Practice practice practice

Skip the Flourish:
Barry Stark admonished against the desire to make the stroke yours. I mean it’s easy to want a signature stroke like Bustie but Don’t.
Yes the flourish could be required on a rare shot. Save it for that shot. It does add another variable to the equation. Just as addicting side.(meant to say adding but google correction seems Freudian) 🤷 😉
 
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8 Ball Strategy:
Story Time; One of my most memorable 8 ball lessons was, don’t try to overpower the game. I always believed in paying for lessons and that $40 lesson was money well spent.
Around ‘84 when I was 2 years into my play against the big boys at The Right Spot in Fife, WA. (It was a year and a half before I won a beer for 7-8th in the weekly 9 ball tournament.) Anyway one night Jim Ward and his son Rodney were at the tournament. Rodney and I were real closely matched. We hooked up playing $5 nine ball and I quickly got $40 ahead. Rod called time out 😉 and went to Jim for a conference. He returned with uh no more 9 ball but we can continue with 8 ball for $10/game. I was pretty cocky at this point and felt good about the game.
My critical mistake was trying to overpower the game with the shot making skills I had just demonstrated playing 9 ball. WRONG after giving his $40 back and matching it, I surrendered. Losing $40 with the games won at even. It took a while to digest. Had I had a corner man to wake me, I feel that I could have prevailed. As my success in 8 ball had always come from superior strategy.
 
Back on my soapbox or uh sandbox:
Focus was something I could gauge by seeing my reflection in the cue ball. Like M. C. Escher.
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Make it a joy ride:
By practice I hope to build and reinforce the habits that make it a walk in the park.
The Basics!
Foundation
Mechanical
Electric
Since my electric system has been tampered with by physical impact (the latest being a left turn car). And uh some experimental agents (the cadet at USAFA that had done acid was on the B-52 test drive/ride with me.) I devote my practice to the first two and well I guess a joy ride is therapy for the electrical system.🥴😜

Trying to recall the interview with the Oschan regarding her brother’s performance in the World something. She said something along the lines of, “Even if and when he missed he could maintain confidence because of the strength of his mechanics “.
 
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My Sunday Fun Day practice:

Listening to Billy and Danny commentating one pocket, I resonated with the use of the word twisting banks. I imagine that staying within the realm of flavor (developed with PTNC) I can modify the path of banks just enough.
 
On a runner:
When I started playing left handed I discovered the difference in the way the side of the brain 🧠 controlling the hand changed my way of attacking the shots. My left hand performed best intuitively just by feel, while the right employed the two and three rail banking systems to great advantage. My first came from Willie Hoppe’s book. Pretty sure Dr Dave has some good systems posted. So my optimal performance should come when I can use the left brain to analyze while standing and in the planning stages. Then turn it over to the artistic side when I get down on the shot.
 
The NCPT:
I had put the no chalk phenolic tip practice aside. I think of it as the leather strope of the cutting instrument. Too much too soon and I get a knife with some real Sharp spots but.
I found it interesting that Ronnie O’Sullivan was not familiar with building the 8 ball out. Yet he and Hendry both have the phenomenal shot making that builds from the pocket back to the cue in their hand. A well built shot relates to lightning.
 
The NCPT is classified:
Classified as Sacred.
Be careful, as blasphemous remarks can draw lightning.😜🥴
 
Nationals Report:
Was an interesting and enjoyable event.
Grrrr not in love with the Predator balls. Too much friction between the balls. Must be a softer compound of phenolic. Well softer than the Dynaspher. A team mate took me to the 10' Predator on display and pointed out the lack of attention to the fine details.
Played the scotch with my wife and we enjoyed the competition. We each had our moments but we're just out of sinc.
I then played the gold 8 ball. Had a stumbling start and was out in 2! Grrrr, well mildly whiffed so I needed a mini to regain my mojo. Won the first, then second in the next. I feel better now! Then in the third of the fair match 8 ball, I drew Dave. A friend that I had not seen in years. He got 3rd in the big fair match 8 ball. Years ago he weighed in around 650 in the Fargo. Funny part; the day before I spoke with him and said, "the good news is I am at 552. The bad news is, I earned it. (When I last saw Dave I was 620-25). So the score sheet said he had to go to 5 with me 3 . :eek: I played inspired and won with a break and run at 2-2. Had to win that way. 😉
I was content.
 
