...and Samm Diep won the 2024 PBIA Pool Instructor of the Year award.
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Starting again after 20 years - where to start, please?
- Thread starter Gloor
- Start date
Yes and no... Based on what you described in the first couple of posts in this thread. I don't necessarily believe the level of ability you claim to have. Not trying to diminish your enthusiasm. Just rather see you succeed in the most efficient way possible.
Anyone that hasn't lost a limb and played at the level you claim should be able to retain the ability to draw the ball and definitely have proficiency in stop shots. That appears not to be the case, so again, I wonder how adept you truly are.
You've also stated that you never learnt how to play with side english. Becoming proficient in that skill is a corner stone to play. If you haven't gotten that far, then real instruction could be invaluable to you. Could you practice it to death and smell like roses...?..., certainly. Do you have that much time and dedication...?..., can't answer that for you. I'd wager the cost in instruction vs table time to learn that skill might be a wash.
Drills are great, but you need to understand the basics first imo. Can drills explain the physics of what's going on...? They definitely can teach you how to correct for whatever you're doing.
That technique was never good... low hanging fruit to sell swamp land. Attempting to shoot straight back of a distant rail is infinitely better and saves you the cost of the bottle of Coke.I had an instructor when i was 16. The first lesson was that I was doing a stroke inside a Coca Cola bottle on the table. I still remember that day
Apparently, now that practice is not very good so I guess its all relevant.
Can't comment... I'm old and know everything already so I won't pony up for lessons or workshops.I like the idea of Tor's workshop though. That could be money very well spent it seems. Hard to get a spot though
This might seem counter intuitive but maybe you should set a goal for future play, rather than simply climbing for an unrealistic plateau. Are you aiming to be the best player in the room...?.., or challenging state wide events..? A whacky stroke can be engrained and overcome, but the odds of extreme high level play with one is unlikely. Regardless, I think based your own statements. I would strongly suggest those 1 or 2 lesson with a reputable instructor.
Get a good cue that works for you
Fair enough,
yeah, I'm not expecting to be high level player. I just want to have fund whilst at the same time remove the frustration from missing easy shots.
Little correction - I can do stop shots and follow through and I can also draw shots.
What I meant with the weakness (and that I can't) was that I was never able to really draw shots across the whole table when one ball is on one side and cue ball on the other. (that itself is very difficult shot anyway). With a close shots I can certainly draw but I just can't draw more than probably 3/4 of the table length max. I always admired those that can easily draw 1.5 lengths or more. That I was never able to do : )
Anyway, I think I'll try the Samm analysis first and see what i get out of that
Cheers
yeah, I'm not expecting to be high level player. I just want to have fund whilst at the same time remove the frustration from missing easy shots.
Little correction - I can do stop shots and follow through and I can also draw shots.
What I meant with the weakness (and that I can't) was that I was never able to really draw shots across the whole table when one ball is on one side and cue ball on the other. (that itself is very difficult shot anyway). With a close shots I can certainly draw but I just can't draw more than probably 3/4 of the table length max. I always admired those that can easily draw 1.5 lengths or more. That I was never able to do : )
Anyway, I think I'll try the Samm analysis first and see what i get out of that
Cheers
Yes and no... Based on what you described in the first couple of posts in this thread. I don't necessarily believe the level of ability you claim to have. Not trying to diminish your enthusiasm. Just rather see you succeed in the most efficient way possible.
Anyone that hasn't lost a limb and played at the level you claim should be able to retain the ability to draw the ball and definitely have proficiency in stop shots. That appears not to be the case, so again, I wonder how adept you truly are.
You've also stated that you never learnt how to play with side english. Becoming proficient in that skill is a corner stone to play. If you haven't gotten that far, then real instruction could be invaluable to you. Could you practice it to death and smell like roses...?..., certainly. Do you have that much time and dedication...?..., can't answer that for you. I'd wager the cost in instruction vs table time to learn that skill might be a wash.
Drills are great, but you need to understand the basics first imo. Can drills explain the physics of what's going on...? They definitely can teach you how to correct for whatever you're doing.
That technique was never good... low hanging fruit to sell swamp land. Attempting to shoot straight back of a distant rail is infinitely better and saves you the cost of the bottle of Coke.
Can't comment... I'm old and know everything already so I won't pony up for lessons or workshops.
This might seem counter intuitive but maybe you should set a goal for future play, rather than simply climbing for an unrealistic plateau. Are you aiming to be the best player in the room...?.., or challenging state wide events..? A whacky stroke can be engrained and overcome, but the odds of extreme high level play with one is unlikely. Regardless, I think based your own statements. I would strongly suggest those 1 or 2 lesson with a reputable instructor.
I have Predator P3 with Revo 12.4 and I hope this cue will last me a lifetime as it was very expensive
Its technically the 2nd cue I've ever bought. The first one was back in London for about £100+- in 2003 or so.
Before that I had a cue that my dad got me around 1995
Well I've always been the of the opinion that if your patterns are dependent on drawing the length of the table, then you've got something else you should be working on. That said, you also admitted not placing any emphasis on learning to play with side english. That is a pretty big gap in necessary skill set. A bigger hole than can be filled with video replay.Fair enough,
yeah, I'm not expecting to be high level player. I just want to have fund whilst at the same time remove the frustration from missing easy shots.
