The PAUSE in pool stroke

[John oleson]

While Kristina Tkach's pause after taking cue back and returning to cue ball may be on the extreme side, how does someone practice "something" to embed the pause in their delivery system. Despite practicing pausing, when playing I rush the takeaway and return.

Seems so simple, but in my case .... dang

Advice appreciated!!! john_oleson@comcast.net

 

[Duane Remick]

IMO,
And personal experience,
like any part of the game
PRACTICE , PRACTICE , PRACTICE .
Also,
try to find a copy of
THE RIFLEMAN ON 9 BALL- BUDDY HALL,
Buddy certainly had a pause before delivery of his cue to the shot in his game

 

[kling&allen]

I've been told to exaggerate the pause during practice (e.g., Tkach-like or something extreme) to train the action into memory, so in actual play (when you aren't thinking and naturally speed up), you'll still have some pause. For what it's worth, the set (pausing before backstroke) and pause (pausing at the end of the backstroke) have greatly improved my game.

 

[Scratch85]

A common practice is to say a three count phrase, in your head. Any phrase will do. One, two, three or ready, set go, or big bottom girls or one instructors suggestion ladies and gentlemen. Backstroke for two counts and forward on the three count. Use the same timing on all shots, hard or soft.

Edit: Also do the 1,000 ball drill practicing the timing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[skogstokig]

if you want to model your stroke after a player, i think aloysius yapp's pause is optimal. not too long, not too short. i think the melling/tkach is way too long and prone to fail for less advanced players.

 

[couldnthinkof01]

I like to think of it like drawing back a bow.
Helps me to be slow in the draw and wait to
until I'm still on the target, then release.

Feels like the pause is 2 min but on video it's about 2 seconds.

 

[Quesports]

Just watch Allison. She has what I would describe as a long pause and it seems to work pretty darn well for her...

 

[Danimal]

I struggled for a long time trying to incorporate a pause into my stroke.

It wasn’t until someone posted the following lesson from Mark Wilson at DCC that it finally clicked for me (do yourself a favor and watch all 3 parts):

 

[Patrick Johnson]

While Kristina Tkach's pause after taking cue back and returning to cue ball may be on the extreme side, how does someone practice "something" to embed the pause in their delivery system. Despite practicing pausing, when playing I rush the takeaway and return.

Seems so simple, but in my case .... dang

Advice appreciated!!! john_oleson@comcast.net

For me, using the "quiet eye" technique for finalizing aim does it: pause at the back of your stroke while your eyes rest "quietly" on the target and your subconscious makes the final "tweak" in your choice of alignments. I know it's time to pull the trigger when my subconscious says "that's it!".

pj
chgo

 

[Poolhall60561]

I just watched some old Buddy Hall and Allison Fisher videos and I can clearly see it now.
Joe Davis also recommended the pause.

 

[The_JV]

If the simple counting doesn't work, AND you're a OB last kind of player, try this...:

Second last stroke while focused on the CB. Hold your gaze on the CB until you reach the end of your back stroke. Then slowly transistion your focus to the OB before pulling the trigger. When you're locked on the the OB then shoot. This should result in a pause in excess of a 1sec.

Of course the above is dependent on the rest of your PSR.

 

[straightline]

I think the pause allows everything to settle to zero so the forward delivery becomes the moment; a singularity if you will. Practicing to a count will help you to absorb the sequence but the act itself should be in sync with the tempo you're on. IOW, struggling, take your time. Get it right even if it's a long winter. By the same token, if you're sailing along the pause should fit the pace.

 

[chefjeff]

If the simple counting doesn't work, AND you're a OB last kind of player, try this...:

Second last stroke while focused on the CB. Hold your gaze on the CB until you reach the end of your back stroke. Then slowly transistion your focus to the OB before pulling the trigger. When you're locked on the the OB then shoot. This should result in a pause in excess of a 1sec.

Of course the above is dependent on the rest of your PSR.

Changing eye direction in midstroke has led me to problems so I quit it.

fwiw,


Jeff Livingston

 

[chefjeff]

As you go back to the PAUSE, loosen up your grip a bit and think of that instead of the PAUSE.

That helped me.


Jeff Livingston

 

[arnaldo]

Cisero Murphy, best known for his literal mastery of Straight Pool -- with some significant major victories in that discipline -- very effectively used *the* longest pause of any national/world class champion. His stroke was silky smooth, and mesmerizingly beautiful to watch. Here's a brief look at it for your interest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqA1LWgdwU

A pause this long isn't generally recommended, but it's fun to experiment with such things. You may find that a pause of some kind (of whatever duration) at the transition of backswing to forward delivery stroke may add smoothness and increased CB contact-point accuracy for you.

Murphy described it as "a one- or two-second hiccup," which allowed him to take a picture of the shot (his phrase) before committing to it. (If you carefully view it at the point where he freezes the backswing, you'll see him make a barely perceptible, micro english & alignment adjustment for each of the four shots after he has studied the "photo".

