Object ball slightly Right

muskyed

muskyed

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Got back into pool a couple years back, after about a 35 year layoff, and thought it wouldn't take too long to get back in form, wrong. I am having a real problem getting a straight stroke that I used to have. It has a slight crook in at the end. I have tried shortening it up somewhat and that has helped, also have put a short pause in just before stroking the ball, and that has seemed to help the most. Also am doing some drills where I line a row of object balls up form one side pocket to the other, set the cue ball a diamond or diamond and a half away, and try and shoot ea straight in the corner pockets. That seems to really help keep my stroke straight, but it takes alot of concentration. Back to my topic. When I shoot in a game, or a match, when i miss long shots, I almost always miss to the right slightly, almost never left. Seems slightly better the softer that I shoot. I could just aim slightly left, but have resisted this as it just doesn't seem right to do this. Also break shots, I find that I do better shooting for a touch right of where I really want to hit, but don't like doing that also. Any ideas? Really would like to get that confidence back that I remember having when younger.
 
You are saying when you miss to the right that you are hitting the CB ever so slightly to the left then, correct?

If thats the case you might have what some call a "swoop" delivery. Can you film yourself? You might be making a slight loop. In other words, when you pull the cue back you might pull it back slightly inside and when you bring it forward you might be bringing it slightly to the left. Almost like a very slight loop instead of STRAIGHT BACK AND STRAIGHT THRU.

Video would help you here.

r/DCP
 
As mentioned already, a first step is to record your mechanics. It many help to have an instructor help you look at them. It could be many things such as head placement and grip errors.
 
Yes, I am hitting the cue ball slightly left at times, especially the harder that I hit the ball. When I do the table drill, and feel a nice straight stroke, the balls go straight in the pocket usually. If I'm a little sloppy, or hit too hard, or feel a slight swoop in my stroke at the end of it, I tend to hit the object ball somewhere about the right point of the pocket, or an 1/8" or so further right. I do have a slight swoop in my stroke at the end of it at times and would like to get rid of it. The more I concentrate on my stroke the straighter I can get it. But I tend to slip up in the game in times. I do find that my body alignment really affects how easy it is to have a straight stroke. I'll have my wife shoot a video with her phone. How do you get rid of a swoop? I am able to mostly get rid of it in practice, especially on 3/4 length or less table shots, but during a game I can feel it at times, especially on the longer shots.
 
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In the reply above, you touched on many things. Feeling and seeing it (mechanics), concentration, body alignment (fundamentals),
shortening your stroke (TERRIBLE!!), backswing pause (fundamentals), longer shots (mechanics/fundamentals).

Pool is like golf - if your swing/stroke feels right (at first) it's probably wrong.

After 35 years, you're basically starting over. So select and hire a coach. Like, now. Shortening your stoke to reduce a loop must.stop.now.

How will you ever let your stroke out when you're scared of your execution??? Hire a pro to fix it, the right way.

(FYI, I almost never, ever, recommend a coach. But your fundamentals need work and your work-around is creating new problems)

-von
 
muskyed said:
Got back into pool a couple years back, after about a 35 year layoff, and thought it wouldn't take too long to get back in form, wrong. I am having a real problem getting a straight stroke that I used to have. It has a slight crook in at the end. I have tried shortening it up somewhat and that has helped, also have put a short pause in just before stroking the ball, and that has seemed to help the most. Also am doing some drills where I line a row of object balls up form one side pocket to the other, set the cue ball a diamond or diamond and a half away, and try and shoot ea straight in the corner pockets. That seems to really help keep my stroke straight, but it takes alot of concentration. Back to my topic. When I shoot in a game, or a match, when i miss long shots, I almost always miss to the right slightly, almost never left. Seems slightly better the softer that I shoot. I could just aim slightly left, but have resisted this as it just doesn't seem right to do this. Also break shots, I find that I do better shooting for a touch right of where I really want to hit, but don't like doing that also. Any ideas? Really would like to get that confidence back that I remember having when younger.
Click to expand...
Purchase and draw a straight line with a tailor’s marker and a straight edge from the center of one corner pocket to the center of the diagonal corner pocket. You can do it both ways, to create an X on your table.

Set up shots with both the cue ball and object squarely on the line from various distances between the balls. The line will help verify whether your stroke is going straight back and especially if your cue on the follow-through stays straight thru - on the line. Also it will help you determine whether you are hitting the dead center of the cue ball.
 
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Probably a bit of miscommunication on my part as to shortening my stroke. Did not shorten my follow through at all, just how far I was doing the back stroke, and really not much at that. It just seemed that at a certain distance of bringing the cue back, I really seemed to tighten up, and the cue tip would have a sideways movement that I didn't get if I stopped just short of where I tightened up. Thanks, I'll just keep working at it. I do know that when I do those drills, it really seems to help my aiming and stroke, and actually feels better. I guess i just need to spend more time on practice.
 
Try practicing your stroke(natural, not necessarily alignment keeping) in slow motion especially the longer back stroke. For me, after an 11 year layoff, I found I was twisting a little when I was going down on the shot. My backstroke then would move away from my body and not return on the forward stroke sometimes. The fix for me is to move my feet when I start to get down and am not staying on the shot line.

