The sound of a pro shooting pool???!!!???

BigRigTom

BigRigTom

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I noticed something that was an awaking for me when I watch the exhibition matches at Butera's Billiards Friday night...(4/24/2009)....it was the "SOUND OF THE BALLS" when shot by world class professional players. That "SOUND" is different than when people like me shoot pool!
Johnny Archer, Nick Varner and Sal Butera were shooting GREAT pool and I had the pleasure of sitting on a bar stool close enough to touch those players when ever they were shooting from the side of the table in front of me.
As the night passed I began to notice that the sound of the shots were different. I noticed this when Johnny and Nick partnered up with one of the audience in a scotch doubles rack. The pro and his partner would alternate shots and some of those guys from the audience were pretty good pool players but the sound of the shot was different.

I then became aware of the fact that earlier that evening when Nick Varner played a race to 7 in a 9 ball match against the young shooter named Brandan (don't know his last name)....the sounds of the shots were NOT different so what I am saying is that Brandan already has that secret down pat even though he may not be aware that he does....hmmmm.

Does anyone know the secret behind this?
I would love to hear what you all have to say?
 
It' called a smooth stroke! Ever watch Buddy Hall play, he has one if not the best strokes and cue ball control as any player ever. Every time he shoots the sound is the same. Lots of practice and dedication to the game.
 
Hitting the ball pocket weight and leaving proper angles/spin to move the CB. It seems to be the same click every shot. Snooker you can really notice. When I show people how to hit a ball I tell them to listen for the sound of the balls hitting.

For example: CB and OB are 1 diamond apart and 4 diamonds from the pocket. To get pocket weight on this is a good practice... Now put the OB 4 diamonds fromt he CB and 1 diamond from the pocket. You will find to get that same click you have to hit a little harder. Once you have that click on this shot (hard enough for stop shots)... you have a starting point to begin back spin/top spin. It will be easier to move the CB a foot or two back or forward with control. Watch a snooker match and listen to them hit the ball.
 
Jason Robichaud said:
Hitting the ball pocket weight and leaving proper angles/spin to move the CB. It seems to be the same click every shot. Snooker you can really notice. When I show people how to hit a ball I tell them to listen for the sound of the balls hitting.

For example: CB and OB are 1 diamond apart and 4 diamonds from the pocket. To get pocket weight on this is a good practice... Now put the OB 4 diamonds fromt he CB and 1 diamond from the pocket. You will find to get that same click you have to hit a little harder. Once you have that click on this shot (hard enough for stop shots)... you have a starting point to begin back spin/top spin. It will be easier to move the CB a foot or two back or forward with control. Watch a snooker match and listen to them hit the ball.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jason,
I will try this out. I did notice also that Johnny Archer, Nick Varner and Sal Butera all have super different stokes but the sounds seemed to be VERY close to the same.
Has anyone else noticed that or am I delusional?
 
Having a good stroke is the key part of it, but the stroke speed(volume) and English will also affect the sound of the ball collisions.

Using near center CB contact and extreme english will also affect the sound or the CB-OB collisions. It's most noticeable on slow cloth tables. For pro tourneys, you are talking about fast cloth.
Near center english has a crisp sound, and extreme english can produce a little thudding sound.

But, honestly...I don't pay attention to the sounds. For me, I focus more on the visual aspect of pool.
 
Perhaps this is why the term banger was coined. Casual players 'banging' the balls, while more experienced players are smoother strokers.
 
I think the thing your ears are picking up is the smoother rhythm of good shooting.

It's not like BANG-PLOK! When a banger smacks a ball in at warp speed.

It's tick - click - clop (sound of tip hitting cue ball, cue ball hitting object ball, object ball hitting bottom of pocket). When the pros are playing well they are leaving themselves position where a ball hardly ever has to be struck more than like 7 miles per hour, every shot can be just rolled in at a medium natural pace without using much force to move whitey around the table. You hear this quiet pattern... tick click clop...tick click clop... until the rack is over.
 
The Sounds those pool balls make!

Yes your right Tom, "You can Hear" when someone is playing good and when their not, and it will put You into stroke as well if someone is playing well......

all those that wear walk-mans are missing the point.



David Harcrow
 
on a gold crown at least, the balls sound different when you hit dead center of the pocket, kinda likea "PLOINK" even at a medium/ medium soft speed. or i could be crazy.
 
What you are hearing is the sound of a "clean" hit on the cue ball. It is a soft click and not a loud bang. Good players with good strokes deliver this kind of hit, some better than others. They are usually hitting near the center of the cue ball, within one tip of center on most shots. That's all the english they need.
 
BigRigTom said:
Does anyone know the secret behind this?
I would love to hear what you all have to say?
Click to expand...

