Practice practice practice

My fun time.,... includes shooting left-right scotch. My secret game.😉
A key moment in the finals (IMHO) was when Judd declined the other hand and shot from the rest.
 
The similar part between Cole and Judd:
Playing Harry one pocket, Cole would take on the 90 degree cut that splatter the rack. If it go in Fine, run out, if not Harry get a chance. One chance only. Cole and I can't remember who in a tournament played 7 games of one pocket in 35 minutes. Race to 4 and breaker won in second inning every game. That got Judd to the finals. Can't give free chances to Ronnie.
 
The shots that put cue ball stop behind object ball pocketing, Still landed in Ronnie's favor through shot selection and discretion. While devotion of precision was on pocket cue ball neighborhood was good, leaving at best testers. Seeing testers when Ronnie has the lead.... will uh find your best game....
 
IMHO the frontrunner leaving testers can be a strategy. Saving energy playing looser safety. Knowing that the opposite is taking on the heavy lifting, with odds of an easy opener being in his favor in the event of a next shot
.
 
Not only does he have to achieve "that level" he must maintain it.... longer than an SR-71.
 
Currently working on my stroke. I'm using "practise pro" pocket reducers and shooting power draw shots along the rail. Really dials in the precision in the power draw. Cue ball at balkline, Object ball at 2. diamond then first diamond, then hanging in the pocket. Trying to get the cueball back to hit my tip perfectly. If you don't "snap" that shot, it's hard to make the cueball come back. I needed to loosen my grip quite a bit and engage the wrist more to get this to work, and it hurts, since my wrist isn't doing so great lately, but it is improving. I'm trying to shoot 100-500 shots like this every day. My draw shots was pathetic after 2 years of not playing. 1 week of this has given great results so far.

Another favourite shot of mine is hanging the cueball in the corner pocket , the object ball midway between the corner and the opposite side, shooting the ball into the side pocket. Need to do a few of these every day too.

One more straight in shot drill I like to do is shooting stun-run-throughs. I like to leave the object ball mid table, the cue ball at balk or even further back and then shoot the shot absolutely as hard as I can control, STRAIGHT in. Main focus is having the cueball follow the object ball straight for a distance I determine and mark out with a chalk. I do not tolerate any "hopping" or weering off. I like to shoot harder and harder.

Really, I find that when these shots start working, I rarely need to work on much else in practise. They help my entire game. I like to use pocket reducers for all shots, just to dial in the location of the center pocket, as I have a tendency to target the outside part of the pocket for some shots and I'm working on fixing that .For snooker I do line up and the t-drill or x-drill, for pool I play the ghost. That's pretty much it. I should work on my kicking game more, though.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
Currently working on my stroke. I'm using "practise pro" pocket reducers and shooting power draw shots along the rail. Really dials in the precision in the power draw. Cue ball at balkline, Object ball at 2. diamond then first diamond, then hanging in the pocket. Trying to get the cueball back to hit my tip perfectly. If you don't "snap" that shot, it's hard to make the cueball come back. I needed to loosen my grip quite a bit and engage the wrist more to get this to work, and it hurts, since my wrist isn't doing so great lately, but it is improving. I'm trying to shoot 100-500 shots like this every day. My draw shots was pathetic after 2 years of not playing. 1 week of this has given great results so far.

Another favourite shot of mine is hanging the cueball in the corner pocket , the object ball midway between the corner and the opposite side, shooting the ball into the side pocket. Need to do a few of these every day too.

One more straight in shot drill I like to do is shooting stun-run-throughs. I like to leave the object ball mid table, the cue ball at balk or even further back and then shoot the shot absolutely as hard as I can control, STRAIGHT in. Main focus is having the cueball follow the object ball straight for a distance I determine and mark out with a chalk. I do not tolerate any "hopping" or weering off. I like to shoot harder and harder.

