Pauses in your stroke?

mnorwood

mnorwood

Moon
Silver Member
Everyone recognizes the pause in the backstroke of many players who have a snooker background.

I was wandering if anyone pauses with the cue almost touching the cueball just before your final backstroke?

I have been experimenting with this pause to ensure that my aim is accurate before I go into my final backstroke.

I am not saying this is effective. I am looking for opinions.
 
I think you have it right. The pause at the cue-ball is commonly refered to as the "SET" position.

There are three things that have to be accomplished at the cue-ball. Very hard to do with a moving cue, so we (SET) stop the cue for a brief moment and:
1. Am I ready?
2. Is that where I want to "go through" the cue-ball?
3. Am I "On target"?

If the answer is yes-yes-yes, then a smooth back stroke and the rest is history.

Great question....SPF&F-randyg
 
You will find very few good players that dont pause (set) at the cueball. Keep working with it and soon you will stop calling it an experiment and find that it is a key point in your game.

Take note of Randys post, its not enough just to know to come set at the cueball, but you need to understand that it is your last checkpoint before final stroke and use it as such.

Woody
 
Those ones!!!

These people that stroke, then pause, then start stroking again,
and have that last stroke that freezes for 2-3 seconds before
they hit the cue, drive me nuts, and I recognize sometimes,
that the last pause causes them to miss because when they
start up again, they are not stroking it like the warm-up strokes,
the last one ends up like a punch rather than a stroke.

It's reminds me of that joke about how old people have sex -
slow and jerky ... lol

I am not talking about the players that just do it on an
occasional real difficult shot, but players that do it on
every shot they shoot ... Drives me nuts. I would not even
watch them if I didn't have to keep an eye out for what's
going on in the match.

It's like the opposite of 'premature ejaculation'.
 
Snapshot9 said:
These people that stroke, then pause, then start stroking again,
and have that last stroke that freezes for 2-3 seconds before
they hit the cue, drive me nuts, and I recognize sometimes,
that the last pause causes them to miss because when they
start up again, they are not stroking it like the warm-up strokes,
the last one ends up like a punch rather than a stroke.

It's reminds me of that joke about how old people have sex -
slow and jerky ... lol

I am not talking about the players that just do it on an
occasional real difficult shot, but players that do it on
every shot they shoot ... Drives me nuts. I would not even
watch them if I didn't have to keep an eye out for what's
going on in the match.

It's like the opposite of 'premature ejaculation'.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to Allison Fisher & Buddy Hall???????randyg
 
Pauses, body movement and practice stroking....

Another thought on pauses. The pauses in my stroke give me time to feel what's going on with the rest of my body. I use these pauses to ensure that I am perfectly still. I also find pauses keep my practice stroking from getting too busy. I am the type of player that benefits from practice stroking less.

Does anyone have similar opinions?
 
I have been playing pool for 13 years...I just currently started taking lessons about 2 months ago, (can't get any better playing the same people every day) & the main thing that stuck in my head was when my teacher told me that the pause is at the cue ball, & I agree that it does give some time to briefly go over in my head if thats the correct alignment, & all the other fundamentals. & that's something really hard to get used to doing, especially when you've been playing with the pause on the backstroke for over a decade. But one thing I have noticed is that, since then, my game has improved, & I'm starting to notice the mistakes of my opponents & realizing what they need to do to correct their problem. Lessons are so helpful to anybody.. :D
 
No ...

randyg said:
Are you referring to Allison Fisher & Buddy Hall???????randyg
Click to expand...

I am referring to local amateur players that do it all the time,
that you play in league or local tournaments. First off, your
pausing should be in alignment of the shot, and at the first
few seconds when you get down on a shot and when you are
first stroking the cue on a shot, not at the last second or two
before you shoot the ball. I find that people that have that
long a pause before the hit stroke do not have a 'natural feel'
for speed of the cue ball, and that they are 'logically' trying to
determine speed, kind of like a natural shooter in basketball in
comparison to a educated, or logical, one. Speed control is
very instinctive for me, not logical, which is one of the reasons
I usually do not have a problem adjusting to different tables
once I get a little feel of there speed.
Keep in mind, that the more 'interruptions' you have in a process,
the more likely there is for something to go wrong, which directly
relates to consistency of play. Interruptions lends itself to the
process being mechanicallized in lieu of being a 'fluid' process.
 
mnorwood said:
Everyone recognizes the pause in the backstroke of many players who have a snooker background.

I was wandering if anyone pauses with the cue almost touching the cueball just before your final backstroke?

I have been experimenting with this pause to ensure that my aim is accurate before I go into my final backstroke.

I am not saying this is effective. I am looking for opinions.
Click to expand...

Hsin Huang has a very pronounced pause at the cueball before she pulls the trigger.
 
i not only pause at the cueball, but in my stroke also, like Allison does. Gives me that extra few seconds to focus on the objectball. Really helped my game, but when i am in the zone i find that i don't pause at all.
 
rackmsuckr said:
Hsin Huang has a very pronounced pause at the cueball before she pulls the trigger.
Click to expand...

