The quest for the perfect stroke

M

Makey98

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Played a bit in high school many years ago, but I got a table put in by Jack here on AZ about a year ago. I am a big fan of straight pool. I admire the thinking strategy and how good players just float around the table. I have a goal of running 50 balls and I have not made nearly the progress I hoped after a year of solid practice.

Through the books I read, many articles, videos etc it seemed that many, many players "don't get better." I determined this was because the don't "practice" but just play. I committed myself to doing drills and practicing. i also am determined to develop a iron clad stroke by improving my fundamentals until they are perfect, to the point where my stroke is dead straight.

What I noticed is that many players are very, very good. Their stroke is not "perfect" but they focus on the results. They may hit with a bit of unintended side spin on nearly everyshot and not even realize it. They can become very good players, as the body is amazing at tricking you and adjusting to "look striaght" but this eventually limits their progress. I was committed to not doing this.

I taped myself, snapped dozens of chalk lines, I used a laser level dozens of times to set up dead straight sticky hole reinforces, tried Joe Tucker magic eye, tried Joe Tucker's Golf tee drill, tried the "best drill of all time" on the spot, etc. I have hit hundreds and hundreds of dead straight stop shots and I still am struggling to develop a straight stroke. I noticed I was "chicken winging" on my stroke. So I corrected it. I tried elbow out, elbow dead perpendicular, I have tried a light v grip, a more solid finger grip. Open bridge, closed bridge, more shoulder turn, less shoulder turn. Tried with chin over the cue, tried dominant eye over the cue. Cue under my body, cue out away from my body. Tried stroking into a beer bottle. Tried higher eye position, lower position. Things work for a while and I hit dead on with my stroke on straight in shots then it breaks down when I have to lean over the table or shoot off a rail. The shot "looks different." I have it for a while, then run some balls, then lose it. I feel like I am constantly changing my arm, elbow, eye position every session, trying to get my arm to move in a consistently straight line every time for multiple days. Nothing has worked.

I have run Joe Tuckers 10 down drill out several times, but never gotten more than a 7 average on 10 racks. I have done the 3 ball run out drill with ball in hand. Best is around 70% on 10 racks, but most of the time I am 50-60%. I have not broken and run a rack of straight pool and gotten into the second rack. Overall, not too good for a year of consistent practice. I probably would have better accomplishments if I wasn't constantly changing minute changes in arm position etc, but I play well and then miss a couple, noting that I put unintended spin on a ball or my stroke wasn't straight, so I go back to drills and stop shots.

Long story here and I am sure most of you are bored. The question is, does everyone have this problem? Is developing a consistent dead straight pool stroke this difficult? i always assumed that cue ball speed, spins, and position were what seperated the novices from the advanced players and the pros. Maybe not. Maybe the real skill is just a natural inclination to developing proper arm, eye, and cue alignment and then ingraining that. Whatever it is, my arm doesn't have it. I naturally have a swerve in my arm swing and I have tried everything under the sun to adjust for it.

Secondly, the other question is has anyone else had this problem and come up with a method for getting the arm and the eyes lined up so that what looks to be straight on with a straight cue and proper eye position? Any drills that clicked for you?

My last option is a lesson with Scott Lee, who is around my area often. I don't have the cash for a pool lesson at this time and probably won't anytime soon, truthfully.

Thanks for your time. Matt
 
Great post, Matt. First, I want to congratulate you on your quest to improve. It's obvious that you're willing to put in the hard work that it takes to become a better player.

I think that one of the reasons that you are stuck right now is because you may not be detecting the real reasons for your misses.

Taking one of your examples on unwanted side spin: While it is true that you may have put unwanted spin on a ball, the answer doesn't always lie in a correction of your fundamentals. Sometimes the unwanted spin comes from a twisting motion caused by some sort of anxiety associated with that particular shot in that particular situation you were faced with.

So, regardless of how many drills you do to make sure you don't put unwanted spin on a shot, you have not solved the mental issue and are likely to repeat the error when a similar situation arises.