His full-stop pause stroke was so uncommon that billiards fans gave it a name: the "hesitation stroke." Sadly, 25 years ago Cisero suffered a heart attack at age 59, while driving in Flatbush (Brooklyn, NY) and passed away.

Arnaldo ~ This was at the 1995 "Maine Event" commendably produced by Grady Matthews in Portland, Maine. I was in the audience for every one of the matches. (Efren won the event with his victory over CJ Wiley.)

 

[JusticeNJ]

If the simple counting doesn't work, AND you're a OB last kind of player, try this...:

Second last stroke while focused on the CB. Hold your gaze on the CB until you reach the end of your back stroke. Then slowly transistion your focus to the OB before pulling the trigger. When you're locked on the the OB then shoot. This should result in a pause in excess of a 1sec.

Of course the above is dependent on the rest of your PSR.

I tried the back stroke pause for a bit and when it work for me it was an eye-rhythm sort of thing. I don’t use it anymore, but that’s how it worked best for me - pull back, eyes on target, shoot.

 

[Tin Man]

One of the biggest breakthroughs my students have had with this is to make the switch from thinking of it as a 'pause', and replacing that idea with a 'hang'.

See, a pause can feel like a disruption. An interruption in your rhythm. You back swing, then just freeze for a while? There's just this void where you are doing nothing. People are telling themselves "Back, freeze, swing". It's weird, at least it was for me. Furthermore it doesn't fix the problem of jamming your cue forward too quickly. Just as important as a relaxed back stroke is a very smooth start to the swing. Half of the people I've seen with a pause in their game come back slow, pause, then jerk their cue forward.

I fill the void. I am not doing nothing. I am "hanging". Like when you are on a swing-set and you float up, then there is that moment where you feel like you are perfectly weightless. Then you start moving down, slow for a moment and then picking up speed and accelerating all the way through the middle of the swing motion. On a swing set you don't actually pause. You are constantly accelerating. But it sure feels like it. So that's how I picture this: "Back, hang-creep-swing!" I come back easy, hang, let it start to creep, then let it pick up speed through the cue ball.

A great example of this is a draw shot that Chris Melling hit on me at the DCC.

The shot is at 19:14. What's really cool is going frame by frame using the '<' and '>' keys. If you look at the moment the cue tip strikes the cue ball (frame during 19:15) and then arrow back you can see the cue stick took 17 frames from impact to when it started moving forward from his bridge hand, then there were four frames where the cue stick wasn't moving at all. So:

4 frame pause
10 frames for the cue stick to break the initial inertia and move infinitesimally to the rail (one inch)
5 frames for the cue to creep about three more inches
The last 2 frames for the cue to zoome the remaining 8" and swing through the cue ball!

8/9 of the time was only 1/3 of the movement!!! I think this is really illustrative of a good swing.

In recap, the pause should be a natural hang at the top of the swing, and it's not nearly as important as not rushing the forward stroke and letting the cue stick accelerate without a big burst of force, but rather with a slow steady increase that builds through impact. Not all pros pause, but all pros have a soft acceleration with good timing that starts easy and goes through the cue ball.

 

[Ratta]

For me, using the "quiet eye" technique for finalizing aim does it: pause at the back of your stroke while your eyes rest "quietly" on the target and your subconscious makes the final "tweak" in your choice of alignments. I know it's time to pull the trigger when my subconscious says "that's it!".

pj
chgo

wise words- the quite eye stuff is essential in my opinion.

 

[Straightpool_99]

The front pause before the final backswing is extremely important. The back pause is also quite important for some people. It is possible to have a smooth, straight stroke without a (prolonged) back pause. However, for most people, the transition from backswing to forward swing is where they mess up the most. Having a prolonged pause can prevent the stroke train from coming off it's track, like it often does if there is no pause there. It's easier both to keep the stroke straight, as well as have a smooth accellerating motion with a pause. I incorporated one, once i transitioned to mostly playing snooker and other tight pocket pool games, and it paid dividends, but it was a lot of hard work, and I failed the first few times I attempted to do it.

 

[buckshotshoey]

The front pause before the final backswing is extremely important. The back pause is also quite important for some people. It is possible to have a smooth, straight stroke without a back pause. However, for most people, the transition from backswing to forward swing is where they mess up the most. Having a prolonged pause can prevent the stroke train from coming off it's track, like it often does if there is no pause there. It's easier both to keep the stroke straight, as well as have a smooth accellerating motion with a pause. I incorporated one, once i transitioned to mostly playing snooker and other tight pocket pool games, and it paid dividends, but it was a lot of hard work, and I failed the first few times I attempted to do it.

Very good point. One of the first things I learned in Anthony's course.

There are actually 3 stops you must have in your stroke. The pause at the cue ball is just as, if not more important, then the pause at the back of stroke. Then there is the freeze after delivery. I have been taking virtual lessons from Anthony for a little over 3 months, and these stops have been the hardest for me to incorporate into my routine. When practicing I tend to revert to bad past practices. When I start to struggle on the table, I take a long look at everything he has taught me. I can easily see where my bad habits are creeping back into my game, and I do drills to force the proper habits back into my game. It's tough sometimes.

Two vids for the OP...