"Contact me as I have
done research into the physics and mathematics of pocket billiards."
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"A lack of consistency is usually caused by not having a good shooting system or mental laziness. Have a BCA certified instructor look at your mechanics and bear down more while practicing. 2, usually poor breaks indicate a lack of power or not hitting the head ball dead center. For power lengthen your bridge 2 inches, use a very slow backswing and make sure the stick goes dead straight toward the objectball."
"This is a very common problem. It is almost always due to a less then full hit on the head ball or an elevated butt of your cue stick!"
"Picture the stroke as a smooth throwing motion as in pitching softball. Practicing by stopping the cuetip at the ball after your aim is perfect. Bring the cue stick back slowly and accelerate or "throw" it through the ball 4-6 inches. Do this from the head or foot spot. Stop and observe the position of the cue stick. It should be directly over the spot."
"The edge comes in practice. It's important to practice hiding the cueball, it's also important to practice at the same speed and pace at which you play in competition. Too many players lose because they slow down their game."
"When practicing, always keep the thought in mind of getting ready for a tough match. Put intensity into your practice- the same as you would in a match. When you miss an easy shot in practice, it's easy to say, "I wasn't really trying" too many matches are lost missing easy shots."
"The best way to rough
it is with something that is shaped like the tip. Hitting balls compacts
the tip and prevents it from holding chalk. When you can see the leather
through the chalk after chalking. It's time to rough it up!"
"The key to your question
is in the word "instead". Playing and practicing on both bar size and full
size tables will help you to sharpen your skills. Everybody reaches plateaus
and a lesson by a good instructor can take you to the next level."
"If the cue tip is
in good shape, if it is roughed, and properly chalked, with a good stroke,
you can hit the cueball higher, lower, further left or further right than
amateurs who don't have such a good stroke. it takes a lot of practice-
you need a good shooting system, a good bridge and a good stroke to be
able to hit the cueball as high, as low, and as far to the left or right
without miscuing."
"This is a great question
that I have talked about before. Play 3-ball. Throw 3-balls out on the
table and start with ball in hand. Shoot them off in rotation. Remember-
there are no difficult shots allowed. If you end up with a difficult shot
or if you end up with the wrong angle on the second ball to get to the
third ball, then you must put the first ball back. They must be three easy
shots! When you do this 15 out of 20 times without any bad angles. Then
your ready for 4-balls. When you can 4-balls 15 out of 20 times without
any bad angles or difficult shots, you're ready to play 5-ball. When you
can play 5-ball successfully, you're a great amateur player."
"When you have trouble
with draw but can follow, using a different stroke for draw usually causes
it. Many people do well with follow but think they have to elevate the
cue and poke to get it to stop or draw. When you master a stroke for draw
or stop that is exactly the same as the stroke for follow, but throwing
the cue through a point lower on the cueball, it will help you a lot."
"This is a common
question. Sometimes when we use more power, our form tends to fall apart
a little. You might be aiming at the bottom of the cueball, but if your
elbow drops when you shoot harder, it will raise the cue tip up and you
might hit the ball higher then you're aiming. Use a slow back swing and
keep the tip pointed exactly where you want to hit the cueball. As the
cue tip moves through the ball, it should hit the felt about an inch past
the contact point and follow through 4-6 inches. If the cueball is jumping
you may be hitting the cloth first."
"Anytime the cueball
flies into a pocket or even into a rail, you need to improve you accuracy.
You must strike the head ball dead center from wherever you place the cueball.
Generally you will hit the head ball consistently to the left or right.
Adjust your aim an eighth of an inch at a time until the cueball does not
hit the rail."
"There is nothing
wrong with an open bridge except when you are hitting a power shot or a
shot with extreme spin. The closed bridge gives you more stability and
helps prevent miscues. Snooker player are using smaller, lighter balls
and seldom use as much power or spin as pool players. You can reduce the
friction on your hand by washing them frequently. Some players prefer to
use a glove or a little talc. Remember that you don't have to squeeze the
cue with your bridge hand."
"First, realize that most of the bank shots you miss are short of the pocket. Understand that most generally banks will not come off the rail at the same angle that they go in. you have to shoot the banks as if to go past the intended pocket. In other words, play the left banks a little long. As to the question of not making long straight in shots, this probably comes from not having a good shooting system or maybe your stroke is not straight. Try putting the cueball on the head spot then place an objectball to set up one of those long shots. When you shoot it and the shot is over you should freeze and see if the cue stick is dead center across that little white dot. If it's not, you have some work to do on your right arm. {Aiming is off}
If you are having
trouble drawing from great distances, your shooting system probably needs
some help. When we use power it is difficult to strike the cueball exactly
where we want. In this case, you are striking the cueball higher than you
should. Being inconsistent with long shots, is usually a sign of a poor-shooting
system. Set up your long shots a little bit shorter than normal until you
can make them, then work your way back. Just find a BCA instructor, or
come to me for a lesson and learn how to do this stuff."
"Warm up strokes should
be slow, the biggest mistake amateurs make is to go back too fast and the
backswing should be the length of the bridge on most shots. The bridge
length should be 8-10 inches. Whether they are shooting soft, medium or
hard the back swing should always be slow!"
| E-mail comments or questions to Ken Tewksbury |