Took a video of me hitting around. Any advice would be appreciated!

[Andrew808]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot of old threads in this subforum where a poster will post a video of themselves hitting some balls and the instructors on here always have a lot of good input, so thought I'd give it a shot. This is a 3 minute vid of me just hitting some balls around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6iDRzzaUIg&feature=youtu.be

I wasn't actually playing a game because if I was, the video would've taken too long

Does anyone have any input for me on what I need to work on? I'm having a lot of trouble trying to maintain any sort of consistency aiming at cut shots. Sometimes I make them, sometimes I'm horribly off target. I'm also terrible at cue ball control.

Anyways thanks for watching!

 

[BeiberLvr]

*Not an Instructor*

- Stay down!! You're getting up after you shoot way too quickly. It might be your worst habit, and one of the easiest to fix. Set up some easy straight in shots, and shoot them in. After you make contact with the CB, stay down and pretend your posing for a picture. Do that over and over again until you no longer have to think about it.

- Lower the back end of your cue. You're jacked up a lot. Judging by your level of play, I think it's safe to assume you aren't always accurate with where you are hitting the CB. So by being jacked up like you are, if you hit off center, you're causing the CB to swerve/masse. This will end up in a lot of missed shots.

- On your occasional elbow drop. Ultimately it's up to you to decide whether or not to keep it in your game, but I think yours is a little too severe. You end up steering the cue, and that will also cause you to miss balls. If you are going to drop your elbow, make sure you are going straight through with your cue, and not steering. This is probably a result of both your stance and having the cue jacked up as much as you do. I'll let an actual instructor comment on this further with better advice.

- Work on your speed control. There's a few shots you are hitting at nearly break speed.

Finally, if possible, try to record again but with the camera at either the head or foot rail. This will give others a better view, and allow them to more efficiently critique your fundamentals.

Best of luck

Jon

 

[CJ Wiley]

I'll suggest a few things to get you on the correct path:

I'll suggest a few things to get you on the correct path:

1) Keep your cue more level, don't use a closed bridge off the rail

2) Grip the cue further up towards the balance point for added cue control

3) Limit your follow through, it's too long...it should be no longer than your backswing

4) Open up your stance and try to put your left foot parallel to the shot line

5) Establish your upper body angles (arms, elbow, wrist, hand) above the cue ball before you get down....if you want to know what these angles feel like simply get down into your best shooting position, then raise up at the waist and maintain the exact upper body angles....notice what that's like and then go back down to shoot again....this should be better if you "begin with the end in mind".

Those are some things to work on for 3 or 4 weeks.....Play Well

Hi,

I've been reading a lot of old threads in this subforum where a poster will post a video of themselves hitting some balls and the instructors on here always have a lot of good input, so thought I'd give it a shot. This is a 3 minute vid of me just hitting some balls around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6iDRzzaUIg&feature=youtu.be

I wasn't actually playing a game because if I was, the video would've taken too long

Does anyone have any input for me on what I need to work on? I'm having a lot of trouble trying to maintain any sort of consistency aiming at cut shots. Sometimes I make them, sometimes I'm horribly off target. I'm also terrible at cue ball control.

Anyways thanks for watching!

 

[Andrew808]

Awesome this is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping to get. I will print out and work on all those things.

Thanks BL and CJ!!

 

[FranCrimi]

Andrew, you wrote previously that you are going to take a lesson with Max in a couple of weeks.

I think it's a mistake to try to change your game at this point because when you show up for your lesson and are asked to shoot a bit so he can see your game, you will be showing him something that isn't really your game, but some combination of how you play and what you where trying to change into.

I think you would help your instructor the most if you allow him to see who you really are at the table so he can see what your true tendencies and habits are. Maybe he'll say some of the same things about your game that you are reading here, but at least he can help you work on those changes and help you track your progress, but he has to know your true starting point.

