proper mechanics……..

J

jcpoolgod

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've been playing pool along time. i was pretty good when i was 16. I'm 32 now…I've learned a lot of stuff over the years….when i was younger i used to get up shoot the shot and get the leave. Ive went through all these periods when i was thinking about where my head was. or how my eyes were positioned. or how i am standing. set pause finish. following through. keeping my arm eyes and cue on the same plane.

I feel like learning all these things have hindered my game….and instead i wish i would have just continued learning how to make balls and get leaves…and naturally progress. my stroke wouldn't be quite perfect(which its not anyway) but at least it would be mine and I would know how to play with it.

Ive come to the conclusion that learning all these things is detrimental. unless you learn proper mechanics from the beginning. there are so many pros that (stand weird, or stroke differently, but guess what they finish correctly and do what they were trying to do)

all in all i can't wait till I get good enough to get rid of the CONSCIOUS effort and everything is just second nature again. maybe this is all part of the process?
 
jcpoolgod said:
I've come to the conclusion that learning all these things is detrimental. unless you learn proper mechanics from the beginning.
Click to expand...

Mechanics are important for the beginner, so they have a clue. As well as a seasoned person who might be off on their game, if only to provide a distraction that might nudge them back into their game. But if you look at many of the greats, you'll see their mechanics suck. Not all of them, but a good percentage. My mechanics is as close to sound as possible, but I can loosen things up and still shoot decent pool - heck, may even shoot better on my off days.
 
poolmouse said:
Mechanics are important for the beginner, so they have a clue. As well as a seasoned person who might be off on their game, if only to provide a distraction that might nudge them back into their game. But if you look at many of the greats, you'll see their mechanics suck. Not all of them, but a good percentage. My mechanics is as close to sound as possible, but I can loosen things up and still shoot decent pool - heck, may even shoot better on my off days.
Click to expand...

Mechanics are good, but "consistency" is the key. If you look at Keith McCready, most "text book pool scholars" would say he is doing it ALL WRONG and he should NEVER make a ball.

If he is doing it wrong, why is it working for him? It is because he is doing it wrong CONSISTENTLY and now it ISN'T wrong for HIM...it is RIGHT.

Cookie cutter approaches to what is RIGHT or WRONG can't be used with pool. In the MAJORITY of circumstances there are ways to do things DIFFERENTLY but you learn to TRUST or DO the things that come MOST NATURAL to you.

You can see people of somewhat EQUAL playing ability (making balls, getting position, playing safe, etc.) playing TOTALLY different styles and patterns. When I was younger, I preferred draw over follow because I could control it better. Later I learned to become comfortable with follow and I incorporated it into my game more. When I played at my best and most consistent, I was using what I called "dead ball". That is what CJ calls "TOI" now on here. I NEVER knew a name for it, I just understood how it was played.

I think everybody has to find a MAIN style of play and then worry about the other stuff later. If you knew everything and never missed it wouldn't be any fun for you or your opponent. WHOOPS...did I say OPPONENT? If you NEVER missed you would have no opponents willing to play you. Except maybe Earl...and people call him crazy anyway. Or maybe Efren...cause people call him God and everybody knows God can beat anyone. :)
 
The one thing that stood out the most on your post here is "consciuos effort". I may have taken this in the wrong context, but if you are thinking when down on the ball about to pull the trigger and shoot, there in lies a problem. All of the thinking must be done while walking and chalking. Once you are down on the ball, thoughts of ball speed, english, angle, and all the other factor involved should not even be in your head. These were all decided before you got down on the ball.

It's like hitting a baseball. Muscle memory, eye/hand coordination, and lot of other things come into play to enable you to make contact with the ball. If you are actually "thinking" about mechanics, stance, grip, and other things when the ball is coming, you are not going to hit the ball. Pool is no different. The reasoning side of the brain has to be quiet.
 
HawaiianEye said:
Mechanics are good, but "consistency" is the key. If you look at Keith McCready, most "text book pool scholars" would say he is doing it ALL WRONG and he should NEVER make a ball.

If he is doing it wrong, why is it working for him? It is because he is doing it wrong CONSISTENTLY and now it ISN'T wrong for HIM...it is RIGHT.

