Pendulum Vs. Jab

third_i said:
It depends how you define "jab." When I think of jab I think of a very quick pendulum stroke, with very little follow through... and normally this also means that you hurry to get your cue out of the way because the cue ball is coming back fast. This is the stroke I would use on a draw shot where the OB and CB are 3" or less away from eachother and I need to draw straight back or nearly straight back.
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I first thought of it as injection. So generally we are all injecting balls.
 
One mistake that I used to make when practicing long draw shots, is that I would try to draw the heck out of the cueball every time. I would spend an hour or so trying to use a powerful stroke on the same shot, over and over.

Looking back on that now, I realize that doing that was just wasted time and effort. My speed control with my draw suffered because of that. When I finally was able to break that bad practice habit, my stroke improved. When shooting long draw shots, instead of trying to draw the CB back as far as I could, those same long shots I would instead try to draw the cueball back two or three inches, or a foot, etc.

When you start learning how to stroke the cueball getting maximum action with minimal effort, it really helps your game alot. Drawing the cueball back two inches from an 8-foot straight-in shot is more difficult than drawing the cueball back the length of the table IMHO. The same goes for stunning the cueball forward two inches on the same shot. These are shots that every pro has in their arsenal, and they are vital to learn.

The best advice I can give you, is don't slam balls on a regular basis when you practice. Learn to hit balls with authority without hitting them hard. All the pros shoot like that from what I've seen. Just focus on keeping your stroke smooth and eventually it will become natural to you.
 
cuetechasaurus said:
One mistake that I used to make when practicing long draw shots, is that I would try to draw the heck out of the cueball every time. I would spend an hour or so trying to use a powerful stroke on the same shot, over and over.

Looking back on that now, I realize that doing that was just wasted time and effort. My speed control with my draw suffered because of that. When I finally was able to break that bad practice habit, my stroke improved. When shooting long draw shots, instead of trying to draw the CB back as far as I could, those same long shots I would instead try to draw the cueball back two or three inches, or a foot, etc.

When you start learning how to stroke the cueball getting maximum action with minimal effort, it really helps your game alot. Drawing the cueball back two inches from an 8-foot straight-in shot is more difficult than drawing the cueball back the length of the table IMHO. The same goes for stunning the cueball forward two inches on the same shot. These are shots that every pro has in their arsenal, and they are vital to learn.

The best advice I can give you, is don't slam balls on a regular basis when you practice. Learn to hit balls with authority without hitting them hard. All the pros shoot like that from what I've seen. Just focus on keeping your stroke smooth and eventually it will become natural to you.
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That's probably the most common mistake a lot of amateurs make, end up punching the ball. The stroke should be smooth flowing and if done properly, it doesn't take much strength to draw the ball back.
 
Flex said:
Actually, one of the things Mark Wilson told me, when he saw how I set up, and aligned and stroked the ball, was that with the stroke I was using, with about a two inch follow through, was more accurate than a follow through of five or more inches. But he also told me that if I lengthened my follow through to 5 inches or so, by moving my hold on the cue back about 2 1/2 inches, so my wrist was really perpendicular to the floor, that I'd gain power effortlessly on shots requiring more oomph. He asked me to change my stroke in that, among other, ways, and it has helped my game immensely. Mind you, my stroke before wasn't a jab, but it looked like it might be. It was plenty accurate...

Flex
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i was gonna say that the only time i use anything close to what could be called a "jab" stroke would be like the above example, when i have a shot that i need to be as accurate as possible i may not completely follow thru on it like a table length ultra thin cut, etc....but 99% of the time i try to do the same repeatable pendulum stroke.
 
scottycoyote said:
i was gonna say that the only time i use anything close to what could be called a "jab" stroke would be like the above example, when i have a shot that i need to be as accurate as possible i may not completely follow thru on it like a table length ultra thin cut, etc....but 99% of the time i try to do the same repeatable pendulum stroke.
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The shot you mention, as well as when shooting off the rail are the times when that very short stroke becomes very useful. It is definitely more accurate (at least for me) on those kinds of shots. What I hadn't realized before Mark pointed it out to me was that I was using that very short stroke for many shots, with the exception of power force follows and power draws, and some swoop shots, also. The problem with the short follow through is that it won't do the job many times, and when I'd need the longer follow through, because my set up was grooved to shoot with a short follow through, I'd end up twitching or adding unintended english when I'd put more into the shot. The longer 5" follow through that he asked me to use basically fixed that problem.

Glad he caught me!

Flex
 
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The closest I've been to a "jab" stroke is the short draw whereby the cueball and the object ball are very near, very fast stroke and impossible to stay down.
 
bcf said:
That's probably the most common mistake a lot of amateurs make, end up punching the ball. The stroke should be smooth flowing and if done properly, it doesn't take much strength to draw the ball back.
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Agreed. One of the best and most useful shots I've learned is strong draw on an extremely soft shot. I mean like 3-4' worth of draw on a sharp angle into the side pocket. After I learned how to do that(saw it on tv :p ); I use it all the time.
 
I've always found that to get draw from a distance the stroke is much slower than you think (or it feels slower anyway)

Ever see a break where the player smoothly (and not quickly) brings his arm back and then goes forward just as smoothly (but faster)? It's hard to put on paper but it's sort of the same idea. It's not a quick stroke. It's a long and smooth stroke. I never 'feel' fast when I need to use this and to a bystander I probably don't look like I'm pushing forward fast.

Another bit of advice is if you hit it pretty hard (whether it looks smooth or jabby or outright spastic) and you don't get draw, you absolutely didn't hit the draw sweet spot. It would break the laws of physics for you to hit the sweet spot, and "jab" really hard, and still fail to draw. So even if you can't make the stroke look or feel 'slow', focus on hitting that spot and fight the tendency to jump upward at the end of the stroke, which makes the tip hit higher on the CB than intended. It helps to have a closed loop bridge.
 
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