Shooting Left-Handed

DrCue'sProtege said:
I absolutely 100% totally disagree with this statement!

On MD#5 you roll balls up and down the table, just hitting center ball. and what happens if i have to hit a ball with low left? there is no comparison. none whatsoever.
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Yes, ND#5 requires you to roll the ball up and down the table. But while you are doing it, you should be learning something. You should know what those different speeds feel like. Then you have to take it further, and apply what you learned to various shots.

Whoever said knowledge is power was wrong. Knowledge only becomes power when application is included. Knowing how to shoot a 5 speed in and of itself is useless, as you stated. Knowing how to use those different speeds in a game situation is what your goal should be.

Is that really that difficult to comprehend?

Steve
 
Guys,
All i am saying is i can roll a ball down table using center ball all day long, practicing on hitting it harder then easier, trying for Speed 1, then 2, then 3, etc, etc.

but when you have this shot below, rolling balls up and down the table absolutely will not have helped you one bit. This is low left, and its way, WAY different of a hit on the CB than just rolling balls up and down the table.

Besides, rolling those balls to land within a two diamond area is in no way shape or form indicative of the type of speed control a good player would need. within two diamonds??? c'mon, thats like landing it anywhere on the table, not even close to the type of speed control practice one needs.

CueTable Help

 
DrCue'sProtege said:
Guys,
All i am saying is i can roll a ball down table using center ball all day long, practicing on hitting it harder then easier, trying for Speed 1, then 2, then 3, etc, etc.

but when you have this shot below, rolling balls up and down the table absolutely will not have helped you one bit. This is low left, and its way, WAY different of a hit on the CB than just rolling balls up and down the table.

Besides, rolling those balls to land within a two diamond area is in no way shape or form indicative of the type of speed control a good player would need. within two diamonds??? c'mon, thats like landing it anywhere on the table, not even close to the type of speed control practice one needs.

CueTable Help

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You could get you some doughnuts (notebook paper hole reinforcers) and set up shots that you want to play better position on. Use Chalk to draw a 6 inch circle around your ideal target position (if 6 inches isn't precise enough make it smaller, if it's too tough make it larger.

You may also put the cue ball in 3 or 4 positions from the original so that you are hitting the Object Ball thinner or thicker which will also change the speed you need to hit the shot.

Mother Drill #5 is applicable to your diagram in my mind. By doing MD#5 you will train your arm to swing at various speeds and have a quantitative reference and what some call "muscle memory" for the needed speed.

If 2 diamonds leeway lacks the precision you need, then make it tougher, give yourself a ball's width long or short of ideal position (again you can use chalk to mark the position zones). You can always adjust your position zone bigger or smaller to match up with your skill level and your position needs.

I combine MDs 4 and 5 and add in a few obstacles for my more advanced students which makes a rather simple drill very challenging.

You can make drills as tough as you wish. Set up a shot and play position on a dime you throw out on the table. I would imagine most would get frustrated and quit practicing in short order. If they did quit in frustration because the drill was too difficult, they would not advance their development as a player.
 
Dr9Ball,

ya know, i pretty much agree with what you said. i've even done those type of things before.

as a side note, i supposed MD#5 might help with regards to speed control on the shot below. so, i must admit i was wrong and say that i guess there is, perhaps, a little worthiness to doing MD#5.

as another side note, i've ran more racks than i have messed up today. and would even be better if i hadnt missed a very, very makeable 9-Ball. dayam, that still ticks me for missing that!


CueTable Help

 
Mike.
You take that shot at about a 4 speed, one tip below center and one tip of right and see what happens. If you come up short, go to a 5 speed. If the spin isn't right, adjust accordingly.

The whole purpose of MD5 is to give you a measurable scale. What you do with it, is completely up to you.

Steve
 
pooltchr said:
Mike.
You take that shot at about a 4 speed, one tip below center and one tip of right and see what happens. If you come up short, go to a 5 speed. If the spin isn't right, adjust accordingly.

The whole purpose of MD5 is to give you a measurable scale. What you do with it, is completely up to you.

Steve
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and why would you want to shoot that shot with low? that takes it up towards the 9, not where you want to go. center ball with a tip of right english seems the way to go to me.

Mike
 
pooltchr said:
I give up. You obviously know more about pool than I.

Steve
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huh?

no, seriously, why would you want to hit that shot with Low and start it up towards the 9???

i know the right would bring it back a little, but the centerball with a tip of right english seems extremely logical to me.
 
or are you saying hit it with stun instead of low? that makes more sense if thats what you mean, i might have mis-interpreted. when people say below center i always think they mean draw.

i set that shot up with a little low/right and it just died off the rail. i hit it about center ball at about 3:00 half tip, and got the right position.

