Of all the skills needed to play this game at a high level, you might put close to the top of the list the ability to shoot straight. In order to shoot straight, it helps a lot to have a straight stroke. This is not big news, of course, but it came to my attention very rudely when I was trying the Playing Ability Test (PAT) Level 2 drills, especially drill #2, Stroke Straightness.
It involves stroking the cue ball to go between a gate only two ball-widths apart, three times, as shown in the video.
The first several times I tried this drill, I was having no success at all, even though in PAT Level 1, the drill only requires two passes through the gate, and I had no trouble with that. It appeared that the extra speed required by PAT Level 2 was severely testing my stroke.
About that time, I heard about the LaserStroke product. It's a miniature laser beam which slides over your cue shaft and reveals just how straight your stroke really is! I decided to check it out, and, in a word: "Wow!" I could not believe how wobbly my stroke really was. I couldn't keep that laser still while stroking, at first, but after a couple of sessions with this device, I got much better at it. And my performance in the drill is much improved.
It's a real-time bio-feedback device for pool shooters!
I showed it to a couple of other players, and they were also very impressed. You will be too. It's utterly simple to use, reasonably priced, and there's nothing else like it that I've seen. It's so small it will fit easily in your cue case.
Check it out: LaserStroke.com
2 comments:
Swinging the stick straight is only one problem. Another is sighting the shot correctly, understanding and compensating for your dominant eye so you hit center cue ball.
Joe Tucker's 3rd Eye Trainer helps with that. Samm did a review awhile back for http://www.azbilliards.com/sammdiep/samm1.php after I mentioned the product to her. Joe's web site no longer has the full length video describing how the 3rd eye trainer works, but he is probably still selling them.
For $15 you get the product and a DVD explaining it. (That was the full video at his web site, now gone.) The product is a plastic guide that wraps snugly onto your cue ferule. The guide has parallel prongs on the left and right side that will only clear the cue ball sides if you (1) hit center cue ball; (2) stroke straight; and (3) avoid twisting your wrist.
A couple years back, I reached Joe via email, joetuckeraiming@yahoo.com
I actually bought that 3rd eye trainer and found it to be, um, not for me.
Post a Comment