stroke critique: video

Solartje

Solartje

the Brunswick BUG bit me
Silver Member
hiya all,

having a terrible day today (friend hang himself up, and my beeper didnt wake me up in time for a very important ranking event. was 14-1 and well.. there are only 3 straight events that count for points in a year and me being a 14-1 freak, SUCKS when u miss one. also ill be losing alot of rankingplaces :s now ill have to wait a year, before i can replace my 0. anyway sorry for the intro ramble, just had to get it off my chest, im way to angry)

anyway, when ur having a bad day, nothing better then to have it all together, just to have it passed. so here's a video of me playing (ballbanging) to test my video. i was playing some mix of ballbanging/14-1 to test the video and losen up my arm before a match. there is no positional play etc; so hard to critique my positional shots , patterns, pocketingspeed etc, but u are free to critique my stroke.

ive been playing pool for a year now, and ive addapted my 10y stroke (from playing some recreational snooker) a bit. idd like to know what else i should change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTRHgpr60X0

edited: added new video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBbak2Idyd0

i know it would be better to post some runout video's, but the best way to learn is to learn from mistakes, and this video is full of it :o

im off to play some pool alone, with loud music, and play untill i just cant move my arm anymore. thank GOD ive got pool when im angry!
 
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After watching the video, I am 100% positive that the reason why you miss is because you either rush the shot (no preshot routine), or your head pops up, or both. On other shots, you were firing in tough long shots in the center of the pocket, no problem. You didn't rush the shot, and you stayed perfectly still. On all the shots you missed, you didn't take your time, or your head came up. Work on that, and you will be more consistent, I can almost guarantee it. You have a great stroke by the way. Try to keep your whole body still, however. I saw some movement that indicates you might be a little off balance.
 
I agree 100% with the bad-rep-master here. Your mechanics seem to be very good after only one year of playing. But the problem is that you seem to think that easy shots can be one-stroked away. The key to successful straight pool and other games as well is too keep a steady rhythm in all shots. If you have a simple shot, use your regular 3-4 practice stroke -rhythm as you would use in more difficult shots. And it seems also, that your body isn't always perfectly aligned with the shot. Your preshot routine suffers because you seem to be in a hurry. And I think your head is popping up, because you don't feel comfortable at the shot, because of wrong body alignment.

So in a nutshell:
-Work on your stroking rhythm, don't change it too much
-Preshot routine and body alignment
-Don't be in a hurry

Otherwise, I think you have potential. Keep practising, mate. ;)
 
thx for reply's. ill read it all again, and then check the video again.

i know this isnt a perfect example of how i play during a training or competition, this was really just some ballbanging. But i think that when you are just slamming and losening up your arms, its easyer to spot errors. that even if u dont play like that in any serious circomstances, u might do in situations when you are under stress, when you are not focused etc.

thats why i posted this video :D

keep these critique's coming!


ow about the fast playing... well even if its not really a good example of video, ive tried to chance my preshot routine.
i have posted it before, and asked others what i should include in it, and ive tried it but it just isnt working. (i know this video is full of 'i should have taken on THAT ball, not the one i shot' but that doesnt happen often in serious games.

what i had: Very fast thinking, 1 adressing stroke and fast shooting.
what i tried: Very slow thinking. taking my time around the table, running around , different angles etc. but that just made it impossible for me to get in the zone. i lose confidence when im not potting, and just watching (im a mental case). when i then descide to chose, i just cant feel the table anymore.
what i tried: very slow shooting. 3-4 adressing strokes. this is what my brain does:
on stroke1: yup, this feels about right
stroke2: just making sure..
stroke3: mmm maybe the deflection will be a bit higher.
stroke4: mm maybe JUST adjust it a bit.
stroke5: i stand up again.
time in between: my confidence is totally gone.

what im going to try. take more time at the beginning of the game. right after the break. take average time in between shots. walk to oposite side, and back and shoot. and on the shot itself. just 1 adressing stroke filled with confidence.

maybe this extra info can help u , in helping me better :D

off to check out the video together with the remarks.

===========================

1/ yup you are absolutly right. the mid rack ball i missed. i didnt folow true at all, my head poped-up and i just trow myself on the table. i now understand it. i can still continue to play quick, without rushing.

2/ im counting my adressing strokes.

