I was thinking about it - and thought I might give a few tips that may help people get better at this wonderful game. Enjoy.
How is your grip? (that sounds kinky)
Seriously, do you have different grips for different shots/strokes?
To improve your game - experiment with your grips.
Did you know....that the "only" shot I use a tight grip on is a long straight in stop shot? Yep, only one.
On long straight in power draw shots I will actually just grip with my middle finger and thumb "semi-tight" because I have to lift the back of the cue before following through for more power. If I use the index I steer my tip and dog the ball.
Practice gripping with different fingers or single finger for different situations (example: thumb and middle finger, thumb and index, thumb and index plus middle, thumb and middle finger plus ring, etc, etc).
99% of the time you'll want loose grips so you can feel the hit and not steer the ball. Find out what works for you on different shots...and you might be surprised at the improvements you may find.
Remember, different people have different grips. Study good players up close and watch how they grip on different shots. Make mental notes. The grip is EXTREMELY important.
Try choking up your grip on all of the different types of shots. It may feel a bit unnatural at first, but just experiment on all of the different types of shots and see if you don't start hitting some more accurately with greater finesse. Try choking up on your break shot....but stay level. You don't want to jump off the table.
Experiment, experiment, experiment and you will improve.
Aiming System:
Here is my aiming system. Hit the shots a million times (all kinds of shots with all kinds of englishes with all kinds of grips over and over again, yes this game takes practice)...and then you'll just know where to aim. I honestly just don't have a great system. Sometimes if I'm not feeling confident I will imagine a ghost ball...but most of the time I can just find the edge of the ball. Hit a million shots and it will come easier and easier.
Oh, and practice the easy shots as much or more than the hard shots. Get comfortable with the theory behind pocketing the hard shots --- but make sure you never miss the easy ones.....these will cost you more games than hard ones. If the shot is just super hard, and super hard to get shape...play a safe of some sort.
If you're not comfortable with playing safes or how to hide the ball....leave your opponent long rail banks...or even short rail banks depending on their speed. If they're not great, chances are they'll dog it and leave you a shot.
Guess those are a few tips that might help some players out. Remember, I'm rated an H- (check out the rating thread)...but perhaps some I's - Z's could find this info useful.
Enjoy.
How is your grip? (that sounds kinky)
Seriously, do you have different grips for different shots/strokes?
To improve your game - experiment with your grips.
Did you know....that the "only" shot I use a tight grip on is a long straight in stop shot? Yep, only one.
On long straight in power draw shots I will actually just grip with my middle finger and thumb "semi-tight" because I have to lift the back of the cue before following through for more power. If I use the index I steer my tip and dog the ball.
Practice gripping with different fingers or single finger for different situations (example: thumb and middle finger, thumb and index, thumb and index plus middle, thumb and middle finger plus ring, etc, etc).
99% of the time you'll want loose grips so you can feel the hit and not steer the ball. Find out what works for you on different shots...and you might be surprised at the improvements you may find.
Remember, different people have different grips. Study good players up close and watch how they grip on different shots. Make mental notes. The grip is EXTREMELY important.
Try choking up your grip on all of the different types of shots. It may feel a bit unnatural at first, but just experiment on all of the different types of shots and see if you don't start hitting some more accurately with greater finesse. Try choking up on your break shot....but stay level. You don't want to jump off the table.
Experiment, experiment, experiment and you will improve.
Aiming System:
Here is my aiming system. Hit the shots a million times (all kinds of shots with all kinds of englishes with all kinds of grips over and over again, yes this game takes practice)...and then you'll just know where to aim. I honestly just don't have a great system. Sometimes if I'm not feeling confident I will imagine a ghost ball...but most of the time I can just find the edge of the ball. Hit a million shots and it will come easier and easier.
Oh, and practice the easy shots as much or more than the hard shots. Get comfortable with the theory behind pocketing the hard shots --- but make sure you never miss the easy ones.....these will cost you more games than hard ones. If the shot is just super hard, and super hard to get shape...play a safe of some sort.
If you're not comfortable with playing safes or how to hide the ball....leave your opponent long rail banks...or even short rail banks depending on their speed. If they're not great, chances are they'll dog it and leave you a shot.
Guess those are a few tips that might help some players out. Remember, I'm rated an H- (check out the rating thread)...but perhaps some I's - Z's could find this info useful.
Enjoy.