Really, I find that when these shots start working, I rarely need to work on much else in practise. They help my entire game. I like to use pocket reducers for all shots, just to dial in the location of the center pocket, as I have a tendency to target the outside part of the pocket for some shots and I'm working on fixing that .For snooker I do line up and the t-drill or x-drill, for pool I play the ghost. That's pretty much it. I should work on my kicking game more, though.
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That's interesting 👍. I have neglected the power draw. Probably why it's not my strong suit. Did notice Judd came up quite short on a power draw shot. While Ronnie had display Ed absolute precision in that shot .
I (think) I have noticed strong similarities in the hand action of the top snooker players to the teaching of Barry Stark. His explanation of the grip and the ring finger was a real eye opener for me.
At one time my favorite drill was line up all 15 between side pockets and shoot from kitchen to draw back to kitchen with bih on each. So require more draw than that leaving my comfort range.😉
 
My kick practice was, well is 3 ball break and kick them in. Short and sweet and allowed recycling of balls on coin op tables. The multiple rail escapes put on display by the snooker greats is humbling to say the least. My one two and even 3 rail kicks are well .....putt putt compared to the 4 rail escapes hit to minutest precision by them.
 
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My first draw shot drill was from a Willie Mosconi book er pamphlet from around 1973. Place 5 or 6 balls in an arch about 12 inches from the side pocket. With ball in hand to start run them out with short draw no rail contact allowed. Short precise draw is a good skill for straight pool and 8 ball. Reminds me, I need to revisit the drill.
 
The L drill is one I spent time with as well. For the fine speed control. Then the one and two rail precision.
 
Have to admit admiration of surgical precision. Then add the horse power that Judd puts on display. I could spend time watching that again. Might even push out Cool Hand Luke for number 1 spot. Quite a masterful performance.
Quiz time: what were the big 3 According to Hendry?
Oh shit I gatting nervous......
Courage
Convict......uh oh flash.....ion
Whew aw now what wasExecutiin.
What's Execution, is my final answer!
 
Forged in Fire: Ronnie explained a training regimen that fell into exact Accord with my own.
As we age the stamina dimmer. Sometimes now I get the same feeling Ronnie related. I am teaching the kids to beat me. So it will be bitter sweet, when they do.
Cheap Lessons....... disclaimer for legal in route.
 
Ah the luck of the left. Good thought equals success. Sometimes through the back door. Sometimes the window. So the hit 'em hard and wish 'em well shot goes to the left.
 
My game my table. Would be 3 ball. Well duh 😉
The Weak Old man replaced my Drunken Man.
Not that I ever employed it.
 
"I'll play left handed" became the joke when I shut down the one and two ring game. Got big smile s. I recognize the place John Morra was when he switched. Ronnie has predicted a 147 left handed. Hasn't put it up.....yet.😁
Edit: it worked once for one more round.
 
Where the balls go on a miss: Efren found value in watching players that miss a lot. I don't have to go far for that study.😉
An asset well perhaps not undervalued but not sufficient ly noted, is "where's that cue ball going?" "He commands his cue ball", was the remark by the lead man of the Ugandan guards at M R uh forgot the acronym. Rec center on FOB Kalsu.
I admire the way Ronnie seemed to never give up an easy shot. Nobody is 100% My first analysis involves percentage and...options. Shot sequence is.(for me)
Survey
Analysis
Decision
Execution
Sometimes the dance needs to slow and even repeat a step or two or all 3. Watching Ronnie come up and reset multiple times...then execute to the best of his ability, is uh educational.
Sometimes newbie only practice execution.🤷
I try to be diligent. If I find myself mindless hitting balls, it's time to cover the table.
Oh yeah after execution comes analysis again if I end up in the chair.😉 That's sometimes the begining of recovery and other times admiration of safety.
 
Practice with no chalk and center ball gives me a chance to study geometry. The geometry change from table to table and even temperature and humidity, is significant.
In the beginning: "What if I miss" was always the decision. Find a shot that's playable with the final resting place for the cue ball was job 1. So playing in the straight 8 no slop game in a new tavern, required deniability on safe play. As "We don't play like that around here." Could be the thinly veiled threat. My favorite thinly veiled was the young man that said, "We don't much like you coming in and beating the Locals." MY reply was, "I was born in the hospital right up the street. You can't get any more local than that." Suddenly his posse was my posse.😁
 
Just the slightest change can lead to the cross corner becoming the cocked hat...a good 9 ball shot.
Chasing Tail with the double s attempt has shown me some uh patterns.
 
Wow just wow, the left is the first to demonstrate, the funny shots. Cocked hat with a kiss is worth 2!
 
Staying with center ball while Chasing, eliminate a big variable. Giving me a better chance of getting the right answer when analysis.
In competition my first is, what will center ball get me? Then up and down on axis. Last would be side, starting small. The further I move from center..... the more times it gets kicked back to analysis. Loved watching Ronnie in that part of the process.
 
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