PoolSleuth
Banned
I seem to have a constant difficulty make what I call Long Shots. A shot where the cue Ball is at one End of the Table, and the Object ball is at the other. Anyone have any tips for making these shot more consistently?
Tips/Help with my Long Shots
- Thread starter PoolSleuth
- Start date
quickie..
Try to shorten up your stroke on the long shots, cut your stroke in half (at least) and remember to follow through. Try it. It helps me and it has helped others I worked with on it... Use the thought of a 'PUNCH' or 'JAB' it doesn't take much power to pocket balls, (unless you are at fastbreaks..LOL).
Try to shorten up your stroke on the long shots, cut your stroke in half (at least) and remember to follow through. Try it. It helps me and it has helped others I worked with on it... Use the thought of a 'PUNCH' or 'JAB' it doesn't take much power to pocket balls, (unless you are at fastbreaks..LOL).
PoolSleuth said:
stop punching them
If yo are having trouble with long shots, and your vision is okay, then the first place I would look is your mechanics. My guess is your stroke is not true and it's causing you to put unintended english on the cueball.
My favorite drill for checking this is to put a piece of chalk on the middle diamond of the bottom rail. Put the cueball on the head spot (make sure the spot is correctly centered), and shoot hard at the chalk you placed on the bottom rail. The cueball should rebound straight back to the spot. If you see a pattern whereby it comes off the rail crooked, you'll know you have work to do on your stroke.
The most common mechanical issue I see with players is they do not have their wrist, elbow and shoulder joint aligned. If you are correctly positioned, all three joints will be vertically aligned, or "on plane," as I like to refer to it. The alignment of your eyes, whether you shoot "binocular" or "dominant eye," is also a factor. Which to use and how to use your eye alignment could take volumes to describe--there are almost infinite variations, and any can work as long as you are consistent--so I would suggest a competent instructor to help you with that one.
If that is the case with you, get an instructor to get you aligned correctly. You can also support that instruction with a video camera, which can be a terrific asset.
Once you get aligned, you'll have to monitor it regularly because your natural tendency will be to return to your error. Good luck with it.
My favorite drill for checking this is to put a piece of chalk on the middle diamond of the bottom rail. Put the cueball on the head spot (make sure the spot is correctly centered), and shoot hard at the chalk you placed on the bottom rail. The cueball should rebound straight back to the spot. If you see a pattern whereby it comes off the rail crooked, you'll know you have work to do on your stroke.
The most common mechanical issue I see with players is they do not have their wrist, elbow and shoulder joint aligned. If you are correctly positioned, all three joints will be vertically aligned, or "on plane," as I like to refer to it. The alignment of your eyes, whether you shoot "binocular" or "dominant eye," is also a factor. Which to use and how to use your eye alignment could take volumes to describe--there are almost infinite variations, and any can work as long as you are consistent--so I would suggest a competent instructor to help you with that one.
If that is the case with you, get an instructor to get you aligned correctly. You can also support that instruction with a video camera, which can be a terrific asset.
Once you get aligned, you'll have to monitor it regularly because your natural tendency will be to return to your error. Good luck with it.
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Well let's see....
There is stroking by not moving your upper arm (watch the better players), then following through after the hit, leaving the tip of your cue pointing to where you were aiming (not up and to the left, up to right, up in air), then staying down on your shot for several seconds.
Shooting harder does not improve aiming one bit! Shoot with just enough speed to make the pocket.
Then there is viewing/shooting the shot from the level of your cue. Touching or almost touching your cue with your chin you are so low. (Get down!)
Try stepping back from the table about 5 feet, view the shot, then walk up to shoot and you should be standing in the correct place.
And I hope you are not using english on these long shots. Using english can make the cue ball go to a different spot than where you were aiming. I can do a lot with just follow, stop, or draw.
And then do the following practice daily. Skip down to where it says "Progressive straight shot practice" (about half way down the page). This will help you practice straight shots at various distances. The shot with the object ball in the center of the table is the most difficult. Daily practice of this will teach you to aim and shoot to an exact spot. Also the object ball should go into the CENTER of the pocket, not just barely make it. Make yourself reshoot it until you can get the object ball to go into the center of the pocket. Might try shooting to left side of pocket, then right, then center. This takes exact aiming. Then center will be easier.
http://www.geocities.com/billybobnospam/basic_daily_practice.html
There is stroking by not moving your upper arm (watch the better players), then following through after the hit, leaving the tip of your cue pointing to where you were aiming (not up and to the left, up to right, up in air), then staying down on your shot for several seconds.