It has to do with perfect alignement. They're not swiping at the cueball, the cue is moving straight through which creates a different sound. With more accurate cueing the balls are hitting dead centre on the pocket.
 
jay helfert said:
What you are hearing is the sound of a "clean" hit on the cue ball. It is a soft click and not a loud bang. Good players with good strokes deliver this kind of hit, some better than others. They are usually hitting near the center of the cue ball, within one tip of center on most shots. That's all the english they need.
Click to expand...

I agree. The biggest difference sonically speaking when a pro level player shoots is not in the balls hitting each other or the pockets, but in the sound of the cue contacting the cue ball.

I was taking a lesson from Dave Hemmah the other day and we talked about this exact thing - his shots definitely sounded different than mine (I know, can you believe it?, lol). He said that pro sound comes from a two things. One is a smooth, accelerating stroke, where you are accelerating through the cue ball rather than hitting at it. Secondly, the pro stroke stays dead straight on line through the ball. There is no twist or torque off the line of travel that to some degree results in a glancing blow rather than a completely solid shot and can also cause you to strike the cue off center (unwanted english).
 
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I also noticed the same with card players. I worked as a dealer in a casino. I could always tell what players were the winners from the sound made when they stacked their chips. If there was no sound when they stacked their chips they were losers. :yeah:

I also worked with a guy that was addicted to playing the horses. He said that he could always pick the winner from the sound of the way that a horse ran. The only problem was that he always heard it as the horse crossed the finish line. :rotflmao1:
 
jay helfert said:
What you are hearing is the sound of a "clean" hit on the cue ball. It is a soft click and not a loud bang. Good players with good strokes deliver this kind of hit, some better than others. They are usually hitting near the center of the cue ball, within one tip of center on most shots. That's all the english they need.
Click to expand...

I think Jay nailed it here. There's really nothing you can do to change the sound of a ball hitting another ball, or a ball hitting a pocket, but the tip hitting the cue ball is another story.

Roger
 
When I am asked about speed on shots, my reply is;

Shoot a lag shot.
How far does the cue ball travel?
How many shots on the table are that far?
Why hit the ball any harder than a lag shot?

Shoot softer and keep the cue tip closer to center.

This was a tip I got from Earl Strickland in the mid 80s when he worked for Bob Meucci.
 
Tick - Click - Clop!

CreeDo said:
I think the thing your ears are picking up is the smoother rhythm of good shooting.

It's not like BANG-PLOK! When a banger smacks a ball in at warp speed.

It's tick - click - clop (sound of tip hitting cue ball, cue ball hitting object ball, object ball hitting bottom of pocket). When the pros are playing well they are leaving themselves position where a ball hardly ever has to be struck more than like 7 miles per hour, every shot can be just rolled in at a medium natural pace without using much force to move whitey around the table. You hear this quiet pattern... tick click clop...tick click clop... until the rack is over.
Click to expand...

TICK - CLICK - CLOP. :thumbup:
That would make for a great title for an instructional pool book. :)

If it were one of those downloadable Internet books you could even install the audio track for the sound.

JoeyA
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
I agree. The biggest difference sonically speaking when a pro level player shoots is not in the balls hitting each other or the pockets, but in the sound of the cue contacting the cue ball.

I was taking a lesson from Dave Hemmah the other day and we talked about this exact thing - his shots definitely sounded different than mine (I know, can you believe it?, lol). He said that pro sound comes from a two things. One is a smooth, accelerating stroke, where you are accelerating through the cue ball rather than hitting at it. Secondly, the pro stroke stays dead straight on line through the ball. There is no twist or torque off the line of travel that to some degree results in a glancing blow rather than a completely solid shot and can also cause you to strike the cue off center (unwanted english).
Click to expand...

Sometimes you will hear players talk about someone who "goes through the ball well". This is what you are referring to here. The best players make the best and STRAIGHTEST strike at the cue ball, thus imparting more action and better control. Believe me it does make a difference if you make a good hit on the cue ball. Earl, Buddy, Parica and Orcullo are among the best "hitters/strikers" of the ball I ever saw, or heard! :)
 
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jay helfert said:
Sometimes you will hear players talk about someone who "goes through the ball well". This is what you are referring to here. The best players make the best and STRAIGHTEST strike at the cue ball, thus imparting more action and better control. Believe me it does make a difference if you make a good hit on the cue ball. Earl, Buddy, Parica and Orcullo are among the best "hitters" of the ball I ever saw, or heard! :)
Click to expand...

Exactly, Jay. One of the things Dave was saying in helping me stroke through rather than jab at was "think of keeping the tip on the cue ball longer". He didn't mean this literally like a push stroke but I got what he was referring to. That smooth acceleration through the cue ball has the sensation of the tip staying on the ball longer. And it helps you to stay straight through the stroke - so important in making that solid strike.

Btw, as long as I was seeing him for a lesson I had him sign the cover of my copy of "Pool Wars" :p What the hell, right? When I pulled it out he had a big grin.
 
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