Bob Byrne - Volume I

[ThePoolHustler]

I just watched the Bob Byrne Standard Video of Pool & Billiards - Volume I. He mentioned that a good way to practice your stroke is to hit the cue ball with center English againt a rail. If it comes straight back to the tip of your cue, then everything is on. I know someone on here, in another thread, had asked a good way to practice your stroke. I mentioned using this technique, but there was some disagreement. Some said that this was not a way to practice your stroke. I guess I am confused now. Bob Byrne says it is. Some of you disagree.

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[audiopro]

I think the word stroke and what it means has different meanings depending on who you ask. It is somewhat a matter of semantics.

However, here is a better way to practice the accuracy of your stroke. The method mentioned in the video is good, but not exacting...

Take a ball and put it on the rail in the center at one end of the table. Put your cueball down table in the center. Hit dead center of the cue ball, and aim for the dead center of the ball at the tables end.. If your stroke is truly centered, the cue ball should come straight back to you. If not, it will veer off one way or the other...

This is a bit more difficult to master than the old method mentioned in the video. But once you get it, it can greatly help your game...

[audiopro]

The definition of stroke and how it is done properly is definitely a subject that is probably suitable for the supreme court.

As shown in this thread:
http://www.seyberts.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1787

You will see many people disagree, but again I say a lot is semantics...

However, as defined by Rick, who is a BCA certified instructor:
http://www.seyberts.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=14565#14565

And I would completely agree with that... A while back I finally re-found, my stroke. After a few years out of the game, I had lost the feel of what my stroke should be. I did find it again, and Ricks definition speaks exactly of it...

[CueBall]

The way I was taught to practice the stroke was place the cue ball on the spot and place a ball on each side. You can start with 1/2" on either side of the cue ball. Then hit the cue to the opposite end of the table and try to have it come back between the balls. Then you can practice english with the same setup, just shoot to the right mark of center with left english and have it come between the balls. Then the same with left of center mark. This excercise has helped me and forces me to focus.

I also use the rail technique, but this seems to be less forgiving and a more practical look .

[skor]

You are all talking about aim and not stroke but since I'm not official enough for you guys, I'll let some one else explain it to you

http://www.ehow.com/how_16519_stroke-pool-cue.html

you could do what is explained in the above link and add english, the cue ball will not return to your cue or pass between balls but it's still a good stroke.

http://www.easypooltutor.com/article233.html

Again nothing about aim

http://www.easypooltutor.com/article19.html

Here is a nice article about follow through
http://www.cuetimes.com/Articles/Tom_Ross/2003/0903_Article.htm

I can keep on looking and find many more but I think that you got the point.

The point on the cue ball that you aim at has nothing to do with your stroke but has a lot to do on how the cue ball will travel.

When you apply english, don't you stroke the ball ? do you slam it with a baseball bat ?

If you want a good stroke practice then you don't need any balls, you don't even need a pool table, your kitchen table will do fine, Place an empty bottle of soda (16oz) on it's side on the table and do practice stroke in and out of the bottle neck with out touching the bottle, do that 10 times then rest for a minute then do it again, do it for half an hour or a full hour and before you know it you will hit the cue ball at the exact point that you aimed at, with or without english.

With all the respect I have for Mr. Byrne, his tapes are a bit old and he does hold back on some information and the "how to".

[CueBall]

Thanks for the correction and education. :oops:

[sonnic]

if you want to improve your stroke watch Fransico Bustamonte play pool. He has the best tempo and stoke i have ever seen. Then when you practice try and immitate it. That to me is the stroke is about tempo and follow throuhgh not so much about "aim" like skor says. hitting a spot on the table has nothing to do with tempo and timing. if you want to practice hitting the center of the CB instead of tring to hit a dot on the rail and have it come back to you, try placing an object ball on the rail (probibly the short rail until you get great) and aim for dead center. It is very difficult to do and if you do it you can guarentee your hitting the cue exactly how you want to.

