Sitting here bored, in an ice storm, waiting for our roof to collapse on us 
I thought I'd share some thoughts about playing and maybe help some beginners and intermediate players in getting better results. Maybe it will get a little lengthy, but I hope it turns out informative.
First off, as you may know, I'm a big fan of aiming using the sides of your cue shaft to really zero in on shots in tough positions. So, while this thread isn't about that, I wanted to offer it as what I think is the best way to fine tune your shot while using the englishes you need. Ok, enough of that, let me show a few examples of things that come to my mind as "run stoppers" that may be able to be avoided.
I can't stress enough how cerebral this game is and how important complete focus and concentration is to achieving and completing a shot is.
Lots of great players seem to have this natural innate ability to zone in on the task at hand and execute without expending a ton of mental energy. Not so for me, and I'm sure not so for lots of others. I have to use what I call blood vessel popping concentration in some difficult situations.
The problem with this deficiency is that it brings in to the game the dreaded "conscious effort" to execute. Like it or not, some of us are definitely burdened with this malady.
It's extremely important, especially when the need to call on this conscious effort comes into play, to be totally confident in what you are about to do.
You don't have to be right, but you do have to be confident. If you're not right, you'll know because after the shot you will have missed, but if you're not confident, you'll know because before the shot you'll know that you missed!
So, here is a way I use to raise my confidence level on a tough shot. Nothing good to shoot at, but a ton of reward for pocketing the 15.
I focus my attention on the shot while holding my cue tip dead still right at the CB. I picture the shot angle where I know it will miss just to the left, get a feel for that, then I feel the shot missing just to the right, then I hone in on the angle between those two that feels like it will split the pocket.
This little extra feel add to my confidence level for making the shot. Then while I'm shooting the shot my cue stick isn't wandering aimlessly (pardon the pun) before my final stroke. This works well for me when I'm jacked up in a real tough spot like this example below.
This kind of attention to angles outside of the angle needed to successfully complete the shot not only works for feeling the OB going into the pocket, but also helps me accurately feel the angle the CB has to take for position.
Please forgive my lack of knowledge regarding the Cue Table program. I can't figure out how to draw multiple colored lines so I faked it. The arrows aren't pointing in the right direction. But you'll get the idea.
In the next example, I'm shooting using the CB with the dot in the middle, and I'm hoping to end up where the CB marked "A" is resting.
The keyball isn't in the best spot. It's a touch below the break ball and simply not ideal, making for just a little uneasy angle / position. This is the kind of tiny thing that can stop a run without us even being aware it is there because at first glance it looks automatic.
If all my lines in this example don't mess you up, you'll see what I mean. Again, I'm using the CB with the dot to make the shot.
I feel the extremes of where I can make the CB come off the OB. With my cue tip right at the CB I move it to those spots and feel the shots. Then in my mind I can better hone in on the angle I want to achieve to get good position on the shot as I want to play it. The black line shows how I envision the shot with a little inside follow, the green line show how I envision the shot with some outside draw, and feeling this span, better aids my thought and focus on the line I want for my final position.
Again, some people can quickly, automatically feel these angles and in a heart beat adjust for them, but maybe, some of the misses that some of us mere mortals experience are due to that slight element of being unsure of a part of the shot.
Allowing yourself to feel and experience the angles surrounding the shot, as well as the angle you want to achieve, is just a way I am able to hone in and gain the confidence I need to shoot without that ugly feeling of not really liking what I'm doing.
It's something to keep in mind. Anything that can add confidence to your shot is a good thing.
It works for me, maybe it will help others.
I thought I'd share some thoughts about playing and maybe help some beginners and intermediate players in getting better results. Maybe it will get a little lengthy, but I hope it turns out informative.First off, as you may know, I'm a big fan of aiming using the sides of your cue shaft to really zero in on shots in tough positions. So, while this thread isn't about that, I wanted to offer it as what I think is the best way to fine tune your shot while using the englishes you need. Ok, enough of that, let me show a few examples of things that come to my mind as "run stoppers" that may be able to be avoided.
I can't stress enough how cerebral this game is and how important complete focus and concentration is to achieving and completing a shot is.
Lots of great players seem to have this natural innate ability to zone in on the task at hand and execute without expending a ton of mental energy. Not so for me, and I'm sure not so for lots of others. I have to use what I call blood vessel popping concentration in some difficult situations.
The problem with this deficiency is that it brings in to the game the dreaded "conscious effort" to execute. Like it or not, some of us are definitely burdened with this malady.
It's extremely important, especially when the need to call on this conscious effort comes into play, to be totally confident in what you are about to do.
You don't have to be right, but you do have to be confident. If you're not right, you'll know because after the shot you will have missed, but if you're not confident, you'll know because before the shot you'll know that you missed!
So, here is a way I use to raise my confidence level on a tough shot. Nothing good to shoot at, but a ton of reward for pocketing the 15.
I focus my attention on the shot while holding my cue tip dead still right at the CB. I picture the shot angle where I know it will miss just to the left, get a feel for that, then I feel the shot missing just to the right, then I hone in on the angle between those two that feels like it will split the pocket.
This little extra feel add to my confidence level for making the shot. Then while I'm shooting the shot my cue stick isn't wandering aimlessly (pardon the pun) before my final stroke. This works well for me when I'm jacked up in a real tough spot like this example below.
This kind of attention to angles outside of the angle needed to successfully complete the shot not only works for feeling the OB going into the pocket, but also helps me accurately feel the angle the CB has to take for position.
Please forgive my lack of knowledge regarding the Cue Table program. I can't figure out how to draw multiple colored lines so I faked it. The arrows aren't pointing in the right direction. But you'll get the idea.
In the next example, I'm shooting using the CB with the dot in the middle, and I'm hoping to end up where the CB marked "A" is resting.
The keyball isn't in the best spot. It's a touch below the break ball and simply not ideal, making for just a little uneasy angle / position. This is the kind of tiny thing that can stop a run without us even being aware it is there because at first glance it looks automatic.
If all my lines in this example don't mess you up, you'll see what I mean. Again, I'm using the CB with the dot to make the shot.
I feel the extremes of where I can make the CB come off the OB. With my cue tip right at the CB I move it to those spots and feel the shots. Then in my mind I can better hone in on the angle I want to achieve to get good position on the shot as I want to play it. The black line shows how I envision the shot with a little inside follow, the green line show how I envision the shot with some outside draw, and feeling this span, better aids my thought and focus on the line I want for my final position.
Again, some people can quickly, automatically feel these angles and in a heart beat adjust for them, but maybe, some of the misses that some of us mere mortals experience are due to that slight element of being unsure of a part of the shot.
Allowing yourself to feel and experience the angles surrounding the shot, as well as the angle you want to achieve, is just a way I am able to hone in and gain the confidence I need to shoot without that ugly feeling of not really liking what I'm doing.
It's something to keep in mind. Anything that can add confidence to your shot is a good thing.
It works for me, maybe it will help others.