Shooting harder does not improve aiming one bit! Shoot with just enough speed to make the pocket.
Then there is viewing/shooting the shot from the level of your cue. Touching or almost touching your cue with your chin you are so low. (Get down!)
Try stepping back from the table about 5 feet, view the shot, then walk up to shoot and you should be standing in the correct place.
And I hope you are not using english on these long shots. Using english can make the cue ball go to a different spot than where you were aiming. I can do a lot with just follow, stop, or draw.
And then do the following practice daily. Skip down to where it says "Progressive straight shot practice" (about half way down the page). This will help you practice straight shots at various distances. The shot with the object ball in the center of the table is the most difficult. Daily practice of this will teach you to aim and shoot to an exact spot. Also the object ball should go into the CENTER of the pocket, not just barely make it. Make yourself reshoot it until you can get the object ball to go into the center of the pocket. Might try shooting to left side of pocket, then right, then center. This takes exact aiming. Then center will be easier.
http://www.geocities.com/billybobnospam/basic_daily_practice.html
PoolSleuth
Banned
I will try all these Tips today. As they say South of the Border "Gracias.. " or Thanks.... 
PoolSleuth said:I will try all these Tips today. As they say South of the Border "Gracias.. " or Thanks....
Many of the above suggestions will help you pocket the ball. However, one idea that wasn't listed above is to get Joe Tucker's 3rd Eye Stroke trainer and work with it. It's possible your stroke is off, you're adding unintended english, you're not aiming correctly, yada yada. Get his trainer and it won't take you long at all to find out and figure out how to make the pot consistently, and with time, get position for the next ball. For that you might just need to use some english, with the 3rd eye, this will become easier.
Flex
PoolSleuth
Banned
Remove ALL English, and was have some Success today.
Thanks for the ideas...
Thanks for the ideas...
people miss longs shots when using english because the longer the shot, the more you must compensate for squirt. so, if you use outside english you will tend to drastically undercut balls (if you think about your misses, you may have noticed this already). then, when people use center ball on a long shot, their brains remember undercutting those outside english shots, and many people over cut with center ball. so, cut more than u think will outside english, cut less than u think with center ball (there are more intricacies to this, like when using a punch or center ball stroke, but try these first). after getting used to this on the practice table, it will start to pay off competitively. and if you really wanna improve long shots (esp ones with english), there is really no debating this, you need a low deflection shaft. don't listen to people who say i'm wrong is probably just as important as what i've told you above. good luck!
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Do you miss the same way each time, or at least the majority of the time? If the answer is yes and you are hitting center ball (level cue and a little above center is preferred, but with no left/right english) then I would work on your aim.
This would include how you address the shot from a standing position as well as once you're down on the shot. I tend to under cut long shots and have tried to adjust by finding an aim point beyond the ball I intend to pocket while still standing and aim for that spot instead of the ball. I only use this for long shots (I think I'm slowly going blind) and it has helped me. Those long ones will uncover even the slightest amount of misalignment that would not normally show up in a half table game.
Good luck, Dave
This would include how you address the shot from a standing position as well as once you're down on the shot. I tend to under cut long shots and have tried to adjust by finding an aim point beyond the ball I intend to pocket while still standing and aim for that spot instead of the ball. I only use this for long shots (I think I'm slowly going blind) and it has helped me. Those long ones will uncover even the slightest amount of misalignment that would not normally show up in a half table game.
Good luck, Dave
IMO, one of the most important things is having a straight stroke, so the first thing I do when I begin a practice session is to set the table up like this:
START(
%A[4O6%B]5X4%CY7F5%DY6W6%E^2Z0%FX0D4%GY6D6%H]0Y8%I[6X5%J[3D2
%K\9G3%LV5D7%M]6D5%NY5Y6%O[4Y9%Pn6F3%WD5Z8%Xm5F8
)END
The object is to take BIH behind the first diamond and shoot at an OB on the center spot directly across the table. Repeat until you either shoot 5 in a row or all 15 balls are sunk. By the time I've finished this drill, I'm very confident of my aim on long shots. Just do this once everytime you practice and you WILL notice a difference. Hope this helps.
START(
%A[4O6%B]5X4%CY7F5%DY6W6%E^2Z0%FX0D4%GY6D6%H]0Y8%I[6X5%J[3D2
%K\9G3%LV5D7%M]6D5%NY5Y6%O[4Y9%Pn6F3%WD5Z8%Xm5F8
)END
The object is to take BIH behind the first diamond and shoot at an OB on the center spot directly across the table. Repeat until you either shoot 5 in a row or all 15 balls are sunk. By the time I've finished this drill, I'm very confident of my aim on long shots. Just do this once everytime you practice and you WILL notice a difference. Hope this helps.
