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Posted on 07/28/2010 at 09:56:52 AM
Viewed 244 times
With 5 replies
View other blogs by dantexn
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Last night after league play I was showing some other players a few things and it made me realize something. The other player, a good sl 5, see's the table completely different then I do. After asking him some questions he had a general idea of the tangent line but seems to always be trying to get position by fighting the natural pattern and natural position. This usually ends with him shooting too hard on some shots and missing them.
I went over more specifics on the Tangent line and how important it is to know this and how draw and follow bend/curve the tangent line, along with speed determines how far the ball travels along the tangent line before it starts to deviate from the 90 degree line.
Another misconception the player had was the attempt to play position using left and right english without even hitting a rail. I informed him that draw/follow effect the path of the ball before and after hitting a rail, while on the other hand Right and Left english have minimal effect on the cue ball before it hits the rail, but hitting a rail this english greatly changes the angle off the rail.
I also went over banking and the speed plus english and how that effects the path of the ball. Not only banking but position play at different speeds and different english at these different speeds to show how it takes differently.
The final thing I was really emphasizing with him was how to pocket balls cleanly (not rattle the pockets). To show him that a cut shot hit at different speeds will go to different parts of the pocket. Also how english throws the ball one way or the other and how to compensate for that.
Now this must have seemed overwelming and a lot to take in but it is all necessary to improve your game.
I take all this information for granted that I (most of the time not even thinking about it) compensate for the speed, angle, english, throw, contact induced throw and everything on all shots.
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ebranen
8 Posts
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 Posted 07/29/2010 : 10:27:29 AM
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These are some very important concepts when it comes to position play. IMO, when he starts to get control over these, he will probably go from a 5 to a 7 speed relatively quickly...
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"Practice puts brains in your muscles." (Sam Snead) |
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dantexn
 162 Posts
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Posted 07/29/2010 : 11:57:29 AM
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This player (sl 5) claims his biggest problem is speed and how he almost always overshoots position or comes up short. It was then that I started to go over how you should be shooting 80% + of your shots with approximately the same speed and stroke (Monks 2-7-2 speed). I proceeded to show him that even with that speed of a shot and as long as you have an angle then you can get the cue ball to travel to almost anywhere on the table. Then when going over a couple basic position play shots I showed him the different results you get when you shoot the same exact shot at the same speed but with a different stroke (Punch, Follow, Draw, or Spin). Before going over this with him he was trying to play position going either 2 rails and having to avoid the side pocket or by spinning the ball off the rail slightly. After going over the Punch stroke he was able to get position without english and he could do this consistantly.
I agree with ebranen, that this player who already shoots good, with a little grasp of the concepts and a slight improvement in position play, he will move up to a 6. After he gets a little more comfortable with the different strokes and learns the natural roll of the balls and how to manipulate this slightly (not to over do it), he will end up a 7.
So a recap of Position play and progression through learning
It all starts with fundamentals (approach, allignment, stance, bridge, grip, stroke)
Then aiming and how to pocket balls,
then tangent line and the natural path of the cue ball,
then learning effects of slight draw/follow and english,
then pattern play of the best ways to control the cue ball (playing to the right side of the ball, playing the right path so your target area is larger),
Doing all of the above and pocketing balls cleanly while getting position,
More advanced would be reading/mapping the table better, recognizing key balls, break out balls, and when to play safe
Key things to avoid:
Getting sloppy (rattling most of your shots means you need to learn why its rattling and to adjust to pocket cleanly)
Fundamental errors - these are the most common yet easiest to recognize and fix (you know what i mean, that immediately after you do it you know what you did wrong)
Too much english - only use as much as you need and not more
Too complicated of position - keep it short and simple (the less the cue ball travels the more predictable the position - Stop shot being the most valuable)
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Renzen1979
7 Posts
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Posted 08/01/2010 : 3:16:19 PM
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| Also to add to this remember that your preshot routine is equally as important as your control while shooting. Something that was pointed out to me(I've been a 7 for a few years) is that when I'm shooting dead nuts I have the same precise preshot routine and approach. But when I start missing I've had the habit of stepping up and shooting without my consistant approach. This all adds to your consistancy from start to finish. Maintain your consistancy and you'll find that overtime it becomes part of your game and you will naturally become a better shotmaker and it will vastly improve how you see the table and play setups. |
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Anita M. Cravens
519 Posts
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Posted 08/11/2010 : 3:47:29 PM
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Amen! ...and very helpful! Thanks for posting guys!
Anita M. Cravens |
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dantexn
162 Posts
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Posted 08/18/2010 : 09:48:12 AM
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Last night I was talking to a player who is a strong 5 or weak 6 (moves in between the 2 sl's). His biggest weakness is not his shotmaking but his position play. He tends to shoot almost all shots too hard. What I talked to him made me think about making this post.
Position play with your stroke and not the speed. If you watch the pro's and really strong players play, you will notice they do not over shoot their shots (shoot too hard) and in fact you will notice they shoot almost all of their shots (80% or more) at approximately the same speed. In the Monk's books he talks about this and the 2-7-2 shot. If you do not know what it is then a quick description is: start with the cueball in the middle of the table, shooting at the 2nd diamond on the long rail and using a little high-running english you want to shoot so the ball goes from 2nd diamond, to 7th diamond, to 2nd diamond to and come to rest back in the middle of the table. You can use a napkin as a target area. But this speed to get the ball back to the middle of the table is the speed you should shoot most of your shots.
So you might be wondering well how can I play position all the way down table while shooting that soft? Well another thing you will notice is that the best position play is to give yourself an angle. So my example last night was a 30 degree cut shot with the object ball 2 diamons off short rail and 1 diamond off long rail. The cue ball in the middle of the table. I then had this player shoot the shot at the same speed with low right english, low english, follow, left, center ball, right and showed him how at the same speed of a hit not only can you get the cueball anywhere on the table but you can also play incremental english and you have infinite posibilities for position.
The whole principle behind this was that with a soft (2-7-2 speed) stroke you can get the cueball to travel all over the table. It is not necessary to shoot so hard. Even when straight in on a shot you can get more draw or follow at the same speed stroke with just having more follow through.
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