Poolology and the Spot Shot

Interesting that you should mention this about the grip. That is a sharp observation.
I know that the masses will point out how Reyes, Bustamante, Pagalayan, and other champions have that "loosey goosey" grip. I recognize that before we get started here.

They're a different breed who emulate the style as soon as they get on the table to learn the game. What they've trained themselves to do, or I should say not do, is grab the cue and change the grip pressure from backstroke to impact. That's tough under pressure.

I talked to Strickland and Wiley about this...they both advocate a firm grip. So now we have different schools of thought on it.

I think for most, this is the school we should all attend. If it's firm from start to impact, there's little that can happen by clenching because it's already tight. I don't mean a "death grip" nor do they. It's a great way to keep it constant from the start of the stroke, at the transition, and just prior to impact with the CB.

Funny how CJ got run off of this forum by the gang of know it all's who feel their position of superiority and rank among the gang is threatened by a real pro who had so much wisdom, experience, and jewels on his Dvds that he should have charged triple. But no, they accused him of being a huckster and snake oil salesman.
In retrospect, it wasn't funny at all. It was sad and disgusting.


AS FOR MYSELF..........when I find myself missing balls, instead of tinkering around with any preshot routines, bridges, aiming processes, etc. etc....the very first thing I do is tighten up on that grip slightly. Amazingly, everything falls right back into normal and the balls start going in the hole again. The firm grip, FOR ME, doesn't affect the English, draw, or follow, one bit. Recent videos of that Cheng Yu Hsuan confirm this, he's holding it pretty snugly...and he hits 'em very good. AND he avoids the closed bridge except when on or close to the rail.
I believe the firm grip FOR ME...keeps the cue on a straight line and keeps it from wiggling around during the stroke.
When I say "firm grip"...I do not mean that it's like a vise grip, but just about like holding a baseball bat waiting for a pitch....snug, but ready for a wrist snap on contact like Hank Aaron did.
Again...that works for ME. Whether it helps anyone else, remains to be seen.
Just conversation here...no preaching. It's certainly a worthy idea to experiment around with to find out if it suits a particular player.
:thumbup:

I'd say you know far, far more than the average bear as well as the bears who think they rule the forest.
 
Just conversation here...no preaching. It's certainly a worthy idea to experiment around with to find out if it suits a particular player.
:thumbup:

Speaking of conversation, this thread has to do with Poolology providing an objective reference for finding an exact half ball hit, as opposed to much of what is out there on the internet.

Would you agree or disagree?
 
Speaking of conversation, this thread has to do with Poolology providing an objective reference for finding an exact half ball hit, as opposed to much of what is out there on the internet.

Would you agree or disagree?

As a long time participant in pool forums, you should know that a thread can take a direction and life of it's own.

You opened the flood gates when you said below in your first TWO posts:

To my surprise, I found that my cuts to the right did not go in every day. I have a bias that creeps into my ALIGNMENTthat only seems to affect right cuts. I consider this just another tool to test out my STROKE.

Just FYI since you keep asking, when I say "STROKE"as in "the STROKEis more difficult to master than AIMING", I am not referring literally to only the actual STROKE of the cue. In that context, I'm saying that AIMINGis simple compared to doing everything else right (FEET, BODY ALIGNMENT, EYES, and OTHER BODY PARTS), to make the cue travel in a perfectly straight line.

Actually, I'm pleased you found an aiming system that works for you especially since you stated you don't use an aiming system or need one.
 
The hate mongers called Wiley a "snake oil salesman" resulting in his leaving??

They called him a lot more names than that and just made his life miserable by attacking him constantly like they've done with Stan.

Why on earth would they do such a thing. That is crazy.
He is a pool player with vast knowledge, and miles of experience under very tough conditions for big money. That's the kind of pool player I want to listen to.
And......he doesn't conduct himself like a "pool room bum". That in itself would be a good reason for him to be around.
So what if he sells DVD's...nobody is forced to buy them. :shrug:
Bummer.


No kidding!
 
As a long time participant in pool forums, you should know that a thread can take a direction and life of it's own.

You opened the flood gates when you said below in your first TWO posts:

Yes of course but in this case the first response was from you and was off topic from the start. I told you twice I had a handle on my issue but you continued to discuss fundamentals. Feel free to start a new thread on fundamentals.

I'm more interested in what Low500 thinks of my initial point than I am in what he thinks of CJ Wiley.
 
Yes of course but in this case the first response was from you and was off topic from the start. I told you twice I had a handle on my issue but you continued to discuss fundamentals. Feel free to start a new thread on fundamentals.