Try to be more aware of the situation that caused you to miss a shot. Were you starting to run balls and feeling a bit anxious that maybe you might run the rack? Did you lose your focus for a split second? Did you forget to look at the cue ball because you were so focused on the object ball? Were you shooting a shot you didn't especially like, or didn't feel very confident with? Were you committed to the shot 100 percent, even though you weren't sure what would happen?

These are some of the questions you can ask yourself when analyzing a missed shot that are just as important as analyzing the physical aspect of what happened.

Once you determine the underlying reason for the miss, you can start to coach yourself through a rack. For example, you may notice when you start to feel anxious, you can walk away fron the table and wipe down your cue or take a sip of water. You may see pros do that sometimes. It's a way to buy a few seconds to calm the nerves. There are many other things you can do to address mental issues. Just remember that they are common and happen to everyone.
 
Makey98...Part of the problem is constant change...which results from not knowing what is "right" for you. I can help you figure that out pretty quickly. It's not how much you practice...it's how you practice. You have to have a way to measure yourself, and your results. You can't "fix" what you can't measure, and you can't fix what you don't know about (basically we don't know what we don't know! :D). Lastly, you need to look at a lesson as an investment, rather than an expense. I'll be there when you're ready...btw I was just there 10 days ago! :D I'll be back again in a month or so.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Makey98 said:
Played a bit in high school many years ago, but I got a table put in by Jack here on AZ about a year ago. I am a big fan of straight pool. I admire the thinking strategy and how good players just float around the table. I have a goal of running 50 balls and I have not made nearly the progress I hoped after a year of solid practice.

Through the books I read, many articles, videos etc it seemed that many, many players "don't get better." I determined this was because the don't "practice" but just play. I committed myself to doing drills and practicing. i also am determined to develop a iron clad stroke by improving my fundamentals until they are perfect, to the point where my stroke is dead straight.

What I noticed is that many players are very, very good. Their stroke is not "perfect" but they focus on the results. They may hit with a bit of unintended side spin on nearly everyshot and not even realize it. They can become very good players, as the body is amazing at tricking you and adjusting to "look striaght" but this eventually limits their progress. I was committed to not doing this.

I taped myself, snapped dozens of chalk lines, I used a laser level dozens of times to set up dead straight sticky hole reinforces, tried Joe Tucker magic eye, tried Joe Tucker's Golf tee drill, tried the "best drill of all time" on the spot, etc. I have hit hundreds and hundreds of dead straight stop shots and I still am struggling to develop a straight stroke. I noticed I was "chicken winging" on my stroke. So I corrected it. I tried elbow out, elbow dead perpendicular, I have tried a light v grip, a more solid finger grip. Open bridge, closed bridge, more shoulder turn, less shoulder turn. Tried with chin over the cue, tried dominant eye over the cue. Cue under my body, cue out away from my body. Tried stroking into a beer bottle. Tried higher eye position, lower position. Things work for a while and I hit dead on with my stroke on straight in shots then it breaks down when I have to lean over the table or shoot off a rail. The shot "looks different." I have it for a while, then run some balls, then lose it. I feel like I am constantly changing my arm, elbow, eye position every session, trying to get my arm to move in a consistently straight line every time for multiple days. Nothing has worked.

I have run Joe Tuckers 10 down drill out several times, but never gotten more than a 7 average on 10 racks. I have done the 3 ball run out drill with ball in hand. Best is around 70% on 10 racks, but most of the time I am 50-60%. I have not broken and run a rack of straight pool and gotten into the second rack. Overall, not too good for a year of consistent practice. I probably would have better accomplishments if I wasn't constantly changing minute changes in arm position etc, but I play well and then miss a couple, noting that I put unintended spin on a ball or my stroke wasn't straight, so I go back to drills and stop shots.

Long story here and I am sure most of you are bored. The question is, does everyone have this problem? Is developing a consistent dead straight pool stroke this difficult? i always assumed that cue ball speed, spins, and position were what seperated the novices from the advanced players and the pros. Maybe not. Maybe the real skill is just a natural inclination to developing proper arm, eye, and cue alignment and then ingraining that. Whatever it is, my arm doesn't have it. I naturally have a swerve in my arm swing and I have tried everything under the sun to adjust for it.