On a runner:
When I started playing left handed I discovered the difference in the way the side of the brain 🧠 controlling the hand changed my way of attacking the shots. My left hand performed best intuitively just by feel, while the right employed the two and three rail banking systems to great advantage. My first came from Willie Hoppe’s book. Pretty sure Dr Dave has some good systems posted. So my optimal performance should come when I can use the left brain to analyze while standing and in the planning stages. Then turn it over to the artistic side when I get down on the shot.
gregcantrall, Howdy;

Pretty much what Bob Fancher was alluding to in his book, "Pleasures of Small Motions", starting about pg. 20.
Been enjoying your thought and ramblings. A lot of it makes sense to me does that mean I'm in trouble?

hank
 
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gregcantrall, Howdy;

Pretty much what Bob Fancher was alluding to in his book, "Pleasures of Small Motions", starting about pg. 20.
Been enjoying your thought and ramblings. A lot of it makes sense to me does that mean I'm in trouble?

hank
Thanks for the lol.
I guess the good trouble is when the left and right hands both want the shot.
 
Ok ruminating:
Probably should look up the definition but, what the hay.?
Kicked in 8 balls I have made are well beyond my ability to count. My favorite s came in scotch double play. Both for myself and cook partner. At the rolling log in isiquah, there was a mixed scotch, draw for partners tournament. Needing one more female player to fill the tournament the owner entered, 'the cook'. I drew her and we won. Never seen so many'wet hens'.
I left her alone until she asked for help. Then just tried to address her request as best I could. SHIOot! She executed every shot I described.
 
Rambling was a skill my 5th-8th grade teacher taught me well. When the subject matter got boring, it was easy to get her off on a tangent usually till the bell.:
Nationals Page Two, the team event.
I was playing the case game with one team matibehindr...Sad story alert! Sensitive may want to skip. Anyway to work backwards.....My last shot was a 1 rail kick at the 8(for the match). I was feeling good and turned it over to the left hand. I whiffed the 8 on the pro side. As I was playing speed for a thin brush and head rail for the cue ball. Missed it by 'just that much', oh well I did my best and the pool godds smiling on him when he doggie hit his key ball and it came off the point to snooker me Hard! That was just the tail end of the sad story. I started in dead punch and was running out. Was just a little loose on the shape for the key ball. Needed back English on the back cut to stick around for the 8. It felt great but the 7 ball stopped 1/8" short without touching a rail. My opponent plays a loose safety leaving me the length of the table jump. To avoid the chance of follow in I aim for the gap between 7 and opposite point. Hit it perfectly to my intent but it managed to squeeze in with the 7!!!!!! A pocket too small........grrrrrr.
 
I had to feel good for my opponent as he was soo9oo nervous. Still a 50/50 bet with ball in hand with one stripe. 👍 😊
 
The good news is I have the other side of hang the key ball story. Playing Kenny Dodd race to 6. At tied 3-3, he broke and ran. I broke dry and he ran. He broke and ran to hang the key ball with ball in hand shape on the 8. I won 6-5. Ok I feel better now.😉
 
My secret formula:
No chalk allowed in the drills, uh er exercises.
First shoot spot to spot kick back bank.
Left against Right shoot until miss Colin's shots. With a total of 17 points. (Number 1 shot moved to last.)
Upon completion I set up the snooker drill and find the challenge of finding the right angles for center ball to be a fun challenge.
After that comes 3 ball. With my paper rack template and break pad multi-tool. 😉
I channel in bank and kick practice by the rule that a missed shot engages the kick or bank required.
Providing a daily morning exercise as the sun rises.
 
Step one:
Survey; is done 5-6' behind the cue ball. With a square stance,
I place my chin and belly button on the line. Holding the cue at the balance point I use it's length to gauge my stride forward with the foot under the cue. I prefer to have the plane of the shot pass through my instep. I think of a mortar tri-pod when settling the other foot and bridge hand. I then adjust the grip.
 
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