quick question for you all about draw shots

C

Craig777

New member
As the title says, I am experiencing something I do not know how to adjust for. When I am faced with a shot where I must draw into position for the next shot after the one I am currently taking, the cue ball does not always return in a straight path. Whether my stroke is good and I draw 5 feet, or I have a bad stroke and I draw one foot (my stroke consistency is something I am working on, just by myself - I cannot afford lessons), after the cue ball contacts the object ball it almost always draws back to either side of my cue or it has visible unintentional side spin or both, so it is not only rolling back towards me but also rotating to the left/right at the same time.

I believe that both of the above examples are due to me not hitting center cue ball (please correct me if I am wrong). I do know that this is a mental situation where I know that I have a longer shot and in my mind, that translates to I need more power. That usually leads to a stroke that isn't good and even when it is a good stroke, I do not have a consistently good stroke. So my questions are these:
Am I correct that not hitting center cue ball is causing what I am experiencing on draw shots?
Why is it only draw shots and not follow?
Why does it only occur when I increase power?
Is there a way to train myself to focus less on perfect leave and more on just making the shot and leaving myself tough?
Would having someone film my stroke benefit my? I realize it will allow me to see my flaws, but will I be able to fix a poor stroke many many years (over 10) of having a bad stroke?

Thanks for your help everyone, I appreciate it.
 
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Craig777 said:
... Would having someone film my stroke benefit my? I realize it will allow me to see my flaws, but will I be able to fix a poor stroke many many years (over 10) of having a bad stroke?
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You can get an hour of a good instructor's time for $50. That could include video analysis and suggestions on how you can practice to improve your bad, grooved fundamentals.

You can also record yourself and try to figure out what you're doing wrong on your own.
 
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You're likely not hitting it directly in the center. Whatever angle that it's coming to the side at mean's you missed center ball by 1/3 of that angle.
 
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Detail some conditions. Equipment condition, weather, state of ability, general stance etc...

Essentially learn to stroke >>forward>> and as straightly as the stick. Shoot as if it's a rolling follow shot. The landings will differ in distance but that should be the only difference. Well forward and back ...

One thing that helped me was shooting past the CB a ball or so. The impact on the CB will have less or no flinch error from trying to hit the correct spot.
 
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boogieman said:

You're likely not hitting it directly in the center. Whatever angle that it's coming to the side at mean's you missed center ball by 1/3 of that angle.
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When the cue ball strikes the object ball and return to me at am angle, is that an indication I am not hitting center cue ball or that the cue ball is not hitting the object ball where I intend?
 
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Craig777 said:
When the cue ball strikes the object ball and return to me at am angle, is that an indication I am not hitting center cue ball or that the cue ball is not hitting the object ball where I intend?
Click to expand...
It means u didnt hit a straight shot. Sticker up a straight in shot and shoot it with top so that the cb follows the ob into the pocket. Then hit same shot with draw and cb will return to ur tip if u are hitting the ob accurately into the center of the pocket.

U have stroke flaws. Those show up more on power shots. Record vids and post for feedback in instructor forum or just shell out for a lesson. If u can afford to pay for table time, u can afford a lesson. As Bob mentioned, even very qualified instructors charge next to nothing. This aint the same as committing to golf lessons for upwards of $1000. A proper lesson will help u more than anything on forums and for the price of a few hours of table time and a piece of taom chalk, it's a nobrainer bargain.
 
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If you hit a shot hard, either with backspin or follow (or stun even) and there is an angle, the cue ball will go down the tangent line for a bit. It sounds like your cue ball is going down the tangent line before drawing. There are two reasons that I can think of why that may be happening:

1. The shot isn't actually straight in, so the slight angle makes the cue ball go left or right before drawing back to you.
2. The shot is straight in, but the cue ball isn't hitting the object ball squarely.

You can practice your draw accuracy by putting an object ball in the middle of the table and 1 diamond from the side pocket. Put the cue ball in the middle of the table and 1 foot away from the object ball and line up the shot straight into the side pocket. Then try to draw the cue ball into the opposite side pocket. Actually, you may want to try some stop shots first until you can make the cue ball stop perfectly in line with the object ball and with no spin.

To make the drill harder, move the cue ball further from the object ball (and/or move the object ball closer to the pocket). Once again, try to draw the cue ball into the opposite side pocket.

To make the drill harder yet, shoot a straight in shot along the diagonal of the table into a corner pocket. Try to progressively draw the cue ball back 1 diamond, then 2 diamonds, then 3 diamonds, and then possibly into the opposite corner pocket. You can play with the cue ball's distance from the object ball to make the shot harder/easier.
 
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Your can definitely improve draw by practicing stop shots from 3-4 diamonds away. This will allow you to analyze your stroke mechanics at a slower speed. Eventually increase the stop distance a diamond or two more. This will be the same stroke to get decent draw when the cue ball is only 1 diamond away form the OB. You don’t need a lot of power to draw 6-8 diamonds. Just decent mechanics.

-td
 
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Side spin::

You can draw back from a shot and arc the CB in either direction by using side spin along with draw.
The classical way is known as "after massé"
 
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Craig777 said:
As the title says, I am experiencing something I do not know how to adjust for. When I am faced with a shot where I must draw into position for the next shot after the one I am currently taking, the cue ball does not always return in a straight path. Whether my stroke is good and I draw 5 feet, or I have a bad stroke and I draw one foot (my stroke consistency is something I am working on, just by myself - I cannot afford lessons), after the cue ball contacts the object ball it almost always draws back to either side of my cue or it has visible unintentional side spin or both, so it is not only rolling back towards me but also rotating to the left/right at the same time.

I believe that both of the above examples are due to me not hitting center cue ball (please correct me if I am wrong). I do know that this is a mental situation where I know that I have a longer shot and in my mind, that translates to I need more power. That usually leads to a stroke that isn't good and even when it is a good stroke, I do not have a consistently good stroke. So my questions are these:
Am I correct that not hitting center cue ball is causing what I am experiencing on draw shots?
Why is it only draw shots and not follow?
Why does it only occur when I increase power?
Is there a way to train myself to focus less on perfect leave and more on just making the shot and leaving myself tough?
Would having someone film my stroke benefit my? I realize it will allow me to see my flaws, but will I be able to fix a poor stroke many many years (over 10) of having a bad stroke?

Thanks for your help everyone, I appreciate it.
Click to expand...
On a virtually straight shot when applying draw, the CB might not always come back straight towards your cue, even if you pocket the ball, as you may have pocketed the ball in one side or the other of the pocket, causing the CB to draw back off-line. That can be even more exaggerated if there is any sidespin on the CB.
 
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