Secondly, the other question is has anyone else had this problem and come up with a method for getting the arm and the eyes lined up so that what looks to be straight on with a straight cue and proper eye position? Any drills that clicked for you?

My last option is a lesson with Scott Lee, who is around my area often. I don't have the cash for a pool lesson at this time and probably won't anytime soon, truthfully.

Thanks for your time. Matt
Click to expand...
 
Not an instructor, but another guy in a similar situation as you who has been concentrating on his pool over the last 6 months. Here are my randum thoughts:

1) 50 ball run is a worthy but difficult goal. It takes many years and most never make it that far.
2) You're correct that many play very good pool with a less than perfect stroke. An instuctor would know this and if your stroke is workable they will refine it. If its terrible they may have you start over and rebuild it from scratch. (the point is to have a stroke that YOU can repeat every time. You probably should not be changing it as often as you do, and it ideally should become automatic so you think about it less).
3) If you are even with the 3-ball ghost and not into the 2nd rack after 1 year, you are not the best nor the worst. There may be just one or two small things holding you back from reaching the next level.

Bottom line, thank you for sharing your progress and it sounds like you would benefit most from an instructor to help you reach the next level.

I have come to the exact same conclusion myself (needing instruction!)
 
Can't Help Myself

Another non instructor here. I just can't seem to keep myself out of the "Ask the Instructor" forum. It's really interesting to read about someone else's journey. All the things you have mentioned are what a lot of us wanna-be players go through.

You can get a lot of good advice in here. A lot of these folks really know their stuff.

I have one word of caution and that is to make sure that you are having fun. Neil sort of already touched on this but you really do need to let go from time to time and just enjoy the game. Otherwise, you will get burned out and just give it up. I did that myself way back when. I just wasn't seeing the results that I expected and I got so frustrated that I said "forget it"!

I guess I have more than one thing to add. So, don't give up on your goal of straight cueing. I think this is where great playing begins and ends, but don't be too hard on yourself. Instead of striving for making say 10 long straight-ins in a row, go ahead figure out where you really stand and try to make 7 out of 10. In other words, figure out what your baseline really is and then work to improve upon it. When you do - feel good about it. It's these little stops along the journey that you are supposed to enjoy. It took me a long time to realize that.

Good luck and keep at it.
 
Great post! I empathize which much of what you are saying. Even though I have ran 50 balls on several occasions, I was just this morning lamenting my inconsistent stroke. I suppose almost everyone has the same questions as you do. Even the pro who misses a couple of shots in the finals of the Open.

I am going to start another post, but one of the other harsh realities that each of us needs to confront is what are you innately capable of. I'm a skinny guy. I'm never going to be a world class weight lifter no matter how much I work out, eat right, get training, etc. Billiards is a bit more ambiguous as we contemplate how good we might be. There don't appear to be any outward physical limitations as to how good one can get. However, there are lots of less obvious limitations that are real and measurable. If during your youth, you were challenged at throwing a ball, catching a pass, concentrating, etc. If you were one of those kids in gym that never had that natural ability. Then odds are pretty good that you are not innately gifted in the hand/eye coordination, physical control, muscle memory, etc. categories. And if that is the hard truth about a persons situation, then there is a good possibility that no matter how much one practices, no matter how many lessons you have, no matter how much your personal drive and commitment, it's just not going to happen. Not to be a downer, but the ultimate goal of each of us has to be to maximize our innate talent with whatever time and methodology we have to devote to the game. For some, all that time will be matched with an extraordinary innate ability and that is how world beaters are born. For some, extraordinary innate talent is matched with not enough time, focus, practice etc, and less is achieved. And for some, and this is the downer part, all that time, focus, practice, lessons, etc. will be applied to less than extraordinary innate talent. That is the fate of Salieri (spelling?) in Amadeus. He had the ability to appreciate greatness, he wanted greatness, but he did not have the natural gifts of Mozart. And that sucks for people who really want it bad (me included).

