I think this was a mistake. I think it is better to practice and strive for hitting exactly where you want/need on the cue ball.
What is the correct way to shoot this????
- Thread starter bbb
- Start date
Agree.
I don't think anyone really believes you have to always stay in the center of the CB
But if you can't accurately hit center CB, then how the heck do you know you're accurate when hitting away from center?
Perhaps you misunderstood or perhaps you did not.
I did strive to & learned to hit where I want.
I just did not choose for it to be on the vertical axis except when absolutely necessary.
I think this was a mistake.
We are all entitled to our opinions...
but... since you only quoted part of what I said, you left out the part where I DID strive & LEARN to hit the cue ball where I intend.
But...let me ask you...on what are you basing your opinion?
I doubt that Earl was intentionally hitting the center line for 16 hours a day everyday for a full year when he was 16 years old.
But... I could be wrong & perhaps he was.
I wonder if I would have not actually quit playing the game if someone would have made me NOT hit with english at 13 years old.
Or, if I would have quit playing tennis if someone had made me stop hitting topspin forehands & backhands.
We are all individuals & who knows what was correct for me or not or what IS correct for any individual today.
I guess you do.
Some like CJ see pool & other things as a form of expression & some see them differently.
I had fun playing pool when I was 13... & I've had fun doing so ever since.
Thank you for your opinion,
Rick
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The cue ball has 2 clocks and a ladder, which includes center ball.
The inside clock
The outside clock
Hit where you must on either clock, it's not that difficult if you work on it.
Precision aiming, feather strokes and final delivery, the art of the cue ball.
Are there little secrets and tricks to keep you there in mind and body?
Yes there are, it's not that difficult.
The inside clock
The outside clock
Hit where you must on either clock, it's not that difficult if you work on it.
Precision aiming, feather strokes and final delivery, the art of the cue ball.
Are there little secrets and tricks to keep you there in mind and body?
Yes there are, it's not that difficult.
Yes, that phrase is right under my 'handle'.
And my cue ball has at least 3 clock faces on each side of the ladder (Sm. Med. & Lg.) & I hate to limit them by saying just 3.
Good Post & Best 2 Ya,
Rick
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I think everyone starts out trying to hit the centre of the white. Its not until they progress that they start to understand basic positional play that they tend to venture into the land of side spin. Many, many people get stuck in this magical mysterious land and cant find the door to get out. They tend to think that more is better, and come to rely on side spin to make up for not being able to plan a rack out with out it or with its use limited to what is absolutely necessary, poor positional play and lazyness. The reason people get stuck in this land of side spin and never improve to their full potential is because playing with side is one of the more difficult aspects of the game. Strokes, especially those who have over used it for some time become quite crooked due to years of having to compensate for poor alignment and sweep across the white instead of through the white.
I feel everyone should own a measles cue ball. Hit 10 medium-long straight shots and see how accurate their stroke is when trying to hit centre ball. Cue ball has no sidespin and stops dead at impact 10/10 times...you have an accurate stroke and can make the mist use of using side...accurate side.
I feel everyone should own a measles cue ball. Hit 10 medium-long straight shots and see how accurate their stroke is when trying to hit centre ball. Cue ball has no sidespin and stops dead at impact 10/10 times...you have an accurate stroke and can make the mist use of using side...accurate side.
Good post, Pidge. You're bang on as usual.
I know many players, including myself, had to re-learn how to play with center ball after getting lost in the "land of sidespin".
The most consistent players are the ones who create most of their angles with stun, follow and draw, and use side sparingly, often only measurable in millimeters.
I know many players, including myself, had to re-learn how to play with center ball after getting lost in the "land of sidespin".
The most consistent players are the ones who create most of their angles with stun, follow and draw, and use side sparingly, often only measurable in millimeters.
I disagree.
It seems you forget that one also shoots many many straight in stop shots when one gets 'perfect' position by using spin.
Just because one uses english does not mean that one's stroke goes all wavy or whatever.
There are times when I swipe but only when I want to do so & whether you believe it or not there is a time & reason where that should be the prefered stroke. Rare, but it does come up.
Like someone has said, one only truly understands that with which they are familiar & hence one does not truly understand that with which they are not truly familiar.
You appear to assume much & make rather definitive statements that in reality are merely opinionated generalizations that may apply to some & may not apply to many.
You make it sound like english is a drug that will get one addicted & ruin one's game if not their lives instead of what it is, which is simply a choice of how one wishes to play the game. It's simply a more artistic approach.
Earl Strickland & Mike Sigel are spinners of the ball & they both did very well, just as there are those that played predominantly center ball also have done well.
It's different strokes for different folks.
But everyone is entitled to have their opinions & to express such for consideration.
We both have opinions & we've both expressed them.
Best 2 you & All,
Rick
Has English ruined your game? Have you reached your full potential after playing for so long? I started playing at the age of 6, so that's 20 years of playing and in that time I've competed in snooker at the highest possible level, albeit briefly. I've played for less than half the time you have and managed to play at what I presume is a higher level using side spin sparringly. I make my definitive statements because I know what I'm talking about. I'm not here to please everybody with on the fence statements. I believe what I say and I say what I believe.
When you have mastered the stop shot it's safe to say you can hit in the center of the cue ball.
Is playing inside the cue ball better? Probably
Can you play inside the cue ball every shot? nope
If you have to hit a shot with stun draw or a drag draw type stroke,extreme outside spin, min 3 click,, which will lengthen your tangent line , so it shortens the angle coming off rail #2.. you must be able to perform it.
