I found your videos recently bro. I just wanted to tell you that you have helped me remember things that I had forgotten about the game. I was a serious under 18 player and stopped into my twenties. I never lost a lot of my skill. You never lose that eye for angles it seems after you acquire them. At least I think so. I appreciate the insight. You remind me so much of myself on so many things that you do with shooting etc. anyways. Good job on the videos. Sometimes it's a little hard to hear ya. But regardless keep it up bro. Good job!
The production quality of your videos as well as the choice of topics is excellent. Intermediate level topics are much harder to find on the web than basic aiming, etc. The one concept that I've heard mixed opinions on is the "accelerating through the cue ball". Some high speed videos have shown that the tip only remains in contact with cue ball for a very short time. So the acceleration of the cue might ensure that you have a good amount of cue speed at the time of contact - but not necessarily to continue to "push" the cue ball along because of it. I'd be interested on your thoughts on this. Thanks.
I have seen the videos you are talking abotu and You are right that the cue tip is literally only in contact for that 1/100 or so of a second, so technically following through should theoretically not matter. But the way we shoot pool, following through allows us to have a smoother stroke and an overall cleaner hit on the cue ball. With this argument, the follow through is important sort of for our mentality of having a smooth stroke. So that is based on the science. In reality, I notice very very often that some players inlcuding myself if my form is bad, will "steer" with my cue tip meaning I will hit the cue ball and the tip of my cue will move from the left to the right (as I shoot left handed in pool). This sideways movement occurs after contact with the cue ball during the follow through of the stroke. When I do this, not only do I miss shots, but I put a tiny amount of right spin on the cue ball. So with this in mind, the follow through does seem to play a pretty big effect. Overall tho, I would recommend having a strong, straight folllow through. In general, accelerating through the cue ball is something that is hard to teach and is almost just learned over time from playing more pool as having a new player "accelerate" through the shot will be extremely hard and they will likely just start slow and then jab at the cue ball. So my argument is not necessarily for the acceleration as being important but the follow through as being important. My theory is that if the cue is moving at a faster speed, you will generate more spin than if the cue is moving slower. Whether you are accelerating at the point of contact may not have any affect, but a smooth follow through will allow the cue tip to travel straighter and avoid unwanted side spin
Stun shots occur when the cue ball is spinning backwards just enough such that when it makes contact with the object ball, the force of the object ball combined with the back spin of the cue ball cause the cue ball to stop perfectly. This is usually done by hitting the cue ball just below center. However, the farthera away the cue ball is from the object ball, the more backspin that you will need to do a stun shot. Also note that stun shots can only be done on stragiht in shots. Meanign that cut shots will not allow you to do a stun shot. When you improve a lot, there is a way to do a stun shot with a little side spin to make slight cut shots and still stun the cue ball, but that is very advanced and usually not necessary to get the ball position that you want.
Newbie here so maybe stupid question but I have been failing with my work on draw shots and I am wondering if I need to buy expensive tip to get action like that?
In theory, a softer tip will allow more cue ball spin. However for a beginner or intermediate pool player, the tip will not be the limiting factor in your ability to draw the cue ball so I would not invest in one of these tips until you have played for a long time and feel like a softer tip fits your game the best. I think in order to get more draw, it will take lots of practice, confidence in your stroke, a correct eye pattern, and following the rules of the pendulum stroke. If you do all of these, you should be able to draw the cue ball with ease regardless of the tip you have on the cue. Also be sure to use chalk for every shot, especially draw shots. FYI: I use a medium hardness tip on my cue because the softer the tip the less accurate your long shots will be so the soft vs hard tip has its advantages and disadvantages and I receommend watching my video on tips to understand more if you have questions. Hope this helps!
To really step up the quality , I recommend getting a lav mic and hooking it up to a portable recorder then synching up the audio. Your voice is really quiet
I completely agree. In relation to other videos this is very soft so I need to remember to turn the volume back down otherwise I'll be blown away. Great lesson!