Good news is that most people with even a modest amount of innate ability can run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball. Running out your rack of straight pool or even a couple is also probably within reach. But you have to be realistic about what you can accomplish. I have no illusions that I can be a top player, no matter how hard I try.

Which leads into my next post in which we contemplate the most efficient method to assess your innate ability. Something that takes less than your entire life to figure out. Stay tuned.
 
dearnold said:
Great post! I empathize which much of what you are saying. Even though I have ran 50 balls on several occasions, I was just this morning lamenting my inconsistent stroke. I suppose almost everyone has the same questions as you do. Even the pro who misses a couple of shots in the finals of the Open.

I am going to start another post, but one of the other harsh realities that each of us needs to confront is what are you innately capable of. I'm a skinny guy. I'm never going to be a world class weight lifter no matter how much I work out, eat right, get training, etc. Billiards is a bit more ambiguous as we contemplate how good we might be. There don't appear to be any outward physical limitations as to how good one can get. However, there are lots of less obvious limitations that are real and measurable. If during your youth, you were challenged at throwing a ball, catching a pass, concentrating, etc. If you were one of those kids in gym that never had that natural ability. Then odds are pretty good that you are not innately gifted in the hand/eye coordination, physical control, muscle memory, etc. categories. And if that is the hard truth about a persons situation, then there is a good possibility that no matter how much one practices, no matter how many lessons you have, no matter how much your personal drive and commitment, it's just not going to happen. Not to be a downer, but the ultimate goal of each of us has to be to maximize our innate talent with whatever time and methodology we have to devote to the game. For some, all that time will be matched with an extraordinary innate ability and that is how world beaters are born. For some, extraordinary innate talent is matched with not enough time, focus, practice etc, and less is achieved. And for some, and this is the downer part, all that time, focus, practice, lessons, etc. will be applied to less than extraordinary innate talent. That is the fate of Salieri (spelling?) in Amadeus. He had the ability to appreciate greatness, he wanted greatness, but he did not have the natural gifts of Mozart. And that sucks for people who really want it bad (me included).

Good news is that most people with even a modest amount of innate ability can run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball. Running out your rack of straight pool or even a couple is also probably within reach. But you have to be realistic about what you can accomplish. I have no illusions that I can be a top player, no matter how hard I try.

Which leads into my next post in which we contemplate the most efficient method to assess your innate ability. Something that takes less than your entire life to figure out. Stay tuned.
Click to expand...


Bulldinky.

Tell that to Jack Nicklaus who explained how he had to work 10 times harder than everyone else just to keep up.

My experience with many people who have that natural athletic ability that you're reffering to are the ones who most often don't achieve high levels of play because they do not have the mental fortitude it takes to be self-disciplined. I see it all the time. Once they realize they actually have to work at something, they quit.

On the other hand, the player who has the work ethic is the one who will be rewarded. When it comes to pool, where there is a will, there is a way.
 
Makey98 said:
I have a goal of running 50 balls and I have not made nearly the progress I hoped after a year of solid practice.
Click to expand...

A single year is a tick of the clock in pool progress time. Don’t try to be better than anyone else but yourself; that is one of the keys to sustained progress over a long period of time.

Makey98 said:
Through the books I read, many articles, videos etc it seemed that many, many players "don't get better." I determined this was because the don't "practice" but just play. I committed myself to doing drills and practicing. i also am determined to develop a iron clad stroke by improving my fundamentals until they are perfect, to the point where my stroke is dead straight.
Click to expand...

Outstanding you will note that the really great players have 2 things in common they have great fundamentals and are great shotmakers. This is “the way to go”. But “perfect” good luck, nobody is perfect 

Makey98 said:
What I noticed is that many players are very, very good. Their stroke is not "perfect" but they focus on the results. They may hit with a bit of unintended side spin on nearly everyshot and not even realize it. They can become very good players, as the body is amazing at tricking you and adjusting to "look striaght" but this eventually limits their progress. I was committed to not doing this.
Click to expand...