 

[Big C]

The first thing I would change is getting a good set of lights above that table. Ambient lighting is not good for playing. The game is hard enough as it is and you need to be able to see things clearly.
Other than that, I concur with a lot of what the other posters are saying. You have several mechanical and technical aspects that need immediate attention. It looks like you either haven't been playing for very long, or you have been playing for a while and just never had anyone give you any feedback on your mechanics. There is a lot of free stuff out there that you can find online that can help you with those mechanical issues. IMO, the best way to get better is to meet with a teacher. In the meantime, work on keeping the cue as level as possible while keeping your grip hand directly under your elbow. Work on stroke drills and ball pocketing instead of just shooting shots around the table. If you are serious about improving, your practice sessions need to be structured with specific goals. Only work on one or two things in one session and only for an hour at a time. Here is a website I recommend for drills and pool knowledge. http://billiards.colostate.edu/ There are many, but this one is well stocked and presented very well.

 

[Andrew808]

Andrew, you wrote previously that you are going to take a lesson with Max in a couple of weeks.

I think it's a mistake to try to change your game at this point because when you show up for your lesson and are asked to shoot a bit so he can see your game, you will be showing him something that isn't really your game, but some combination of how you play and what you where trying to change into.

I think you would help your instructor the most if you allow him to see who you really are at the table so he can see what your true tendencies and habits are. Maybe he'll say some of the same things about your game that you are reading here, but at least he can help you work on those changes and help you track your progress, but he has to know your true starting point.

That's a good point. At this point, my game is changing every time I read a thread and pick up on something else to try. I actually heard back from Lee Brett after emailing him before starting the previous thread and not hearing back. I'd be willing to take a lesson with him this weekend, but I don't think he's available. I will see if Max is available tomorrow. Thanks

****
Big C: I wanted to get overhead lights, but the ceiling in that room is too high and angled. Just can't justify the cost right now, so floor lights are gonna have to do.

You're right, I haven't been playing long. Just messed around in college at bars, then got married, had kids, worked, etc for 10+ years. Moved into a house last year with the space for a game room, and here I am.

I will work on all the things mentioned here, do drills, get lessons. I want to seriously improve, as it's beyond frustrating how inconsistent I am right now. Thanks for the input

 

[Andrew808]

The first thing I would change is getting a good set of lights above that table. Ambient lighting is not good for playing. The game is hard enough as it is and you need to be able to see things clearly.
Other than that, I concur with a lot of what the other posters are saying. You have several mechanical and technical aspects that need immediate attention. It looks like you either haven't been playing for very long, or you have been playing for a while and just never had anyone give you any feedback on your mechanics. There is a lot of free stuff out there that you can find online that can help you with those mechanical issues. IMO, the best way to get better is to meet with a teacher. In the meantime, work on keeping the cue as level as possible while keeping your grip hand directly under your elbow. Work on stroke drills and ball pocketing instead of just shooting shots around the table. If you are serious about improving, your practice sessions need to be structured with specific goals. Only work on one or two things in one session and only for an hour at a time. Here is a website I recommend for drills and pool knowledge. http://billiards.colostate.edu/ There are many, but this one is well stocked and presented very well.

I wanted to get overhead lights, but the ceiling in that room is angled and really high, and the estimate to install overhead lighting was just too much. The floor lights are the best I can do for now.

You're right, I haven't been playing long (at least not seriously). Just putted around with friends at bars during college, then got married, had kids, worked, etc for 10+ years. Moved into a new house last year, got a table, and now here I am.

I will work on drills, take lessons and all those things, as I really do want to see some improvement in my game and it's very frustrating how inconsistent I am right now. Thanks for the input

 

[Andrew808]

The first thing I would change is getting a good set of lights above that table. Ambient lighting is not good for playing. The game is hard enough as it is and you need to be able to see things clearly.
Other than that, I concur with a lot of what the other posters are saying. You have several mechanical and technical aspects that need immediate attention. It looks like you either haven't been playing for very long, or you have been playing for a while and just never had anyone give you any feedback on your mechanics. There is a lot of free stuff out there that you can find online that can help you with those mechanical issues. IMO, the best way to get better is to meet with a teacher. In the meantime, work on keeping the cue as level as possible while keeping your grip hand directly under your elbow. Work on stroke drills and ball pocketing instead of just shooting shots around the table. If you are serious about improving, your practice sessions need to be structured with specific goals. Only work on one or two things in one session and only for an hour at a time. Here is a website I recommend for drills and pool knowledge. http://billiards.colostate.edu/ There are many, but this one is well stocked and presented very well.

