What would you teach a banger?

PKM

PKM

OB-1 Kenobi
Silver Member
This may not have a good answer, but suppose a friend of yours doesn't have any intention of becoming serious about the game, but wants to learn a few things just for the heck of it. Is there anything you can show him or her?

I'm not really sure, maybe you can try to correct any major stroke flaws, or maybe give a basic idea of ghost-ball aiming?
 
Mechanical fundamentals must be learned, however if it were a player that just likes to slam them around, I usually challenge them to spread the balls all over the table and try to make as many as possible without going to a rail with the cue ball. This (if they're willing to try it) will take alot of the unnecessary speed out of the shots. Then teaching the stroke is easier too.
 
Make it their own

Teach them to have fun.

Teach them to trust what feels comfortable to them in terms of cue/stance/stroke etc.

Teach them never get suckered into gambling.

Teach them to have fun. (first and last)
 
I'd only show him the basic basics, this order:

1. Draw / stop / follow
2. Tangent line
3. Easy banks
4. English for position off rails..... maybe.
 
PKM said:
This may not have a good answer, but suppose a friend of yours doesn't have any intention of becoming serious about the game, but wants to learn a few things just for the heck of it. Is there anything you can show him or her?

I'm not really sure, maybe you can try to correct any major stroke flaws, or maybe give a basic idea of ghost-ball aiming?
Click to expand...

Teach them how to line up a shot correctly. Without that, aiming, stroke and stance doesn't matter if they are not pointing in the right direction.
 
The first and probably only thing I would try to teach them, and hope that they could get a good grasp of would be the tangent....................and how it can be changed with follow and draw. As long as a banger knows the basics of the tangents, at the very least, he/she will have some way of predicting where the CB will go after contact with the OB. After knowing where the CB will go, then it's a matter of personal choice as to weather or not he/she wants to develop any ability to change the natural tangent.
dave
 
When I became interested in the game, the only things my dad told me was "hit the cue ball above center to follow, below center to draw or stop the shot, and left or right english to get position on your next shot off the rail." My dad never taught me or showed me how to "properly" stroke, bridge, position myself or any other mechanics. I had to go through hundreds and hundreds of hours of trial and error, failing, frustration, breaking 2 sticks (yes, I'm sorry) and so many more things for me to finally get things right. I'm so glad that was all he taught me. All that suffering I went through made me appreciate the game even more. Those who go out and buy an instructional DVD from the get go, are taking a shortcut. They are also copying someone else's style, stroke, etc. instead of building their own (not to offend anyone who learned from a DVD).

That being said, I'll let my friends find out things for themselves. Not to be a jerk or anything, but they'll feel good when they finally become good players and know they did it all by themselves.
 
If they had no intention of playing seriously at all, then I probably wouldn't tell them anything. Why bother? They'll have to practice anything you might teach them and, if they aren't going to do that, I'd just assume let them have fun banging balls around.

Kinda like me on the golf course. I'd probably have more fun if I just went out there and hacked the course up. Oh wait. I do that already.
 
I like to teach beginners a simple 3 ball pattern before anything, using center ball and follow , putting 3 balls on the table in several different patterns explaining why the patterns would be shot in a certain way, instead of going right into mechanics it gives them a sense of actually learning something right from the get go or else they lose interest in a hurry it seems. Then move on to stance , stroke etc.
 
I gave up on trying to teach a ball banger anything because they don't want to follow any advise. They are only looking for the "easy" way. They are content with banging the balls around and shitting in a ball and maybe winning a game or so.

My advise for what it is worth: Don't waste your time.

The only thing they will ever become good at is losing.
 
PKM said:
This may not have a good answer, but suppose a friend of yours doesn't have any intention of becoming serious about the game, but wants to learn a few things just for the heck of it. Is there anything you can show him or her?

I'm not really sure, maybe you can try to correct any major stroke flaws, or maybe give a basic idea of ghost-ball aiming?
Click to expand...

One of the biggest sins I see on league night committed over and over again by the lower skill shooters is lack of speed control.

I see guys over and over missing easy position on a shot where if they had just attempted to control the speed, they would have easy position.

Another thing is to make them understand early on that if you are not looking three balls ahead, it's going to be hard to string together a lot of balls.
 
Gregg said:
One of the biggest sins I see on league night committed over and over again by the lower skill shooters is lack of speed control.

I see guys over and over missing easy position on a shot where if they had just attempted to control the speed, they would have easy position.

Another thing is to make them understand early on that if you are not looking three balls ahead, it's going to be hard to string together a lot of balls.
Click to expand...

Most I see, don't look one ball ahead.
 
First thing I'd teach them is that if you wear a glove on your bridge hand, it will immediately intimidate your opponent into thinking you're a hustler ;) .

Second thing I'd teach them is that if you get yourself a low-deflection shaft, you will instantly become a better shooter ;) ;) .

Third thing I'd teach them is that a $1,500.00 custom cue is gonna get you the nuts every time (first teach them what "the nuts" means) ;) ;) ;) .

These are by far the most important few things you could teach to a banger. Oh yeah, don't forget to tell him/her to not use the whole cone of talc in one night of shooting :D :D :D !!!

Maniac
 
TheBook said:
I gave up on trying to teach a ball banger anything because they don't want to follow any advise. They are only looking for the "easy" way. They are content with banging the balls around and shitting in a ball and maybe winning a game or so.

My advise for what it is worth: Don't waste your time.

The only thing they will ever become good at is losing.
Click to expand...

In my experience, and in my definition of "banger", they won't accept help if it's offered. I've approached people with all good intentions of helping them, and been blown off with " I know how to do that, I just don't want to". If someone asks for help, that's different.
 
I've done this in the same situation, and it makes immediate improvement for people who don't want to learn anything they'd have to practice much:

Teach them the pendulum. Don't explain it in great detail, just change their body/arm position so that they can rock that forearm straight back and forth on their elbow hinge. Once they're doing that, they can get behind a shot and see their tip going straight back and forth. This makes it exponentially easier for them to move their body such that this straight back-and-forth motion is pointed where they want, and when they hit the ball, they'll see it go where they pointed. They'll pick up basic aiming in seconds once they can see how to send the cue ball along the line they choose. Turns a banger into a banger with vastly improved shot-making skills in just minutes.

-Andrew
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top