Ultra long pause on delivery stroke - CISERO MURPHY

arnaldo

arnaldo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A pause this long isn't generally recommended, but it's fun to experiment with such things. You may find that a pause of some kind (of whatever duration) at the transition of backswing to forward delivery stroke may add smoothness and increased CB & OB contact-point accuracy for you.

Murphy described his pause as "a one- or two-second hiccup," which allowed him -- in his words -- to take a picture of the shot before committing to it. It was so uncommon that billiards fans gave it a name: the "hesitation stroke." With that atypical, silky stroke, Cisero had several (witnessed) 300-ball Straight Pool practice runs during his playing career. A tremendously strong player.

Arnaldo ~ Sadly, a year after this 1995 Grady-organized Portland "Maine Event", Cisero suffered a heart attack at age 59, while driving in Flatbush (Brooklyn), and passed away.

 
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tim913

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I do it mainly to force myself to focus on contact point of OB. It may add smoothness but has nothing to do with CB contact point, at least not for me. In my PSR the CB contact point is acquired and I know the speed needed to get to the angle on the next shot. My eyes shift between CB and OB but on my final backstroke my eyes shift to OB and pause/focus on contact point of OB before I pull the trigger. It may not be the best for everyone but works for me.
 
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straightline

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It doesn't seem that long or exaggerated. He has the wind up and delivery separated into 2 distinct phases. If I found myself doing that it would be to let reality settle in and awareness of the shot and especially speed, to stabilize before pulling the trigger.
 
pwd72s

pwd72s

recreational banger
Silver Member
Was he left eye dominant? His head position was as interesting as the stroke.
 
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tomatoshooter

Well-known member
He creeps forward a couple of inches before he accelerates the cue also. I'm still experimenting, I have definitely found that the extra force to change direction quickly can pull my cue out of alignment, perhaps that's what the slow start is about. When I pause, I find that it feels like I am then trying to put the cue to the cue ball. I'm still developing, but a slow backstroke and a smooth change of direction feels more like I am returning the cue to the location where it was before I did my backstroke, instead putting the cue someplace new.
 
phreaticus

phreaticus

Well-known member
tomatoshooter said:
Probably. Cross dominance can make the stance a little difficult but it makes shooting with your off hand easier.
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Yeah, noticed that also. Gorgeous stroke, slightly awkward stance & head position. Amazing to watch, I think I’ve sniffed out all vids of him on YT.

Your last post was a very detailed & interesting description of your stroke practice, thx for sharing. I had basically the same feeling when I played around with pause and long backstroke transitions. I gave up on that and put my focus into a slower & more careful backstroke and followthru, and its much more fluid for me.

I find when I’m shooting confidently in dead stroke a smooth rolling pause sort of just appears. Wish I could bottle this into the consistent state of my game, but of course not there yet… it never ends… I’ve come to think of a pause or very smooth transition as the result of smoothly flowing fundamentals, vs a discreet component of the stroke.

Just some thoughts.
 
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mino

Member
tomatoshooter said:
He creeps forward a couple of inches before he accelerates the cue also. I'm still experimenting, I have definitely found that the extra force to change direction quickly can pull my cue out of alignment, perhaps that's what the slow start is about. When I pause, I find that it feels like I am then trying to put the cue to the cue ball. I'm still developing, but a slow backstroke and a smooth change of direction feels more like I am returning the cue to the location where it was before I did my backstroke, instead putting the cue someplace new.
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i’ve seen Shane creep forward a bit before accelerating too
the times i’ve done it, i’ve felt more accurate
 
Fatboy

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
tomatoshooter said:
He creeps forward a couple of inches before he accelerates the cue also. I'm still experimenting, I have definitely found that the extra force to change direction quickly can pull my cue out of alignment, perhaps that's what the slow start is about. When I pause, I find that it feels like I am then trying to put the cue to the cue ball. I'm still developing, but a slow backstroke and a smooth change of direction feels more like I am returning the cue to the location where it was before I did my backstroke, instead putting the cue someplace new.
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That’s not something I’d experiment with. He’s been playing 100 years when this video was filmed and he can make that work-like Keith makes the side arm stroke work. They did it since they were kids and hit millions of balls. Copy sound fundamentals not odd man out stuff. These old time guys are the exception to the rule. No disrespect to them.

Best
Fatboy

If you want to watch old videos of players to copy. Kim & CJ always worked good for me. Mostly Kim Davenport, good clean fundamentals.
 
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buckshotshoey

buckshotshoey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It didnt seem an excessively long pause to me. Not much longer (if any) then Niels Feijen, Aloysius Yapp, or Chris Melling.

When I practice an excessively long pause, it gives me the feeling I'm "pushing" the cue ball instead of hitting it.
 
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The_JV

'AZB_Combat Certified'
Fatboy said:
That’s not something I’d experiment with. He’s been playing 100 years when this video was filmed and he can make that work-like Keith makes the side arm stroke work. They did it since they were kids and hit millions of balls.
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HAMB... who knew 🤷‍♂️
 
gregcantrall

gregcantrall

Center Ball
Silver Member
Similar to the teaching of Barry Stark. In his lesson video he describes or narrates. "Wait, play the shot."
Different players have a different tempo. My slow game is my best game.😉
 
gregcantrall

gregcantrall

Center Ball
Silver Member
After study of Barry, the ring finger trigger. The wait for me is to get the signal past the old index trigger.
For me the self analysis while sitting usually takes me back to a slight rush at the end.🤷
 
ShootingArts

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
When I am shooting half decent it involves a smooth transition, no stop, and a slow start forward. The jerk to start forward motion is the issue for a lot of people.

I have noticed a pause at the back of my stroke, a long several second pause, when shooting a long shot that needs a lot of touch too. Shooting a long shot and wanting to stay down there for my next shot, maybe almost against the rail to be on the right side of the next ball for example. This isn't a planned pause, it just happens.

Best way to soften the transition is to remember most of us shoot too hard most of the time. Shoot hard enough to get the job done, no harder. Keep shooting softer in practice until shots don't work then shoot a little harder.

Got to shift gears from the rat race. Slowing down getting out of your chair and moving around the table helps set the pace. Listening to soft mellow music can help also. A race in pool isn't about who is the fastest.

Hu

 
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