I wanted to get overhead lights, but the ceiling in that room is too high and angled. Just can't justify the cost right now, so floor lights are gonna have to do.

You're right, I haven't been playing long. Just messed around in college at bars, then got married, had kids, worked, etc for 10+ years. Moved into a house last year with the space for a game room, and here I am.

I will work on all the things mentioned here, do drills, get lessons. I want to seriously improve, as it's beyond frustrating how inconsistent I am right now. Thanks for the input

 

[randyg]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot of old threads in this subforum where a poster will post a video of themselves hitting some balls and the instructors on here always have a lot of good input, so thought I'd give it a shot. This is a 3 minute vid of me just hitting some balls around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6iDRzzaUIg&feature=youtu.be

I wasn't actually playing a game because if I was, the video would've taken too long

Does anyone have any input for me on what I need to work on? I'm having a lot of trouble trying to maintain any sort of consistency aiming at cut shots. Sometimes I make them, sometimes I'm horribly off target. I'm also terrible at cue ball control.

Anyways thanks for watching!

Andrew

Ask Max to:
complete your stroke
fix your bridge
give you a good eye pattern

randyg

 

[Andrew808]

Andrew

Ask Max to:
complete your stroke
fix your bridge
give you a good eye pattern

randyg

Will do. Thanks Randy

 

[SmoothStroke]

Start Fresh

Everything looks very uncomfortable. It doesn't look like you have been playing very long. I would start fresh, instead of trying to correct what you have.

If you will be taking lessons that is what I would ask for, If I were instructing you that would be my path if you didn't ask, a new beginning....Let's start from scratch. Anything else in my opinion would be like putting a band aid on an axe wound (No disrespect intended)

Get better lighting; you will be surprised how different types of lighting affect your eyes. You can't hit what you can't see. When I play in a dark room with globe lights I will immediately get closer to the table for a few seconds so my eyes adjust to the light.

Best of Luck
SS

 

[Andrew808]

Everything looks very uncomfortable. It doesn't look like you have been playing very long. I would start fresh, instead of trying to correct what you have.

If you will be taking lessons that is what I would ask for, If I were instructing you that would be my path if you didn't ask, a new beginning....Let's start from scratch. Anything else in my opinion would be like putting a band aid on an axe wound (No disrespect intended)

Get better lighting; you will be surprised how different types of lighting affect your eyes. You can't hit what you can't see. When I play in a dark room with globe lights I will immediately get closer to the table for a few seconds so my eyes adjust to the light.

Best of Luck
SS

No offense taken. I know I'm bad and wouldn't have put the video out if I thought I couldn't handle the criticism. All I want is to get better. If that means tearing everything apart and starting again, I'm willing to do that. When I take my lesson, I'll let the instructor know I'm willing to start from scratch. Thanks

About the lighting... I said it above, but I can't do anything about that right now. Maybe in the future...

 

[SmoothStroke]

Sorry

No offense taken. I know I'm bad and wouldn't have put the video out if I thought I couldn't handle the criticism. All I want is to get better. If that means tearing everything apart and starting again, I'm willing to do that. When I take my lesson, I'll let the instructor know I'm willing to start from scratch. Thanks

About the lighting... I said it above, but I can't do anything about that right now. Maybe in the future...

I apologize, my intentions were not as that may have seemed.
You have the right attitude that alone will improve your game. Sorry I missed the lighting.
Sincerely: SS

 

[Andrew808]

I apologize, my intentions were not as that may have seemed.
You have the right attitude that alone will improve your game. Sorry I missed the lighting.
Sincerely: SS

No apology necessary. I knew a lot of things weren't right with my technique because they just didn't “feel” right to me. To have it reinforced by instructors here just gives me more motivation to practice, get lessons and (hopefully) start playing better

 

[Andrew808]

SS - No apology necessary. I knew a lot of things weren't right with my technique because they just didn't “feel” right to me. To have it reinforced by instructors here just gives me more motivation to practice, get lessons and (hopefully) start playing better.