2A,1A,1A,1B,1B,2A,1A,1A,3AA,2A(miss),1B,1B,1B,1B,1B,1B. do u really think i should add 2 adressing strokes? 3for easy, 4for medium,5 for hard? ive tried it for 1 month and wasnt working at all, like i explained above.

3/ body-head movement: yups:
missedshot 1: i missed the pack; head popped up
missed shot2: body is balancing to the left and right, due to bad aligment.
3th last ball: didnt missed it because it was a easy straight in stop shot, but DAMN i popped up like somone bite me in the bums :D

"I think your head is popping up, because you don't feel comfortable at the shot, because of wrong body alignment."

i dont remember how i felt at those shots, but u might be right. i love the feel of my hand on the green, if i stood up to fast, probably my body wasnt feeling confortable. thats the only explenation. i should be more carefull on my body positioning.

mm i really think i can keep my fast stroke, that i need , just need to take a bit more before the shot and after the shot. even if its only 1sec. that might be enough. without me feeling that im playing to slow.

ok :D NOW we are starting to get there :) PLZ give some more critique's. its easyer to critique another player then to critique yourself.
 
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1. You do not take sufficient time to absorb the feng shui of the table before shooting. Thus, your chi does not merge and flow with that of table. Crosscurrents pull your shots from the Four-Bank Path to Enlightenment and Correct Thinking, and the pocket at which you aim.

Solution: stroll completely around the table at a leisurely pace, contemplating the chi lines between balls and pockets. When the table tells you which shot to take, flow into shooting position smoothly and gracefully. When you think you have your position and aim exactly right, then take five slow practice strokes, each at least one second long. The five slow strokes gently pump your chi into that of the table, unifying both in a smooth, inexorable flow to the pocket.

2. Often, you do not remain still during your shot, disturbing the flow of chi from its harmonious path. You "hunch" or lean into your stroke. Cultivate the stillness of a stone in a stream.
 
PoolSharkAllen said:
You play very quickly but it's not clear how deeply you're thinking about patterns. You might enjoy watching this webcam of a straight pool tournament currently in progress:
http://thebilliardstour.com/dd-bigwebcam.html
Click to expand...

thx for the comment poolsharkallen. but i said in the beginning. JUST bought the camera, i wasnt playing any game. was a mix of banging and straight pool. no real patterns, just checking out the camera, and losening up the shoulder by potting some balls. for patterns, speedcontrole, positioning etc, ill have to post a new video, where im actually trying to do something.

ill check out the webcam :) id love to watch some 14-1 , after not being able to play today.


dhakala: :) not sure what to think of the feng shui thing. 5 adressing strokes is mortal for me :s i only do it on the breakshot of a 9b or 8b game. others agree i should change my 1/2 adressing stroke? :s

ill check if there is any other movie on the vacation dvd, where im not ballbanging. see if i can spot the same errors.
 
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Dhakala said:
1. You do not take sufficient time to absorb the feng shui of the table before shooting. Thus, your chi does not merge and flow with that of table. Crosscurrents pull your shots from the Four-Bank Path to Enlightenment and Correct Thinking, and the pocket at which you aim.

Solution: stroll completely around the table at a leisurely pace, contemplating the chi lines between balls and pockets. When the table tells you which shot to take, flow into shooting position smoothly and gracefully. When you think you have your position and aim exactly right, then take five slow practice strokes, each at least one second long. The five slow strokes gently pump your chi into that of the table, unifying both in a smooth, inexorable flow to the pocket.

2. Often, you do not remain still during your shot, disturbing the flow of chi from its harmonious path. You "hunch" or lean into your stroke. Cultivate the stillness of a stone in a stream.
Click to expand...
In short, harness the forces of the universe before releasing the power cosmic. :) :D
 
PoolSharkAllen said:
In short, harness the forces of the universe before releasing the power cosmic. :) :D
Click to expand...

OW that :D warming up the tires before the race! ok :D ill do so
 
PoolSharkAllen said:
In short, harness the forces of the universe before releasing the power cosmic. :) :D
Click to expand...

"Harnessing" and "releasing" (which implies prior confinement) are dominance-based Western myths. A mere man does not control the forces of the universe.

The Zen Cueism adept harmonizes his chi (life force) with that of the universe. Then the pool player, cue, balls, table, and target pocket all become One - and one can hardly miss one's self.