I'm more interested in what Low500 thinks of my initial point than I am in what he thinks of CJ Wiley.

Well Dan, I guess you now know our same feelings when a positive thread is started about CTE and YOU are the first to chime in with some sort of distracting post under the guise of "just wanting to understand" or a blatant rebuttal of what is being stated.

Glad to see Poolology working out for a hard liner non-aimer with no aiming system like yourself. A milestone has been reached.

Have a nice day.
 
Well Dan, I guess you now know our same feelings when a positive thread is started about CTE and YOU are the first to chime in with some sort of distracting post under the guise of "just wanting to understand" or a blatant rebuttal of what is being stated.

Glad to see Poolology working out for a hard liner non-aimer with no aiming system like yourself. A milestone has been reached.

Have a nice day.

lol. OK whatever you say.
 
The hate mongers called Wiley a "snake oil salesman" resulting in his leaving??
Why on earth would they do such a thing. That is crazy.
He is a pool player with vast knowledge, and miles of experience under very tough conditions for big money. That's the kind of pool player I want to listen to.
And......he doesn't conduct himself like a "pool room bum". That in itself would be a good reason for him to be around.
So what if he sells DVD's...nobody is forced to buy them. :shrug:
Bummer.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. :wink:
 
I'm an advocate of a firm grip as well. Not a death grip, but I don't let the cue float in there. Loose may work for many players, but it wrecks my game.
 
Of course, I agree with Dan on how quick and simple a player can setup a 1/2 ball shot or any other desired fractional hit using Poolology. In reference to the off-topic bit about grip strength....I like it loose. I let the cue do the work without my hand or arm trying to control the CB, just like a good golf swing -- the club works the ball while your hands and arms work the club. I use different strokes for different shots, slightly changing the grip, like a slip stroke for long shots on a big table. When I just jump a ball, my grip hand/thumb-and-finger release the cue completely and then catch it on the rebound after it strikes the CB.
 
The hate mongers called Wiley a "snake oil salesman" resulting in his leaving??
Why on earth would they do such a thing.


You had to be here. He was like the house guest who insults everyone in the family and thinks it funny to put a lamp shade on his head.

Lou Figueroa
 
Interesting that you should mention this about the grip. That is a sharp observation.
I know that the masses will point out how Reyes, Bustamante, Pagalayan, and other champions have that "loosey goosey" grip. I recognize that before we get started here.
I talked to Strickland and Wiley about this...they both advocate a firm grip. So now we have different schools of thought on it.
AS FOR MYSELF..........when I find myself missing balls, instead of tinkering around with any preshot routines, bridges, aiming processes, etc. etc....the very first thing I do is tighten up on that grip slightly. Amazingly, everything falls right back into normal and the balls start going in the hole again. The firm grip, FOR ME, doesn't affect the English, draw, or follow, one bit. Recent videos of that Cheng Yu Hsuan confirm this, he's holding it pretty snugly...and he hits 'em very good. AND he avoids the closed bridge except when on or close to the rail.
I believe the firm grip FOR ME...keeps the cue on a straight line and keeps it from wiggling around during the stroke.
When I say "firm grip"...I do not mean that it's like a vise grip, but just about like holding a baseball bat waiting for a pitch....snug, but ready for a wrist snap on contact like Hank Aaron did.
Again...that works for ME. Whether it helps anyone else, remains to be seen.
Just conversation here...no preaching. It's certainly a worthy idea to experiment around with to find out if it suits a particular player.
:thumbup:


You remind me of someone. Welcome back i guess
 
He was like the house guest who insults everyone in the family .

Lou Figueroa

Damn if that doesn't sound like another member's MO in here....^^^^^

CJ did share pearls of wisdom on the forum and in his DVDs about how to play better. Far more techniques that hold up under the stress of battle than Joe Average knows or even knows exists.

He also had some good road stories and war stories only a pro player could experience.
 
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With the edge of the CB 1" off the cushion (base of CB 2.125" off the cushion), the cut angle actually needed to center pocket for the spot shot is 21.3°. So if you accurately hit a half-ball shot and achieve something like a 27° cut (after 3° of throw), I think you would miss with reasonably sized pockets. So maybe you're doing something that results in a little thicker hit than you thought (or you're getting a lot of throw or playing with large pockets).

I don't know about the physics at the point of collision; I'm just working with the net effect on the cut angle.

Bluepepper says:
"...Just keep in mind that throw manipulates the theoretical angle in huge ways. In fact, I've set up a half-ball shot many times recently to see just how much it can be thrown. I've found that with just the right firm stun and my Aramith Tournament Ball set, I can reduce the angle from the theoretical 30 degrees down to about 22 degrees."