Cookie cutter approaches to what is RIGHT or WRONG can't be used with pool. In the MAJORITY of circumstances there are ways to do things DIFFERENTLY but you learn to TRUST or DO the things that come MOST NATURAL to you.

You can see people of somewhat EQUAL playing ability (making balls, getting position, playing safe, etc.) playing TOTALLY different styles and patterns. When I was younger, I preferred draw over follow because I could control it better. Later I learned to become comfortable with follow and I incorporated it into my game more. When I played at my best and most consistent, I was using what I called "dead ball". That is what CJ calls "TOI" now on here. I NEVER knew a name for it, I just understood how it was played.

I think everybody has to find a MAIN style of play and then worry about the other stuff later. If you knew everything and never missed it wouldn't be any fun for you or your opponent. WHOOPS...did I say OPPONENT? If you NEVER missed you would have no opponents willing to play you. Except maybe Earl...and people call him crazy anyway. Or maybe Efren...cause people call him God and everybody knows God can beat anyone. :)
Click to expand...

Why make statements like you did when not a single "text book scholar" would ever say that?
 
devilshorns_baduse.gif
 
jcpoolgod said:
I've been playing pool along time. i was pretty good when i was 16. I'm 32 now…I've learned a lot of stuff over the years….when i was younger i used to get up shoot the shot and get the leave. Ive went through all these periods when i was thinking about where my head was. or how my eyes were positioned. or how i am standing. set pause finish. following through. keeping my arm eyes and cue on the same plane.

I feel like learning all these things have hindered my game….and instead i wish i would have just continued learning how to make balls and get leaves…and naturally progress. my stroke wouldn't be quite perfect(which its not anyway) but at least it would be mine and I would know how to play with it.

Ive come to the conclusion that learning all these things is detrimental. unless you learn proper mechanics from the beginning. there are so many pros that (stand weird, or stroke differently, but guess what they finish correctly and do what they were trying to do)

all in all i can't wait till I get good enough to get rid of the CONSCIOUS effort and everything is just second nature again. maybe this is all part of the process?
Click to expand...

I like your view on playing. I think I tend to think more about whether I'm doing everything correctly than I do about pocketing the balls and getting position or a leave. It seems like the more I learn about the game the more I'm distracted while I'm playing trying to remember to do everything right. One thing that bothers me is I'm not as consistent as I should be and that's a big part of my problem. One week I play great and the next week I struggle to get out. If I could just find that happy medium where I'm playing almost my best all the time I'll be a lot better player!
 
onepocketron said:
The one thing that stood out the most on your post here is "consciuos effort". I may have taken this in the wrong context, but if you are thinking when down on the ball about to pull the trigger and shoot, there in lies a problem. All of the thinking must be done while walking and chalking. Once you are down on the ball, thoughts of ball speed, english, angle, and all the other factor involved should not even be in your head. These were all decided before you got down on the ball.

It's like hitting a baseball. Muscle memory, eye/hand coordination, and lot of other things come into play to enable you to make contact with the ball. If you are actually "thinking" about mechanics, stance, grip, and other things when the ball is coming, you are not going to hit the ball. Pool is no different. The reasoning side of the brain has to be quiet.
Click to expand...


This is so true. I tell myself to stop thinking about the shot when i am down in the shooting position. I just don't know how to shut it off. It's like, when standing, I figure out what I want to do, then when I am down, I am questioning myself as to whether I am really on for the shot. I usually wind up tweaking to some extent. Is there a cure for this?
 
“What really counts. While good fundamentals and basic technique are undeniably important, other factors are even more important in reaching top levels. What does it take to become a champion? Here are just a few things you must have: steady nerves; good eyesight; good hand-eye coordination; enough intelligence to learn how best to analyze an array of balls; a good memory so that you can learn from your mistakes; a knack for knowing when to attack and when to defend (which means being able to estimate percentages on every shot); a relentless lust for competition; so much desire to improve that you wake up in the morning thinking of shots and moves; a will to win so strong that a defeat gnaws at you for hours or days; the ability to concentrate while aiming (instead of just going through the motions of aiming); the discipline to practice with intensity; a willingness to put everything else in life second-especially when you are still a teenager; and an imagination that enables you to come up with creative solutions to problems you’ve never seen before.”

Robert Byrne, "Advanced technique in Pool and Billiards".
 
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