"If you are always wondering about the target or the result, nothing good can be accomplished. If you always look at yourself first - your own feet, your own basis, then things will naturally go right." ~ Kanjuro Shibata, Kyudo (Zen Archery) Master.
 
pollsharkallen: thats a GREATH webcam. some really good players there!
this is a must for any 14-1 freak. thx for posting it :) ill put it in my favorits.

btw, ive put up another old video i found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBbak2Idyd0 :o

that video i was playing more serious, but still many things to learn from , just from watching it myself... cant believe i missed 2 try's to open the 2ball cluster against the rail... the breakball.. well thats something ive still got to learn :D its never good to learn to much at the same time. first basics, and then ill take on my patterns choices, keyball and breakball choices etc.

ps even if i dont get every fen shui thing. (im not native englisch speaking) i still prefere that over bashing :D thx for not being to hard on me.
 
I left some comments for you on the youtube site. I merely echo what has already been siad here. Just slow down and stay down. Also, pay attention to designating a key ball for your break shot. The last two balls in the rack - your sequence worked against you, not for you. If you had set up for the solid as a set up for the stripe (key ball) you could have left yourself 2 stop shots instead of having the cue ball traveling all over the table like that. Even with the distance your cue ball traveled on that last shot to set up your break ball, you are still farther away from the shot than you should have been. You have great mechanics for someone that has only been playing a short time. Keep up the good work!
 
ill check it out right away blackjack.

thx for comments and nice words.coming from a pro player i respect that means alot. ive got LOADS of work, but LOADS of time :) i try not to change/learn to much at a time. ive done that in the beginning and it worked against me. very hard to find your game back when ur turning everything upside down. now im just atacking one problem at the time.id like to have my basics ready and 2d nature after my first 2 years. (and maybe a 50 run :rolleyes: but thats just a bonus. the big runs will come naturally once the basics are covered.
 
mjantti said:
I agree 100% with the bad-rep-master here. Your mechanics seem to be very good after only one year of playing. But the problem is that you seem to think that easy shots can be one-stroked away. The key to successful straight pool and other games as well is too keep a steady rhythm in all shots. If you have a simple shot, use your regular 3-4 practice stroke -rhythm as you would use in more difficult shots. And it seems also, that your body isn't always perfectly aligned with the shot. Your preshot routine suffers because you seem to be in a hurry. And I think your head is popping up, because you don't feel comfortable at the shot, because of wrong body alignment.

So in a nutshell:
-Work on your stroking rhythm, don't change it too much
-Preshot routine and body alignment
-Don't be in a hurry

Otherwise, I think you have potential. Keep practising, mate. ;)
Click to expand...


I agree 100%...One thing to add. If you have problems with fidgeting and or popping up on your shot. Get down on your shot and visualize the cue ball making contact with the contact point and how the ball will roll in. Also make sure that you are not moving around too much as you are going down into the shot. I can be a very fidgety player and can mess up my game. That has helped me greatly.
 
yes, now it has been mentioned different times, i can see myself rushing into position, like ive got to pie, and i cant leave the table before ive run it. the body positioning should be as smooth as the stroke. i have no recent video's to show yet, but i will post some more rescent video's to see how my mistakes are evolving.

thx for all the comments guys.

ps what does 'fidgeting' mean?
 
When shooting off the rail uless you have to elevate, put the shaft on the rail first then the bridge hand over it. In doing so you will level out, be down lower on the shot thus creating a more natural roll on the cue ball and increase visibility of the shot. I also saw you adjust your aim once you were down on the shot, since you did not move your feet to rebalance your body weight thats HUGE . I also would compact the swing somewhat, why would you use a 10 inch bridge to shoot an up close shot? From another perspective would you break a 9-ball rack with a 4 inch bridge? Or why would you shoot a cue ball thats only 4 inches from the object ball but have a 10 inch warm up swing. Its kinda like in golf, take a huge backswing to hit a 16 inch putt,??? I think not.
 
Solartje said:
[...]

ps what does 'fidgeting' mean?
Click to expand...

It generally means things like extra or unnecessary motions often from nervous energy. It might also be used if someone is, say, uncomfortable in a chair and is shifting around some.

A few comments on the second video.