I could be doing this.
 
Bluepepper says:
"...Just keep in mind that throw manipulates the theoretical angle in huge ways. In fact, I've set up a half-ball shot many times recently to see just how much it can be thrown. I've found that with just the right firm stun and my Aramith Tournament Ball set, I can reduce the angle from the theoretical 30 degrees down to about 22 degrees."

I could be doing this.

Maybe. I did see that post by bluepepper. But from what I have seen from Dr. Dave and Bob Jewett, the maximum amount of cut-induced throw (unless you are getting skid/cling/kick) is in the range of 5-6 degrees.

[bluepepper also said that he was able to get up to 15 degrees of spin-induced throw on a half-ball aim (changing the cut from 30° to 45°). I am quite skeptical of that result.]
 
Maybe. I did see that post by bluepepper. But from what I have seen from Dr. Dave and Bob Jewett, the maximum amount of cut-induced throw (unless you are getting skid/cling/kick) is in the range of 5-6 degrees.

[bluepepper also said that he was able to get up to 15 degrees of spin-induced throw on a half-ball aim (changing the cut from 30° to 45°). I am quite skeptical of that result.]

Maybe he uses a broom :wink:
 
Maybe. I did see that post by bluepepper. But from what I have seen from Dr. Dave and Bob Jewett, the maximum amount of cut-induced throw (unless you are getting skid/cling/kick) is in the range of 5-6 degrees.

[bluepepper also said that he was able to get up to 15 degrees of spin-induced throw on a half-ball aim (changing the cut from 30° to 45°). I am quite skeptical of that result.]

Wow! I wish I could do that. How handy it would be to be able to "hold" a ball in place for shape when cutting a ball 15 degrees. I've got a lot to learn.
 
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Maybe. I did see that post by bluepepper. But from what I have seen from Dr. Dave and Bob Jewett, the maximum amount of cut-induced throw (unless you are getting skid/cling/kick) is in the range of 5-6 degrees.

[bluepepper also said that he was able to get up to 15 degrees of spin-induced throw on a half-ball aim (changing the cut from 30° to 45°). I am quite skeptical of that result.]

I guess it depends on the way he applies (or compensates for) english, and whether or not he uses a low or high-deflection shaft. For example, let's say a player lines up/aims for a 1/2 ball shot, cutting to the right. The tip of the cue is on target to split the left outer suface (edge) of the OB to produce a 30° cut. (The natural CIT will put the shot closer to 28° ) Now the player applies 1 tip of left spin by pivoting the cue stick. The tip is now pointed outside the edge of the OB to a point thinner than a 1/4 ball aim instead of the 1/2, depending on the distance between the balls. Using a good low-deflection shaft would cause less CB squirt, sending the CB just inside where the tip is now pointed, resulting in a much thinner hit than a 1/2 ball. Add the reduced CIT on account of the outside spin, and that 1/2 ball shot turns out a 1/4 ball result.

If a 1/2 ball hit is needed for this particular shot, the low-deflection shaft user would need to aim through the left side of the CB (1 tip left of CCB) to the left edge of the OB, not compensating as much if any for deflection and CB squirt. With a 314 shaft, the pivot application of outside english will likely cause an over-cut.

Using a high or normal amount of shaft deflection would squirt the CB back toward the original 1/2 ball aim point and the shot would come off closer to 30°, the outside spin basically eliminating or reducing any CIT.

Of course this type of shot, using a lot of spin, is one if the hardest skills to master. Different cues require different adjustments, etc... If a newbie insists on using english to manipulate shot angles, he/she has a long road full of missed shots to travel.
 
Hey, guys. I'll set up the same experiment again to be sure I'm not lying to you. I was looking for absolute extremes, and mainly for the smallest angle you could shoot on a specific aim, and about 8 degrees lower than the theoretical is what I found, but only around the 5/8, half, and 3/8 aims. Yes, there's always a little human error, and no, I couldn't consistently repeat the stun that made it happen, but I could get it to happen a few times. As for the upper end, I was hitting a very soft shot with side spin---a shot that would very rarely come up in play, and add to that potentially even more human error because of having to pivot or slide the cue over from the aim point. I'll try again just to be sure.

My main point was that we talk about a half-ball being 30 degrees and other theoretical angles associated with other fractional aims, but throw can't be ignored, and it can be extreme depending upon speed and spin.

BTW, I'm using Aramith Tournament balls. Maybe different throw potential than Centennials or Cyclops or others? I don't have others to compare, so I don't know.
 
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