WRISTS - The "hidden power catalyst" of a great stroke or "just along for the ride"?

Who ended up winning the tournament?

Hi, to bad you couldn´t see it, I think you had enjoyed it. It was a great tournament with some real high class pool.
I will try and see if I can find any vids of Niclas, he really shows (at least I think, my understanding of, wrist, pinning etc) very clearly what you mean because he has a bit more loose wrist than you so it´s easy to see.
I started back in 95/6 to play and back then he still competed some but the most fun part was when he trained, he came down to the hall and just racked it up for straight pool, did a 100 and that was that - all the time...... At least it seemed like it. He has a high run over 200. Beautiful to see:smile:.

Chrippa

Yeah, I ddn't see your post until after it was over. Who ended up winning the tournament?
 
Check the thread where a beginner is asking for advise and look at Patricks post. He said get a instructor not someone who just plays good.
Yes, not someone who just plays good. I'll choose somebody who plays good and can teach over somebody who plays great and doesn't know how to teach.

pj
chgo
 
Originally Posted by backplaying
The funny part is how these same people think anyone that played at a high level can't teach anyone else how to play. As Patrick said in another post to a beginner, you need to get a instructor and not just a player that plays good. Is there any video of Patrick, nopool and the rest of these people who are the only ones that can teach someone how to play pool? I would really like to see these guys play with the knowledge they have it would be something to behold I'm sure!

He also asked you a question that you totally evaded. You stated that ANYONE that played at a high level can teach. That simply is a false statement that has been proven many times over. Which is EXACTLY why Patrick stated to see an instructor- someone qualified to actually teach.

Also, Patrick said to see an instructor, so why are you wanting video of him, nobpool, and others that aren't actual instructors? YOU are the ONLY one that said that only they are able to teach, and in the process you attempt to mock them and all instructors for things you made up.

So, enlighten us...which players that play at a top level couldn't teach us anything? A blanket statement like that isn't any more true than every instructor will help you. You take a little from all of them that works for you.

Your statement would be closer to reality if it were phrased, "Find an instructor that is known for fundamentals if you're a novice", and "Find a top player if you want to learn the mental approach, patterns, etc.".

Every single top player I've known has shown me something I didn't know. They didn't get there not knowing about this game we obsess over. confused0023.gif

Best,
Mike
 
So, enlighten us...which players that play at a top level couldn't teach us anything? A blanket statement like that isn't any more true than every instructor will help you. You take a little from all of them that works for you.

Your statement would be closer to reality if it were phrased, "Find an instructor that is known for fundamentals if you're a novice", and "Find a top player if you want to learn the mental approach, patterns, etc.".

Every single top player I've known has shown me something I didn't know. They didn't get there not knowing about this game we obsess over. View attachment 248695

Best,
Mike

There are quite a few that can't. Most of them don't even know just what they themselves are even doing, they can just do it. There are some top players that are very good teachers. Eberle is one of them, Charlie Bryant is another, not to mention the actual instructors that play at a high level. If you really think any ol top player can do more than give you a pointer or two, you are sadly mistaken. You sure like to sell the better instructors short, don't you? You really think they can't teach mental approach, patterns, ect? If you really do think that, then you really don't have a clue about what the instructors know and don't know.
 
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Being able to express your ideas in many different ways using analogies/metaphors

So, enlighten us...which players that play at a top level couldn't teach us anything? A blanket statement like that isn't any more true than every instructor will help you. You take a little from all of them that works for you.

Your statement would be closer to reality if it were phrased, "Find an instructor that is known for fundamentals if you're a novice", and "Find a top player if you want to learn the mental approach, patterns, etc.".

Every single top player I've known has shown me something I didn't know. They didn't get there not knowing about this game we obsess over. View attachment 248695

Best,
Mike

I know some of the best players in history that teach players like me that DO NOT want it advertised they instuct anyone. I'll ask them when I get a chance {"why?"}, and I'm sure the answer is they would be overwhelped by people asking them for help with their games.

Many players, like myself just help people because we enjoy it and have never made a "business" out of it. I count my blessings Champion Players have helped me in the past (Buddy Hall, Wade Crane, Mike Sigel, Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Hunter Lombardo, Max Eberle to name a few).

I would say one hour with one of these guys (for me) is like an infinite amount of hours with just "an instructor." It's a huge advantage to already know what it takes to play at a championship level and can "begin with the end in mind." Especially when it comes to prioritizing the learning process.

Granted a beginner or even intermediate wouldn't benifit from just an hour with one of these guys, and an advanced player would a great deal. Being able to express your ideas in many different ways using analogies, metaphors, and "building bridges" from what someone already knows to what they desire to know is essential. There are many common denominators that will be associated with pool very easily.

