Level is "up" as opposed to angled down. That's what I meant. On successful shots in the video, I was looking for the level cue that is up off the cloth.
Per Mark Wilson who I emailed personally on this over a year ago....
Here is an excerpt from what I had written :
Currently I'm on chapter 29....the thousand hour checkup.
One ultimate question I have is on pro grade follow. you advocate the tip pointing downwards on your stroke, but when shooting pro grade follow I have always finished my tip parallel with the aiming point of high cue ball. Is the tip pointing towards the table true for all shots? Or when aiming high should I follow straight through to gain the most follow?
On power draw or power follow shots, many pros with exceptional fundamentals (niels feijen, shane) have a slight elbow drop because of where the tip follow needs to go.
Here was Mark Wilson's response:
As the elbow remains stationary the grip hand moves into your shoulder area on all strokes. Shoot some shots and just before the backswing close your eyes and feel for the elbow still and grip hand landing, then open your eyes and observe the tip.
Thank you sincerely,
Mark Wilson
To clarify, according to Mark Wilson, per his book (and backed up by his email response), the pendulum stroke ALWAYS has tip down on ALL shots.
So that is why I stated the shot I'm trying for in the video, with a cue tip level, up off the cloth on the follow through, is only possible with elbow drop. It can't be done if pendulum stroke is executed by the book.
Kid,
I think you are on the right track if you don't let yourself get pulled into the pits.
In golf, the golf ball never lies & it's flight path can tell one that understands & knows exactly what one did to get the ball to flight the way it did. One does not do the same thing every time to get the ball to flight differently. Pros can hit the ball high & they can hit it low. Pros can fade it to the right & draw it to the left. They do not do that by doing the same thing each time. Some will say that that is not a perfect or even good analogy because they can just change the club in their hands & make the same swing. That is how some do it but not all.
Le Trevino, who basically hit a power fade would set his grip for a slice in order to hit a draw so that he could release fully & not wind up hitting a duck hook.
Some say that pros succeed in spite of & not because of their idiosyncrasies. How many champions have you ever seen that did not have their own idiosyncrasy of some kind?
Results oriented. The ball does not lie.
The best advice or lesson I have ever received was from my Civics Teacher. She said to always consider the source of any information or criticism & what motive, incentive, or agenda that they might have.
It had served me rather well even if making me a bit of a skeptic. I'd rather be a skeptic than a fish any day.
Question, Yes.
Get Answers, Yes.
Question answers, Yes, while remembering my Civics Lesson.
Think for yourself because it is you that must & will become & be Responsible for your own stroke & your own game.
Best Wishes to You & ALL.
PS The FULL pendulum stroke is more conducive to shots hit below the equator on the cue ball as the tip is arcing downward as the hand swings up. That is not a conducive tip path for shots hit above the equator, at least not for the normal intention.
