The Stroke

L

LastTwo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey Shawn, you have one of the best strokes in pool and I was wondering if you could enlighten me about how you keep your stroke consistently straight. My game is off and on all the time. One day I play great and the next day I play very poorly. What I've noticed is on the days when I am playing good, my stroke is very straight and it's got rythm, and my arm feels very loose but controlled, and no tension. My stroke also stays very level, my cue doesn't dip downwards before I strike the cueball. On the days when I am playing bad, my arm feels very tight, as a result of that my stroke rythm becomes jerky and not smooth like normal, and my stroke is crooked, often I am pulling it inwards towards my body on the backstroke. My tip also starts to dip downwards before it contacts the cueball. Some players do this and play very well, but it is not a comfortabe feeling for me, I am not able to strike the ball cleanly doing that. Could it be that from day to day my stance and mechanics may have a slight change that would be throwing everything off? If I could keep my stroke straight every day I would never have a bad day. You probably rarely have an "off" day, but when you do, is there anything you check in your mechanics that usually gets you back in stroke? Thanks for your time.
 
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LastTwo said:
Hey Shawn, you have one of the best strokes in pool and I was wondering if you could enlighten me about how you keep your stroke consistently straight. My game is off and on all the time. One day I play great and the next day I play very poorly. What I've noticed is on the days when I am playing good, my stroke is very straight and it's got rythm, and my arm feels very loose but controlled, and no tension. My stroke also stays very level, my cue doesn't dip downwards before I strike the cueball. On the days when I am playing bad, my arm feels very tight, as a result of that my stroke rythm becomes jerky and not smooth like normal, and my stroke is crooked, often I am pulling it inwards towards my body on the backstroke. My tip also starts to dip downwards before it contacts the cueball. Some players do this and play very well, but it is not a comfortabe feeling for me, I am not able to strike the ball cleanly doing that. Could it be that from day to day my stance and mechanics may have a slight change that would be throwing everything off? If I could keep my stroke straight every day I would never have a bad day. You probably rarely have an "off" day, but when you do, is there anything you check in your mechanics that usually gets you back in stroke? Thanks for your time.
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MANY OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE A STRAIGHT STROKE. SO WHAT? THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POCKETING BALLS. CUE STICKS NEVER AIMED A BALL. ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT LINE-UP OF CUE BALL TO OBECT BALL TO POCKET, AIMED BALLS. NOTHING ELSE. STROKES NEVER POCKETED A BALL, NOR EVER AIMED A BALL.
 
sonia said:
MANY OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE A STRAIGHT STROKE. SO WHAT? THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POCKETING BALLS. CUE STICKS NEVER AIMED A BALL. ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT LINE-UP OF CUE BALL TO OBECT BALL TO POCKET, AIMED BALLS. NOTHING ELSE. STROKES NEVER POCKETED A BALL, NOR EVER AIMED A BALL.
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Where you at now my friend?

Dave from (that town) in Massachusetts :)
 
sonia said:
MANY OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE A STRAIGHT STROKE. SO WHAT? THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POCKETING BALLS. CUE STICKS NEVER AIMED A BALL. ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT LINE-UP OF CUE BALL TO OBECT BALL TO POCKET, AIMED BALLS. NOTHING ELSE. STROKES NEVER POCKETED A BALL, NOR EVER AIMED A BALL.
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That could be true but a straight stroke gives you more power. I've never been able to draw the ball the length of the table with a crooked stroke. When I am shooting good and my stroke is straight, power shots become alot easier.
 
Play The Simple Way And Win

LastTwo said:
That could be true but a straight stroke gives you more power. I've never been able to draw the ball the length of the table with a crooked stroke. When I am shooting good and my stroke is straight, power shots become alot easier.
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POWER SHOTS COME UP ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

AMATEURS LOVE POWER SHOTS, NOW THEY CAN PLAY LIKE AN AMATEUR

PROS ARE NOT DUMB ENOUGH TO BE THAT DUMB

LOOK FOR A BETTER OPTION

POWER SHOTS ON THE FIRST BALL ALMOST GUARANTEE BAD POSITION ON THE SECOND BALL.
 
Traveling Along Singing A Song

Koop said:
Where you at now my friend?

Dave from (that town) in Massachusetts :)
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ARIZONA

THEN UP THE EAST COAST
 
sonia said:
POWER SHOTS COME UP ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

AMATEURS LOVE POWER SHOTS, NOW THEY CAN PLAY LIKE AN AMATEUR

PROS ARE NOT DUMB ENOUGH TO BE THAT DUMB

LOOK FOR A BETTER OPTION

POWER SHOTS ON THE FIRST BALL ALMOST GUARANTEE BAD POSITION ON THE SECOND BALL.
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Hal I have respect for you, but please don't call me dumb. I'm not talking about slamming the ball and going 5 rails for position. I am talking about shots where the cb and ob are 5 or 6 feet apart and you have to draw all the way back, etc. Sometimes there are shots that you have to be able to "come with", and you need to be able to execute those shots to win.
 