First I think the occasional jumping up is more a symptom of a problem than a cause of a problem (not true for everybody, but I think it's true for you). I think you jump up because you realize during the business stroke that you're alligned incorrectly.

IMO, the main thing you need to work on is alligning correctly and the same way every time. I notice you pretty much shuffle sideways along the rail going from one shot to the next. Then when the shot looks right from standing you quickly plant your feet and get down. For your shot on the 9-ball for example, you realize the allignment was not right and shift both the direction of the stick and your head (but not your feet) at the last minute.

I believe you should approach every shot along the line of the shot from a few steps away from the table. Thre are a number of reasons this might help you.

1. It would be a new first step of a preshot routine, so doing something new at the beginning of every shot would help remind you to do other new things you decide on as a result of these discussions.

2. This will help get your feet placed better because you're getting into position the same way on every shot, and after a while you'll teach yourself exactly how to step into the right foot position (like a diver stepping into a dive)

3. We all know it's harder to aim from a vertical position. That's why we put our chin on the cue. So choosing our stance/alignment from the vertical view is problematic. The standing view of the shot from a few steps away is less vertical. The shot from there looks more like it looks from "in position," so this is a better place to start than from above the shot.

4. The extra steps would slow you down a bit.


Another thing I notice is on some of your shots where you bridge off the rail (e.g., the 7-ball in the second video), you put your hand on the rail and the stick on top of your hand. Learn to make a rail bridge with your hand on top of the stick for these shots. [Hey Lou F. I haven't done this since you scolded me for it a few years ago.]

Overall that's some pretty impressive shooting, imo.
 
Dhakala said:
1. You do not take sufficient time to absorb the feng shui of the table before shooting. Thus, your chi does not merge and flow with that of table. Crosscurrents pull your shots from the Four-Bank Path to Enlightenment and Correct Thinking, and the pocket at which you aim.

Solution: stroll completely around the table at a leisurely pace, contemplating the chi lines between balls and pockets. When the table tells you which shot to take, flow into shooting position smoothly and gracefully. When you think you have your position and aim exactly right, then take five slow practice strokes, each at least one second long. The five slow strokes gently pump your chi into that of the table, unifying both in a smooth, inexorable flow to the pocket.

2. Often, you do not remain still during your shot, disturbing the flow of chi from its harmonious path. You "hunch" or lean into your stroke. Cultivate the stillness of a stone in a stream.
Click to expand...

Dhakala, are you that guy from the Accustats bloopers video that's playing a pro, and you start doing all this weird fung shui stuff with your hands over the table, like you are some kung fu master? I think the guy was wearing a hat. It was really funny.
 
Solartje said:
hiya all,

having a terrible day today (friend hang himself up, and my beeper didnt wake me up in time for a very important ranking event. was 14-1 and well.. there are only 3 straight events that count for points in a year and me being a 14-1 freak, SUCKS when u miss one. also ill be losing alot of rankingplaces :s now ill have to wait a year, before i can replace my 0. anyway sorry for the intro ramble, just had to get it off my chest, im way to angry)

anyway, when ur having a bad day, nothing better then to have it all together, just to have it passed. so here's a video of me playing (ballbanging) to test my video. i was playing some mix of ballbanging/14-1 to test the video and losen up my arm before a match. there is no positional play etc; so hard to critique my positional shots , patterns, pocketingspeed etc, but u are free to critique my stroke.

ive been playing pool for a year now, and ive addapted my 10y stroke (from playing some recreational snooker) a bit. idd like to know what else i should change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTRHgpr60X0

edited: added new video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBbak2Idyd0

i know it would be better to post some runout video's, but the best way to learn is to learn from mistakes, and this video is full of it :o

im off to play some pool alone, with loud music, and play untill i just cant move my arm anymore. thank GOD ive got pool when im angry!
Click to expand...


the first thing i noticed right away, i even had to rewind the video to make sure i wasn't seeing things, was that you missed the break shot by close to a diamond. practice or not forget about critiquing your stroke and practice getting on the break and also all different kinds of break shots first. that is the most overlooked part of the game for newer players. most new players and some veterans focus so much on patterns and runs per rack and forget they don't do much good if you miss the break on the next rack. i used to practice an hour a day just on breaks. this will help your game greatly. god luck.
 
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