Here is the best advice I can give you.... Set up the shot you are having the most problems with. Shoot and pocket it 100 times a day for a week. Then if you still have problems its most likely mental
I think Flex and Donovan are on the money here:
IMHO, 95% of the challenge on long shots is aiming related.
People assume they are aligned for the shot when actually they are not. They think they miss due to poor mechanics, which in most cases is not the case.
It's actually pretty easy to hit the CB where you want and along the line you want with acceptable accuracy for most shots.
Bet when you're not aligned properly, the subconscious senses this during the stroke and tries to adjust. This causes doubtful movements in the stroke.
My advice is work on your alignment on these shots. Make up your mind on your line and how you will stroke the CB. Then have faith and stroke smoothly.
A tip can be to look at the CB instead of the OB once you've settled your bridge position and decided how and where you'll strike the CB. Then just stroke the CB, look up and see if you aligned correctly.
If you hit left, adjust to the right next time, and try to see what tricks your eyes are playing on you, or where you making errors in accounting for the effects of english.
Start of aligning plain ball shots until you are confident that you know how to align these. Then you can progress to the adjustments for english.
IMHO, 95% of the challenge on long shots is aiming related.
People assume they are aligned for the shot when actually they are not. They think they miss due to poor mechanics, which in most cases is not the case.
It's actually pretty easy to hit the CB where you want and along the line you want with acceptable accuracy for most shots.
Bet when you're not aligned properly, the subconscious senses this during the stroke and tries to adjust. This causes doubtful movements in the stroke.
My advice is work on your alignment on these shots. Make up your mind on your line and how you will stroke the CB. Then have faith and stroke smoothly.
A tip can be to look at the CB instead of the OB once you've settled your bridge position and decided how and where you'll strike the CB. Then just stroke the CB, look up and see if you aligned correctly.
If you hit left, adjust to the right next time, and try to see what tricks your eyes are playing on you, or where you making errors in accounting for the effects of english.
Start of aligning plain ball shots until you are confident that you know how to align these. Then you can progress to the adjustments for english.
titlistsucker
Deceased
One problem is also ur eye movement, which i find many ppl puzzling neglect. when i am in a slump i always find that 80% of the time its in the eyes.
Remember ur rapid eye moment...
so to speak...and keep eyes on object ball when executing!
Bgrds
Raist
Remember ur rapid eye moment...
so to speak...and keep eyes on object ball when executing!Bgrds
Raist
PoolSleuth said:
Good. To learn more about using english on long shots (or why not to use english), shoot just the cue ball at the far center diamond using a center ball hit. Then do the same with left and right english. Try different speeds. You will probably notice that the cue ball does not go to the same exact spot as a dead center hit.
And this is why it is a good idea to not use english.
Around here, we have a local "old timer" who teaches beginners to use english. He tells them to use english on every shot almost. Needless to say, these beginners miss shots constantly.
I took one of these beginners aside and gave him a few lessons. The first thing I told him was to NOT use english. And I showed him why. Had him shoot the cue ball at the far center diamond, etc. His game instantly improved. Then I taught him follow, stop, and draw shots. Told him he could do a lot with just those shots and no english. Along with that and staying down on his shots, following through, leaving tip pointing at where he was aiming, he has improved 1000%. He even took 2nd in a tournament the other night. So keep it simple for now. You can learn english later. But first get those center ball hits down.
PoolSleuth
Banned
Shot is getting better, thanks for all the ideas, and input.
think snooker, that's all i could say, think snooker,snooker snooker, mark williams the world's greatest long shot potter is the man to watch when attempting to take on a long pot. here is some advice, try to look like an oil painting. meaning, watch the great snooker players, notice that they look like subjects in an oil painting, they do not move! like a figure from a london wax museum, still, perfectly still! this is the first major key to potting long shots, take your stance and play DEAD!, do not move your shooting arm. wait, did he just say do NOT move your shooting arm?????, YES, do NOT move your shooting arm! stay still, totally STILL. now that your down in your stance, over the shot sighting is in check, everything is in line, now you could slowly move your shooting arm back and forth straight slowly smoothly and without much fanfare, as you finally engage in your final two strokes stay put!, and without any change in anything, go straight through the shot, without moving, except your shooting arm. the difference between, american pool shooters and british potters is being perfectly still. the british have mastered being still, americans have not, and that is where your problem lies, remember stay still!