Mike
 
Do you know that you can hit the cue ball below center, and get follow???

Steve
 
well, as Buddy Hall says, "Dont play for position when you already have it?"

i dont see any reason to do anything fancy with the shot we are talking about, so to me the center ball with a half tip of inside english is the simplest way to play this shot.

also, i did run more racks than i hosed up tonight - barely. it would have been alot better if i didnt miss the 9-Ball once and also miss a shot on the 8-Ball that wasnt very hard. it also had built in, tap in position for the 9-Ball too.
 
pooltchr said:
Why not do what you have been taught to do?

Mother drill number one and two.

That is how you train yourself.

Steve
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can anyone tell me about these mother drills i hear so much about? Im pretty new and trying to find a decent practice routine, thanks
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
Guys,
All i am saying is i can roll a ball down table using center ball all day long, practicing on hitting it harder then easier, trying for Speed 1, then 2, then 3, etc, etc.

but when you have this shot below, rolling balls up and down the table absolutely will not have helped you one bit. This is low left, and its way, WAY different of a hit on the CB than just rolling balls up and down the table.

Besides, rolling those balls to land within a two diamond area is in no way shape or form indicative of the type of speed control a good player would need. within two diamonds??? c'mon, thats like landing it anywhere on the table, not even close to the type of speed control practice one needs.

CueTable Help

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If you look at the cue ball path as having two parts, it is easier to determine how to shoot the shot and what adjustments might be necessary. The first part is the path the cue ball takes from contact with the object ball to the contact point on the cushion. The second is the path coming off the cushion.

Draw will change the direction of the first part towards the left, back up table. Left will widen the angle off the cushion. Follow and right oppose these. Nothing surprising here, but it's not exactly that simple.

The thing is that you need to add to that is the right balance of speed and spin. You need to blend them in the right proportions and in the right directions. The more accurately and precisely that you can control speed and spin, the easier it will be. Often, players think more speed is necessary, when it actually gets in the way. This shot is easier with a slower cue ball speed and a lot of spin.

The mother drill teaches you how to accurately shoot at the speed you want. Experience will teach you the speed (and spin) you need.

Start practicing this shot with the cue ball on the same line, but closer. Learn the speed and spin necessary, then move the cue ball a little further away. Determining the adjustments to speed and spin will be easier since the shot hasn't changed much. Move it farther and adjust.

You can approach the shot in post #45, or any other shot, the same way. Here, follow causes the cue ball to want to keep moving toward the right cushion after contact with it. Draw eliminates this and allows the cue ball to easily move down table. The touch of right straightens the path of the cushion. You need to play with the speed and spin to find the necessary balance that works well. Adjust one at a time, and evaluate the results.
 
nickyh said:
can anyone tell me about these mother drills i hear so much about? Im pretty new and trying to find a decent practice routine, thanks
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Mother drills are the 7 key drills the SPF instructors have our students perform in class, and in their practice sessions. They each have very specific goals such as building a consistent stroke, training your personal eye patterns, controlling the speed of your stroke, etc.

The drills themselves might seem of little value, but when combined with the workshops we teach, they help the student develop skills that will end up providing more accuracy and consistency in their game.

I equate the Mother Drills to "Wax On - Wax Off". Repetition of the movements creates consistency that will be there for you when you need it.

Steve
 
pooltchr said:
Mother drills are the 7 key drills the SPF instructors have our students perform in class, and in their practice sessions. They each have very specific goals such as building a consistent stroke, training your personal eye patterns, controlling the speed of your stroke, etc.

The drills themselves might seem of little value, but when combined with the workshops we teach, they help the student develop skills that will end up providing more accuracy and consistency in their game.

I equate the Mother Drills to "Wax On - Wax Off". Repetition of the movements creates consistency that will be there for you when you need it.

Steve
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thanks Steve, so i have to go to a pool school to find them? does anyone know of instructors near Bensalem PA or Atlantic City NJ?
 
nickyh said:
thanks Steve, so i have to go to a pool school to find them? does anyone know of instructors near Bensalem PA or Atlantic City NJ?
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Nicky,
Dont get too excited about the Mother Drills. They can be useful, but they will not transform you into a pro level player.

Mike
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
Nicky,
Dont get too excited about the Mother Drills. They can be useful, but they will not transform you into a pro level player.

Mike
Click to expand...

That's correct. They are extremely usefull in building your game foundation. Only you can transform yourself into something different.....SPF=randyg
 
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