I didn't say spin. Most of it is along the vertical axis of the cue ball. I feel cue ball is easier to control and predict path when coming off rails.
One thing that made you a better position player
- Thread starter Ralph Kramden
- Start date
I didn't say spin. Most of it is along the vertical axis of the cue ball. I feel cue ball is easier to control and predict path when coming off rails.
The tangent line.
Realizing that I could predict the CB's after-contact path using a stop shot and the tangent line as my "baseline reference" really got me on the path to good position play.
By the way, I think CB control is where the real beauty (and fun) of the game is. It's why banks doesn't appeal to me so much and one pocket does.
pj
chgo
Realizing that I could predict the CB's after-contact path using a stop shot and the tangent line as my "baseline reference" really got me on the path to good position play.
By the way, I think CB control is where the real beauty (and fun) of the game is. It's why banks doesn't appeal to me so much and one pocket does.
pj
chgo
Sorry, I misunderstood you. (Also didn't mean you, I meant I needed to stop with the spinning.)
IMHO the one thing that made (or, "is making" since I'm not there yet) me a better position player is confidence that I'm going to pocket the OB. I view position play largely as an intellectual exercise that's pretty easy to develop: what's the pattern? how much speed, english, etc.
What was holding me back was a lack of confidence/ability to pocket the OB. Position doesn't mean much when it's no longer your turn at the table.
(I apologize that I didn't have time to read all the other replies, and see how the thread has degraded into a p*ssing contest based on religion and beliefs; busy morning).
What was holding me back was a lack of confidence/ability to pocket the OB. Position doesn't mean much when it's no longer your turn at the table.
(I apologize that I didn't have time to read all the other replies, and see how the thread has degraded into a p*ssing contest based on religion and beliefs; busy morning).
Mosconi's number one tip: "Play with better players whenever possible!"
I played Mosconi an exhibition in 1964.
I dialed it down a little to make him look good.
the truth is he turned in a world class performance as a pool player
I turned in a world class performance as a rack boy.
I was fortunate to have my old friend, Rafael Martinez, "take me under his wing"
many years ago to refresh me on Cue Ball Control (Position Play). Who better
could you ask advice from when it comes to contolling whitey ?
Now, if only I could pocket every ball on which I line-up so nicely !
many years ago to refresh me on Cue Ball Control (Position Play). Who better
could you ask advice from when it comes to contolling whitey ?
Now, if only I could pocket every ball on which I line-up so nicely !
I would have to say that there are a few things that helped in my position play.
1st) I was drilled from the start to think about position.
2nd) I would find s shot, shoot it at different speeds, and English , learning and understanding whats happening with the cue ball.
3rd) Iv seen and read a few books, but there are two that really helped in this , One was the "Wagon Wheel System" and the other written by Hal Mix, these 2 books really opened my position game to a new level.
4th) Drills, any type of position drill, main focus was watching pro matches, seeing the same position routes and practicing them.
1st) I was drilled from the start to think about position.
2nd) I would find s shot, shoot it at different speeds, and English , learning and understanding whats happening with the cue ball.
3rd) Iv seen and read a few books, but there are two that really helped in this , One was the "Wagon Wheel System" and the other written by Hal Mix, these 2 books really opened my position game to a new level.
4th) Drills, any type of position drill, main focus was watching pro matches, seeing the same position routes and practicing them.
No worries. Just wanted to clarify. Maintaining correct angles makes playing position much easier.
Ron Swanson
Banned
Learning where the centre of the table is.
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When there are two routes to get position, I like to use the one that has less risk of running into an unintended ball.
Instead of using a slow roll touch shot, I prefer to use the same line but I will go to a rail and come back taking the feel out as much as possible if it is available.
Al
PS - most of the good ones have already been mentioned.
Instead of using a slow roll touch shot, I prefer to use the same line but I will go to a rail and come back taking the feel out as much as possible if it is available.
Al
PS - most of the good ones have already been mentioned.
That's a good one. One of Dr. Dave's instructional videos shows a handy way to get to center table with some precision:
http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/position.html#45-degree-rule
pj
chgo
The best piece of advice I was given about cue ball control came from the owner of the pool room I used to play out of.
He told me, "you can never the control the cue ball or object ball until you have learned how to control your cue stick!" So he made me start every practice session with at least an hour of stroke drills to develop a straight stroke. Then he dropped this nugget on me.
The next piece of advice he gave me was, "you never actually control the cue ball. The cue ball is in control of where it wants to go and where it is going to go. All you can hope for is to CONTAIN the cue ball somewhere on the path it is going to take."
"You can manipulate the cue ball's path with spin and speed, but even with spin the cue ball is going to go where it wants to go in respect to the spin you apply. All you can do is CONTAIN the cue ball."
He told me, "you can never the control the cue ball or object ball until you have learned how to control your cue stick!" So he made me start every practice session with at least an hour of stroke drills to develop a straight stroke. Then he dropped this nugget on me.
The next piece of advice he gave me was, "you never actually control the cue ball. The cue ball is in control of where it wants to go and where it is going to go. All you can hope for is to CONTAIN the cue ball somewhere on the path it is going to take."
"You can manipulate the cue ball's path with spin and speed, but even with spin the cue ball is going to go where it wants to go in respect to the spin you apply. All you can do is CONTAIN the cue ball."
Agree on that, Tor Lowry's videos are simply the best.
The Tor Lowry Version III video recently released will take a player to a new level once those skills are studied and practiced. He calls the series "Secrets Revealed" and that's a good title if you come from the old days like me where you only learned by suffering.
A Lowry video has all the technical accuracy of Dr. Dave but is presented with Tor's pleasant speaking voice and teaching style that builds from the simple to the complex, leading the student from concept to concept in a professional manner.
There also was a professional editing effort made on his vids. They do not have any herky-jerky jumping hither and yon, no incomplete topics like some instructors I could name. He does not forget what he was teaching right in the middle of a lesson like some, not does he talk down to the viewers. Best I can recall, there may not be a single confusing moment in all the Tor Lowry videos, they are all so well done.
All in all, a person who can think and work his way through a rack using the methods Tor Lowry teaches will be a much better player, but it takes time and practice, and can get discouraging as one sees the improvement needed.
Lowry videos are inexpensive. The most recent one, "Secrets Revealed" version III has only recently been uploaded to YouTube. I think most or all of his instructional vids are still be available on his YouTube site.
The thing that was most beneficial to my position play was taking lessons with a pro and spending time playing patterns. Through these lessons, I learnt a lot about utilizing the rails and playing into the angle of the shot as opposed to moving across the shot line. This gives you much greater margin of error for your weight and has been invaluable.
Aside for actually making the cb spin how I intend it to, got be the 2rail path in/out of the corners.
If you can reasonably manipulate it long or shot, you can do a lotta powerful stuff.
If you can reasonably manipulate it long or shot, you can do a lotta powerful stuff.
For 9-ball practice, try putting the even-numbered balls on one end of the table and the odd-numbered on the other. It forces you to learn how to go up and down table on every shot. One rule of thumb learned from that is to go through the center of the table whenever you can.
fwiw,
Jeff Livingston
fwiw,
Jeff Livingston