Again wonderful!

Makey98 said:
I feel like I am constantly changing my arm, elbow, eye position every session, trying to get my arm to move in a consistently straight line every time for multiple days. Nothing has worked.
Click to expand...

This is perfectly normal, you will get what feels right for you don’t stress over it. That is counterproductive.

Makey98 said:
I have run Joe Tuckers 10 down drill out several times, but never gotten more than a 7 average on 10 racks. I have done the 3 ball run out drill with ball in hand. Best is around 70% on 10 racks, but most of the time I am 50-60%. I have not broken and run a rack of straight pool and gotten into the second rack. Overall, not too good for a year of consistent practice. I probably would have better accomplishments if I wasn't constantly changing minute changes in arm position etc, but I play well and then miss a couple, noting that I put unintended spin on a ball or my stroke wasn't straight, so I go back to drills and stop shots.
Click to expand...

Good, in addition to this I would say don’t be afraid to invent your own drills to conquer YOUR specific problems that’s one thing instructors are good at doing for you. Also try Bowlyards & Fargo they are wonderful single player games and they can simulate that kind of “competition feel”.

Makey98 said:
Long story here and I am sure most of you are bored. The question is, does everyone have this problem?
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Yes. 999999.99%

Makey98 said:
Is developing a consistent dead straight pool stroke this difficult?
Click to expand...

Yes

Makey98 said:
i always assumed that cue ball speed, spins, and position were what seperated the novices from the advanced players and the pros.
Click to expand...

Correct

Makey98 said:
Maybe the real skill is just a natural inclination to developing proper arm, eye, and cue alignment and then ingraining that.
Click to expand...

It is both together. These are SOME of the things that GET the results that you talk about above.

Makey98 said:
Whatever it is, my arm doesn't have it. I naturally have a swerve in my arm swing and I have tried everything under the sun to adjust for it.
Click to expand...

You have not had enough table time to determine if you “have it” or not.

Makey98 said:
Secondly, the other question is has anyone else had this problem and come up with a method for getting the arm and the eyes lined up so that what looks to be straight on with a straight cue and proper eye position? Any drills that clicked for you?
Click to expand...

Yes invent your own to fix your problems.

Makey98 said:
My last option is a lesson with Scott Lee, who is around my area often. I don't have the cash for a pool lesson at this time and probably won't anytime soon, truthfully.
Click to expand...

There is a real benefit to good instruction there is NO QUESTION AT ALL that it WILL help your progress. Many teachers are “in it for the outcome, not the income” Scott is right here why not PM him and ask if you can negotiate or payment plan with him or both? Such an enthusiastic student is a “jolt of energy” for a lot of us. Find out if he is willing to give you a break and/or trust you to settle up with him timely? All he can say is “No” he won’t say “I am not going to teach you when you have the money because you asked that”

Much luck.
 
Wow! Thanks guys. I am very impressed and truthfully flattered that so many of you took so much time to read through my thoughts and post comments. The amount of time many of you clearly took addressing my questioning is very kind and much appreciated.

I made a list of all the comments that people made here in a condensed format that I will put on my dry erase board (record keeping) by my table so I can work on all of this.

One thing I did want to note however, is that I do not agree with dearnold and do agree with FranCrimi. Yes, people do have limitations and some people have natural talent but I am not in this game or life to define my potential in anything. I strive to make 400k a year, deadlift 500lbs, learn the violin, and many other goals. They may not all work out, but I won't stop trying because of some percieved ceiling. What I have noticed is that the truly great seem to ALL have an unbelievable, almost fanatical desire to practice until perfect. Jordan couldn't leave the gym until he ran this drill he invented perfectly. Tiger woods would hit balls at the range AFTER his full round of golf. I read on here one time that Beau Runningen was playing at a hall and just practiced straight pool breaks for 2 hours!! That kind of dedication is what creates greatness.

