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Gerry Williams

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Interested in people thoughts on adding a pause as suggested by all the SPF instructors. I have started to toy with it - I do feel my stroke is straighter and more accurate.

I see a lot of top level players doing it - SVB, Morra, Landon Shuffett, Alex.

Gerry
 
Technically all strokes have a pause in them...they just range in the length of the pause. I find it helps to have a bit of a pause so I don't jerk my cue forward too quickly, but deliver a more smooth stroke and follow through.
 
My paws are fat and hairy....er....wait
those are my feet!

Really though, I find my focus
gets very sharp during my pause
of not quite a full second.
 
Spimp13 said:
Technically all strokes have a pause in them...they just range in the length of the pause. I find it helps to have a bit of a pause so I don't jerk my cue forward too quickly, but deliver a more smooth stroke and follow through.
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Technically - no they don't.


Edit to add - he's not really talking about adding a pause at the end of the backstroke but before he pulls the trigger.
 
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BasementDweller said:
Technically - no they don't.
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Not that it makes any difference at all, but I'd argue that anytime there is a 180-degree change in motion (backstroke to forwardstroke) there has to be an amount of time in which there is no motion (i.e. a pause).

The amount of time might be very short, but it has to be there.

For me, the pause is one of the most difficult parts of the PSR to remember.
 
bdorman said:
Not that it makes any difference at all, but I'd argue that anytime there is a 180-degree change in motion (backstroke to forwardstroke) there has to be an amount of time in which there is no motion (i.e. a pause).

The amount of time might be very short, but it has to be there.

For me, the pause is one of the most difficult parts of the PSR to remember.
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What constitutes a "pause" has been debated on this forum probably 213 times. I've never really understood those people that said "everybody has a pause". This is clearly misleading.

When discussing the transition between the back stroke and the forward stroke you really can't use the term "pause" anymore because the word has lost its meaning. Now you have to say there is or isn't a "distinct" pause (I believe Dr. Dave first used this term). This really wasn't necessary since once upon a time everybody understood that when somebody was referring to a pause in a stroke, they were referring to what Allison, Buddy, or many snooker players do. They clearly pause. Other players do not.
 
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Gerry Williams said:
Interested in people thoughts on adding a pause as suggested by all the SPF instructors. I have started to toy with it - I do feel my stroke is straighter and more accurate.

I see a lot of top level players doing it - SVB, Morra, Landon Shuffett, Alex.

Gerry
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It's obviously quite possible to incorporate a pause or any other idiosyncrasy into one's stroke with success. BUT WHY?

A smooth "one piece" takeaway (with the obligatory NATURAL pause in the middle) and a similar return to the cue ball is ideal. Why mess with that convention?
 
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For me it promotes a smooth backstroke, straight follow through and keeps me down on the shot.

The pause isn't long but it does take some getting used to.

boogeyman said:
It's obviously quite possible to incorporate a pause or any other idiosyncrasy into one's stroke with success. BUT WHY?

A smooth "one piece" takeaway (with the obligatory NATURAL pause in the middle) and a similar return to the cue ball is ideal. Why mess with that convention?
Click to expand...
 
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Personally I have a rather prolonged pause at the cue ball and again at the back of the final back stroke. I was taught that it served several purposes. Firstly is it gets "more consistent" action, especially at slower speed shots because a pause at the back of the backstroke forces you to accelerate through the CB. It also helps with speed control too. This could just be me since I've always had 2 pause phases so anytime I don't pause I'm not used to it and my speed control suffers.

A lot of snooker players have a very noticeable pause and I was told by one they use it at the end of the back stroke to give their eyes time to adjust. They look at the cue ball all throughout feathering the CB, then draw back, pause, eyes switch to OB, then they push the cue forward into the CB. My eye pattern works quite similar to this and it does really help if you have nothing moving in your line of vision so your eyes can adjust to either the OB in my case or CB in other cases before you strike a ball.

The pause at the start of the final back stroke I was told helps with checking you are aligned in the shot line. Its easier to check where your cue is aligned if its stationary rather than moving back and forth. It also helps you pull the cue back straight along the shot line too. These differences maybe very minimal to some and huge to others but its better to have a minimal advantage than none.
 
BasementDweller said:
Technically - no they don't.