That is my Predator Original Throne 3 with a Revo 12.4 shaft and a QR2 predator extension on the butt of the cue. I absolutely love it. Had if for almost 3 years now.
When applying backspin, hitting as low as is physically possible will give you the most backspin, and this is definitely lower than 3/4 towards the bottom of the ball. It is correct that 3/4 the way up the ball is the optimum for top spin (this was tested experimentally and shown to be true and was shown to also be true based on talking with others), and I cannot tell you the physics of why that is the limit for top spin but back spin does not seem to have a limit like that. If I were to give a well thought answer to this, I would have to guess that it has to do with what direction you want the cue ball to go after making contact (forward for top spin and backwards for back spin). With this in mind, top spin is important to have a strong forward vector in addition to having a lot of top spin, thus the higher you hit on the cue ball, you will increase the top spin but you will decrease the forward vector, so overall, the cue ball may not go as far. So combining both of these forces, the optimal place to hit on the cue ball to get a combined maximum top spin effect is going to be 3/4 of the way up the cue ball. When applying backspin, this forward vector you actually want as small as possible, thus, hitting as low on the cue ball will give you the most back spin because it maximizes the spin and minimizes the forward vector. This is why trick shot players like Florian Venom Kohler are able to generate insane amounts of backspin by bringing the cue perpendicular to the table and striking down on the cue ball (afterall, this in theory gives the minimal possible forward vector on the cue ball as all the force from the cue is generated into the spin).
@@TheBilliardsDoctor The way you explain things in Pool is just phenomenal. Hoping to see you make it in the big leagues (with your doctorate on the line hehe)
Hi John, if you are interested in lessons, send me an email b3.14159@yahoo.com. I am located on the east coast about 1.5 hrs north of Boston, and I would be happy to give lessons if you are in the area.
I found your videos recently bro. I just wanted to tell you that you have helped me remember things that I had forgotten about the game. I was a serious under 18 player and stopped into my twenties. I never lost a lot of my skill. You never lose that eye for angles it seems after you acquire them. At least I think so. I appreciate the insight. You remind me so much of myself on so many things that you do with shooting etc. anyways. Good job on the videos. Sometimes it's a little hard to hear ya. But regardless keep it up bro. Good job!
your video is very interesting in draw shots and back spin also tangent line you just improve my draw shot ability keep up the great work
You are a great coach.
The production quality of your videos as well as the choice of topics is excellent. Intermediate level topics are much harder to find on the web than basic aiming, etc. The one concept that I've heard mixed opinions on is the "accelerating through the cue ball". Some high speed videos have shown that the tip only remains in contact with cue ball for a very short time. So the acceleration of the cue might ensure that you have a good amount of cue speed at the time of contact - but not necessarily to continue to "push" the cue ball along because of it. I'd be interested on your thoughts on this. Thanks.
I have seen the videos you are talking abotu and You are right that the cue tip is literally only in contact for that 1/100 or so of a second, so technically following through should theoretically not matter. But the way we shoot pool, following through allows us to have a smoother stroke and an overall cleaner hit on the cue ball. With this argument, the follow through is important sort of for our mentality of having a smooth stroke. So that is based on the science. In reality, I notice very very often that some players inlcuding myself if my form is bad, will "steer" with my cue tip meaning I will hit the cue ball and the tip of my cue will move from the left to the right (as I shoot left handed in pool). This sideways movement occurs after contact with the cue ball during the follow through of the stroke. When I do this, not only do I miss shots, but I put a tiny amount of right spin on the cue ball. So with this in mind, the follow through does seem to play a pretty big effect. Overall tho, I would recommend having a strong, straight folllow through. In general, accelerating through the cue ball is something that is hard to teach and is almost just learned over time from playing more pool as having a new player "accelerate" through the shot will be extremely hard and they will likely just start slow and then jab at the cue ball. So my argument is not necessarily for the acceleration as being important but the follow through as being important. My theory is that if the cue is moving at a faster speed, you will generate more spin than if the cue is moving slower. Whether you are accelerating at the point of contact may not have any affect, but a smooth follow through will allow the cue tip to travel straighter and avoid unwanted side spin
How do you do a stun shot
Stun shots occur when the cue ball is spinning backwards just enough such that when it makes contact with the object ball, the force of the object ball combined with the back spin of the cue ball cause the cue ball to stop perfectly. This is usually done by hitting the cue ball just below center. However, the farthera away the cue ball is from the object ball, the more backspin that you will need to do a stun shot. Also note that stun shots can only be done on stragiht in shots. Meanign that cut shots will not allow you to do a stun shot. When you improve a lot, there is a way to do a stun shot with a little side spin to make slight cut shots and still stun the cue ball, but that is very advanced and usually not necessary to get the ball position that you want.
