There is a lot of action there, and one pocket, so you can't afford to stay away from that room too long in New York, IMO.

The Tri-State also has a tournament pretty much every weekend, but most are handicapped. Now go out and do some damage. Take care.
 
StevenPWaldon said:
-Sort of a mix here. I'd say a heavy influence was Max Eberle, mostly because he's the house pro at Hollywood Billiards where I started playing. Otherwise, a little Corey Deuel and some Mika Immonen. If you don't know Max already, you'll know himw when he's playing IPT tournies with you.

I'll definitely try the drills you mentioned. And now that I'm living in NY I'll have to start playing more 14.1; now if only I could find some regulars who play one pocket out here (who aren't Ginky or that caliber!).
Hey Steven,

Nice video, good playing. I'm an old friend of Max's, taught him everything he knows, LOL, before he moved into the desert.

You have a great stroke, especially if you've only been playing a couple of years. I wouldn't criticize your game at all from these videos.

All these guys telling you to shorten your stroke must not play with Earl and Efren and Bustamante and on and on and on. Efren has no pause on his backstroke either and imho that is the way to play. Keep strokin!

unkownpro
 
Don't let Steven fool you.

Practice is one thing, but when the chips are down, this kid has the focus of a laser beam. When he needs to, he can break and run on command.

Sorry to see you leave Cali Steve, hope NY treats you well. If you ever come back for a visit, let me know, and we'll meet up at Hollywood Billiards. I won't play you one hole, but a couple of games of straight pool would be fun.

-Dan
 
Dan... I know a lot of Dans. Are you one of the many that I know?


Pigcarver said:
Practice is one thing, but when the chips are down, this kid has the focus of a laser beam. When he needs to, he can break and run on command.

Sorry to see you leave Cali Steve, hope NY treats you well. If you ever come back for a visit, let me know, and we'll meet up at Hollywood Billiards. I won't play you one hole, but a couple of games of straight pool would be fun.

-Dan
 
Nevermind. I just checked out the posts and noticed that you play with an I-2 and have a few Carmeli posts.

Dan K., right?

Pigcarver said:
Practice is one thing, but when the chips are down, this kid has the focus of a laser beam. When he needs to, he can break and run on command.

Sorry to see you leave Cali Steve, hope NY treats you well. If you ever come back for a visit, let me know, and we'll meet up at Hollywood Billiards. I won't play you one hole, but a couple of games of straight pool would be fun.

-Dan
 
Scott Lee said:
Steve...That room looks exactly the same as it did last June, when I was giving another forum poster lessons there...and videotaping the lessons. The camera does draw attention from the other players, and a few came up to me afterwards asking about lessons. LOL

The first thing I noticed too, was the long bridge, which by itself, doesn't necessarily contribute to a less consistent stroke. However, your angle to the camera presented several opportunities to see that your forearm is also out of perpendicular at contact with the CB. It's very noticable when you are practice stroking, and your forearm is perpendicular, but the tip is a good 6" away from the CB. This contributes to missing the EXACT point of aim on the CB by tiny fractions. It also doesn't allow you a natural finish, where the tip should finish on or near the cloth, at the end of your stroke. One thing I would add to your set up, is a definite pause at the CB, before the last backswing and commitment stroke. I do like the fact that you're using the cuestick and timing for most of the speed in your game. Overall, I liked the way you play, but I'd tweak your pre-shot routine, to make it more consistent and repeatable. You have a nice game, especially for two years of serious play! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

There you have it! Best advice anyone can offer to you.... The only thing I could add is that I thought I was seeing a little Bustamante up-and-down on the stroke (I watched video 2)... He does well with it... but he is not human....
 
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StevenPWaldon said:
Nevermind. I just checked out the posts and noticed that you play with an I-2 and have a few Carmeli posts.

Dan K., right?

Bingo. Too bad you moved to NY. Move for work?
 
Dan-

Nah, just moved for fun. Was time to try out another city. So far I'm loving it, and the pool here is great!

S
 
I can only imagine....

Good luck, and if you come out here for a visit let me know, and if I should happen out your way, I'll drop you a PM.
 
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