If you have to hit extreme kill, slow roll with a ton of inside, you must perform it.
If you have to hit an 8 ft stop shot down the rail you must perform it.
You must be able to use the entire cue ball, any stroke, any spin, center ball, it does not matter. The game tells you how to play it, do what it tells you with the cue ball.
If you can't perform the task at hand then you probably don't understand the cue ball and the stroke required to make it happen.
3 cushion will teach you the cue ball like no other game.
Requirements to play pool
Stroke
Straight Stroke
Total command of the cue ball
Imagination
High School Diploma, not necessary
Is playing inside the cue ball better? Probably
Can you play inside the cue ball every shot? nope
If you have to hit a shot with stun draw or a drag draw type stroke,extreme outside spin, min 3 click,, which will lengthen your tangent line , so it shortens the angle coming off rail #2.. you must be able to perform it.
If you have to hit extreme kill, slow roll with a ton of inside, you must perform it.
If you have to hit an 8 ft stop shot down the rail you must perform it.
You must be able to use the entire cue ball, any stroke, any spin, center ball, it does not matter. The game tells you how to play it, do what it tells you with the cue ball.
If you can't perform the task at hand then you probably don't understand the cue ball and the stroke required to make it happen.
3 cushion will teach you the cue ball like no other game.
Requirements to play pool
Stroke
Straight Stroke
Total command of the cue ball
Imagination
High School Diploma, not necessary
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Thank you
3 clocks work
I can only use 2 clocks, anymore I am confused.
Digital clocks really screw me up.
Have a great day
I did not say you don't believe what you say & I can certainly see what you said fitting that type of individual.
But you cast a wide net & catch those that do fit into your characterisations & to me at times that can be harmful to someone out there.
It's not your convictions per say but I guess it's how you express them that may do harm to some.
Why is it on these forums that when words are questioned in any way it turns into a let's match up comparison?
Our lives are totally different. I have a fantastic Wife, with 4 fantastic 'Children', 3 of which are college graduates, 2 with Masters Degrees, 1 a CPA & another sitting for his CPA & the 22 year old 'baby' still looking for his road & a fantastically loving & extremely happy 15 month old Grandchild. Oh, & two fantastic Daughters-in Law too.
I'm just glad I did not meet TOI before I met my Wife or none of that might exist.
There are times when one needs rather precise position & it basically can NOT be gotten with just hitting on the vertical axis. So...one would then NEED to use english.
NOW... how would one expect to successfully use english & get that tough position IF one hardly ever uses english.
English is like anything else. One can make it their enemy or one can make it their friend.
It does not have to be a 'killer drug'.
Again we have both expressed our opinions.
Also I think we see things for the viewpoint of two totally different games as I think you speak more from the snooker perspective while I speak from a pool perspective.
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That's certainly a good shot & probably should be used as often as possible...
but unfortunately we can't use it every time.
Best 2 Ya & All,
Rick
I've never said don't use side, and I've never said don't learn how to effectively use it. If you said to Earl, who is more than capable of using side spin to try 50 attempts at a high 14.1 run with only at least half a tip of side for each shot and then have him try another 50 times and he can hit where ever he wanted on the cue ball, which one would he score the most in? The second no doubt.
The problem is, with players that use it on every shot is it just isn't needed. It holds their progression back because they limit them selves to just using side. I had a friend who I taught BHE to. He was amazed at how easy playing with side became. We had a match and I didn't use any side on any shot and he was amazed by BHE so he shot pretty much 90% of shots with side. I won 12-0. Our matches are usually quite close but he got hammered. Not because he missed pots, BHE worked wonders for his potting but because he screwed up position. He misjudged a few shots and how the white would react of a rail. He snookered him self more in that match than I snookered him. Judging a cb path off the rail becomes trickier when playing with side and that's what cost him the match. Moral of the story, know how and practice using side, but if you can gain position using centre ball, do. It will bring in the money more often than not following those simple rules.
Given the content of our other posts, Yes.
We seemingly agree in that one needs the experience with english in order to use it with success & to know when & how much, etc.
The key is experience... but how does one get experience with it? One has to use it. One can not not know how the use it & not use it for months & then expect to call it up & be successful with it.
I'm going to use it more than many but like you say not in excess quantities nor frequency.
If the tangent line gets me where I need to be, I'll probably use just a shade to enhance that line to a slightly more favorable position. I'm comfortable doing that just to make sure that I don't mis the tangent line that I see.
By doing that my hand is on the pulse of my english so to speak.
We don't need seasoning with our food but it just seems to taste better with a bit of seasoning. At least it does to tourist that come to New Orleans that are use to a bland diet.
Thanks for the conversation & exchange of ideas & opinions.
Center ball players are different than side spin players. I don't appreciate someone saying that hitting center ball is more effective or more efficient or even better overall. It's not.
Center ball players have to punch the ball more often than players who spin the cue ball. Efren, for example is a spin player. He rarely punches the cue ball and as a result, his ball pocketing speed is much more efficient than punching the ball.
There are good and bad about both styles, but to say that one is superior to the other is just opinion and nothing more.
I prefer to spin the cue ball rather than punch it. It just works better for me.
Center ball players have to punch the ball more often than players who spin the cue ball. Efren, for example is a spin player. He rarely punches the cue ball and as a result, his ball pocketing speed is much more efficient than punching the ball.
There are good and bad about both styles, but to say that one is superior to the other is just opinion and nothing more.
I prefer to spin the cue ball rather than punch it. It just works better for me.