That's why I have always communicated best with athletes and players that play other games well, like golf, tennis, martial arts, or even poker helps a lot (for strategy and the "mental side").

Maybe it's time to start a teaching program with some Top Pros and give everyone a chance to experience their teaching for themselves. That might be fun to put together and organize in the next couple of months. 'The Game is the Teacher'
 
I know some of the best players in history that teach players like me that DO NOT want it advertised they instuct anyone. I'll ask them when I get a chance {"why?"}, and I'm sure the answer is they would be overwhelped by people asking them for help with their games.

Many players, like myself just help people because we enjoy it and have never made a "business" out of it. I count my blessings Champion Players have helped me in the past (Buddy Hall, Wade Crane, Mike Sigel, Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Hunter Lombardo, Max Eberle to name a few).

I would say one hour with one of these guys (for me) is like an infinite amount of hours with just "an instructor." It's a huge advantage to already know what it takes to play at a championship level and can "begin with the end in mind." Especially when it comes to prioritizing the learning process.

Granted a beginner or even intermediate wouldn't benifit from just an hour with one of these guys, and an advanced player would a great deal. Being able to express your ideas in many different ways using analogies, metaphors, and "building bridges" from what someone already knows to what they desire to know is essential. There are many common denominators that will be associated with pool very easily.

That's why I have always communicated best with athletes and players that play other games well, like golf, tennis, martial arts, or even poker helps a lot (for strategy and the "mental side").

Maybe it's time to start a teaching program with some Top Pros and give everyone a chance to experience their teaching for themselves. That might be fun to put together and organize in the next couple of months. 'The Game is the Teacher'

The part in red, CJ. You state that like you actually know what you are talking about there. Truth is, you are only guessing because you have no idea whatsoever what the top instructors could show you. So why state something with "authority" that you actually know nothing about??
 
There are quite a few that can't. Most of them don't even know just what they themselves are even doing, they can just do it. There are some top players that are very good teachers. Eberle is one of them, Charlie Bryant is another, not to mention the actual instructors that play at a high level. If you really think any ol top player can do more than give you a pointer or two, you are sadly mistaken. You sure like to sell the better instructors short, don't you? You really think they can't teach mental approach, patterns, ect? If you really do think that, then you really don't have a clue about what the instructors know and don't know.

Obviously you have a directory or something that you could possibly share with us about top players' teaching abilities. Start from the best to the worst, in your opinion. Don't worry about stepping on any toes. Your position on their teaching ability has already been given out publicly many times before. They're only good for giving out, "a pointer or two". anim_04.gif

And since I'm disagreeing about pros being able to share some instruction with the masses, I think instructors are worthless? Kind of a stretch there, ya' think? You're jumping to conclusions. If I were you, I think I'd go see a doctor and get that thorn taken out of your paw. That's a clue for you, BTW. anim_20.gif

Best,
Mike
 
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Obviously you have a directory or something that you could possibly share with us about top players' teaching abilities. Start from the best to the worst, in your opinion. Don't worry about stepping on any toes. Your position on their teaching ability has already been given out publicly many times before. They're only good for giving out, "a pointer or two". View attachment 248702

And since I'm disagreeing about pros being able to share some instruction with the masses, I think instructors are wothless? Kind of a stretch there, ya' think? You're jumping to conclusions. If I were you, I think I'd go see a doctor and get that thorn taken out of your paw. That's a clue for you, BTW. View attachment 248703

Best,
Mike

First, get the "thorn" out of yours and re-read what I actually wrote. Second, go try to get a lesson from the top- Efren, let me know how that worked out for you.;)
 
The part in red, CJ. You state that like you actually know what you are talking about there. Truth is, you are only guessing because you have no idea whatsoever what the top instructors could show you. So why state something with "authority" that you actually know nothing about??

First, get the "thorn" out of yours and re-read what I actually wrote. Second, go try to get a lesson from the top- Efren, let me know how that worked out for you.;)

Isn't your question to CJ the same thing I was asking you? And does Efren make house calls? One more question, please...is there anybody on this forum that doesn't want lessons from Efren? party0028.gif

Best,
Mike
 
Isn't your question to CJ the same thing I was asking you? And does Efren make house calls? One more question, please...is there anybody on this forum that doesn't want lessons from Efren? View attachment 248705

Best,
Mike

How so, on the question? Or do you mean that just because someone doesn't play at a pro level, that they can't possibly know what it takes to play at a pro level? As to Efren, go try and get lessons from him and see what he says, and who he directs you to.
 