My 2 cents

[skor]

Bustamonte has an amazing flow to his stroke, but it also very unique to him, it's going against everything that you may learn anywhere else, so I suggest that you don't try to imitate his stroke, it will only ruin your game

[spartan]

his practie strokes are herky jerky but his last stroke is uite straight

[spartan]

*quite lol

[CueBall]

skor, Is th important point that the cue stays level during the stroke?

[dags_lax]

I am not certain but I don’t recall posters saying that Byrne’s method is wrong but merely offering their own suggestions and I think you know that Erik. With this posting you are back to your combative and baiting ways. Saying you are confused doesn’t mask the intent, only softens the tone a bit.

If you have legitimate questions or responses go ahead and post them. But for the most part I think you suffer from diarrhea of the keyboard. Many of your postings seem like the intent is, not to ask or answer questions, but to get an argument going. I grow weary of this and have tired of the drivel that spews forth from your keyboard. Why don’t you just pack up your postings and go back to your own forum and leave the rest of us, who find you a pain in the %ss, in peace.

[DZ314]

I am not certain but I don’t recall posters saying that Byrne’s method is wrong but merely offering their own suggestions and I think you know that Erik. With this posting you are back to your combative and baiting ways. Saying you are confused doesn’t mask the intent, only softens the tone a bit.

If you have legitimate questions or responses go ahead and post them. But for the most part I think you suffer from diarrhea of the keyboard. Many of your postings seem like the intent is, not to ask or answer questions, but to get an argument going. I grow weary of this and have tired of the drivel that spews forth from your keyboard. Why don’t you just pack up your postings and go back to your own forum and leave the rest of us, who find you a pain in the %ss, in peace.

[skor]

Dags,
I think you're right about Erik in general but this time I think that it's not the case here,
I think that Erick is:
1. young
2. new to this game
3. wants to learn more
4. has been collecting a lot of info in a short period of time and is a bit confused, he has been hearing a lot of opinions and can't make what's right, as you all may know there are a lot of superstitions around billiard and almost everyone think that they know it all and better then the rest, so finding the truth is hard but thanks to the internet one can work his way to the right answers.

Any way just to clear something : part of understanding the stroke and knowing that the stroke was any good is to know that your cue stayed in line with the point of aim, Now if Mr. Byrne would have said that if you hit the ball half a tip to the left and shoot down the rail the the cue ball will hit the bottom rail on the first diamond from the left, then this would not be true since different strokes will put different english on the cue ball and it will travel on different paths, that is why Byrne and others reffer to a center hit (with no english), this way the cue ball will always come back to the center and if it does then your cue was in line with your aim, BUT this is only on part of the things that should happen in a good stroke, the other things are mentioned in the links I posted and so in my other posts regarding this issue.

To close this issue, here is a nice drill to know how good your stroke is and to practice it,
this shot is similar to a shot I've posed before only this time the OB is on the second diamond from the pocket. It should be hit with top left spin
This not as easy as it may look

[dags_lax]

Here is a cut and past from a previous posting of mine that has some bearing on the matter at hand:



There is nothing magic about the stroke. A good stroke is a stroke that let's you strike the cue ball where you want and propels the cue ball in the direction you want. That being said the are certain mechanics as to how our bodies move that make it easier for players to strike the cue ball where the player wants to. When someone refers to a player having a sweet stroke they mean that the motion is smooth and fluid with no extraneous movement that decreases the likelihood that the shooter will hit the cue ball as intended.

The cue ball doesn't know if you are dropping your shoulder, if there is a hitch in your stoke or if you are standing on your head shooting one handed. The cue ball does what it does because of where the tip hits it, the angle at which the tip hits it, the energy behind the tip, and the friction between the tip and the cue ball.

As for follow through, it has no effect on what the cue ball does. The cue ball is off the tip almost instantaneously after contact. Any thing more than that is a push shot and is illegal. The purpose of follow through is to increase the likelihood that a player will strike the cue ball properly to achieve the desired result.

[ThePoolHustler]

I am not certain but I don’t recall posters saying that Byrne’s method is wrong but merely offering their own suggestions and I think you know that Erik. With this posting you are back to your combative and baiting ways. Saying you are confused doesn’t mask the intent, only softens the tone a bit.