Little correction - I can do stop shots and follow through and I can also draw shots.
What I meant with the weakness (and that I can't) was that I was never able to really draw shots across the whole table when one ball is on one side and cue ball on the other. (that itself is very difficult shot anyway). With a close shots I can certainly draw but I just can't draw more than probably 3/4 of the table length max. I always admired those that can easily draw 1.5 lengths or more. That I was never able to do : )
Anyway, I think I'll try the Samm analysis first and see what i get out of that
Cheers
You are totally right. It was more to illustrate the limitation rather than the need to have it as a crucial aspect.
As for side english - I know I'll have to learn it but first I need to get the basics right again before I venture to that deep hole
As for side english - I know I'll have to learn it but first I need to get the basics right again before I venture to that deep hole
Did you happen to mention if you play pool or snooker?
pool, I never liked snooker. For me snooker is super boring
Asked just in case you meant 12' table length and not 9' and below. On fresh cloth it doesn't take much of a stroke to get draw from anywhere. On worn cloth you may tend to forget this and put glitches in your delivery. Best policy for a rebudding stroke is as parallel to the table and low as possible. It's very easy to miscue in this state so back off on the force until you start to get it.
You can become a very good player just hitting the cue ball on the vertical axis. Making the cue ball follow forward of the tangent, or stun along the tangent line, or draw back from the tangent, and adding in different cue ball speeds so that the cue ball travels along the tangent further can get you to a lot of places on the table.As for side english - I know I'll have to learn it but first I need to get the basics right again before I venture to that deep hole
Still there are shots, like cutting an object ball near the rail, where you will need to bring the cue ball back towards the original position of the cue ball to get to the other end of the table, which requires bottom + outside english, which are indispensable shots in your arsenal. See the following drill for the type of shot I am talking about:
You can make that drill easier by putting the object balls 1-2 inches from the rail.
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Price is relative, but that cue will do nicely for you.I have Predator P3 with Revo 12.4 and I hope this cue will last me a lifetime as it was very expensive
Its technically the 2nd cue I've ever bought. The first one was back in London for about £100+- in 2003 or so.
Before that I had a cue that my dad got me around 1995
As for side english - I know I'll have to learn it but first I need to get the basics right again before I venture to that deep hole
I'll agree with 7stud to a point. Only because "very good" is a subjective label.
A very strong potter with very strong pattern recognition could potentially become a very strong player without merely strong command over side english. I know several guys I'd tag as strong players that dip their toes into the 'very' category when everything is clicking the right way. However they struggle slightly with CB control to the point where their exceptional potting can't bail them out. ...and these are guys that can spin the ball.
Of course this just my opinion, but I've been labelled as "very strong" from time to time. My point... Make it priority to experiment spinning the ball at the very least. Having the ability to maneuver the CB around the table is one of the best aspects of pool. Might as well be playing snooker if you're not going to develop that ability
This looks like a great drill, thank you so much.
Today I've practiced the following: CB on the break point spot and then a ball frozen on the first diamond in the back left side, then 2nd diamond and then 3rd diamond. I've practiced these one at a time and my accuracy was about 70-80% which is still not great but kinda good practice today.
Will definitely try the one you posted. Looks like a great one
Today I've practiced the following: CB on the break point spot and then a ball frozen on the first diamond in the back left side, then 2nd diamond and then 3rd diamond. I've practiced these one at a time and my accuracy was about 70-80% which is still not great but kinda good practice today.
Will definitely try the one you posted. Looks like a great one
billiards_watch
Well-known member
I'm starting to play the ghost again. It's probably the best out there in terms of keeping you sharp.
Otherwise my drills is to throw balls on the table and run them out. Rinse and repeat. I do this at a blistering pace 200-500 balls pocketed in a session.
Otherwise my drills is to throw balls on the table and run them out. Rinse and repeat. I do this at a blistering pace 200-500 balls pocketed in a session.
The straight pool method.
Keeping whitey on the right angles is the solution that allows a strict diet of vertical axis. Skills with side are required on recovery shots. So if you get good with the center axis, recovery shots are not as often required.
Straight pool skills are Stealth. Ho hum shot after shot. Nothing impressive here.
Came across this tutorial and its pretty much the style I used to play and like. No english and still valid strategy. I do want to learn english but I don't want my game to be all about it. Never really liked that style. So I want to do as much as I can with the center line and use english only when i need to get out of 'jail'
Is Gloor your name or does it have some British significance?
Anyway, since you're obsessed with center ball, CPG is the best method for aligning shots. Connect the dots, shoot. People are like, "Well what about this? " and, "Well what about that? " but fact is it centralizes your fundamentals and then <this and that> become simple offsets. It's a lot like carpentry.
Anyway, since you're obsessed with center ball, CPG is the best method for aligning shots. Connect the dots, shoot. People are like, "Well what about this? " and, "Well what about that? " but fact is it centralizes your fundamentals and then <this and that> become simple offsets. It's a lot like carpentry.
Lol. Self named for this site although technically, I'm still on my childhood.
