Advanced Pocket Billiards by |
Don Rose has been an advanced BCA Instructor since the first 12 instructors were chosen. He has been Midwest 3 Cushion Champion as well as Arizona State 14.1 Champion. The writer of numerous instructional articles, Don has been teaching billiards for 29 years and playing the game for over 50 years. Always willing to help anyone who asks, Don is available for group or private lessons. He will answer any instructional questions, anyone might have. E-mail him at donrose@azbilliards.com His archive of columns is available here. |
I have recently received an e-mail from a reader named Frank. His question was on the slip stroke. He was looking for info on this technique. All that I have is really a sketchy opinion based on very few slip players I've seen over the years.
However, from observation, players that use this method seem 'less hesitant' to pull off the bigger swings than players who generally use the shorter swings and now must employ a large swing by necessity.
Thus, a slip stroke would seem to "favor" a nine-ball player as opposed to a 14.1 player. This, of course, is not written in stone.
Now, as I advised Frank, the smaller strokes such as short nip or short power shots was usually where the slip strokers got in trouble. This of course is because "reaching back" signals your instinct to create a big stroke (and follow thru) which in turn could be a bad move when the cue ball is within 5" of the object ball. You must now veer up or across in order to avoid hitting the cue ball twice. This takes more control than most players possess. You could also use draw english to prevent the impending follow thru but this can result in a loss of needed power on higher speed close shots because inexperienced players also "jam stop" the wrist release as well.
In the end it all comes down to consistancy. Nobody argues that balls can be pocketed with the weirdest of deliveries. I've seen players pocket balls with an overhand javelin "toss".
The reality is: you musy employ the swing that pockets balls 99 out of 100 times as opposed to 93 out of 100 times. A difference of only 6% efficiency is HUGE! Play in a tournament in a race to 9. Lets say you must win 8 matches to take first. That is 72 games of nine-ball or 648 balls. Using this number (which would of course vary), the 6% would leave you with 38+ misses as opposed to 6+ misses. This relates to a "pretty good" player playing a pro.
The old saying that the cue ball "gets in the way of a good swing" is sound information. The next step is to have the object ball "in the way of a well aimed cue ball".
Thanks for your question Frank.