Question for the Instructors

One Pocket John

One Pocket John

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When down on the shot, your taking your warm up strokes.

Should your warm up strokes emulate an accelerating type of warm up stroke from the back swing and forward to the QB.

Thanks

John
 
One Pocket John said:
When down on the shot, your taking your warm up strokes.

Should your warm up strokes emulate an accelerating type of warm up stroke from the back swing and forward to the QB.

Thanks

John
Click to expand...
The camp will be split on this but I don't like the term warm up strokes. You are not loosening up, you are dialling in.

You are checking, double checking then triple checking your tip is lined at the cue ball properly and that your cue is pointing in the right direction.

I feel strongly that the practise strokes as you say should be only a few inches max. Very slow and deliberate and as close to the cue ball as possible. You get a better picture of where the tip is on the cue ball, more of the shift is in view meaning it makes it easier to align and use the cue as a guide for aiming. It makes it easier to keep the entire body still throughout until you pull the trigger which is a wide spread issue for all amateurs.
 
Pidge said:
The camp will be split on this but I don't like the term warm up strokes. You are not loosening up, you are dialling in.

You are checking, double checking then triple checking your tip is lined at the cue ball properly and that your cue is pointing in the right direction.

I feel strongly that the practise strokes as you say should be only a few inches max. Very slow and deliberate and as close to the cue ball as possible. You get a better picture of where the tip is on the cue ball, more of the shift is in view meaning it makes it easier to align and use the cue as a guide for aiming. It makes it easier to keep the entire body still throughout until you pull the trigger which is a wide spread issue for all amateurs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Pidge.

Just about everything you read states that the cue must accelerate to and thru the QB.
The only way I see to do this is to, on your practice strokes, start the forward motion of the cue slowly and build up cue stick speed to the QB.

Now the speed of accelerating practice stroke will very, it could be 2" to 12".
Naturally the tip of the cue will always be pointed at where you want to hit the QB.

Thanks again.

John
 
You can accelerate from a still position at the end of your backswing... In fact it's impossible to decelerate from a still position. But you can't accelerate as easily if you start off as fast as you possibly can. Control is the key. Control the first inch of the forward stroke... Either practise stroke or actual stroke and the acceleration comes more naturally and fluently. It is hard to grasp at first but when practising try start the first inch of your forward stroke as slow as possible and then accelerate to the required speed. This will show you how to merge the transition phases together and show you the importance of a controlled acceleration vs a rushed acceleration.
 
Pidge said:
You can accelerate from a still position at the end of your backswing... In fact it's impossible to decelerate from a still position. But you can't accelerate as easily if you start off as fast as you possibly can. Control is the key. Control the first inch of the forward stroke... Either practise stroke or actual stroke and the acceleration comes more naturally and fluently. It is hard to grasp at first but when practising try start the first inch of your forward stroke as slow as possible and then accelerate to the required speed. This will show you how to merge the transition phases together and show you the importance of a controlled acceleration vs a rushed acceleration.
Click to expand...


Yeah. I've noticed that (in bold) if you practice with a slow forward swing to start and then accelerate there isn't anyway you can rush the forward stroke. It's almost like a guaranteed pause at the back swing.

I know that what I'm asking may be fundamental but I never quit trying to improve even after 5 decades. I just like practicing to get better. It will never end. :)

Thanks again.

John
 
Too many fine players take tiny practice strokes, coming back an inch then forward again, for me to say the practice stroke is a strict emulation of the upcoming shot.

However, you certainly can be dialing in aim as mentioned, the hit on the cue ball, etc.
 
One Pocket John said:
When down on the shot, your taking your warm up strokes.

Should your warm up strokes emulate an accelerating type of warm up stroke from the back swing and forward to the QB.

Thanks

John
Click to expand...

Warm up strokes serve a multitude of purposes, John. I have found that they're very individual to the player. You can learn a lot about a player by studying their warm up strokes. It's a great insight into a player's psyche if you know what to look for.You will also find that certain players will change that process slightly from one shot to another, depending on the shot.

However, one thing a warm up stroke isn't, and that's an imitation of the final stroke, because in a warm up stroke, you can't follow through. So, the answer to your question is no, you shouldn't try to emulate the acceleration as in the execution stroke because all you would be doing is training yourself to stop short.
 
I'm not a fan of warm up strokes at your intended shot speed. I prefer to practice my speed while standing at "port of arms" before getting down on the shot. The purpose of my warm up strokes is to determine precisely where my tip is going to contact the cue ball.
Steve
 
Awesome point, Steve. Port arms is also a great place to practice actual bridge length for the shot and/or upcoming follow through length.
 
pooltchr said:
I'm not a fan of warm up strokes at your intended shot speed. I prefer to practice my speed while standing at "port of arms" before getting down on the shot. The purpose of my warm up strokes is to determine precisely where my tip is going to contact the cue ball.
Steve
Click to expand...





i quit doing the port arms in "the box" as Lee calls it....i was filming a student and helping him troubleshoot.....so i watched and then i watched some others do something too.....and then I saw myself do it......

and i changed one thing with my hand....which is the nuts

and then said a word, thats the tripple nuts

and changed this one particular thing with the walk and drop in.....

video is so awesome.....

may have it tonight if i can get out my wood shop.

-greyghost
 
One Pocket John said:
Thanks for the reply Pidge.

Just about everything you read states that the cue must accelerate to and thru the QB.
The only way I see to do this is to, on your practice strokes, start the forward motion of the cue slowly and build up cue stick speed to the QB.

Now the speed of accelerating practice stroke will very, it could be 2" to 12".
Naturally the tip of the cue will always be pointed at where you want to hit the QB.

Thanks again.

John
Click to expand...

Yes, most writers state it as accelerating to get the point across. In reality, on most shots, there is actually zero acceleration. Meaning, the cue has already reached peak acceleration, and is now maintaining that speed. The point is, you do NOT want to hit the cb with a cue that is slowing down. That will give very different results from what was intended.

I agree that the forward motion should start slowly. Doing so helps ensure that the cue stays on the shot line. Starting fast tends to be jerky and tends to knock the cue of the shot line. That slowly at start can easily be just an inch or two.

As to the tip, you would be surprised at how often the cb is NOT hit where intended. In fact, it has been shown that for amateurs, it actually is rare to hit the cb right where they intended to. A training cb and chalk marks easily prove this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top