If you have legitimate questions or responses go ahead and post them. But for the most part I think you suffer from diarrhea of the keyboard. Many of your postings seem like the intent is, not to ask or answer questions, but to get an argument going. I grow weary of this and have tired of the drivel that spews forth from your keyboard. Why don’t you just pack up your postings and go back to your own forum and leave the rest of us, who find you a pain in the %ss, in peace.

Ummm...actually...you are wrong. I never said that anyone stated that Bob Byrne's method is wrong. Did I? I simply watched his video last night and he said that this was a way to practice your stroke. I know that others mentioned it wasn't. I'm trying to get some answers. I am not trying to be combative or argumentative. Why are you suggesting that I am? I think by making your statement quoted above, you are trying to be combative and argumentative and cause me to do the same. I don't think my post was combative or argumentative at all. I think others would agree. I am not trying to mask any intent, or soften the tone. If I am, there isn't anything wrong with that...is there? However, this is not what I am doing. I believe I am asking legitimate questions and looking for legitimate answers.

On the other hand, by stating that I am trying to be combative and argumentative, maybe you are suffering from "diarrhea of the keyboard" and should go elsewhere. Don't respond to my posts if you don't like what I have to say. You have the choice to read my posts or ignore them. If you don't like me, ignore me. Would others agree?

Thanks!

Erik

[ThePoolHustler]

I am not certain but I don’t recall posters saying that Byrne’s method is wrong but merely offering their own suggestions and I think you know that Erik. With this posting you are back to your combative and baiting ways. Saying you are confused doesn’t mask the intent, only softens the tone a bit.

If you have legitimate questions or responses go ahead and post them. But for the most part I think you suffer from diarrhea of the keyboard. Many of your postings seem like the intent is, not to ask or answer questions, but to get an argument going. I grow weary of this and have tired of the drivel that spews forth from your keyboard. Why don’t you just pack up your postings and go back to your own forum and leave the rest of us, who find you a pain in the %ss, in peace.



And you are just as wrong as Dags. Go clap somewhere else if you don't like me or my posts. Ignore me. Don't respond to my posts.

[ThePoolHustler]

Dags,
I think you're right about Erik in general but this time I think that it's not the case here,
I think that Erick is:
1. young
2. new to this game
3. wants to learn more
4. has been collecting a lot of info in a short period of time and is a bit confused, he has been hearing a lot of opinions and can't make what's right, as you all may know there are a lot of superstitions around billiard and almost everyone think that they know it all and better then the rest, so finding the truth is hard but thanks to the internet one can work his way to the right answers.

Any way just to clear something : part of understanding the stroke and knowing that the stroke was any good is to know that your cue stayed in line with the point of aim, Now if Mr. Byrne would have said that if you hit the ball half a tip to the left and shoot down the rail the the cue ball will hit the bottom rail on the first diamond from the left, then this would not be true since different strokes will put different english on the cue ball and it will travel on different paths, that is why Byrne and others reffer to a center hit (with no english), this way the cue ball will always come back to the center and if it does then your cue was in line with your aim, BUT this is only on part of the things that should happen in a good stroke, the other things are mentioned in the links I posted and so in my other posts regarding this issue.

To close this issue, here is a nice drill to know how good your stroke is and to practice it,
this shot is similar to a shot I've posed before only this time the OB is on the second diamond from the pocket. It should be hit with top left spin
This not as easy as it may look


Thank you Skor! You are right. However, I am not new to the game unless you consider having played for the past 4 years new. I don't know. I am not young either. I am 32. You are right, I want to learn more and I have been gathering as much information as possible so that I can learn more. I have toned down a lot over the past week. I am not trying to be combative or argumentative. However, I think others are still trying to be combative and argumentative with me...dags and fury for example. I'm not forcing anyone to read my posts or reply to them. If people don't like me, then I guess they shouldn't read my posts or reply to them. They should ignore my posts and read other posts. This is just my opinion. Maybe some of you will agree with me. Maybe you won't. It seems to me that some people are instigators and would like to continue to try to get me to be combative and argumentative. However, I would prefer not to do that any longer. I think there are some people here that are starting to learn more about me and they are becoming more accepting of me. Maybe others should do the same. I'm not trying to cause trouble now and others should do the same.

