That is indeed what cueball at contact can provide.
Well the most exact that I am capable of.
I do see advantage to precision strike to the white on all shots.
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STROKE TIMING … A Complete MythBusting Study of Stroke Acceleration Effects
- Thread starter dr_dave
- Start date
Well the most exact that I am capable of.
I do see advantage to precision strike to the white on all shots.
This tends to always happen. I like to post threads as questions with a downvote option. That’s about the best this site can provide. Thank you to Pubo for pointing out this feature.
People are already complaining about this tangent but I just gotta say that most players with a stably grooved stroke will attribute any errors they make to something other than stroke inconsistency especially if they win enough. Those that have addressed the problem by aiming at the cueball during delivery know the value and the issues it solves. Just make sure the shot is aimed and aligned first. The only target you then have is the cue ball. This makes so much more sense than actuating an air system at a point yards ahead, we gotta talk about it. lol etc...
Additional irritant: In a thread that maximizes the instantaneous and immutable nature of striking the cue ball, CBL is very much OnT.
Experiments in looking at the cue ball while delivering the stroke
is a relevant thread that contains a lot of background noise but contains nuggets of wisdom as well. Take notice of the date of the original post.
Still amazes me how panties can become bunched at the mention of cueball last.
Hey, I didn't invent it but cheerfully employ it.Begs the question: if its so great why do so few good players play CB-last? To me it would be like throwing darts by looking at my throwing hand instead of my intended target. Do you watch much snooker? If so when they have a good 'shooting-at-the-camera' angle slow the videos down. I do it all the time just to check and when they send it their eyes are on the OB. The vast majority do this. If you're lined-up properly you shouldn't even have to worry about the CB when shooting.
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I answered with my take in the first line. They got good stroke/more pressing concerns; winning the long game, laying traps - really not my field of knowledge. Many people wear visors that force you to look at the cueball. Not many talk about how they aim.
At what point did you drop your elbow?
My elbow always has more movement during the stroke than somebody trying to execute a pure pendulum stroke. However, the massive drop did occur after the tip hit the cue ball. The reason for the massive dead straight followthrough was to prevent steering the stroke before hitting the cue ball. With the shot I was dealing with a sixteenth of an inch would have probably made the difference between a whiff, missing the object ball, and hitting it too thick. Might see the shot at the end of a one pocket game, not likely to be another time when a better option wasn't available.
Hu
I always felt more accuracy/consistency with an extended follow thru but stopped due to an instructor advising against elbow drop. Now it is back to the drawing board on a couple of things. When I first started playing, some 60 years ago, I was told to change by looking at the object last. LOL. It comes full circle.
Here are some excerpts from my eye pattern "best practices" resource page (which I have expanded and improved the last two days) that offer possible explanations:
The reason why most top players in all cue sports focus on the OB before and during the final stroke is: The distant focus helps you deliver the cue more straight toward your target. This is the case in other sports like free throws in basketball (with focus on the rim), bowling (with focus on the arrows down the lane instead of at the foul line), and darts, archery, and shooting (with focus on the target), where you always want your final focused gaze to be at the distant target. This helps maintain straight aim and helps ensure straighter implement delivery in the target direction. Also, focus on the OB helps ensure you keep your head and body still during and after the stroke (instead of looking up from CB focus to see where the CB is heading). Also, with OB focus, you can better diagnose and learn from each shot since you can more clearly see the direction the CB heads and where it hits the OB.
Some top players are also successful focusing on the CB last. Either technique can be mastered; although, OB focus does offer advantages. The most important element, regardless of which technique you chose, is to maintain still focus during the final stroke. For more info, see quiet eyes.
Having a low stance, with your chin close to or touching the cue, offers advantages with eye pattern since the eyes or head do not need to move as much between CB and OB focus with both balls more in the middle of the field of view.
I suspect that like most of us your stance has gotten a little higher with age. A pure pendulum becomes almost impossible without a very low stance to help lock the shoulder in place. In my youth and best playing days I just tried to move the cue smoothly back and forth without a thought about my elbow or shoulder. That too has came full circle.
Most shooting with a pendulum have a little elbow movement, an inch or two. When I tried a pendulum with no elbow movement it always felt too mechanical, never felt natural.
Mostly I favor whatever gets me through the night these days. Somewhere along the line I remembered the object is to put the pretty colored balls in the holes. Nobody gives us points for style!
Hu
Its dumb, but I'm naturally an OBL guy, and I found CBL helps me on pressure shots. So yeah, I change what I'm doing when things matter more... not something anyone is going to recommend.
For shots where low and high acceleration works the discussion is pointless.
Shooting with an awkward hand bridge, over a ball or from inside the jaws of a pocket.
Acceleration is one factor, the general setting has too many situations.
Wheelchair players don't get the same acceleration control as standing players.
Shooting with an awkward hand bridge, over a ball or from inside the jaws of a pocket.
Acceleration is one factor, the general setting has too many situations.
Wheelchair players don't get the same acceleration control as standing players.
Actually, that is the typical recommendation - use CBL only when tip contact accuracy is the priority, like CB frozen to a rail, elevated over a blocking ball, jump shots, break shots, etc.
I did that for 30 years with success. But lately I've found that doing CBL on every shot hasn't hurt my make rate, and has helped me get precise tip contact accuracy on every shot and put more focus on the CB on its way to the object ball. I've made the CB my target.
The only thing the jury is still out for, for me, is speed control. Part of me thinks I may have had better speed control with OBL since I have a more encompassing view of the entire shot, so I've been experimenting going back to that for a rack or two at a time.
This kinda surprises me you look the athletic super stroke type. The speed issue has to be addressed in preshot unless you have the time to do a meeyun balls blind.
but you can always fudge ...
Foghorn provided lessons in my youth.
Foghorn Leghorn reminds me oh so much of the panties bunched arguments.
Here's an analogous quickie.
Gotta love Leghorn lessons.
The whole story.
Hopefully my feathers ruffling is complete now.
I SAY, LOOK-AH HERE.
I SAY, LOOK-AH HERE.