Playing softer

T

tonythetiger583

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When I first started learning how to drive manual car, I realized that revving the engine and shifting full speed was a lot easier than driving slowly in rush hour. It took me a lot longer to learn the finessed required to roll along at slow speeds.

I'm finding I have that problem with pool as well. Center ball works fine if my shot is anywhere from medium and up. But I was wondering what strategies players employ to be able to get shape at slower speeds?
 
Practice those speeds to develop the feel. There's no magic formula, just explore and practice.


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Here are some ideas that seem to work for me.

First, I would advise against using center ball (or lower) on low speed shots. Try to have the cue ball in its natural roll as soon as it leaves the cue tip, especially for short distance shots. This approach will help to minimize any speed changes due to cloth friction (which can be harder to judge than just getting the correct cue speed right at the start).

Second, for very slow shots, I alter my stroke acceleration. I don't accelerate through the cue ball like I do on normal/fast shots. Instead, I try to get my cue moving at the desired shot speed several inches before contact, then just maintain a constant cue speed as it approaches and contacts the cue ball.

Third, for the most extreme low speed situations, such as playing a safety when the cue ball and object ball are close to each other and to the rail, I change my stroke entirely. For these cases, I find that I can get better results simply by trying to touch the surface of the cue ball instead of stroking through it. Another benefit of this technique is that it helps you avoid a double hit foul in the close quarters that often accompany the need for ultra slow speeds.

Best of luck!

-Blake
 
tonythetiger583 said:
When I first started learning how to drive manual car, I realized that revving the engine and shifting full speed was a lot easier than driving slowly in rush hour. It took me a lot longer to learn the finessed required to roll along at slow speeds.

I'm finding I have that problem with pool as well. Center ball works fine if my shot is anywhere from medium and up. But I was wondering what strategies players employ to be able to get shape at slower speeds?
Click to expand...

Try using a shorter back stroke, pause, then use smooth acceleration through the cue ball.
 
Slow speed in an effort to get better CB control is best practiced playing 14.1 IMO.

When you are playing a stop shot, you may have to cue the ball a bit lower at slow speed.

There's a fine line between slow controlled speed and dogging it BTW. :thumbup:
 
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