Videos on youtube constructive criticism requested

S

super195v

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey all I am fairly new here but have been around the forums looking around for a while. I finally have a table at home now and can do some real practice. I am working on my break 10 minutes twice a day, and then run drills for the rest of that hour. I only play one league a week because i would rather play cash games or tournaments. Im also a little tired of the handicap issues that happen in every league. Anyway to the videos, there are two 9 ball videos and an 8 ball video if anyone has advice for what to change or what to adjust i would greatly appreciate it.

http://youtu.be/kKSf7ONem1A
http://youtu.be/Tizmxkr1RGc
http://youtu.be/-17EAATronc


Thanks in advance everyone.
 
If I were working with a player like you who does a lot of things very well, I would first ask you what you feel that your problem areas are.

So, where do things go wrong for you?

I see a few possible issues, but I don't like to put ideas in players heads unless I know that these issues are actually hurting the player, or can potentially hurt them.
 
I would say my big problem is consistency. I know this can't be really taught but it feels like out of no where I just miss the shot by about 1/4 pocket. I know that sounds a little dumb but i rarely miss a shot that is a rattle or something like that, if its a shot i should really make every time and i miss its like i stand up (which i really focus on not doing) or something in my stroke goes away. There are times where i can string together 2-3 racks in 9 ball if the table is breaking well, and others where i am on another easy out and just blow a shot that i can't figure out why.
 
super195v said:
I would say my big problem is consistency. I know this can't be really taught but it feels like out of no where I just miss the shot by about 1/4 pocket. I know that sounds a little dumb but i rarely miss a shot that is a rattle or something like that, if its a shot i should really make every time and i miss its like i stand up (which i really focus on not doing) or something in my stroke goes away. There are times where i can string together 2-3 racks in 9 ball if the table is breaking well, and others where i am on another easy out and just blow a shot that i can't figure out why.
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OK. Good.

Your pace is fairly quick. It also means that your mind is moving fast as well. What often happens with players who have a pace like yours is that as they move through a rack, sometimes their mind thinks faster and faster and then sometimes gets ahead of the player's physical body. So in your mind, you are moving on to the next shot, but your body is still shooting the shot. That results in a strange miss that seems like it comes from nowhere.

There are a few things you can do to keep the proper synchronization between your mind and your body.

1.) Make sure you watch every ball you shoot roll into the pocket. Do not move your eyes away until it is over. Some people say to wait until the cb stops rolling, but I don't think it's necessary to wait that long.

2.) You can also help keep your mind in tune with your body if you take a pause at the cb with your cue stick just before you pull back your execution stroke. That will also give you a chance to put everything in sync before you pull the trigger. You may find that it will disrupt your timing a bit when you first try it, but if you watch the top players, you'll notice that they do that --- some pause longer than others.
 
That definitely sounds like a plan. I have been told by some of the top shooters from the area that i shoot to fast. I don't think i shoot "too" fast but i also don't believe in looking at a shot for 60 seconds to decide if i can convince myself i can make it lol. The pause before the final stroke is something that i kind of do on the break and when i don't do it my break suffers. I will definitely carry this over to my normal stroke and see what happens.

One other quick thing.... I sometimes feel like i have a much lower set stance than others. I am way down on shots with my front leg straight with no bend at the knee and stay down close to the cue as i get ready to shoot. Do you think maybe this causes me to jump up on some shots right away but it is an unnatural position compared to standing tall?

Thank you so much for all your help so far.
 
"I would say my big problem is consistency. I know this can't be really taught but it feels like out of no where I just miss the shot by about 1/4 pocket."

Consistency can be learned and is taught every day here in Pool School. You ask for some help, so here we go.

1. You play ahead of perpendicular. This will cause your cue tip to strike the cue ball in a different area rather than where you are aiming.

2. You change your bridge length almost every shot. Find a length and stick to it.

3. You have no consistent warm-up cycle.

4. You never stop your cue to aim.

5. You have a serious elbow drop.

6. You play with a tighter grip than needed.

Talk to me,
randyg
 
Hey no problem here for tough love information. Thank you so much for the pick apart. I don't mean to sound novice here to the teaching part of things as i have never had any type of lesson or advice on my game besides sideline players. Numbers 1, 4, 5, i am confused on and if you could explain in greater detail either on here or through email or other means i would greatly appreciate it. 2, 3, 6 i can work on and as far as consistency goes i understand it can be taught i guess i mean for my own game becoming more consistent will improve my game and practicing and changing these little things will help.

Thank you so much as well for another look at my play, look forward to discussing those details more.
 
super195v said:
That definitely sounds like a plan. I have been told by some of the top shooters from the area that i shoot to fast. I don't think i shoot "too" fast but i also don't believe in looking at a shot for 60 seconds to decide if i can convince myself i can make it lol. The pause before the final stroke is something that i kind of do on the break and when i don't do it my break suffers. I will definitely carry this over to my normal stroke and see what happens.

