Repeatable draw/follow?

D

Donovan_45

Registered
Hey guys,

Say you want to draw/follow the cue ball one diamond from the ob on a straight in shot. Are you better off using more force and less English or less force and more English. I realize both can get the job done, I was just wondering if one way is preferred/more repeatable?

Thanks,

Corey
 
Corey,

In my opinion, It all depends on the length and difficulty of the shot. Plus whether the table has any rolls or not. In ideal conditions I would choose rolling as softly as possible to make the ball giving you the best chance of pocketing the ball, especially when the object ball is near a rail to increase the pocket size (in the middle of the table I would choose a little more speed for accuracy). But on a strange table or one that you know rolls off, I would hit it harder for accuracy sake to take the table roll out of the equation.

Hope I read your question correcly & hope this helps a little.

Dave
 
To keep it simple I use force and always hit the cue ball at the same spot -high or low(most of the time).But I have been playing for 50 years and really don't think about it-it just comes naturaly.
 
Donovan_45 said:
Say you want to draw/follow the cue ball one diamond from the ob on a straight in shot. Are you better off using more force and less English or less force and more English. I realize both can get the job done, I was just wondering if one way is preferred/more repeatable?
Click to expand...

You will find, over time, that on a straight shot, the CB imparts all of its energy into the OB. So, if you hit it and the CB arrives sliding, it will stick right there(stop shot)--independent of the arrival velocity. If the CB is still spinning backwards, it will move backwards a certain amount depending only on the spin rate at the moment of impact.

You may find it hard to apply large amounts of english with a soft CB roll, but this is the energy situation where the shot has the least complicated physics. Maybe it is time for you to practice delicasy!
 
Donovan_45 said:
Hey guys,

Say you want to draw/follow the cue ball one diamond from the ob on a straight in shot. Are you better off using more force and less English or less force and more English. I realize both can get the job done, I was just wondering if one way is preferred/more repeatable?

Thanks,

Corey
Click to expand...

Corey,

Unless I'm really comfortable with the table speed and conditions which can change from hour to hour, I try not to rely on my spin to get position on straight shots. I try to keep my stroke consistent and use bridge positioning to increase or decrease my stroke length.

For shots moving the cue ball one diamond forward or back, I adjust my backstroke and swing with a consistent stroke. With a shorter bridge your backstroke is shortened and that equals less cue ball travel. With spin control, you may overdue things from shot to shot or get no action at all.

Best,
Mike
 
Donovan_45 said:
Hey guys,

Say you want to draw/follow the cue ball one diamond from the ob on a straight in shot. Are you better off using more force and less English or less force and more English. I realize both can get the job done, I was just wondering if one way is preferred/more repeatable?

Thanks,

Corey
Click to expand...

Anytime you're able to minimize the speed of your arm swing to a point where your NOT allowing the elements (roll off, flat spots on balls and other factors) to come into play this creates the highest percentage chance of accomplishing your objective (shape/pocketing). Simply put once you've got all your fundamentals in place KISS.
Pools nuances are so infinitesimal, this question you pose is a good one and is of concern to all great players unless they are in the zone, but once they bleep out of it during play they reengage this thinking again to basically reboot to get back to the dead stroke zone they were just in.
 
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Both

Donovan_45 said:
Hey guys,

Say you want to draw/follow the cue ball one diamond from the ob on a straight in shot. Are you better off using more force and less English or less force and more English. I realize both can get the job done, I was just wondering if one way is preferred/more repeatable?

Thanks,

Corey
Click to expand...


You should practice doing both. There are instances where you want a higher OB velocity, and using less english with more force will give you that higher OB velocity. Using less force and more english with give you a slower rolling OB.
In 8 ball, a slow rolling OB is preferred because if you jar the pocket, you leave your OB covering the pocket.
In 9 ball, you don't want the OB hanging in the pocket.
The one way to practice this is to set up a long bank shot. Put the OB on the head string and the CB 1 diamond back. You should notice the difference in the OB speed while getting the CB to draw or follow 1 diamond.

I also recommend learning to do both because if your are having a bad day with judging english, then using less english with more force will help you play better and get you back on track with larger amounts of english.
 
Donovan_45 said:
Say you want to draw/follow the cue ball one diamond from the ob on a straight in shot. Are you better off using more force and less English or less force and more English. I realize both can get the job done, I was just wondering if one way is preferred/more repeatable?
Click to expand...
FYI, I've done a fairly sophisticated analysis of this and other questions concerning draw. Many of the conclusions can be found here:

These conclusions are generally in-line with what many top players seem to know by experience.

Assuming you are familiar with the table conditions, slower speed and a lower tip position seems to offer better draw distance control.

Regards,
Dave
 
Since your question addresses both draw and follow, this would be my suggestion, and why.

Shooting the shot, that is straight in, with a normal pocketing speed. The same speed I would use if I were to shoot a regular stop shot. I would then adjust my tip position to give the desired action on the CB.

I actually practice this on a regular basis. Where I find it the most helpful is on very fast cloth. If you shoot soft, the amount of spin you put on the ball may be deceiving. If you're keeping your tip close to center, you aren't giving that much spin to the ball to begin with, and you may find that it's easier to control.

A couple of shots while warming up can give you some reference points on how far above/below center will do what.

That's my $.02

Good luck.
 
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