Problems with miscueing?

Question

Rolling a ball is generally more accurate than supposed - if a person knows the table. Can sound like an excuse, but for people who don't like doing that I suspect that is often the main problem.

Answer 1

Sheeeeesh!! after reading all that...i'm pooped out to even answer.........heehee.........DreO

Answer 2

Sounds like time for an upgrade all round

A less exp but better stick will fix a lot of problems the tip just look for discolerd spots-soft spots- but usualy not a real problem sounds like your biggest prob is in your stroke mechanics if you miscue thst often .I will let Straight take that one on im not good at explaining things like he does But 35% miscues ??? aint all the stick

Im just not a big fan of the ones you mentioned

play closer to the center of the ball

Answer 3

Well, first things first: are you using plenty of chalk? I chalk before just about every shot (so does Johnny, I recently read). And you know the farther to the side of the cue ball you go, the easier it is to miscue, right? I don't think you should be needing to work on your tip after every miscue, though; that certainly seems excessive and possibly damaging (?). Some of the more experienced players here can say for sure (Hubby's not home, otherwise I'd ask him :) ).  You do want to keep your tip shaped so it looks like it has the same roundness as a nickel, though.  Good luck to you.

--Lea

p.s. Sorry if the chalk thing is ridiculously obvious; it's just that I see a lot of people who don't chalk as often as I think they should :)

p.p.s. Hey Johnny, your answer wasn't up yet when I started on mine. Yes, I was up rather early this morning, wasn't I? I'm about ready for a nap now :)

p.p.p.s. Did you mean to say 'chalk' not 'cloth'? You miscue more with red cloth? Either way I'm confused...

Answer 4

I tend to agree with both Johnny and Lea.  Regardless of the cue you are using, if you have a standard 13mm tip, you should have the nickel curvature.  A smaller tip would require something closer to a dime curvature.  There's nothing wrong with playing with a strange cue as long as the tip is well-groomed and the shaft is relatively straight.  Either you are using excessive speed or your tip is too soft if it is flattening out so quickly.  Most good players I know use at least a medium-hard to hard leather tip.  These tips maintain their shape much better and resist mushrooming.

Now I think Johnny was touching on something that I need to address.  Something definitely sounds wrong with your stroke mechanics if you are miscueing that often.  Even the best of us miscue from time to time, but when it does happen, we usually know why it happened almost immediately (not that I'm one of the "best" of us).  You might want to look into formal instruction to make sure you're delivering the cue properly.  You could be doing a whole mess of things wrong like not keeping your cue as level as possible or leaving too much space between your cue tip and the cue ball during your ball address.  There's really no trick or mystery surrounding good mechanics.

Additionally, I have a hunch you may be straying too far from center to achieve position.  Keep in mind that speed control is actually slightly more than 1/3 of your pool game.  If you work on your speed, you can very often achieve natural position without straying so far from center.  If you are planning to go more than 2 tips from center, you definitely need to have your stroke in order.  Sometimes you can get lucky with poor mechanics but not in this situation.

Lea is right on about chalking up very often.  On any shot where you plan to hit anything other than a dead-center ball, you must chalk up.  Bear in mind that chalk will not hold on a miscue mark on your cue tip.  You must scuff your tip after a miscue.  Even if your cue appears to be covered in chalk, if you happen to hit the same miscue spot as before, you're risking another miscue.  Sandpaper can work fine, but I prefer either a Cue-Cube (one of those double-sided squares for shaping and scuffing your tip), or one of those flat things for your keychain that has the scuffing part and the curvature of a nickel cut into the side to check the shape of your tip after scuffing.  I don't recall the brand name off hand, but I keep one on my keychain at all times along with a cube of Master's chalk.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

P.S. Yes, Fast Eddie!  You nailed it.  I knew that it almost rhymed with "billiard".  That's the thing I'm talking about.

Answer 5

You have a 114 run and miscue that much?  No I'm now laughing just a thought for diagnosis. When a player that can actually shoot (114 run) miscues that often in any common cue sport but particularly in 14:1 I immediately think concentration is the prob. Let's face it we are bored with a 2' straight in shot but we try to position ourselves just that way. The better you shoot the better the leave the less we have to concentrate right?  NO!!  When you shoot each shot like it will win you a hundred dollars (no wait, 250 dollars...inflation) your concentration is much higher than when you are shooting to get to the next ball to maybe win. My biggest enemy is concentration because when playing a lesser opponent I normally just don't have to. The flip side is when shooting a more accomplished opponent I tend to get tired quicker. Guess why...my old enemy concentration. Heavy concentration is very mentally draining but very necessary to success.

Remember also that seldom is 1 thing wrong in pool. Usually it is the prob and then your correction or compensation. Alot of time when people lose concentration you will see them take fewer prestrokes than is normal for them and also they tend to resort to pokes instead of strokes.

Should over cueing your english be the prob know that I can do more with the ball using 3/4 of a tip english or spin than I can with a full tip of same.

As if that was not enough it could be you have just pi**ed off the gods of pool.

Luck

K

Answer 6

Staight, I guess you mean a Willard's? I have been carrying one too for at least 20 years. Great to have if you are playing house cues once in a while.

Everyone has had good answeres.

Answer 7

Your game sounds like it is something like 113 balls ahead of mine so who am I to tell you what to do....somehow I don't think that the answer is "elementary".....ie" chalk, scuffing, tip shape"....not really sure if I have an answer other then the shape....I am just not good at it...one of the best players in my area will shape mine and I truly notice the difference in cue ball reaction.....maybe a little less English....I have never heard of anyone miscuing this much.....just another elementary question...do you break with your shooting cue?....that would also be too simple of a solution...get a break cue.....the solution is too simple and continued simple solutions/suggestions might insult your intelligence......it has got to be something very minor that you don't see....let someone watch your game and see if they can pick up on something that you don't realize your are or not doing....good luck!......I wish I had your problem and be able to still run 114 balls!!