I may not have the time or choose to devote the time needed to become great at any of these things, but the struggle is half the fun. Finding out a new secret, getting to a new "breakthrough" in one of my tasks is what makes it worthwhile, not quantifying my ceiling. I agree it does get frustrating along the way, but if my biggest problems in life are that I can't run 50 balls of straight, deadlift 500lbs, or don't make 400k, then I say I have it pretty good! :o

Thanks for the post Scott. Hopefully something will work out soon. If you talk to anyone else in the Indianapolis area, let me know, possibly a semi-private lesson would work out.
 
Makey98 said:
My last option is a lesson with Scott Lee, who is around my area often. I don't have the cash for a pool lesson at this time and probably won't anytime soon, truthfully.

Thanks for your time. Matt
Click to expand...

Scott will help you become a better player. Much better player. $ave up. His course is excellent and a must do.
 
I have hit hundreds and hundreds of dead straight stop shots and I still am struggling to develop a straight stroke. I noticed I was "chicken winging" on my stroke. So I corrected it. I tried elbow out, elbow dead perpendicular, I have tried a light v grip, a more solid finger grip. Open bridge, closed bridge, more shoulder turn, less shoulder turn. Tried with chin over the cue, tried dominant eye over the cue. Cue under my body, cue out away from my body. Tried stroking into a beer bottle. Tried higher eye position, lower position. Things work for a while and I hit dead on with my stroke on straight in shots then it breaks down when I have to lean over the table or shoot off a rail. The shot "looks different." I have it for a while, then run some balls, then lose it. I feel like I am constantly changing my arm, elbow, eye position every session, trying to get my arm to move in a consistently straight line every time for multiple days. Nothing has worked.
Click to expand...

I feel like this is the same email I sent to J.Tucker a few weeks ago. It was a rainy day and he said to come over. After an hour of watching me he figured out three things:

1) My bridge was too short, and so was my backstroke.
2) My arm was textbook 90 degrees. Needed to be forward a little more.
3) My bridge hand thumb was too low, making a pooly-defined valley.

We fixed these three things, and realized that most of my problems stemmed from the very small amount of movement I had in by backstroke because of the short bridge. On the forward stroke, I would try to generate power from other places, mainly my shoulder, completely subconsciously. This would always manifest itself no matter how I changed my stroke, or how many times I practiced and thought I finally found my "new stroke". A better bridge hand gave me more peace-of-mind on the forward stroke.

Now I feel much more comfortable, can generate power out of what seems like thin air (because of the long bridge), and can really begin to focus intensly on my tip position, which I discovered also drifted because of my short-bridge-shoulder problem. I'm off the plateau and now going uphill again.

So just like you, actually EXACTLY like you, I virtually tried everything I could think of, and STILL couldn't get it. I really needed an experienced third party to help me out, in person.
 
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I live on the North side of Indy and recently had a full day lesson from Scott Lee. It was my second lesson with Scott. I could easily write a couple of pages of how helpful Scott has been and what a great teacher he is. His lesson was worth every penny x 10 as far as I'm concerned.

It sounds like you're putting a lot of hours into your pool game. How much is your time worth?

I really, really love pool. I play in a local APA league one night per week and really look forward to it. I had gotten into some bad habits since my first lesson with Scott and hit a wall in terms of improvement. Very frustrating and was taking a little of the enjoyment out of the game for me. The second lesson with Scott was really a break through for me and has rekindled my enthusiasm for the game. I don't know how you put a price on enjoying your favorite hobby but I can tell you I'd eat peanut butter sandwiches for a month if that's what I had to do in order to afford a lesson with Scott. Fortunately, that's not the case and I hope to have another lesson with Scott again in a couple of months.
 
Scott Lee said:
Makey98...Part of the problem is constant change...which results from not knowing what is "right" for you. I can help you figure that out pretty quickly. It's not how much you practice...it's how you practice. You have to have a way to measure yourself, and your results. You can't "fix" what you can't measure, and you can't fix what you don't know about (basically we don't know what we don't know! :D). Lastly, you need to look at a lesson as an investment, rather than an expense. I'll be there when you're ready...btw I was just there 10 days ago! :D I'll be back again in a month or so.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

What he says is exactly right.
 
