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I consider this the best game improvement video I've seen on RU-vid. No headache inducing tangent lines or thinking you need a protractor. All that stuff becomes learned over time playing and practicing. In pool, stroke is King, period. I'm an accomplished player and today, I still spend hours shooting in straight in stop shots like you show making sure I have no unintended spin on the cue ball. I do this drill on a snooker table as well with regular pool balls.
I used to be notorious for missing these shots until i started recording my games, that's when finally saw a few things i would do wrong... I was over thinking them, or trying to force shape to get to my next ball..Also sometimes my shoulder would slightly drop causing my cue to get out of line..I fixed that by using a shorter stroke on straight in shots because the shorter the stroke the less room i had for error...
nice video again brother! One tip i found useful to immediately correct this is to adjust your grip for these straight in shots. In your grip hand, rather than holding the cue normally with all fingers+thumb touching the handle, try gripping it with just your ring and pinky+thumb (make a hand pistol, pew pew, and hold the cue). what this does is that it will force you to stroke with your elbow only (if that makes sense) since the focus point of the grip ends up in the base of your palm rather than in the index finger part which is the furthest part from the pivot of your wrist. As much as possible, try to incorporate this stroke action into ALL of your shots once your get used to it as it will give you a clean and straight stroke. Train your muscle memory to lock your wrist and not let it move too much during a shot which causes all these simple misses. I hope this helps and please let me know if this helped you!
This is something I have never heard of before, but it seems like it would make you highly conscious of any minor movements you might have. I'll give this a shot next time I go out to practice. Maybe tonight after I get off work.
Nice to know I'm not the only one. You're solution makes a lot of sense. I didn't realize throw was maximized on a straight shot- it all makes more sense now.
not everyone has a pool table or able to go everytime we want at a club or something, we have to pay extra to play the game. us, we need to improve while playing the game not training but u have good tips, great job
Keeping your wrist, elbow and shoulder aligned throughout the stroke is a talent few are conscious of. When that is mastered you can use that knowledge to throw the ball purposely. Another topic touched on is the apparent center of the cue ball. To highlight this phenomenon stare at a object across the room. Take your thumb, finger or pen out in front of your vision start from your left and slowly bring that across you vision to the right. You will see your finger jump several times. This is your vision going back and forth from the two hemispheres of the brain. In ending this video is the best I've seen on one of the hardest shots one the table. The straight in shot.
I'm new to your channel this is easily one of the best pool vids I've seen and I've seen a lot and it's obvious that other people agree based on it's popularity and their comments. Your really know how to teach and teach well and for your own sake I hope that's what you do for a living!
I could only pot 1 or 2 long shots before watching this training video. now after practicing this method for over a year for an hour every day on my American Brunswick table I can nearly pot 4 out of 20 every time.And I have even potted 5 out of 20 once .I am getting incredibly better thanks to this video.mant thanks
I do think the center ball thing is great advice.. I rarely use spin anymore, and have developed my game to move the ball with center.. Which allows me to play with authority without sacrificing precision.. Another thing about center.. It allows you to be more precise on all two rail patterns getting back to the center of the table.. In fact, I’ll use a tip of inside more than helping English, so I can make the ball with speed, yet not have the cue ball spin up table on me..
This was an informative video more so in fixing the issue because I figured the reason I couldn't hit these straight shots consistently is because of my inconsistency in hitting the cue ball straight. Now I know what to work on. Thanks!!!
I agree that this one was a bit abrupt, but I find that as soon as I begin my outros I typically go from 60% to 30% audience retention. Having a higher retention throughout the duration of the video tells the algorithm to push the video out. So I did a bit of an experiment with this one on the abrupt ending. it seems to have worked. Haha.
Do you think I missed anything? One thing I might add is that you should play these practice shots to follow them into the pocket as well as draw back to the opposite pocket. I use to shoot probably 200 of these every time I went out to practice. What do you think? Is it necessary?
I've been doing all this, but yeah, I'm stuck on the 60-70 percent success rate (stun being easier than follow or draw), will have to check out this vertical axis thing and focus on getting that stun to be dead on before then moving on to the follow and draw.
You will be able to see the spin. I had made it such a part of my game that I was still pocketing balls even with consistent, but unintentional left spin. Took me a while to break the habit, but it was well worth it.
Not sure if it's true for everyone, but switching to open bridge gave me a huge boost with straight shots. The way I explain it, tight closed bridge hides the flaws in your stroke. It keeps the cue from flying around but you actually need this additional information in order to shoot straight, so you know where you usually tend to deviate from the straight line.
