Pause on the backswing?

Question

Furthermore, I think it's very ironic how if Johnny or I talk about BCA rules, half of the time you imply that we're looking down our noses are league players who don't use these rules or players who play on bar tables, and the other half of the time you yourself refer people to the BCA. Sorry to get off on a tangent, but I swear if I said "black" it would take all of 5 seconds for you to say "white". You gave a good answer, so don't think I don't appreciate opposing views. I just get the feeling sometimes you go out of your way to contradict every word I say. I wouldn't change it though, it's good to hear the other side.

Answer 1

Was totally going to avoid this question, as i do a few, but figured i would try 2 explain my theory, that again is hard to put into type, and again will be a small portion on my dvd. i know some people have the pause(buddy hall) as if i were to guess by hearing things about Johnnys game, that he plays the same style as buddy hall. Ok my theory i guess, lets start off with the batting swing that was mentioned, and incorporate the muscle resistance that was mentioned by Straight. Every batting swing i seen, the batter swings his bat back 2 or 3 inches? as he starts his swing. I really don't focus on my stroke, as the thinking process, brings me down on the shot, with my body automatically aligned to the shot, and my stroke is free flowing. If i was to analize my stroke, and i just checked some video of efren's stroke, and it was what i anticipated, which takes the thinking of the pause totally out of the situation. Back to incorprating the baseball swing into what im saying. gonna be tough to explain without doing it on video. i 100% believe that my stroke, to hit the ball begins with pulling my cue back, as im not analitical at all, but when i pull my cue back, i already have most of an idea(by feel) as i have a very like reyes type stroke, and i use the weight of the cue stick, and not force from my hand. if you have a intended pause at your back swing, you must be using a tighter grip on the cue, to get the momenitum started. my momentium is started from the time i start to pull the cue stick back. Check youtube baseball swing, as their momentium, appears to start by a backswing. Check good match on youtube to check this out on. Type efren owanage and type efren stroke. Notice by the different shots, which he uses different speeds on his backswing,  how he pulling his cue stick back dictates the speed of his stroke. This is 1 of the reasons that he has the best feel in the world for getting the right position speed! If he is going to shoot a softer short shot, he pulls it back slower. If he is going to use 1 of his famous stun shots, with a high velocity of spin with minimun force, he pulls his cue back pretty fast, and using just the weight of the cue, he can obtain his so called magical shots, and hold tighter position, where others strokes will not allow, them to even envision that, where they might have to go 1,2 or even 3 rails to avoiding other balls, and maintain a good speed, to maintain the same position, where as a superlight stunshot, will avoid that in certain situations.I dedicated myself to become a pro player about 16 years ago, and about 10 years ago i decided to model myself after reyes, as he is the best position player, and strickland as he is the best shotmaker. I totally dedicated myself to understanding why each do the best they do in that catagory, and why they see it the way they do, and it is easy to them. My goal was to do that, and incorporate both of their strengths in my game, as i have, and understand why now. Worst thing i ever did was watch instructional videos, and read instructional books!!! That held my understanding of learning the game back alot!!! Again very hard to put everything in type, as i cant wait, as soon as i heal from my condition, to put out my dvd. It will be a totally different look at learning the game, and i honestlly believe it will revolutionize the way the game is taught from here on out. which will= people learning at a much much faster rate, which=more people playing because having more fun playing better, which=more people playing the sport, which=bigger cue sport sales, which=bigger payday tournys ect. Im not going 2 spend my life in a pool hall, as i have many other interest, in film, and script writing, ect, in my audio/video recording studio. I don't brag about my abilities, im just happy i can rest my mind easy, now that i have figured out, what i been trying to do for 1,000's of hours. pool is euphoric 4 me. it makes me feel good, and im a fast player, and i get great cardio, and stretching out of it as a bonus. My worst 2 hated words are TALENT, and METHOD, which i will explain at another time.

Answer 2

Hey Straight give yourself the #1 ans.Like you teach you have got to have the pause not 5 sec. but you have got to have it

That would be like having a baseball swinging over the plate on a string and trying to decide which time you want to swing at it the pause is also the final aim at the cue ball

The handsaw stroke is just what you said -just waiting to happen

Answer 3

Hate it! Hate it! Hate it!

It may work for some people, but when I tried it, it totally destroyed my rhythm, feel, and cue ball placement. The very slight benefits you see from the muscle movement you listed do not even come close to outweighing the losses for a player like me. I would also add the to the list of things you can do to make the stroke way too mechanical in my opinion, and immediately remove some of the enjoyment of playing.

For the lower level player, this also inserts a built in opportunity for doubt in your stroke, which can cause all kinds of problems including loss of accuracy and a tentative stroke, which makes you miss a lot more often than not pausing in the backswing. I have a woman on my league team who's been playing for 30 years and has a pause in her stroke. I would argue that the pause actually causes her to miss, and is a contributing factor in her inability to apply any kind of spin on the ball. If she had been spending her entire pool playing career with a more rhythmic stroke generating a feel for stroking the ball in a fluid motion, she would be at a much higher level as a player.

I'm not saying it does not work for everyone, but it's not the holy grail some claim it to be.

EDIT: I have had this discussion before, and would like to address the comment that "everyone has a pause." This is NOT true. For a player to automatically pause their cue when changing direction, you MUST assume that the player has a perfectly linear stroke, meaning it has absolutely no up and down or side to side movement. This is a very poor assumption, since the expansion and contraction of your muscles along can cause the cue to move off line. I would bet my life savings that 99% of players who do not intentionally pause their cue do NOT completely stop their cue in the backswing. It really does not matter since the question is really regarding an intentional pause, but this is a sticking point for me that some people try to use to justify it, and it's simply not true.

Answer 4

Simply stroking with a pendulum type stroke.. Essentially when you change directions on your stroke you must stop one direction to start the other.. even if not noticeable to the eye... Not jerky, however like I suggested , A Pendulum stroke!