Perception Problem? Or is it not...

[arknova]

Hi, I'm really a beginner player but really really keen on learning pool and I've discovered with the right guidance, you can really excel. I've met some good strangers and they corrected what I've messed up in the past 2 1/2 years of play.

Hence, I'm on AZ asking for help!! Ok so here it goes:
1) I've always been playing with my cue centered, probably 3 to 4 inches above my chin and don't really know about my dominant eye. I can play well with short distance shots (less than half a table length) but when it goes beyond that, my cutting angles kind of screws up, usually missing about a diamond to half a ball from the pocket. Also, my straight shots (or shots that seems straight) somehow screws away and I do believe it has nothing to do with my stroking.

Today, I tried shifting my cue to my right eye in order to correct that problem and I realise that my straight shots are a lot more accurate, but at the same time, it is really uncomfortable for me and I tend to screw up my half tables shot instead (which I was able to do well with my previous position.)

So should I shift my cue to my right eye or keep it comfortable and train harder instead?

2) I've recently purchased a tip shaping tool and have been using the nickel shaped tip. I would really love to try a dime shaped tip but never really have ventured into that yet. Do you think it's wise to try it out? I don't really want to mess out my game esp. when I'm building up my game now...

3) I've also changed from a conventional shaft to a low deflection shaft not too long ago and found myself struggling at first to keep up with a low deflection shaft's need to change my angles/ perceptions. I can adapt better now but I'm pretty sure I can play a little bit better with a conventional shaft ( Considering that I've played with it for about 2 years). Still, I cannot put my thumb down on the issue that a low deflection shaft is not suitable for me because I've only used it for about 2 months and I'm still adapting to it!
So the question is whether: I should stick with a low d shaft or... Use a conventional shaft instead?


I'm so happy knowing that people in the pool community are always so willing to help one another out. Thank you so much AZ peeps and instructors out there doing it for free! =D

 

[RWOJO]

Perception

Hello, Here's my opinion on your questions and I hope it helps.

1. You definitely need to find the head position that you can see the shots accurately. Try Long straight in shots at first. Once you get comfortable with those move to freezing the object ball on the foot rail (2nd diamond) and from the headspot hit the cueball directly into the ball - this gives immediate feedback if your hitting left or right.

2. The shape of the tip shouldn't make that big of a difference on your game. I prefer a dime radius and try to keep it that way. If you have a backup shaft with the same tip you could experiment with shaping that tip to dime and leave your normal shaft at nickel. This way you can practice with the dime some but switch back to the nickel for matches.

3. The low deflection shaft shouldn't effect your game drastically unless you've been playing a really long time. Players that have played 5 to 10 (or even more) years with a conventional shaft that try a low deflection shaft tend to shy away. This is because they already adjust to the deflection (whether conciously or unconsiously). I would stick with the Low deflection shaft because you should be able to shoot straighter and more consistant with it.

Try testing the deflection of your old shaft compared to the new LD shaft. Shoot from the head spot to the middle diamond on the footrail with 2 tips of left or right english. I've seen house cues that deflect over 1/2 diamond while most other cues deflect 1/4 diamond or less. My Z2 shaft deflects about 1/2 balls width when I shoot really firm.

Which ever shaft you decide to stick with you should really learn how much it deflects at different distances and different speeds.

Also if you are really trying to learn you should look into getting professional instruction. They aren't as expensive and can yield quicker results than years of learning on your own.

Hi, I'm really a beginner player but really really keen on learning pool and I've discovered with the right guidance, you can really excel. I've met some good strangers and they corrected what I've messed up in the past 2 1/2 years of play.

Hence, I'm on AZ asking for help!! Ok so here it goes:
1) I've always been playing with my cue centered, probably 3 to 4 inches above my chin and don't really know about my dominant eye. I can play well with short distance shots (less than half a table length) but when it goes beyond that, my cutting angles kind of screws up, usually missing about a diamond to half a ball from the pocket. Also, my straight shots (or shots that seems straight) somehow screws away and I do believe it has nothing to do with my stroking.

Today, I tried shifting my cue to my right eye in order to correct that problem and I realise that my straight shots are a lot more accurate, but at the same time, it is really uncomfortable for me and I tend to screw up my half tables shot instead (which I was able to do well with my previous position.)

So should I shift my cue to my right eye or keep it comfortable and train harder instead?

2) I've recently purchased a tip shaping tool and have been using the nickel shaped tip. I would really love to try a dime shaped tip but never really have ventured into that yet. Do you think it's wise to try it out? I don't really want to mess out my game esp. when I'm building up my game now...

3) I've also changed from a conventional shaft to a low deflection shaft not too long ago and found myself struggling at first to keep up with a low deflection shaft's need to change my angles/ perceptions. I can adapt better now but I'm pretty sure I can play a little bit better with a conventional shaft ( Considering that I've played with it for about 2 years). Still, I cannot put my thumb down on the issue that a low deflection shaft is not suitable for me because I've only used it for about 2 months and I'm still adapting to it!
So the question is whether: I should stick with a low d shaft or... Use a conventional shaft instead?


I'm so happy knowing that people in the pool community are always so willing to help one another out. Thank you so much AZ peeps and instructors out there doing it for free! =D

 

[Needo]

One of the more common problems that plague players is not striking the cue ball where they think they are hitting. To test this you might want to try practicing a lag shot. (Shoot the cue ball only one rail back to the foot of the table. And when you are comfortable with that, shoot two rails to the head of the table.) Try to end within six inches of the center diamond when shooting from the center diamond. This will tell you if you are hitting center ball. If you can consistently land the two rail lag, you might want to switch to a dime shape to get more action. I also suspect that you won’t have any problems with a long straight shot at this point.

 

[dello brown]

use dead center queball

 

[RWOJO]

Cueing the ball

For the drill mentioned above. Try playing 4 balls horizonatally over the footspot. then remove the 2 balls in the middle (first time trying you might want to use 5 and remove the middle 3). Now do a lag in between the balls. After you can get through the gap without hitting them 10 out of 10 times, you go 3 table lengths. Then work your way up to 4 table lengths.