The new I can’t get better without a gadgets are in

Can't play this, but get the gist from the thumbnail.

I saw some bizarre 'stroke trainer' on Taobao the other day. Will post a picture when I find it later. Looks like a torture device... Cannot stand gimmicks. Pick a pro you like, imitate their style... Get a real coach... Practice... Be realistic and make small goals and work on them...

OR

Strap yourself into a fix-it machine that'll turn you pro lol
 
Texas Carom Club said:
all of a sudden the coke bottle drill woke cut it these days online experts will tell you lol
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Even a coke bottle is excessive in my opinion... use the line marked on the cloth. Graduate to pushing the ball along it. Graduate to playing the ball up and down the spots.
Was one of the first, and most annoying drills I had to do when learning to snooker. Would do 15 minutes of that before my dad would let me try anything else, or pot any balls :ROFLMAO:
 
Flakeandrun said:
Even a coke bottle is excessive in my opinion... use the line marked on the cloth. Graduate to pushing the ball along it. Graduate to playing the ball up and down the spots.
Was one of the first, and most annoying drills I had to do when learning to snooker. Would do 15 minutes of that before my dad would let me try anything else, or pot any balls :ROFLMAO:
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Never heard of this drill. Any tips before I attempt it? /serious...
 
straightline said:
Never heard of this drill. Any tips before I attempt it? /serious...
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On a pool table, just bridge on the headstring.
1) Observe straight cueing along the line.
2) Hitting centre ball along the head string, aim for the cue ball to come straight back and hit the cue tip.
3) Hit centre ball the length of the table (over the spot) and aim for the same.

An extension would be playing various straight stop shots at different points (which is something I do for a warm-up often) - an extension of that would be playing them at different speeds, or tighter to the cushion.

On a snooker table, started by doing this, cueing along the baulk line, then hitting the cue ball along the baulk line, then cue ball up and down the spots, then potting the blue into the middle, then potting the pink diagonally into corners, then length of the table blue. Then playing those three shots as solid stop shots - I think I saw an interview with Steve Davis, where he said he still hits the cue ball up and down the spots as a warm up... and he's one of the all time greats... If it works for him... :)
 
I saw that a couple weeks ago and thought it was cool that someone made it. Not cool enough to pursue further, however:) It looks 3D printed, which allows super low volume designs like this to make sense financially.

I had a stroke trainer from a member here who hand made them in the early 2000's. It was the aluminum one that your knuckles would ride against. I used it every day for a few weeks, and also before big matches before I left the house. IDK if it really did anything. I lugged it around a few moves, and finally threw it in the trash a few years ago (it had bent during one of the moves and was unusable).

Today, I'm of the belief the head and eye position is the main factor in a straight stroke. If they are not looking at the perfect place for the particular shot in question, the eyes will steer the stroke crooked, no matter how many perfect repetitions you may have with a mechanical stroke trainer, or the center ball up and down to the tip drill.

YMMV:)
 
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Flakeandrun said:
On a pool table, just bridge on the headstring.
1) Observe straight cueing along the line.
2) Hitting centre ball along the head string, aim for the cue ball to come straight back and hit the cue tip.
3) Hit centre ball the length of the table (over the spot) and aim for the same.

An extension would be playing various straight stop shots at different points (which is something I do for a warm-up often) - an extension of that would be playing them at different speeds, or tighter to the cushion.

On a snooker table, started by doing this, cueing along the baulk line, then hitting the cue ball along the baulk line, then cue ball up and down the spots, then potting the blue into the middle, then potting the pink diagonally into corners, then length of the table blue. Then playing those three shots as solid stop shots - I think I saw an interview with Steve Davis, where he said he still hits the cue ball up and down the spots as a warm up... and he's one of the all time greats... If it works for him... :)
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Got it. Wasn't clear on the model being a snooker table. Sideways on that is a pretty fair distance. I think going up and down the middle on a 12 footer would have more benefit than on any size of pool table. Do you find the 4 dots more helpful than the one or two on pool tables?
 
straightline said:
Got it. Wasn't clear on the model being a snooker table. Sideways on that is a pretty fair distance. I think going up and down the middle on a 12 footer would have more benefit than on any size of pool table. Do you find the 4 dots more helpful than the one or two on pool tables?
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I think cueing over distance translates very well to pool/builds confidence. People often comment on my cueing, and when I explain I have only been playing pool for a short time, I get the, "ah, so you play snooker" comment lol
 
Flakeandrun said:
I think cueing over distance translates very well to pool/builds confidence. People often comment on my cueing, and when I explain I have only been playing pool for a short time, I get the, "ah, so you play snooker" comment lol
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I find that to be true although in my case the effect was always temporary; due mostly to incompetence. But the dots on the snooker table - does 4 develop more accuracy than the 1 or 2 on a pool table? Is that even a thing?
 
I mean, if you are a visual learner, that placebo of more dots might assist. I think that the amount of dots makes no difference. Might help you keep in line. I used to put a chalk at the bottom of the table to assist aim.
 
Yeah. I usually aim at the end rail and focus on perpendicular. I still can't cue straight unless it's med speed or less. Any more and I have to lean way over the stick which compensates by altering the geometry. Some attribute this to eye dominance but I seriously doubt that notion.
 
Have you ever considered having a coach analyse your stance/stroke? 5 minutes of observation and they'd tell you any glaring errors. I could right far too much about my thoughts on eye-dominance, and how that effects my game (both left and right handed). Little too busy to do so right now.

straightline said:
Yeah. I usually aim at the end rail and focus on perpendicular. I still can't cue straight unless it's med speed or less. Any more and I have to lean way over the stick which compensates by altering the geometry. Some attribute this to eye dominance but I seriously doubt that notion.
Click to expand...
 
Flakeandrun said:
On a pool table, just bridge on the headstring.
1) Observe straight cueing along the line.
2) Hitting centre ball along the head string, aim for the cue ball to come straight back and hit the cue tip.
3) Hit centre ball the length of the table (over the spot) and aim for the same.

An extension would be playing various straight stop shots at different points (which is something I do for a warm-up often) - an extension of that would be playing them at different speeds, or tighter to the cushion.

On a snooker table, started by doing this, cueing along the baulk line, then hitting the cue ball along the baulk line, then cue ball up and down the spots, then potting the blue into the middle, then potting the pink diagonally into corners, then length of the table blue. Then playing those three shots as solid stop shots - I think I saw an interview with Steve Davis, where he said he still hits the cue ball up and down the spots as a warm up... and he's one of the all time greats... If it works for him... :)
Click to expand...
This is very good drill to improve your stroke. It is not too hard to do with follow and slow speed.
If you are serious on your game you should practice it also with medium to hard speed draw shot. It will reveal every fraction of bad stroke.
If you can get more than 30% success rate to get ball back to cue without accidently applying unwanted english you got monster stroke.
It will also improve your vision center perception and lining up to shot.

Keeping doing it you can develop error free stroke. It is frustrating to do it but if you don´t give up you will improve you stroke tremendously.
Warning! This drill can destroy your illusions and confidence.
 
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