whats the best way to learn to masse'

TXsouthpaw

TXsouthpaw

My tush hog
Silver Member
Im refelting the table next month so I figure nows the best time to learn.
Im not talking swerving the cueball around half a blocker but the full on leg on the table trick shot masse. Anybody out there got any tips on grip or cuetip or anything else. Ive only got a month so I need to maximize my practice time.

And no smarta$$ remarks about learning to kick or jump. I can kick and jump but it never hurts to have another shot in the bag.



Thanks

D
 
Well it sounds as if you have a plan,there are videos on the subject
that may be helpful . The cue and tip plays a big part in that type of shot.
I would not be driving my favorite player into the slate though .
:smash:
 
peteypooldude said:
Well it sounds as if you have a plan,there are videos on the subject
that may be helpful . The cue and tip plays a big part in that type of shot.
I would not be driving my favorite player into the slate though .
:smash:
Click to expand...


Ditto to that. I have a friend who did that and ended up smashing his ferrule back into the shaft so hard, the wood started to split. Now it sounds like he's hitting the cue ball with a splintered broom stick.
 
Mr. Diekman's website has some explanation of stroke basics. Your player will work fine for many shots. Try slower shots first then add speed. It is kind of hard to explain, but the 3 main components of the shot are, cue angle, aiming point, and speed. Start slow and vertical and you won't damage anything. Start by dropping the cue and the slowly add speed.
 
TXsouthpaw said:
... Anybody out there got any tips on grip or cuetip or anything else. ...
Click to expand...
The cue that the artistic billiards players typically use is short, heavy and has a 14-16mm tip. Maybe 50 inches and 24 ounces. If you're going to be playing these shots in matches, you have to decide which cue you're going to be using for them. Also, the tip is typically soft, which means that your break cue is probably not appropriate. I think the soft tip helps keep the ball on the table.

Be prepared to change tips.

Wax the cue ball to get action more like on new cloth. If your cloth is old, there are two problems. The cue ball will tend to stick to the cloth as it's driven into it, which tends to kill the action and/or rip the cloth. The spin will take quickly, which doesn't get you the big arcs you're looking for.

A three-part series of articles on masse shots from 1997/8 is at: http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/BD_articles.html

While the big arcs are fun, I think you should also work on the small shots, of which there are many useful ones.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The cue that the artistic billiards players typically use is short, heavy and has a 14-16mm tip. Maybe 50 inches and 24 ounces. If you're going to be playing these shots in matches, you have to decide which cue you're going to be using for them. Also, the tip is typically soft, which means that your break cue is probably not appropriate. I think the soft tip helps keep the ball on the table.

Be prepared to change tips.

Wax the cue ball to get action more like on new cloth. If your cloth is old, there are two problems. The cue ball will tend to stick to the cloth as it's driven into it, which tends to kill the action and/or rip the cloth. The spin will take quickly, which doesn't get you the big arcs you're looking for.

A three-part series of articles on masse shots from 1997/8 is at: http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/BD_articles.html

While the big arcs are fun, I think you should also work on the small shots, of which there are many useful ones.
Click to expand...

The little ones help you avoid the need for the big ones. :wink::wink::wink:
 
Thanks for the info guys. especially u Bob. I dont use my main player for the practice but the problem is I shoot with a z2 so even when i use my backup cue its got an expensive shaft on it. Im working on the short 2-3 ball off the rail masse's but will try to stretch it farther and farther as time goes on. Well I guess its back to the man-cave to hits some more balls. :thumbup:



Bob Jewett said:
The cue that the artistic billiards players typically use is short, heavy and has a 14-16mm tip. Maybe 50 inches and 24 ounces. If you're going to be playing these shots in matches, you have to decide which cue you're going to be using for them. Also, the tip is typically soft, which means that your break cue is probably not appropriate. I think the soft tip helps keep the ball on the table.

Be prepared to change tips.

Wax the cue ball to get action more like on new cloth. If your cloth is old, there are two problems. The cue ball will tend to stick to the cloth as it's driven into it, which tends to kill the action and/or rip the cloth. The spin will take quickly, which doesn't get you the big arcs you're looking for.

A three-part series of articles on masse shots from 1997/8 is at: http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/BD_articles.html

While the big arcs are fun, I think you should also work on the small shots, of which there are many useful ones.
Click to expand...
 
For gentle massés:
A) the angle of the cue with respect to the bed determine how far the CB travels in a straight line before curving
B) the offset of the tip determines how far it curves
C) the intersection of the CB and cue with respect to the bed of the table determines the asymtotic angle of the curve
D) for the most part, aim to just miss the obstruction (with margin)

So, for moving the CB 1/4 ball width over 3 diamonds, you only need about 10-12 degrees of rake on the cue, and a nice deliberate stroke towards the bed (sort of like a draw shot with side english). Do not be tentitive, do not overstroke.
 
TXsouthpaw said:
Im refelting the table next month so I figure nows the best time to learn. Ive only got a month so I need to maximize my practice time.
Click to expand...


Umm.........here's a tip..........when you get the table recovered cut a 6"x6" square of the old cloth to use under the cueball so you can continue practicing the shot. :thumbup:
 
TXSouthpaw...I'd advise you to invest in a masse' cue. You can find some good used ones for pretty cheap. New ones are $250-$500+. Crown Cues makes some great masse' cues for very reasonable prices.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Tbeaux said:
Umm.........here's a tip..........when you get the table recovered cut a 6"x6" square of the old cloth to use under the cueball so you can continue practicing the shot. :thumbup:
Click to expand...


Ive got plenty of scrap peices. But nothing beats the real thing.


Scott Lee said:
TXSouthpaw...I'd advise you to invest in a masse' cue. You can find some good used ones for pretty cheap. New ones are $250-$500+. Crown Cues makes some great masse' cues for very reasonable prices.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...




Thansk Scott. Im looking into it. I might buy one the help with the learning proccess then switch to my main player once I get better.
 
Bob's articles in BD were PRIMARY in helping me learn to masse with consistency. I've demonstrated the method to others & they immediately improved leaps & bounds. Once you can visualize the technique, it becomes trivial. The difficulty is putting it into words, which Bob did very well.
 
The theory is all pretty well laid out in the thread already. As far as the mechanics go though, keep a loose wrist and snap through it, no matter which grip you use. You want to be able to generate a lot of cue tip speed to juice up the cue ball so the spin will last longer than forward motion of the cue ball. For smaller masse's with plenty of spin, it's sufficient to jab quickly at the cue ball and the cue tip won't even touch the cloth. With practice, you should start to get a feel of how hard you need to hit the cue ball (which gives it its forward speed) and how much spin you can generate. Then it's just being able to mix and match these two components for the required shot.
 
The cloth has alot to do with it. You can masse a ball alot more with a nap cloth. When you have a short shot a firm softer hit will masse much quicker. Its all in the speed, where you hit the cueball,and allowing the right angle,its what it comes down to. I think middle left or right will masse much more when hitting down on the cue ball,or a little high middle cue ball on certain shots.
 
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