TheBilliardsDoctor Thank You so much for your input I appreciate it
Newbie here so maybe stupid question but I have been failing with my work on draw shots and I am wondering if I need to buy expensive tip to get action like that?
In theory, a softer tip will allow more cue ball spin. However for a beginner or intermediate pool player, the tip will not be the limiting factor in your ability to draw the cue ball so I would not invest in one of these tips until you have played for a long time and feel like a softer tip fits your game the best. I think in order to get more draw, it will take lots of practice, confidence in your stroke, a correct eye pattern, and following the rules of the pendulum stroke. If you do all of these, you should be able to draw the cue ball with ease regardless of the tip you have on the cue. Also be sure to use chalk for every shot, especially draw shots. FYI: I use a medium hardness tip on my cue because the softer the tip the less accurate your long shots will be so the soft vs hard tip has its advantages and disadvantages and I receommend watching my video on tips to understand more if you have questions. Hope this helps!
@@TheBilliardsDoctor Thanks for taking the time to reply and I am practicing and watching your vids.. Thanks again much appreciated.
To really step up the quality , I recommend getting a lav mic and hooking it up to a portable recorder then synching up the audio. Your voice is really quiet
I completely agree. In relation to other videos this is very soft so I need to remember to turn the volume back down otherwise I'll be blown away. Great lesson!
may i ask what cue are you using in this video? thanks
That is my Predator Original Throne 3 with a Revo 12.4 shaft and a QR2 predator extension on the butt of the cue. I absolutely love it. Had if for almost 3 years now.
In your previous video (Top Spin) you stated that 3/4 of the ball is the optimum. I assume its the same for draw shots? 3/4 under the ball?
When applying backspin, hitting as low as is physically possible will give you the most backspin, and this is definitely lower than 3/4 towards the bottom of the ball. It is correct that 3/4 the way up the ball is the optimum for top spin (this was tested experimentally and shown to be true and was shown to also be true based on talking with others), and I cannot tell you the physics of why that is the limit for top spin but back spin does not seem to have a limit like that. If I were to give a well thought answer to this, I would have to guess that it has to do with what direction you want the cue ball to go after making contact (forward for top spin and backwards for back spin). With this in mind, top spin is important to have a strong forward vector in addition to having a lot of top spin, thus the higher you hit on the cue ball, you will increase the top spin but you will decrease the forward vector, so overall, the cue ball may not go as far. So combining both of these forces, the optimal place to hit on the cue ball to get a combined maximum top spin effect is going to be 3/4 of the way up the cue ball. When applying backspin, this forward vector you actually want as small as possible, thus, hitting as low on the cue ball will give you the most back spin because it maximizes the spin and minimizes the forward vector. This is why trick shot players like Florian Venom Kohler are able to generate insane amounts of backspin by bringing the cue perpendicular to the table and striking down on the cue ball (afterall, this in theory gives the minimal possible forward vector on the cue ball as all the force from the cue is generated into the spin).
@@TheBilliardsDoctor The way you explain things in Pool is just phenomenal. Hoping to see you make it in the big leagues (with your doctorate on the line hehe)
Where are you located? Give lessons? GOOD STUFF!!
Hi John, if you are interested in lessons, send me an email b3.14159@yahoo.com. I am located on the east coast about 1.5 hrs north of Boston, and I would be happy to give lessons if you are in the area.