How so, on the question? Or do you mean that just because someone doesn't play at a pro level, that they can't possibly know what it takes to play at a pro level? As to Efren, go try and get lessons from him and see what he says, and who he directs you to.

I mean, how do you know a top player won't be able to teach you something? Why would Efren send me away when I'm there for a lesson? Oh, you just know. OOOOOOOOOOOOOk! winking0047.gif

Best,
Mike
 
[QOUTE) DTL: Realizing that the CB is on its way at essentially the moment of tip contact (couple milliseconds), as CJ said, "Moment of truth", was the most helpful thing I've ever learned playing pool. That was about 24 years ago. It shot my game up 2 balls almost instantly. From the pause at the back swing (we all pause, some more than others) to tip contact is where the money is, IMO.



Disclaimer: I'm not a certified instructor.

It sort of speaks for itself. Read my first response to you carefully.

Basically when the tip hits the CB the shot is done in terms of what's gonna happen next. Soooo, its very important to hit the cue ball EXACTLY where you need to hit it........not just high left or low right, but where in the high right quadrant, etc. When hitting the CB off center (left/right or top/buttom) only part of the tip contacts the ball (was mentioned early by ? Scott Lee, ? 3 mm). I don't know how many different hitting areas there are in the high right quadrant but I'd guess 16 (some slightly overlapping). I look at the CB last as do some professionals (Ralf Souquet).

The 2nd thing that has to happen is when you do hit the exact spot on the CB the stick has to be pointed (dare I say, AIMED) in the right direction for any given shot........straight down the line for a straight in shot (using BHE with proper pivot point for your cue will cancel out some miss hits but that's another story/lesson). And of course when using english you have to adjust for squirt/swerve..........that's really the hard part, IMO. All this is done with the cue at level as possible (per most instructors) although the butt of my cue is elevated more than most....just the way I play.

View attachment 248701

3rd, you have to have the stick traveling at the right speed for the shot at hand......BEFORE and at contact, accelerating. Slower than intended is probably worse (that squirt and swerve thing) than harder. Speed is crucial for not only putting the CB at the center of the ghost ball but for getting position on the next shot.

Finally, you have to do all this without moving your bridge hand, head and body! Do your pre-shot routine (PSR) and set up to the CB seeing the line all the way down. Now measure up, take practice strokes or whatever you do and then SET the tip at the CB. Try to pull back essentially the same on all shots, slow is better than fast. PAUSE, and then stroke straight at your intended target on the CB at the right speed. Your work is done, whitey won't lie after that. The follow through is just the release (not a good description) of the energy from the forward stroke and has nothing to do with the outcome.........it should be a straight follow through if you stroked it straight before contact with the CB. The head, bridge hand (push down hard on the table) and body have to be still until the stick comes to a stop (FINISH). And if your feet aren't properly placed (right foot on the line of shot for right handed player) during your PSR you can't expect any consistency at all. I like to pretend that my head (more like my dominant eye), bridge hand and right foot are connected by a steel rod triangle and stay exactly connected (still) until the stick stops.

OK, done. I hope I don't get too much flack from this post.
No flack from me - sensible nonsense-free description.

pj
chgo
 
I mean, how do you know a top player won't be able to teach you something? Why would Efren send me away when I'm there for a lesson? Oh, you just know. OOOOOOOOOOOOOk! View attachment 248707

Best,
Mike

Mike, many have already tried to get lessons from Efren, he laughs, usually says he can't do that, and then directs them to his "instructor".

You sound like you are looking for that "magic bullet" that will propel you to the next level. Which for you, would be pro, from my understanding of your play. Have you ever considered the fact that with your current ability, you know enough now to go pro? The thing holding you back, and I say this without even seeing you play, is not your ability to do pretty much what ever you intend to on the table, but your inability to sustain it for longer periods of time.

In your other thread, you hit on one of those things, sheer laziness. Something we all suffer from at at times. Believe it or not, that is the main thing. After that, it's keeping your head straight. Again, that's where the laziness comes in. You have head your head straight plenty enough times to be able to do it. So have I. Problem is, we get going good, then get a little lackadaisical, and start to let sloppiness creep in. Eventually, it bites us. A little lazy or sloppy on making the shot, we miss. Same thing with position play, a little sloppy, and we are now out of line when there was no reason to get out of line to start with. We do the same things the pros do, just not as consistently. That's what the whole game is about, maintaining consistency.

Now, with that said, at the very top levels, the pros have much better cue ball control than most. I believe that's largely a part of how the subconscious works in each of us.