Hi Linda. We find that most good players do just that....randyg
 
Snapshot9 said:
I am referring to local amateur players that do it all the time,
that you play in league or local tournaments. First off, your
pausing should be in alignment of the shot, and at the first
few seconds when you get down on a shot and when you are
first stroking the cue on a shot, not at the last second or two
before you shoot the ball. I find that people that have that
long a pause before the hit stroke do not have a 'natural feel'
for speed of the cue ball, and that they are 'logically' trying to
determine speed, kind of like a natural shooter in basketball in
comparison to a educated, or logical, one. Speed control is
very instinctive for me, not logical, which is one of the reasons
I usually do not have a problem adjusting to different tables
once I get a little feel of there speed.
Keep in mind, that the more 'interruptions' you have in a process,
the more likely there is for something to go wrong, which directly
relates to consistency of play. Interruptions lends itself to the
process being mechanicallized in lieu of being a 'fluid' process.
Click to expand...

SCOTT: I know you and I can't get into the minds of the players. I find your logic not very practical when assement is made in general terms. What feels "natural" for one may poison another. A proper SET & PAUSE is not an interruption, but a fullfillment of a routine. For some, that is fluid....SPF-randyg
 
Pause

I took lessons from a Tony Annigoni and Buddy Hall and they both said the pause is important.Since then my game has improved,it gives me time to focus on the object balls contact point..
 
I really do not have a pause but rather just before my final stroke I do a mini stroke. I stop just in front of the cue ball and take a final aim with a 1/2 inch stroke, then let it go. keeps everything fluid for me.
 
A while back I had a similar conversation at the pool room about the pause theory. So I went home and tested it out in a few ways. Now, normally I'm very Phillipino in my style, for what it's worth.

The pause at the back of the stroke> Totally freaked me out, and felt like I was breaking 9-ball every shot, and everything got jerky.....

The pause at the cueball> Was better, and I incorporated a version of it into my game now. After the warmup strokes, I stop at the CB, eye the object ball, and let it fly.

*On a strange note, I tried this. Stand behind the shot as normal to get my angle, get down on the shot as normal,BUT with NO warm up strokes. Just put the tip at the pause position at tha CB, then eye the target, and let it fly. Surprisingly it worked out great!.....felt funny, but removed some of the distraction of warmup strokes. When I'm playing 14.1, or in a pressure situation, I sometimes go back to that, It's kinda like my "anti-dog" cure........Gerry
 
mnorwood said:
Everyone recognizes the pause in the backstroke of many players who have a snooker background.

I was wandering if anyone pauses with the cue almost touching the cueball just before your final backstroke?

I have been experimenting with this pause to ensure that my aim is accurate before I go into my final backstroke.

I am not saying this is effective. I am looking for opinions.
Click to expand...

It's very effective for some players. Some people even say that the pause at the cueball was the one thing that made their games twice as consistent as before. When I remember to use it, it absoloutely, without a doubt has a huge positive effect on my performance. The problem is that my mind is always filled with ideas about the mental/physical aspect to the game that there are some gems that I tend to forget every now and then. Thanks for reminding me about the pause, lol :D
 
Gerry said:
*On a strange note, I tried this. Stand behind the shot as normal to get my angle, get down on the shot as normal,BUT with NO warm up strokes. Just put the tip at the pause position at tha CB, then eye the target, and let it fly. Surprisingly it worked out great!.....felt funny, but removed some of the distraction of warmup strokes. When I'm playing 14.1, or in a pressure situation, I sometimes go back to that, It's kinda like my "anti-dog" cure........Gerry
Click to expand...

I find this to be true as well. The thing that does is, if you're consciously or subconsciously thinking about that one-stroke getting it right the first time, then your mind will guide you to a better stance the first time.

If you're in a flow of warm-up strokes and getting down then you will sometimes be thinking of something else and line up a shot completely wrong and try to adjust when you're down. By the time you're down, though, you lost your reference point and what looks right may not even be close.

That's why it's so important to develop a routine that cues your subconscious to do what it needs to do before it needs to do it. There are a ton of talented players that can hit a spot in their mind where they can place any ball in the center of the pocket, but these people aren't consistent like the pros. It's important to catch yourself early so you can correct it, but don't become to self-aware of the faults in your game because they will take focus away from the table. You have to train yourself mentally to go from shot to shot without judgment if you want to succeed. Finding the right coach could help you with your game tremendously (I need to heed this advice), so you can just play and they can help you with your mechanics along the way. Let them worry about keeping up with your bad habits and just play your game.
 
mnorwood said:
Everyone recognizes the pause in the backstroke of many players who have a snooker background..
Click to expand...

I don't know if Juli Kelly pauses at the backstroke.

Anyway, I pause at both the front (always have) and the back (for the last couple of years.

Fred
 
Snapshot9 said:
These people that stroke, then pause, then start stroking again,
and have that last stroke that freezes for 2-3 seconds before
they hit the cue, drive me nuts, and I recognize sometimes,
that the last pause causes them to miss because when they
start up again, they are not stroking it like the warm-up strokes,
the last one ends up like a punch rather than a stroke.
.
Click to expand...

There's a guy in my league that pauses during the last forward stroke. That's right, during the last forward stroke. This might be what you're talking about. He blazes his warm up stroke, and then on the last stroke, he bring his cue back, then forward, then pauses!!!! Then, he punches the rest of the stroke. I am stunned that he can play with any decency at all.

Fred
 
Cornerman said:
There's a guy in my league that pauses during the last forward stroke. That's right, during the last forward stroke. This might be what you're talking about. He blazes his warm up stroke, and then on the last stroke, he bring his cue back, then forward, then pauses!!!! Then, he punches the rest of the stroke. I am stunned that he can play with any decency at all.

Fred
Click to expand...


But if Efren played snooker...

Voodoo~~~never trusts a pointy-tip guy <inside joke 'tween me and Fred>
 
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