Train a Straight Pool Stroke - No Bottle!

I'm sure training with a bottle early in my career contributed greatly to my elbow drop stroke. Don't make this mistake!

[nopoolfan]

I applaud how you analyze all of the available training methods and develop better methods of your own. And I mean big time.

[fixitrod]

Stroke and vision center!!!! I'm going to try setting a ball down table to view between the boxes like I'm aiming. Excellent idea using boxes! Thank you!!!!

[James-ipgz]

Exactly what I needed and straight to the point. Perfect video

[qqeecp]

both stroke and vision center wow what a method I'm going to try asap thank you so much everyday i learn new things to try

[tomaszsosnowski]

You can elevate the neck of the bottle to practice cue motion at angle, but it gets a little bit too elaborate. Still a pretty decent drill, especially if you don't own a table at home.

[tomaszsosnowski]

The longer the box, the better it is to align your vision, I am doing this on an ironing board covered with a towel.

[hankh]

Bob Howdy; Nice tip the boxes. I've been using Tall Golf Tees. 2 rows of 4, 1" apart. hardest thing is getting them to
stand on those pointy ends. chucklin'

[BakerNo.]

You sure make good videos and I’m impressed with your full head of hair. Mine is the same color but I’ve got a few missing in the middle.

[krølle-]

you could open the hand as the que goes through. so the elbow dont drop.
but there's one flaw with all these drills. and that the missing impact on the cue ball. it very easy to tighten the back hand up on impact.
and change the line that way.
the vision center sounds like a good one with the boxxes

[tomcross]

Stroke training for me has become a real problem as I try to overcome a 50 year old habit of tightening my grip at the end of my stroke causing wrist to rotate and my tip to miss center ball. Two drills I'm working with (that I've not found mentioned anywhere yet on YT) is the stripe ball address. Just like the practice of cue ball return from far cushion, lining a striped ball up with striped in line with far rail gives immediate feedback as a missed stroke can be seen as the stripe rotates instead of rolling as a band down the table. My other tool is a stripe on my ferrule (clear tape on a white ferrule) that shows me in real time whether my hand/wrist has twisted at the end of stroke. Getting better but old muscle memory is hard to overcome and even more difficult when in a match and I completely abandon all the pre shot routines I've learned and blow a three ball run out with ball in hand. 🎱

[PhillyFingers]

You make a great point here many never mentioned before. Well done 👍🏻

[larryn]

I will give that a go. I have been using the line on the side of the table.

[benjamaniac]

You can do the John Morra drill where he uses the rail.

[excxmoody]

Used both first method and using plastic bottle but overtime switched to using the side rail (long), thoughts on that? figure its promotes straighter technique over the bottle.

[DangerousWillie]

The problem I've found with these type of drills is that when I'm aiming at a specific well defined point (such as a bottle opening or between 2 pool balls) it's much easier to stay on target. When shooting at a cue ball & switching aim between it & object ball there is no specifically outlined aim point & it's easier for me to lose the straightness of the stroke.

But I do like the suggestion of the boxes as opposed to the bottle.

[jonloder]

I've always used golf tees for this drill.

[SenseiNatePlaysPool]

As a guy with an elbow drop....I agree. 2 boxes are better ;) lol

[ronloo]

Hey shorty! Good videos. Was wondering wht camera setup do you use for side view stroke stuff and also setup for table view ball runs?

[mohitsinha]

"Ditch the bottle" - Alcohol de-addiction agency

[solardale]

what about practicing having the cueball from a distance follow the object ball into the pocket as a straight stroke metric? I'm somewhat confused by your statement/demo that you can have a crooked stroke, yet shoot straight. If you shoot straight, what does it matter if your stroke is crooked? Just asking. Are you suggesting that a crooked stroke will matter for different kinds of shots? Oliver Ortmann had one of the strangest arm delivery because he started playing when he was a small kid. Your box method does seem like a nice improvement for measuring lateral straightness, but does not inform about the vertical. I think studying what the cueball does after contacting the object ball on straight-in shots is the best way to refine your stroke. Such as on straight-in shots looking for unintentional cueball sidespin/draw/follow, draw angle, and angle of stun follow.