You want to be a top pro, good luck. You just want to get to the next level, and maybe the one after that, you already know what to do to get there. You just have to do it. It takes a lot of time, and hard work to break old habits.

Mike, with the above said, as long as you have been on here, I am assuming that you have availed yourself of all the knowledge that already is available from this site and it's associated links to related sites. If you haven't, then yes, a pro can probably show you something that you don't already know. But, then, that would go back to the lazy part of not utilizing what you already have access to.
 
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Mike, many have already tried to get lessons from Efren, he laughs, usually says he can't do that, and then directs them to his "instructor".

You sound like you are looking for that "magic bullet" that will propel you to the next level. Which for you, would be pro, from my understanding of your play. Have you ever considered the fact that with your current ability, you know enough now to go pro? The thing holding you back, and I say this without even seeing you play, is not your ability to do pretty much what ever you intend to on the table, but your inability to sustain it for longer periods of time.

In your other thread, you hit on one of those things, sheer laziness. Something we all suffer from at at times. Believe it or not, that is the main thing. After that, it's keeping your head straight. Again, that's where the laziness comes in. You have head your head straight plenty enough times to be able to do it. So have I. Problem is, we get going good, then get a little lackadaisical, and start to let sloppiness creep in. Eventually, it bites us. A little lazy or sloppy on making the shot, we miss. Same thing with position play, a little sloppy, and we are now out of line when there was no reason to get out of line to start with. We do the same things the pros do, just not as consistently. That's what the whole game is about, maintaining consistency.

Now, with that said, at the very top levels, the pros have much better cue ball control than most. I believe that's largely a part of how the subconscious works in each of us.

You want to be a top pro, good luck. You just want to get to the next level, and maybe the one after that, you already know what to do to get there. You just have to do it. It takes a lot of time, and hard work to break old habits.

Mike, with the above said, as long as you have been on here, I am assuming that you have availed yourself of all the knowledge that already is available from this site and it's associated links to related sites. If you haven't, then yes, a pro can probably show you something that you don't already know. But, then, that would go back to the lazy part of not utilizing what you already have access to.

Sheer laziness comes from being stagnant and not seeing improvement in ones game to encourage continuation-Lack of all the knowledge required, or applying it correctly

Pros have better CB control because they can shoot and pocket shots in several ways of which increases their chance of going in line parallel to position- Advance Knowledge and applying knowledge

Many people think they know it all; wait until they really know it and able to apply it all, they will be stunned and never stop-Ask me! i am at 55 and been playing for more than 30 years, now i am glued to the game more than ever- i find the magic bullet finally, indeed there is one to make you consistent
 
Many people think they know it all; wait until they really know it and able to apply it all, they will be stunned and never stop-Ask me! i am at 55 and been playing for more than 30 years, now i am glued to the game more than ever- i find the magic bullet finally, indeed there is one to make you consistent

Mr. Naji,

What magic bullet did you find?

Best Regards,
 
Sheer laziness comes from being stagnant and not seeing improvement in ones game to encourage continuation-Lack of all the knowledge required, or applying it correctly

Pros have better CB control because they can shoot and pocket shots in several ways of which increases their chance of going in line parallel to position- Advance Knowledge and applying knowledge

Many people think they know it all; wait until they really know it and able to apply it all, they will be stunned and never stop-Ask me! i am at 55 and been playing for more than 30 years, now i am glued to the game more than ever- i find the magic bullet finally, indeed there is one to make you consistent

By better cue ball control, I was referring to placing it right where you want to, not just close. Such as not just getting behind a blocker when playing safe, but freezing the cb to the blocker to cut off returns from your opponent.

And, sorry, but from your previous posts, you are still far from "knowing it all". Several times you have mentioned that you have found the magic bullet, and all one has to do is ask you. Well, you have been asked a number of times, and have yet to divulge it. For what it's worth, I don't believe there is any one magic bullet to being consistent. But, rather, it is a combination of things one must do. Care to prove me wrong??
 
so you hear this and you come to the conclusion that Efren cant teach the game of pool to someone? lol :thumbup:

Well, when he says he can't teach someone, then yeah, I come to that conclusion. Can he give pointers? Sure he can. That's a far cry from actually teaching someone though.
 
Neil I can think of a lot of reasons why he tells people that. Your conclusion is not believable in my eyes, he has played at the highest level for thirty years. You think Efren cant figure out an opponents (who is a pro) weakness in a blink of eye and use it against him during there match? Seriously, if you think Efren cant teach your crazy. If you say he doesn't want to teach than i would believe you and that goes for all pro's.
 
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