Video can't hurt. I would try to get video of the good and bad strokes. You may even notice a difference yourself.
 
Take with grain of salt because I'm not good, but I noticed that the following two stroke thoughts helped me with this: follow through all the way (really feel the elbow Hinge) and accelerate through the forward stroke rather than hitting it tentative.
 
I’ve played Snooker and American Pool for 52 years. After about 4 years I rarely ever missed a pot on an American table. (can lose for other reasons!).

Correcting stroke etc. is good. However, I realized after a few years that I needed to adjust a hair’s width to the right (I shoot left) when down on the shot. I’ve done this for decades. Judd Trump, world number 1 ranked Snooker player, also does this.

Anyways, use the best technique possible, however, accept that you may need to build in your own personal adjustment. Don’t keep changing your stroke, cue, tip, etc.
 
Had cataract surgery last summer, eyes are fine, in fact somewhat feel like a kid again after that. Have been paying attention to my stroke and what I am noticing is on my back stroke, my hand slightly comes towards my hip at the back of it., and my shoulder is raising slightly. If i do a soft shot, and work to keep my elbow stationary, the stroke seem much straighter. It seems that the best thing to do, as I really want to improve, will be to find some qualified instruction. but will probably wait till this summer for that. I'm only a couple of hours from Minneapolis, and remember reading on here of somebody in that area.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Purchase and draw a straight line with a tailor’s marker and a straight edge from the center of one corner pocket to the center of the diagonal corner pocket. You can do it both ways, to create an X on your table.

Set up shots with both the cue ball and object squarely on the line from various distances between the balls. The line will help verify whether your stroke is going straight back and especially if your cue on the follow-through stays straight thru - on the line. Also it will help you determine whether you are hitting the dead center of the cue ball.
Click to expand...

This is what I thought of when reading also. When I got into pool after being out of it for 14 years I found this video (ironically it was posted the month before I got back into pool) about the Mighty X drill and it has helped with long straight shots tremendously.

I will also setup two balls on the end rail by the center diamond just a touch more than a balls width apart and shoot the CB from the spot and try not to hit them and then have the CB come back and hit my tip. Pretty standard stuff.

And the bottom video discusses keeping your head down.



 
muskyed said:
Got back into pool a couple years back, after about a 35 year layoff, and thought it wouldn't take too long to get back in form, wrong. I am having a real problem getting a straight stroke that I used to have. It has a slight crook in at the end. I have tried shortening it up somewhat and that has helped, also have put a short pause in just before stroking the ball, and that has seemed to help the most. Also am doing some drills where I line a row of object balls up form one side pocket to the other, set the cue ball a diamond or diamond and a half away, and try and shoot ea straight in the corner pockets. That seems to really help keep my stroke straight, but it takes alot of concentration. Back to my topic. When I shoot in a game, or a match, when i miss long shots, I almost always miss to the right slightly, almost never left. Seems slightly better the softer that I shoot. I could just aim slightly left, but have resisted this as it just doesn't seem right to do this. Also break shots, I find that I do better shooting for a touch right of where I really want to hit, but don't like doing that also. Any ideas? Really would like to get that confidence back that I remember having when younger.
Click to expand...

I have a similar problem. Very long layoff/crook in my stroke. I find that using fewer fingers to hold the cue (looser grip) and extending bridge length (pulling the trigger further from the CB) seems to help.
 
muskyed said:
Had cataract surgery last summer, eyes are fine, in fact somewhat feel like a kid again after that. Have been paying attention to my stroke and what I am noticing is on my back stroke, my hand slightly comes towards my hip at the back of it., and my shoulder is raising slightly. If i do a soft shot, and work to keep my elbow stationary, the stroke seem much straighter. It seems that the best thing to do, as I really want to improve, will be to find some qualified instruction. but will probably wait till this summer for that. I'm only a couple of hours from Minneapolis, and remember reading on here of somebody in that area.
Click to expand...
How bad were they before you had surgery? I have them on both eyes but they told me it isn't bad enough to do surgery yet. What was recovery like? Any problems?
 
Do this to determine if your stroke is off. Set up straight in shots as described elsewhere above. Use a STRIPE ball as your cue. Set up to hit the cue ball dead center in the middle of the number. After your shot retrieve the ball and look at the chalk mark to determine where you actually struck the cue ball with the tip. Also, watch the object ball deflection and cue ball spin and drift. You can work backwards to determine what you are actually doing during your stroke.
 
Do the exercise where you hit the cue ball up the table and have it rebound and come back and hit right back on your cue tip. Keep practicing this and you should be able to correct your stroke.
 
Two words...VIDEO ANALYSIS! Find a qualified professional instructor (not a pro player), one who does video analysis. Case Closed!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
 
I had the same problem...try this. Purchase a Jim rempe cue ball and shoot straight in shots. Chalk before each shot and see exactly where you are hitting the cue ball by the chalk mark. What helped me was standing about 4 to 6 inches higher than usual and using a loose grip. This seemed to straighten my stroke. If you can not find a Rempe ball, try the measles ball and watch the cue ball spin after it hits the object ball.
 
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