LastTwo said:
Hal I have respect for you, but please don't call me dumb. I'm not talking about slamming the ball and going 5 rails for position. I am talking about shots where the cb and ob are 5 or 6 feet apart and you have to draw all the way back, etc. Sometimes there are shots that you have to be able to "come with", and you need to be able to execute those shots to win.
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Hi Last Two.
A stroke that's not straight comes from bad habbits growing up in the game.
If you have a straight stroke, you can't blame your misses on it.
The players that you see out there without straight strokes have just mastered bad habbits. do not master a bad habbit if you have acsess to a good teatcher(PRO).If you listen to someone who gives you bad advice , he'll do more harm than good.
 
Shawn Putnam said:
Hi Last Two.
A stroke that's not straight comes from bad habbits growing up in the game.
If you have a straight stroke, you can't blame your misses on it.
The players that you see out there without straight strokes have just mastered bad habbits. do not master a bad habbit if you have acsess to a good teatcher(PRO).If you listen to someone who gives you bad advice , he'll do more harm than good.
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Shawn, is ther any hope for a guy like me that has a side arm stroke?

What should I do?

Is there some kind of practice method I should try?

Mj
 
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MikeJanis said:
Shawn, is ther any hope for a guy like me that has a side arm stroke?

What should I do?

Is there some kind of practice method I should try?

Mj
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A stroke like yours seems as if you just mastered the bad habit of pocket pool and couldn't switch strokes when you had a cue in your hand. Your only hope comes from some advice Nick Varner once told me when I was having similar troubles. He said " just take a couple of weeks off and then just quit the game". I hope this advice helps. Good luck with the Viking Tour.

P.S. I'm ready for some 9-ball banks when your back in town
 
Al-fahl Amir said:
A stroke like yours seems as if you just mastered the bad habit of pocket pool and couldn't switch strokes when you had a cue in your hand. Your only hope comes from some advice Nick Varner once told me when I was having similar troubles. He said " just take a couple of weeks off and then just quit the game". I hope this advice helps. Good luck with the Viking Tour.

P.S. I'm ready for some 9-ball banks when your back in town
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Which town and who are you? Also, no 9-ball banks just full rack.

Mj
 
Timberly said:
Are you being facecious or do you not know? :p
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I didn't know. However, after reviewing his post and talking with Szuter I now know who it is. And he can have alll the bank action he wants, 9-ball rack or full stack. In fact the last time we played banks was on a snooker table in Columbus with only 3 balls. He must want his money back.

Mj
 
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MikeJanis said:
I don't know.

Mj
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Timberly - he must not remember us charging you for toilet paper at the after hours Inside Pool party in Valley Forge. Where we decided to hold our meeting in the hallway by the bathroom! How are you MJ?
 
nineballcc said:
Timberly - he must not remember us charging you for toilet paper at the after hours Inside Pool party in Valley Forge. Where we decided to hold our meeting in the hallway by the bathroom! How are you MJ?
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That was toilet paper? No wonder my hand rolled cigarettes tasted funny.

Good how you doin?

Mj

Ps... Please tell the bald guy the box I was supposed to send out last week is going out in the morning. I just finished packing it. It will come FedEx Ground to the specified address.
 
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MikeJanis said:
That was toilet paper? No wonder my hand rolled cigarettes tasted funny.

Good how you doin?

Mj
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Doing great - (Sorry Shawn when you read this - it's not about you :D )
Are you going to the Open? I plan on coming down there at least for Monday & Tuesday after the U.S. Open Warm-Up in Cambridge. Haven't seen you since VF.
 
nineballcc said:
Doing great - (Sorry Shawn when you read this - it's not about you :D )
Are you going to the Open? I plan on coming down there at least for Monday & Tuesday after the U.S. Open Warm-Up in Cambridge. Haven't seen you since VF.
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I am planning on being at the Open Fri-Sun. Looks like I won't get to see you again till VF.

That Sucks :-(
Mj
 
MikeJanis said:
I didn't know. However, after reviewing his post and talking with Szuter I now know who it is. And he can have alll the bank action he wants, 9-ball rack or full stack. In fact the last time we played banks was on a snooker table in Columbus with only 3 balls. He must want his money back.

Mj
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Since you moved the tour down south I've missed the regular ass beatings you use to give me at bank pool. Looking forward to the torture the next time I see you.
 
Al-fahl Amir said:
Since you moved the tour down south I've missed the regular ass beatings you use to give me at bank pool. Looking forward to the torture the next time I see you.
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It sounds like you've been practicing the bumps.

Mj
 
MikeJanis said:
I am planning on being at the Open Fri-Sun. Looks like I won't get to see you again till VF.

That Sucks :-(
Mj
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But you'll get to see me! ;)
 
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