This has helped me so much, I thank you good sir. I was told months ago that I was hitting the ball to the side, but I would have put money on that I was hitting it centre. I kind of dismissed the advice. I figured out recently that I'm quite dominantly right eyed and have been cueing under that eye which took a week or so to get used to but once I did I could start seeing the whole table again (hard to explain), but there was something not quite right - I've been cueing really well for a while and shots with intentional side are becoming more and more successful - I dreaded any straight shot and would usually opt for a safety or other pocket - it was because I was hitting the cue ball to the left. I play snooker and we don't have any markings on the balls so it's quite difficult to know if you are putting unintended side on. I play in two leagues and last night I played the best game I've played so far and that is thanks to your video. I dominated from the start and it felt great. The guy I played happened to be the first guy I played against in the league and he was full of praise. Cheers mate 👍.
After years of shooting the same I decided to give this a try. I shot many balls straight in and realized I was hitting the cue slightly to the left.. I was still making most of my shots,,but by physically moving the tip to the center of the cue I started making all my shots,,lately anyhow. I catch myself allot lately still wanting to hit the cue off center to the left. I cannot believe this has been happening. It makes a huge difference on cut /rail shots. Where I seem to always want to hit left on the cue,,when I can catch myself before the shot and center it,,I will make the ball every time. I cant believe after all these years of shooting I have found this. I was still making a high percentage of my shots but now it seems I am making almost ALL my shots.
@@WorldofPoolandBilliards It is one of them things I never payed much attention to,,just assumed I was hitting the cue dead center. I was surprised to see how many times while lining up for a shot I was hitting left of center. Without meaning to. I spin the cue allot so maybe I was compensating for it. But it is much better to just hit center unless other is actually needed.
Thanks, I just got a new high end wide angle lens. I am really happy with the sharpness and color. This video was my first time using it. You can really see the difference in the stuff I filmed last week, and the video I filmed 6 months ago. (6 mos ago was with my white Meucci in this video)
@@WorldofPoolandBilliards Yeah, it's a big difference and looks fantastic. I really like the lighting and angles you showed in the video. Will definitely strive to have production quality like yours in the future. Thanks for giving me the shout out, I hit 1k subs last night. Cheers!
Awesome video, thanks a lot for sharing! The instruction provided here is extremely significant for all player levels. I've used the diagonal shot drill for many years often putting a strip of masking tape from one corner pocket diagonally to the other to reinforce proper pre-stroke alignment and a straight follow through.
Doesn't the masking tape mess up cue and object balls moving? Or are you just doing that to have someone else look at you and whether you are aligned to the masking tape?
@@bell989 I haven't experienced any problems with accurate ball movement. I credit this drill to Bob Jewitt who is one of the most respected pool knowledge experts in the game. The tape also really helps to ensure that you're following through straight. Great for improving your stroke.
My friend told me to practice this to find what's going on with your stroke if you miss the shot. This is a good stroke tester and also obviously aim tester. He would tell me to make 5 of these in a row ans it was not easy at first but it was really helpful once I got it down. It's been a long time since I've done these but I'm definitely gonna go back to doing this
Awesome video, I love how you combine your personal experience with fundamental techniques to make the effects of practice more "attainable". Btw, sometimes when I get down on a shot I don't even know how to tell whether I'm holding the cue straight through the shot line or not. I'm wondering if you would consider making a video on sighting and alignment? Many thanks and keep up the great work!
hmm, that isn't something I have ever really thought about before. I'll give it some thought and try to make a video on it. I'll probably have to do some research on the topic.
I feel like my fundamentals are ok. I have a decent pre shot routine. I chalk before every shot, look at the contact point, walk in to the shot, take some practice strokes then shoot. But i have problems with aiming. I dont use any system, i just use the contact point for all of my shots. Draw a straight line from the object ball to the pocket, then aim the cue ball at that point.I know this isn't a good method for thin cut shots, but im just wondering what aiming method you use. I noticed most pros/good players dont look at the contact point, because they've hit some many balls, they've probably seen that shots 10s of thousands of times and just know where to hit it. Just wondering can you make a video on aiming and what you do to aim shots. Thin cut shots, bank shots, ect. Really enjoy your channel. You are a really good player. Keep up the great videos
I'll probably make a video on this eventually, but here are the basics of my aiming system. I don't have one. I'm not sure if I can attribute this to starting to play at such a young age (3), but I really just know where to hit the ball to make it. Occasionally I will look at the pocketing line, but I really just have a feel for where I need to hit. This however has been at a bit of a detriment to my combo game as I am really only good at aiming at the pockets and not any specific point. When it comes to improving shot making, the best thing that I can recommend is mindful & purposeful practice. This will probably be the future video that I referenced earlier. It involves practicing at the outer limits of your abilities in the game. If there is a certain shot that you miss quite often (i.e. long thin cuts up the rail), practice those until you are favored to make them. I would keep a notebook or drawings on your phone of every shot that you miss and try to find patterns in your game. Scenarios where you should be making the ball but don't seem to be. I had big problem with shooting off the rail for a long time until I started doing this. There are still extremely difficult shots that I am not favored to make, but all the balls that I should make, I do (at least a majority of the time).
