Often beginners mistakenly consider Draw to be English, but DRAW is not. When we use the term English we are speaking to only left and right cueball spin.
Great video. I myself would definitely enjoy a more in depth video on the aiming process. I know there are many out there, but it's still hard to anticipate the process, so another person's opinion would help.
Since I've watched this twice, how can I like it twice?! I got a table when we moved into our new house in June. Now, Bryan is helping me to catch up! At the moment, shots with English, long shots and shots with velocity are giving me trouble. Thanks Bryan!
Thank you so much for this. I'm looking forward to the rest of them. I just started using spin a couple of months ago, and it's hit or miss. Now I get to see what's really going on when i apply English.
Just starting to understand about the difference between angles and putting them with together with english. Thanks and as usual keep the great videos coming.
I'm above intermediate/ experienced player but only recently learned about how deflections work. Before I was still able to pull off a lot of shots that required English instinctively, but not all of them. Learning the theory obviously helped my game tremendously. Quite quickly I also figured out this fairly easy way to aim with inside English. First, you got to aim straight towards the object ball, no angle (this method obviously doesn't work if your shot is dead straight but even with small angle it will work). Then, you apply the inside English. The amount of English depends on the deflection you want to create for angle. Basically, you're not aiming with the angle but with the deflection, if that makes sense. It may sound difficult, but I personally found it to be a very intuitive and reliable way to make shots with inside English. I don't know if this method would be good for a less experienced player, however, as it requires a lot of intuition and feel of your cue to get the right deflection reliably. I have no idea if that method is more widely used. Probably not, as most better players tend to get a low deflection cue eventually. Discovering that almost makes me not want to ever switch to using one.
I definitely appreciate the in depth information about English. I try to stay away from English on my shots only because I try to keep center ball positioning. Though knowing a little more about English will definitely help with growing as a player and going forward as a positional player.
Your explanations couldn't be better about spin. I love shooting these in practice & when you make the shot it feels so good because you see that what you've demonstrated is correct. Another shot is right spin on the white (on an angle shot) & it will actually slow down or kill the rebound off the rail it's cool to see. Good video Brian.
Brian don't you think that if you play long enough (years) that the aiming will become instinctive? Not saying you'll make every shot but have a lot of success.
On the last shot you said there was no English applied, obviously you meant left/right, because there was certainly draw on it. Another great video with clear, easily understood instruction. Good job. I've played pool for 55 years and I pick up something from almost everyone of your videos.
This is correct. Often beginners mistakenly consider Draw to be English, but it is not. When we use the term English we are speaking to only left and right cueball spin.
Probably the best video on deflection Nd the low deflection shaft. I believe there is more about aiming with deflection I believe. The other thing could the tip ( hard,soft, medium etc..) be considered and how? Thank you.
Great video (as always). Question from a developing player - what would be the minimum skill set required before advancing to practicing these kinds of shots? I don't want to jump ahead when perhaps practice time would be better spent mastering more fundamental shots? As an example, should I be able to hit X percentage of table length straight shots, or be able to draw a ball a certain distance, etc, etc before stepping up to learning english? Basically, what should I be competent at first? Any guidance on this would be very much appreciated.
Seems like really knowing your cue deflection is important. I can see how moving to a low deflection cue could screw things up until your brain adjusted and vice versa.
True but I want from a regular cue to LD about 15 years ago and it only took me two days to adjust. That said: Going the other direction is a killer. When I use my standard deflection cues, my game drops about 10-15%. That's why you don't see them used in my videos even though I change up cues a lot. I Use five different cues for my videos but all of them have a LD shaft on them.
Thanks Brian, another informative episode. I’m glad you chose this subject , for , this is about where I am in learning (3 months) and I suggested this subject last time I wrote in, awesome!Would it be beneficial for a beginner like myself to go ahead and obtain a low deflection cue?
If you’re going to be using English going forward and it’s within your budget, it’s worth it. If you’re not using a lot of English then it’s overkill. But you can always grow into the cue. If you were going to buy a cue anyway you might as well spend the extra couple hundred bucks and get a low D.
I always use the analogy of "for every action in one direction there is an equal and opposite action in the opposite direction", when trying to explain the use of english to players.
Brian, thank you for the content I am finding it quite helpful with the detailed information. I am wondering if you could use an X or full red dot when showing where to strike the cue ball? SOmetimes it is gone before I locate it on the thumbnail. Also on some of your videos it appears that you are using a piece of felt under the cue ball when breaking the rack. Can you describe why you do this?
