I had an eye opening with my pool game this week end and wanted to share it with you. I was teaching a pool seminar at the Marietta Billiards Club with Tom Simpson and we were advancing a student from Certified to Advanced Instructor.
I figured to video myself and let him critique my form, patterns, etc. as part of his training. What was so startling was when he asked me why my stance wasn't always consistently done in the same way. Now if you asked me, I would have argued with you that my stance is consistent and I know why. But the video didn't lie! My stance really was inconsistent!
To make sure you you don't fall into the trap I did, it is a good idea to video yourself once in a while to see exactly what you are doing. I like shooting the videos from directly in front of the player, directly behind the player, and perpendicular to the shot on the shooting side of the player. The diagram shows where I like to put the camera.
To help you in analyzing your set up and stroke, here are some key points to look for from each camera position.
FRONT
Eyes moving slowly and shifting to target before the swing.
Head still when swinging.
No facial grimace, squinting or unnecessary twisting.
Consistent set up to shot and head position.
SIDE
Grip arm at 90 degrees when cue tip is just touching the cue ball.
Stick really level.
Bridge actually 6 to 8 inches from the cue ball.
Elbow and shoulder don't move until after cue ball hit if at all.
Head stays still during the shot.
BACK
Elbow and forearm aligned and directly above cue stick.
Grip hand and fingers don't do any fun business.
Grip strokes through cue ball and doesn't punch at it.
Grip hand stays on shot line for complete stroke.
Once you see exactly what you are doing, and not what you think you are doing (!), you can start on a plan to correct any swing flaws you might have and want to correct.
Having done video analysis for a while, here are some very common faults:
Eyes jumping all over the place
Stick not really level
Bridge too long
Bridge moves during the swing
Head moves when stroking
Swinging from shoulder
Body moves during stroke
Grip hand does some funny business during the swing
There is a lot more to video analysis than this brief introduction, but I wanted to get you started.
Good luck and see you on the road.