Think about the contact point on the OB then the opposite point on it. This is your contact point on your CB. Before you get down you need to be thinking 2 balls ahead and be precise on CB position. Exact position and be coming down a line so you dont have to be perfect. An angle going to a rail is preferred on every shot unless its a stop shot. Visualize everything before you get down and make sure your looking at OB last. Before the last stroke is taken. If your stroke it strait you will know why you make or missed a shot then you can adjust from there. It takes a lot of consistent practice before anything works. Stance, comfort. steady head and body position and grip are very important as well.
Great video. I like to hit the longest shots on the 9’ table corner to corner with cue in the pocket & object ball dead center of table. I haven’t measured it but it must be at 10.5’ shot. Cheers.
This video was very helpful. My problem is I rush myself sometimes we all have bad days were just off. I know the english high low left right but rushing myself is whats killing me. Also sometimes with these long shots I hit them alittle hard trying to position myself for the next shot but without pocketing the balls consistently your position is meaningless just gotta practice more. First time im shooting again in 5 years.
Great lesson and tips ... Will be using your pointers in the next month because I am not consistent, but will be practicing an hour at a time. Thanks for the great tips! 🎱
Imho, from my personal experience.. It's gonna be much more easier to make a shot accurately, if we already know how to see the line with our dominant eye correctly. Also, It will change our way of approaching the cue ball. Nice vid :D
I make cut shots, bank with ease, kick shots, but towards the end of the game I freeze up when the dreaded straight shot ultimately appears. This video says a lot and I'm going to try this so that I can finally finish them off. I make a lot of balls but falter at the end most of the time. because of this flaw of mine. Thank You.
I just started shooting all of my shots with a little left or right English. I may not always be able to hit the ball dead center but if I know that I'm putting left English on it I can correct for it... I guess it's not a perfect solution, but it's definitely fixed my game.
It might be a decent short term solution, but I imagine you will hit a wall one day in your improvement that you wont be able to overcome until you revisit your fundamentals and increase the accuracy of your stroke.
Could you perhaps make a video talking about the best way to adjust aim for english. Especially for long shots. Particularly with a low deflection shaft, since that's more the norm these days. And perhaps with some sort of drill or practice routine to get better at these type of shots.
When I use to coach children and adults, we would put two balls just a balls width apart at the bottom of the table. Then ask the pupils to cue the white ball between them without moving the other two balls. It made you cue straight and follow through correctly.
Hi Downloaded I guess it's your app and began using it today and a few of the directions on how to score or whatever was not clear to me? Is there a way to get response when what we are asked to do or have a question to get a answer? So far the app works, looks great and is saving me logging in my data independently. Thanks for responding in advance.
Just leave a comment in the app on the post that you have a question about or you can contact me via the support option on my website. Not all of the posts are made by me, so I may be unable to clarify.
Every time you put object ball on half of the table and just go back with the cue ball, thats easy. Try to place the object ball and the cue ball 1 or 2 diamonds away from the opposite short rail. Gets way harder
I just subbed to your channel. My question to you is when shooting a straight shot, do you use an open or closed bridge? I use an open bridge most of the time, which I believe causes me to be off at times, but seems more comfortable and natural to me.
to acheive no spin on the cue after it hits the object ball aim your cuestick straight into the felt . if you cannot do this you have a flaw in your stroke as in your aiming with your back hand and use both your eyes one at a time to look at the shot when positioning . theres no such thing as a dominant eye. either eye at any moment can be dominant
I wish I could give you a quick fix, but for me I found it by just putting in the work. Try dedicating your first 100 shots every time you play to only shooting these shots (the setup at the end of the video). Be very mindful while you practice and analyze what happened every shot. Eventually you will know the difference between a good and bad shot even when you pocket the ball.