Edit to add - he's not really talking about adding a pause at the end of the backstroke but before he pulls the trigger.
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Unless your stroke is elliptical, it does have a pause. May be undetectable, but there is a minute momentary pause in a straight back, straight forward stroke. For the purpose of this thread, however, I believe Gerry is talking about a distinguishable pause more along the lines of Allison Fisher as an example.
 
I do agree with the SPF mentality, but often think it gets over done or misinterpreted.

I believe the intention of it is to help to create a single forward motion for hitting the cue ball. All good athletic moves incorporate this in some manner, whether it's hitting a golf ball or throwing a football.

Just my thought!
 
nobcitypool said:
Unless your stroke is elliptical, it does have a pause. May be undetectable, but there is a minute momentary pause in a straight back, straight forward stroke. For the purpose of this thread, however, I believe Gerry is talking about a distinguishable pause more along the lines of Allison Fisher as an example.
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If you say so. I guess you're the kind of guy that would tell me that my arm pauses when it changes directions while I'm walking. I don't call that a pause. In all the world, I think it's only pool players that would refer to such a thing as a pause. Oh well.

Anyways, I believe the OP is talking about the pause before he pulls the trigger, not the pause at the end of the back stroke. Maybe he can clear that up for us.
 
I was referring to both actually.

I mean we all know that for a cue to change direction it has to stop momentarily. The set at the cue ball helps ensure alignment. The pause at the back promotes a smooth takeaway and straight stroke.

I too am finding that it helps with speed control as well.

It doesn't feel natural yet but it does feel solid.

BasementDweller said:
If you say so. I guess you're the kind of guy that would tell me that my arm pauses when it changes directions while I'm walking. I don't call that a pause. In all the world, I think it's only pool players that would refer to such a thing as a pause. Oh well.

Anyways, I believe the OP is talking about the pause before he pulls the trigger, not the pause at the end of the back stroke. Maybe he can clear that up for us.
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ive never shot better in my life than several months after attending an spf school. That was years ago and ive picked the game back up and put it back down several times since and my game has backslid accordingly. For me personally, a definitive pause at the back end, say 2 to 4 seconds, was all part of my game improving so much.
 
scottycoyote said:
ive never shot better in my life than several months after attending an spf school. That was years ago and ive picked the game back up and put it back down several times since and my game has backslid accordingly. For me personally, a definitive pause at the back end, say 2 to 4 seconds, was all part of my game improving so much.
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I've never seen anybody pause that long. 2 to 4 seconds is a L-O-N-G time. A 1 second pause is a long time.
 
BasementDweller said:
Technically - no they don't.


Edit to add - he's not really talking about adding a pause at the end of the backstroke but before he pulls the trigger.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to get into an argument but it is impossible to go one direction and then go 180 degrees the opposite direction without a pause even if it is miniscule. Now the definition of what he or even the general public means when it talks about the pause in a stroke... "ok" we can agree that part can be discussed/broken down more. Carry on.
 
I'm not convinced a noticeable pause is necessary for all shots, but it helps for some eg long draw shots where you're not mullering the ball. It helps you to accelerate through the CB with more timing and control.
 
Chris...Well then you've never seen Buddy shoot. He has a VERY defined pause at the end of the backswing...often 2-3 seconds. Allison and Karen's is about 1 second. Mine is about 2/10's of a second (very brief). The key is not how long the pause on the backswing is...but more about how smooth the transition is, from backswing to forward accerated stroke. BTW, the pause at the CB is at least as important, if not more important, as this is where we consciously/subconsciously "decide" if we're going to strike the CB on the next swing...or not. Almost all really good players pause at the CB...most also pause on the backswing...even if it's brief, like mine. You can't go backwards and then forwards without some kind of stop in between. Well, you can...but you will very likely jerk the cue forward, along with the associated problems of tight grip and involving the shoulder...all of which tend to exaggerate and exacerbate small errors in how and where the tip strikes the CB.

One thing to remember, above all...SPF is about TRAINING. When it's get 'grooved in' or ingrained, the process becomes very smooth...as noted by Scottycoyote. In training we advise the student to deliberately slow everything down, and exaggerate all three stops.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

BasementDweller said:
I've never seen anybody pause that long. 2 to 4 seconds is a L-O-N-G time. A 1 second pause is a long time.
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