I'm assuming you didn't start out playing straight pool but another game? How long have you been playing? If you play decent in other games but have trouble with straight pool then it may have more to do with your thought processes than your stroke. If you can run a rack of 9 ball once in awhile there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get into the 2nd rack in straight pool. If you're interested I may be able to help you out. I haven't played in the last few years but prior to that played straight pool for 40+ years. Be happy to take a look at what you're doing & I'm sure we can figure out what's holding you back. Let me know.
There's all kind of fancy drills out now & while I'm sure a lot are helpful I'll tell you about one that will improve every aspect of your game. You may or may not have heard of it. IMO there's no better drill for developing CB control & shot selection, both of which are essential to playing good straight pool. Also very good for speed control. Speed controls direction, something many novice or intermediate players don't realize.
Take all 15 balls & spread them out around the table so none are touching & all are at least 8-10" away from a rail. Place CB wherever you'd like & try to run the balls without the CB touching a rail. Once you're able to run all the balls some of the time then start moving some balls closer to the rails. Anyone I've ever shown this drill & whose stuck with it for awhile has shown measurable improvement, some of them drastically. If you can do this even 15-20% of the time or even fairly consistently run 10-11 balls then you'll find you can run 20+ in straight pool quite often.
Another thing about it is it teaches you to work backward from where you want to be to where you are. Oftentimes the way to proceed & which shots to shoot is made much clearer by working backwards. This is done by every good straight pool player whether they consciously realize it or not.


Good Luck, Steve
 
Steve...Perhaps you didn't read the title of the thread. The OP can't figure out how to create an accurate and repeatable stroke...something that almost nobody can figure out on their own. He keeps changing aspects of what he's doing, and as long as he does this, he will be inconsistent. Trying to practice playing the way you described will not get him a better stroke...at least not for many years...and probably not even then. There are scores of really good players who "figured it out on their own" with many years of persistent effort. The OP is trying to move the learning curve upwards, and good instruction is the shortest route to that acheivement.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

sparkle84 said:
I'm assuming you didn't start out playing straight pool but another game? How long have you been playing? If you play decent in other games but have trouble with straight pool then it may have more to do with your thought processes than your stroke. If you can run a rack of 9 ball once in awhile there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get into the 2nd rack in straight pool. If you're interested I may be able to help you out. I haven't played in the last few years but prior to that played straight pool for 40+ years. Be happy to take a look at what you're doing & I'm sure we can figure out what's holding you back. Let me know.
There's all kind of fancy drills out now & while I'm sure a lot are helpful I'll tell you about one that will improve every aspect of your game. You may or may not have heard of it. IMO there's no better drill for developing CB control & shot selection, both of which are essential to playing good straight pool. Also very good for speed control. Speed controls direction, something many novice or intermediate players don't realize.
Take all 15 balls & spread them out around the table so none are touching & all are at least 8-10" away from a rail. Place CB wherever you'd like & try to run the balls without the CB touching a rail. Once you're able to run all the balls some of the time then start moving some balls closer to the rails. Anyone I've ever shown this drill & whose stuck with it for awhile has shown measurable improvement, some of them drastically. If you can do this even 15-20% of the time or even fairly consistently run 10-11 balls then you'll find you can run 20+ in straight pool quite often.
Another thing about it is it teaches you to work backward from where you want to be to where you are. Oftentimes the way to proceed & which shots to shoot is made much clearer by working backwards. This is done by every good straight pool player whether they consciously realize it or not.


Good Luck, Steve
Click to expand...
 
The quest for a perfect stroke has to start with the definition of a perfect stroke.

I think Scott Lee has that definition.

SPF
randyg
 
This is an old post that got resurrected this week. Thanks to all for the comments. I have been having some health issues and not playing as much. Getting back into it a bit this week actually. No lesson yet.
 
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