Thanks again Skor.

[DZ314]

I responded to dags and no one else.

[audiopro]

Erik,

I don't think you needed to quote skor's entire post there... Kinda an excess to scroll through.. And remember, many international users as well as a few US people, are probably on dial-up. 8O

[ThePoolHustler]

I responded to dags and no one else.

And we know why, don't we? He was making comments regarding me. It is obvious why you responded to him. Why don't you stop trying to instigate things? If you don't like my posts, don't read them and don't reply to them. Ignore me.

Thanks!!!!

[DZ314]

If anyone is instigating around here, it is not me. Thanks!!!

[ThePoolHustler]

Erik,

I don't think you needed to quote skor's entire post there... Kinda an excess to scroll through.. And remember, many international users as well as a few US people, are probably on dial-up. 8O

Sorry. Please PM me about these things. I don't want to waste space in the topic.

[audiopro]

Actually the reason it was posted in the topic is so that others can learn proper etiquette also. Just in case someone else did not know whether or not it is appropriate to quote such large posts. As well as replying 6 seperate times one right after the other in a thread, instead of combining replies into one post. Thus saving the extra database fields, as well as the extra pages and tables that are created in the code. Both of which are a waste of space...

Just so everyone knows... 8)

Not picking on ya man. Just letting everyone know things should be kept short, concise, and efficient... Whenever possible.. :D

[ThePoolHustler]

If anyone is instigating around here, it is not me. Thanks!!!

If you say so. Please don't start arguments with me. If you don't like the topics that I post, then just ignore them. No one is forcing you to read them. Please take your agreements with Dags, regarding me, to PM or something. Let's not start this again and waste space in these topics.

[ThePoolHustler]

Actually the reason it was posted in the topic is so that others can learn proper etiquette also. Just in case someone else did not know whether or not it is appropriate to quote such large posts. As well as replying 6 seperate times one right after the other in a thread, instead of combining replies into one post. Thus saving the extra database fields, as well as the extra pages and tables that are created in the code. Both of which are a waste of space...

Just so everyone knows... 8)

Not picking on ya man. Just letting everyone know things should be kept short, concise, and efficient... Whenever possible.. :D

I understand.

[DZ314]

I'll agree in public with who I choose to. I was not talking to you, yet you started dialog with me. :roll:

[spartan]

settle down children :lol: dont argue if you dont like someone just ignore them. no need to fight.

[dags_lax]

Some said that this was not a way to practice your stroke

My bad. :oops: It’s true, you didn’t actually say that anyone stated that Bob Byrne's method is wrong but that is certainly the assumption that one gets from your statement. And when you infer that people are saying things that they didn't, I do find that argumentative.

As for just picking up the game four years ago and already you are also known as the Pool Hustler, that is quite an accomplishment, that is if one can take pride in being known as a Pool Hustler.

[ThePoolHustler]

I just watched the Bob Byrne Standard Video of Pool & Billiards - Volume I. He mentioned that a good way to practice your stroke is to hit the cue ball with center English againt a rail. If it comes straight back to the tip of your cue, then everything is on. I know someone on here, in another thread, had asked a good way to practice your stroke. I mentioned using this technique, but there was some disagreement. Some said that this was not a way to practice your stroke. I guess I am confused now. Bob Byrne says it is. Some of you disagree.

:? :? :? :?

Dags,

I think you need to re-read my original post above. I said that I had mentioned using this technique and that others had been in disagreement. Their disagreement would have been with me since I am the one that mentioned the technique. I never mentioned the name Bob Byrne when I mentioned the technique. If you, and others, are ASSUMING things then that is not my fault.

Because I use the name "ThePoolHustler" doesn't mean that I am, or even think I am, a Pool Hustler. It is simply a username. Big deal. It is my ASSUMPTION that you are trying to be combative and argumentative by making these types of comments, and some of your previous comments within this topic.

ERIK

[ThePoolHustler]

settle down children :lol: dont argue if you dont like someone just ignore them. no need to fight.

I agree.

[LWW]

I have 1 and 2 and think they are awesome. Everytime I view them I learn more.

LWW