Video - general advice wanted

[67tbird]

I posted this in another thread but would appreciate general feedback. This video only shows a firm draw stroke, but critique is welcome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqdBrD_Bt1E&feature=youtu.be

 

[BeiberLvr]

1. Stop the head and body movement.

2. You are twisting your arm quite a bit. This could be due to improper alignment, but it also looks like you might be gripping a little tighter on your finish. So the result is you're putting unwanted spin on the ball sometimes.

3. Your final forward stroke is very jerky. Try slowing down your final backswing just a bit, and that could help you get a more smooth transition.

4. When you finish your stroke. You want the shaft to stay in the groove of your bridge hand. But yours is finishing off to your left.


We all want to have a nice power stroke, but I would recommend you practice these shots at a slightly slower speed until you get all the kinks in your stroke worked out.

You'll notice that while you're hitting the ball at a fast speed, because of the flaws in your stroke, you aren't getting a ton of action on the CB. Once you perfect your stroke, you'll be able to get way more action than you are now, and at half the speed.

One of the number one things to understand about a good stroke, is that it's all about maximizing your results with the least amount of effort.

 

[67tbird]

Thank you. This is my stroke at its worst, for sure. The main thing I am working on right now is the arm twist/ unintended english. Do you have any ideas of what causes arm twist?

 

[BeiberLvr]

Thank you. This is my stroke at its worst, for sure. The main thing I am working on right now is the arm twist/ unintended english. Do you have any ideas of what causes arm twist?

An actual instructor would be better suited to answer that question. However, it could be you just need to adjust your stance slightly, and it might also be that you're unintentionally gripping your cue a little tighter upon impact. You'll get some varying advice concerning grip pressure, but one key is to be consistent from start to finish.

One more thing I forgot to mention is I personally think you're standing too far back when you bend down into your stance. So when you get down you're sliding your bridge hand into place. Granted it does appear you are sliding straight forward, but there is a possibility of moving off the shot line when you do that.

Something you can do is as you're standing, grip the cue where you normally do, and put your tip right at the CB. Now you're a stick's length away, and you can just bend down into the shot.

 

[Scott Lee]

Thank you. This is my stroke at its worst, for sure. The main thing I am working on right now is the arm twist/ unintended english. Do you have any ideas of what causes arm twist?

Twisting the cue is often a result of too tight of a grip. Try to "cradle" the cue in your hand, and let the cue do the work...instead of 'driving' the cue through the CB like you are now. An instructor can help you solve these problems right away. Find one that does video analysis. Let us know where you are and we can likely suggest someone in your area.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

 

[67tbird]

Scott, I live in upstate NY (Franklin County). I'm 4 hours from Albany, and will likely be taking a job there around March. Thank you!

- Andy

 

[67tbird]

Just an update.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FB6CTDQWkU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[BeiberLvr]

Set up straight ins like you're doing now but draw a line with some chalk in between the balls.

Now it will be easier for you to see the twisting motion when your cue is off to the side of the chalk line and since you now have a tangible target to finish your cue on it might help.

 

[3kushn]

Seek out an instructor. You're not getting low enough for a variety of reasons. I'd comment on that but ...... Then there's Scott's observation. Listen to that.

 

[eprince]

From the first video, it looks like you are doing something close to what I was for the first year and a half I was shooting. You're holding the cue up rather than letting it hang. This causes you to, in an effort to fully follow through, drop the cue as you are following through and thus, the spin on the cue stick. I am by no means an instructor, just looking through these threads for advice for my own weaknesses.

This one can be fixed with the proper drill and a good instructor watching your stroke. A great drill is setting up a straight in shot, marking both the cue ball and the object ball with paper hole reinforcements. Then, behind the cue ball, put 3 more reinforcements, one directly behind and one on both sides of that. Lastly, set up a golf tee on each of the outer paper hole reinforcements. Practice stroking through the middle part of the cue ball (top, center, bottom, doesn't matter, just no side english) while stroking between the tees without hitting them over. Someone posted a link to that drill on youtube but now I can't find it.