Jake, I really enjoy your videos and the quality of work that you do. I am in the market for some cameras for a few of my home pool/snooker tables. Didn't know if there was any way you could give me some insight or direction for what kind of camera I am looking for. Not looking to spend a whole lotta money on a setup, but would like to have cameras around the 3 tables I have. Any suggestions?
If your goal is just to record yourself shooting and you are doing it at home, you might consider getting a nice webcam. You can stream it straight into a laptop or PC and won't have to worry about battery life or memory, and it will be easy to mount up somewhere. It will also be a lot cheaper. Another easy option is something like a go pro. I don't use them, but I'm sure that it would work well. I personally use the Canon M50 right now, but I am going to be switching to a Sony Mirrorless body once I save up some money from the channel. I plan on getting the Sony A7r iii, but these are probably out of your price range, especially if you want 3 cameras. Some more downsides of using a DSLR or mirrorless is dealing with battery life, max record time (30mins), and that they can be difficult to set up without some planning. Also, the nice lenses are pretty expensive. My main lens right now is the Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L iii. Also, I find 60fps preferable over 24 or 30fps. There is a lot of movement in pool and 60fps allows you to see spin a bit better, and also gives you some flexibility to slow video down a bit in the edit.
@@WorldofPoolandBilliards Thanks for the prompt reply! This gives me so much to think about BEFORE making the wrong purchase. A measle cue is used on the 8 & 9 foot tables and, as you already mentioned, spin is a very important part of our game. I want to make sure I make the right decision, and I appreciate the information you have given me. Cheers and a thumbs up from Missouri. 🤟🎱
I'm fully in this camp. I have gotten to shoot some tough shots for my rating of APA 4 ie 70-80 degree angles, long banks BUT I miss the wide open straight in shot#$@! Maddening. I say out loud many times 'why do I even play?!'
Ok, I tried hitting long rail to long rail and could not get it to come back and hit the cue only hitting it like a few feet! After 15 minutes of experimenting I found that I was not hitting the cue ball dead center. I was off to the right a tiny bit. A few practices and I'm nailing it from the short rail. How have a been hitting anything? Lets see if this helps eliminate the head scratchers.
What you really need to do is work on your fundamentals. Watch this (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Vxx6sQvlV6Y.html) entire video from start to finish. It is long and the quality (audio/video) isn't great, but it will tell you everything you need to know about stance, grip, bridge, stroke, and alignment. Get these down and start practicing your stroke. Get down on the cue ball and its fine to take some practice swings to make sure you are shooting straight, but eventually you need to stop moving. Check your alignment and make sure you are hitting the cue ball where you want to as well as aiming to the correct location. If you need to adjust, then stand back up and first and change your where you are standing to get properly aligned. When you do finally shoot, take your time in your back swing as well as the transition from back swing to forward swing. If you do this too quickly or in a jerky manner, it will inevitably cause you to miss a ball. The time it takes for you to begin your back swing to the time you are striking the cue ball should be a little bit greater than 1 second (on pocket speed shots). This will ensure a smooth transition and forward acceleration.. Really slow speed shots will be a bit faster as you will not be pulling the cue as far back. Deliver the cue all the way through the cue ball every shot. Let it come to a stop naturally. You will feel a huge difference in your stroke when you are just poking at balls and truly delivering the cue with a solid fluid stroke. The only way I can explain it is that with bad fundamentals you will be fighting with the table the entire time trying to force balls into pockets and wrestle the cue ball around the table. When you get your fundamentals down the balls will just find the pockets with very little effort on your part. This game physically is mostly about one simple movement. Get that down and then you can deal with everything else. Once you get those fundamentals down you can go through some of the drills I showed in this video near the end. You should easily be able to pocket 10 long straight shots in a row.
Get you a beer bottle or any type of bottle with the size of the top little bigger than end of your que it's a old school way but it helped me a ton practice stroking through the bottle without touching the bottom or the top of the bottle once you are able to do this you'll eventually be able to do it with you're eyes closed this was taught to me by a old man that was a master at bank pool hope this helps you
Im having problem with aiming straight long shots however it sounds strange i have problem with finding aiming point on these shots. Do you have any tips ?
I don't really have an aiming system. I just have a feel for where I need to hit the ball to make it. I started playing really young, and I think it is just something that I know without putting any thought into it.
@@WorldofPoolandBilliards actually there are systems that most all the pro players use, if you were never taught that from the beginning then you're on a downhill ride.
@@WorldofPoolandBilliards correct, I'm just pointing out that you don't have to use all your energy to make a shot, a by feel player will lose everytime to a mechanical player
