Just wondering what the best tip you ever got is when it comes to long straight-in draw shots? i still struggle and struggle with them.
DCP
DCP
What Is The Best Tip For.....
- Thread starter DrCue'sProtege
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Everest. Oh, wait, wrong kind of tip :rotflmao1:
No sure if you mean "tip" as in end of ferrule or "tip" as in hint but it's not really the tip but the shape of it that makes the most difference. Flatter the better as not as likely to hit off center. Tip as in hint, Be sure to follow through on your stroke. Short stroking is easiest way to miss a straight in.
Dick
Keep your grip loose, don't "tense up". Also, accelerate through the shot.
.......just give her my number:wink:
Set up the corner-to-corner straight in shot, object ball about center of the table and cue ball just outside of the corner pocket. Shoot, notice results, repeat. If you're consistently missing this shot one way or the other, then you've most likely got an alignment problem on your hands. If you're inconsistently missing, both left and right, or making a few with a few huge misses, then a stroke problem might be to blame.
- Make sure you're consistently getting into the same stance for each shot.
- Keep your stroke fluid. Your practice strokes should mirror the speed of your final stroke, no speeding up the last one as that's a lot harder to control.
- Keep your grip hand loose. When you tense your grip up, you're bringing a whole lot of arm muscles into play that should remain relatively unactivated.
- Make sure you're consistently getting into the same stance for each shot.
- Keep your stroke fluid. Your practice strokes should mirror the speed of your final stroke, no speeding up the last one as that's a lot harder to control.
- Keep your grip hand loose. When you tense your grip up, you're bringing a whole lot of arm muscles into play that should remain relatively unactivated.
level cue and full follow through... when you poke or when your cue is elevated .. the CB WILL jump might not jump enough for you to see it.. but it does jump.. and bounces down table towards your target
each bounce kills some of the spin and if the CB is even the tiniest bit airborne when it hits the OB you'll get a stop shot.
a level smooth stroke..will get you more draw with less cue speed
hope that helps:thumbup:
my problem is that sometimes i miss them left, sometimes i miss them right. the draw isnt the problem, i get plenty of that. Just very inconsistent.
DCP
DCP
You most likely aren't hitting the center of the cue ball. I like to practice draw by hitting super slow stop shots (drag draw) and building up speed from there. if you hit slow at first, it gives you a good idea of where you are hitting the cue ball and what you need to do to correct any error. Also, not cueing so low on the cue ball makes making the ball easier if getting a good amount of draw is no problem.
Recently, after shooting for more than 10 years looking at object ball last, I have switched to looking at cue ball last for some shots. This is one of them.
It shouldn't matter as long as your stroke is straight... in theory. But in reality our perception steers our stroke a little. Or it changes where we aim to begin with.
You need to sort of take a mental leap of faith to make it work. Assume it's going to go well and that it really doesn't matter whether that you're not looking at the OB. At first it will feel counter-intuitive. But it can work and it may help you make the ball and even help identify if you've got a stroke flaw. I first realized the power of this when shooting tree-topped shots. I was advised to look at the cue ball last during the final stroke to avoid adding unintended sidespin. It works great when you must cinch that kind of shot.
Now I use it on several shots where tip placement is really important. Get comfortably lined up and as straight as you can get on the ball. Flick your eyes back and forth between CB and OB until you're sure your cue and both balls are all on the same line. Flick one last look at the OB, then look down at the face of the CB. Stare at the exact area you want the tip to contact the CB. I tend to imagine this as an eraser-sized area. While still staring at this area, go back...forward... hit the ball. Don't cheat and flick your eyes up at the last second. Try to catch yourself and fight the urge. Stare at the cue ball throughout the stroke process.
Beyond that, most draw issues stem from a subconscious fear of miscuing, which causes us to not hit low enough and/or to jump up a bit at the last second (even when you SWEAR you were aiming low). Hit plenty low and don't let that fear affect you. A lot of players don't aim low enough and try to get the draw mostly by hitting hard. That's when they really butcher the shot.
Something else to remember... dr. dave did some tests that basically found that while lower is better for most draw (up to a certain miscue limit)... for long power draw shots, it's actually more effective to hit a little higher on the ball. You don't need to get right up to the miscue limit.
It shouldn't matter as long as your stroke is straight... in theory. But in reality our perception steers our stroke a little. Or it changes where we aim to begin with.
You need to sort of take a mental leap of faith to make it work. Assume it's going to go well and that it really doesn't matter whether that you're not looking at the OB. At first it will feel counter-intuitive. But it can work and it may help you make the ball and even help identify if you've got a stroke flaw. I first realized the power of this when shooting tree-topped shots. I was advised to look at the cue ball last during the final stroke to avoid adding unintended sidespin. It works great when you must cinch that kind of shot.
Now I use it on several shots where tip placement is really important. Get comfortably lined up and as straight as you can get on the ball. Flick your eyes back and forth between CB and OB until you're sure your cue and both balls are all on the same line. Flick one last look at the OB, then look down at the face of the CB. Stare at the exact area you want the tip to contact the CB. I tend to imagine this as an eraser-sized area. While still staring at this area, go back...forward... hit the ball. Don't cheat and flick your eyes up at the last second. Try to catch yourself and fight the urge. Stare at the cue ball throughout the stroke process.
Beyond that, most draw issues stem from a subconscious fear of miscuing, which causes us to not hit low enough and/or to jump up a bit at the last second (even when you SWEAR you were aiming low). Hit plenty low and don't let that fear affect you. A lot of players don't aim low enough and try to get the draw mostly by hitting hard. That's when they really butcher the shot.
Something else to remember... dr. dave did some tests that basically found that while lower is better for most draw (up to a certain miscue limit)... for long power draw shots, it's actually more effective to hit a little higher on the ball. You don't need to get right up to the miscue limit.
The trick is to understand how the backspin imparted on the CB wears off as the CB travels down the table. The only difference in stroking a drag shot and a draw shot is that relationship bewteen backspin and forward velocity.
Thus, you have to be able to impart a certain amount of backspin, and this backspin has to be (somewhat) independent of the amount of forward velocity. The only way I know how to stroke like this is to use the forward velocity of the cuestick as the measure of the forward velocity of the CB, and then use the acceleration (snap of the wrist) to control the imparted backspin on the CB.
The easiest way to learn this is to practice a lot of SHORT soft draw shots where the CB only moves forward a few inches, and then backs up a few inches, but the OB has significant distance (say 3 diamonds) to go. As you get the hang of thes short soft draws, start adding distance and after a few weeks the whole table is available.
In addition to the fine tips you have already received, remember on your final stroke that your backswing must be SLOW and STRAIGHT with a SMOOTH transition to the forward motion. If it is, you won't have to work so hard to straighten it on the final forward accelerating swing.
Also, you might try practicing the straight in, draw shot with your cue ball on the spot so that you can easily see if your cue stick is swooping offline.
Also, if the OB & CB are many feet apart, you may want to work very hard at hitting the spot on the cue ball that you think you are hitting. Check it using a striped ball as the cue ball.
JoeyA
Also, you might try practicing the straight in, draw shot with your cue ball on the spot so that you can easily see if your cue stick is swooping offline.
Also, if the OB & CB are many feet apart, you may want to work very hard at hitting the spot on the cue ball that you think you are hitting. Check it using a striped ball as the cue ball.
JoeyA
There was a similar post in the instructors forum recently, and the best advice I saw there was to video yourself while practicing to see where your fundamentals breakdown.
Auto rep to you kind sir. I had almost forgotten that great discussion.