One other quick thing.... I sometimes feel like i have a much lower set stance than others. I am way down on shots with my front leg straight with no bend at the knee and stay down close to the cue as i get ready to shoot. Do you think maybe this causes me to jump up on some shots right away but it is an unnatural position compared to standing tall?

Thank you so much for all your help so far.
Click to expand...

Sure, happy to help. I wouldn't change your pace either. I think it's a good pace.

Your stance looks good to me, especially your lean back when you get down. That lean puts you in balance and helps you to stay down. If you jump up, it's due to other reasons, like when you think you're done with the shot before you actually are.

There is one issue with a bent back leg to be on the lookout for, although Im not seeing you do it. That is the risk of getting too low and finding yourself shooting up at the cue ball. But with that, the player's stick is usually scraping along the rail. I can see that you're not doing that by the height of your cue stick above the rail, so you're fine. (This of course excludes rail shots.)
 
super195v...Here's what Randy is talking about. When your tip strikes the CB, your grip hand is in front of perpendicular. This means the tip is not actually hitting the CB where you thought you were aiming (frequently good players who do this, make unconscious 'aiming' adjustments to correct for this). Second...you cannot 'aim' while your cue is moving. At some point you have to stop your cue at the cb, and your brain says "looks good" or "not quite". Once you start your process to hit the ball, it should be the same for almost all shots (yours is very inconsistent...that still doesn't mean you cannot play well and pocket balls). You never stop your cue after your warmups...this is vital. Engaging the elbow (elbow drop) means that the shoulder joint is involved with delivering the cuestick (the shoulder joint is a universal joint and can steer the cue easily). You can easily see this because your tip goes up at the end of almost every shot (the tip should finish level or angled down). For most players who do this, it contributes to changing the dynamic of the swing (driving the stick through the CB versus letting the weight of the cue and timing create the speed of the stroke), which frequently results in missing slightly on the cueball (this could account for why you are missing some shots, as you describe). All of these things contribute to inconsistency, along with the other notations by Randy...and can be fixed with some time spent with a qualified instructor (one who uses video analysis). If you tell us where you are located, we may be able to suggest an instructor in your area. Hope this helps.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

super195v said:
Hey no problem here for tough love information. Thank you so much for the pick apart. I don't mean to sound novice here to the teaching part of things as i have never had any type of lesson or advice on my game besides sideline players. Numbers 1, 4, 5, i am confused on and if you could explain in greater detail either on here or through email or other means i would greatly appreciate it. 2, 3, 6 i can work on and as far as consistency goes i understand it can be taught i guess i mean for my own game becoming more consistent will improve my game and practicing and changing these little things will help.

Thank you so much as well for another look at my play, look forward to discussing those details more.
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Thank you again everyone for the information you've provided. I am located in Lancaster, PA. I told Randy I am about an hour away from where they Super Billiards Expo is. I have worked on a little bit so far changing the way i deliver the cue from what you guys have told me. I am having a very hard time with my arm being perpendicular at contact. I have started to be able to go back and watch the games and practice on video and ...

1.) every shot i am pausing and then delivering.
2.) staying down on the shot until the ball is in the pocket or very close
3.) I am also taking warm up strokes prior to the shot and trying to be more consistent in terms of pace for each shot.

My elbow dropping and the perpendicular back arm are two things i have trouble fixing without it feeling so awful that i don't contact ball correctly. Maybe i am trying to do something wrong and am trying to make too harsh of a correction.
 
super195v said:
Thank you again everyone for the information you've provided. I am located in Lancaster, PA. I told Randy I am about an hour away from where they Super Billiards Expo is. I have worked on a little bit so far changing the way i deliver the cue from what you guys have told me. I am having a very hard time with my arm being perpendicular at contact. I have started to be able to go back and watch the games and practice on video and ...

1.) every shot i am pausing and then delivering.
2.) staying down on the shot until the ball is in the pocket or very close
3.) I am also taking warm up strokes prior to the shot and trying to be more consistent in terms of pace for each shot.

My elbow dropping and the perpendicular back arm are two things i have trouble fixing without it feeling so awful that i don't contact ball correctly. Maybe i am trying to do something wrong and am trying to make too harsh of a correction.
Click to expand...


Not everybody believes that dropping your elbow is a bad thing. Before you start making changes you may not need to make, I'd like to suggest that you do some research on your own.

I plan on being at the Expo this year so if you'd like to get together for a lesson, send me a PM.

Fran Crimi
BCA Master Instructor
Former WPBA touring pro
Former WPBA President
 
lessons

Sent pm about Pool School Just outside Phila, Pa
Qucare
Good luck
Larry
 
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