The cloth under the ball is to protect the table doing break shots or when practicing jump shots. Many of us break from the exact same spot on the table over and over again and the friction burns a hole in the expensive cloth over time. And I’ll see what I can do about the diagram. Thanks for watching.
Love your vids cause you explain so well. What would be the next vid to watch after this one for correct learning progression? I am off to hunt but if you can share the links in sequence that would be great. I need to watch them all for learning what happens to the cue ball after it hits the rail with English. Thanks again love your instruction.
If you email me at fxbilliards@gmail.com and tell me about your current level I can send you a list of recommendations. Thank you very much for watching.
My guess on that statement is that you most likely have a mechanics issue. You MUST have a straight line in your shooting arm and follow through, if you don't have both of these your shots will almost always be off. In order to properly diagnose what is going on you need to get with someone at your local pool hall and ask them to help you figure out what you are doing wrong. I really hope you figure it out because it can be quite frustrating. Good luck Rich!
Hi Bryan. In the video you speak of curve. What determines what direction the curve goes - left or right? You make it sound as though curve and deflection are opposite.
Yes, they are. The cue ball is spinning clockwise, it deflects to the right, but eventually curves to the left. The curve is very subtle and not as pronounced as deflection. It Is dependent on the shot the cloth,, even how clean the balls are.
I have been playing for a couple of years. I have a Meucci with pro shaft so I believe that is low deflection cue. I am trying to understand english. I pretty much hit center unless my couch tells me to hit other places on the cue ball during league. So if we use left english, the cue ball goes right or the object ball goes right? That is what I am confused about. I will practice some with english to try to help me understand more. I love my Meucci, and I already see my game improving a little, but I really want to be able to put the cue ball where I need it as well as making balls. I really want to pull my weight with my team, and am excited to learn more. Thank you for your videos. I learned a great deal. My BK Rush will be here tomrrow and looking forward to using that as well.
Thanks for all the great videos! I've been trying to learn to use English but I often miss shots. I looked at some other videos which talked about back hand English vs front hand English and parallel shifting. How do you recommend a beginner approach the ball using English?
Try breaking and running racks, using left and right hand English on every shot - that will allow you to get a feel for what happens as you apply English.
Since the first 8 ball shot was a low percentage reverse bank, another option might've been knocking the 8 ball off the orange stripe, towards the lower left (from the shooter's perspective) pocket. Also low percentage, but maybe the 8 ball blocks the pocket?
I can not make a recommendation because I dont make BH or FH corrections with my shots, nor do I teach them. Sorry I could not be more help to you and thanks for watching.
I'm curious Brian...so a guy I shoot with said he noticed that when I shoot, I am staring at the cue ball even on long shots after the object ball hits the pocket, whether I'm shooting well or a bit off...is that typical or should I be doing something different? Cue ball control is typically B+/A range, my english can be heavy and overall I'd say I'm a B+ to A player as far as actual playing.
There are players who do you look at the Cue ball during the shot- my only focus is on the object ball except with jump shots where I only focus on the CB. It’s rare for someone to watch the cue ball, but it does happen with some players. Maybe one out of every 30 pros. Rodney Morris said he looks at the CB. I thought I was being set up when he said that but I guess some people do
hey, Bryan. my question is this. I have a 290 Fargo rate at this time, watching your videos and trying some of the lessons still having trouble with some shots. does the tip you use make a difference. you will laugh at me for this , I have bought 3 different pool cues with different tips. what is your take on the stick and tip and how to shape it to get the best results. thanks James
If I put a Moori on one cue and a Kamui on another and a victory on a third, most people could not tell the difference. As long as it's a quality tip, it's just a matter of preference and should not change your game much. Many top players play all their lives with a specific brand, then get sponsorship and need to change tips after 20 years. They are not going to see the change much unless they went from soft to hard. I changed from Moori to Victory when I got the Revo and saw almost no change.
Really depends on the shot, the table, the position needed, etc. Faster or slower speed changes the deflection, the through, the curve, just about everything. It's something you develop a touch for as you get better and better.
If you tell me the brand and the model of the cue, I can let you know. But I think if it was LD you would know about it because it would cost a bit more than a standard deflection shaft.
The origin goes back over a hundred years. There are too many theories to buy into any one of them but the term is almost exclusively used by Americans. english.stackexchange.com/questions/38397/why-is-putting-some-spin-on-a-ball-described-in-some-circles-as-giving-it-some#
