Why do I hit really hard cut shot consistently, but miss the straight shot just as..
- Thread starter Chrisivac
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practice practice practice, then just right when you get it in 99% of the time practice some more
Chris, you should be hitting the cue ball with whatever it takes to get the position you need. I feel that when people miss these types of shots, it's mostly due to an issue in their stroke. Also, you could be putting unwanted sidespin on the cue which would contribute to problems with accuracy. Keep working at it. The only way to find and fix a problem without the aid of an instructor, is to shoot and shoot until you figure out where the problem stems from.
Get an HD camera and record yourself shooting those shots.
There are any number of reasons. And it also depends on what you mean by a hard cut shot, and consistently.
A common one though is some people consistently hit the cue ball with unwanted side spin. It is possible that you are compensating your aim unknowingly on the cut shots, but when it comes to straight in shots there is no mystery as to where you should be aiming.
Spend lots of time practicing this shot, and focus on your alignement and sound fundamentals.
When i say hard cut shot I mean hitting pretty much anywhere on the side of the object ball and pocketing the ball. But it's like I line up for a long straight shot and i embarrass myself... I do notice when im shooting a 'hard' cut shot, my chin is practically on the stick. I'm also noticing that it seems somewhat easier/more accurate to stand with a more upright posture for a long straight shot.
Any opinion in stance and posture?
Any opinion in stance and posture?
Your stance or posture shouldn't really change no matter the shot you're taking. I agree with the previous diagnosis of stroke and aim. You would be suprised the number of players that arent truly hitting the center of the cueball. Off-center is magnified the more distance between cue and object ball...IMHO.
~Roy
~Roy
Chris;
Your original post confuses me some. ( I use a lot of high spin it seems for my longer straighter shot.. ) Why? Long straight shots are tough, why would you complicate them further by the use of spin, or is that what you meant to say? I'm just a banger myself so I sense and sympathize with your frustation. Remember that old axiom, KISS, Keep it Simple Stupid.
I fully agree with the other posters concerning the effects of un-intentional english(sidespin) or whatever you want too call it.
Dave Nelson
Your original post confuses me some. ( I use a lot of high spin it seems for my longer straighter shot.. ) Why? Long straight shots are tough, why would you complicate them further by the use of spin, or is that what you meant to say? I'm just a banger myself so I sense and sympathize with your frustation. Remember that old axiom, KISS, Keep it Simple Stupid.
I fully agree with the other posters concerning the effects of un-intentional english(sidespin) or whatever you want too call it.
Dave Nelson
Chris,
All the ideas given on here are great and definitely listen to them. The thing that came to my mind when reading your post was maybe you were concentrating a lot harder making on the hard cut shots than on the straight shots. You might be thinking, "it's a straight shot, easy to make but hard to get position on" and you spend more time concentrating on position than on making the shot. I know that as I am still learning position play that on some shots that I make 99% of the time I start focusing on get the CB in position for my next shot that I miss the really easy shot.
Don't know if this will help or not
Gator
All the ideas given on here are great and definitely listen to them. The thing that came to my mind when reading your post was maybe you were concentrating a lot harder making on the hard cut shots than on the straight shots. You might be thinking, "it's a straight shot, easy to make but hard to get position on" and you spend more time concentrating on position than on making the shot. I know that as I am still learning position play that on some shots that I make 99% of the time I start focusing on get the CB in position for my next shot that I miss the really easy shot.
Don't know if this will help or not
Gator
What your doing uncounciously is focusing more on the harder shots than on the simple ones as you may believe the harder shots look better to people your playing/watching.
Practice practice practice...is the only solution
Practice practice practice...is the only solution
If you get a CB that shows you where your tip is hitting, you may find you have a tendency to miss the vertical axis to one side, thereby imparting unwanted swerve, squirt and throw.
If that's the case, then you'll need to diagnose why you aren't delivering the cue properly, and as JoeyInCali suggests, a video would surely assist in this diagnosis.
If that's the case, then you'll need to diagnose why you aren't delivering the cue properly, and as JoeyInCali suggests, a video would surely assist in this diagnosis.
Roy;
I respectfully dis-agree with this part of your post(Your stance or posture shouldn't really change no matter the shot you're taking.) I personally have found through trial and error that I get a better sight picture standing more upright on shots where the cue ball and object ball are close together.
Dave Nelson
I respectfully dis-agree with this part of your post(Your stance or posture shouldn't really change no matter the shot you're taking.) I personally have found through trial and error that I get a better sight picture standing more upright on shots where the cue ball and object ball are close together.
Dave Nelson
I agree. And on long shots, especially when the CB is on the rail, I advocate gettin down real low and doin the limbo.
You see the edge of the ball better than the center and with straight ins, you need to see the center of BOTH balls.
I practiced straight ins for years-never got them-My brain refuses to accept reality of where center lies.
Hope you have better luck.
i dont know if it has been covered yet, but try shooting theese shots with center ball. i dont care what anybody says, center ball hits with no english is where your most dead accurate shots are going to come from. maybe two things can help you. 1 is to put an object ball on the spot at the head string and the cue ball on the rail of the head string at the second diamond so its like the cue ball and object ball are in a direct line, and then practice cutting the object ball into the corner and the in the side. the two shots are one in the same. the side pocket shot looks like its harder but trust me its the exact same shot. and 2 try putting the object ball about a foot away from a corner pocket, the cue ball a ball width away from the object ball. shoot it in the corner. try this 5 times til youve got it. then move the cue ball 2 ball widths away from the object ball, and then repeat by moving the cuball further and further back. once youve done that start moving the object ball further back. the hardest straight in shot is when the cue ball is sitting almost in a pocket and the the object ball is in the center of the table. shoot the straight in shots with a hair below center, but remember you have to stroke these shots. and shoot the cut shots with center english. i hope i was able to provide some help. what i just told you works for me and may not be for everubody else.
thats why initial proper alignment is so important....if your already having problems sighting...then being out of alignment is only going to make it tougher on the straight ins.
Draw a line cross corner to corner and line your balls and cue up on that and your back foot should be on that imaginary line also.
The back foot/shoulder/elbow/grip/bridge is in alignment with that line.
hope that helps,
-Grey Ghost-
I bet it's an alignment problem. You can shoot cut shots by feel without aiming. I did that myself years ago. You go down, do some warm up strokes, and then it just feels right without actually aiming at the ball. If it doesn't feel right you can fumble around until it does. But the straight in shot gives you an obstacle, the clear aiming line through the center of both balls. When you go down and try to make the shot by feel like those cut shots it will LOOK wrong to you. It's a common mistake. Set up a long straight shot and ask somebody to get behind the pocket and watch your alignment and stroke.
I'll bet you have tried more cuts in your life than straight in's. I'll bet it is something like 1000 to 1 cut shots vs. straight shots.
because you suck!
if it's not that it's probably because you're not practicing it.
when i used to have trouble shooting straight in shots i'd do it over and over again until i could do it 10 times in a row. then until i could do it 20 times in a row.
set up a straight shot and shoot it until you can make it 10 times in a row. play a few games after you do it 10 times and then go back to shooting the straight in shot again.
don't tell me you haven't considered doing it over and over and over again until you got it right. you're on here asking because you're trying to be lazy and looking for a short cut. you have to put in the time and effort. there are no short cuts. just hard work
seems like pool players always want to practice what they're better at.
i've actually got a friend that refuses to play pool because he wasn't instantly good at it