WPBA Enters Single-Eliminationby Mark MargarettenSee the tournament chart (http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1005999)By 3:30 p.m., the player to watch was clearly
WPBA Elimination Rounds Begin by InsidePOOL StaffSee the tournament chart (http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1005999)There were a few upsets in the first round. Megan Minerich defeated Gerda Hofstatter 9-5, Tracie Hines defeated Xiaoting Pan 9-1, while Dawn Hopkins defeated Tiffany Nelson 9-5, and Rodgers bested Melissa Little 9-5. But the biggest surprise of the night is that the number-three-ranked Monica Webb took an early exit, sent to the left side by Hsian Huang in a hill-hill match and then ousted by Bonnie Coats 9-8 again.
Back Foot Alignment
Part 3
by Rich Kranicki
Here is another Back Foot example demonstrated by my friend Jade, who appeared in my Back Foot article a couple of issues ago. Jade is from the South Jersey area and loves to play pool as much as time will allow any mother/wife/pool fanatic that I have met. Earlier this year at the Valley Forge Show in March, I asked Jade to help me to prove a point without her realizing exactly what my point would be. I asked her to show me two different ways for her to begin with her Back Foot Alignment. With the first way, shown in an earlier column, she elected to pose in her usual shooting stance. She started with her whole Back Foot to the left of the floor’s imaginary aim line. The following photographs show the way I asked her to model.
This new and unfamiliar position for Jade has the middle of her back foot’s arch directly in line with the imaginary line on the floor. Now, because of her physique (short legs, etc.) and because this is not her preference for her usual shooting stance, she has instinctively made a slight deviation from her usual head position over the aim line. The important thing to learn here is that this time her initial back foot alignment is in a different starting position than her normal style, which ultimately influenced her body’s search for a comfortable alignment for her head. The result is that there is more of an angle with her head now as compared to her usual style.
Take as much inventory as you can in order to memorize and improve the way you approach the shot. Be aware how the specific points from the different parts of your body feel as you strive to find the most comfortable position for you. Ask yourself if you are relaxed as you approach the shot. Are you staying relaxed as you go down? Do not rush these critical questions and steps while you try to learn new habits. It may take a while before you find what works for you. Think of this as building an important and worthwhile foundation to your game, because, after all, you will be doing this for every single shot and safety.
Strive to eliminate all unnecessary turning and twisting to prevent unwanted muscle stress and fatigue. The less you move; the easier it is for your body to remember! It will behoove you to monitor your subtle changes as your whole body bends into the shot. You want to strive for consistency as well as comfort. Try to learn as much as you can about your habits.
The more pool knowledge that you acquire and the more you learn about your particular tendencies, the better chance you will have of becoming a better player. The “easy to make” and overlooked mistake is to base your aim perception on one head alignment while having a slightly different one. Stay tuned because another initial Back Foot example is coming in the next pool Prayers column.
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest instruction from the sport of billiards and pool.
Back Foot AlignmentPart 4
By Rich Kranicki
Your goal for consistent execution should really begin with consistent thinking. Therefore, you should train your body to be consistent by thinking consistently. Until your body can naturally align properly over the aim line every single time without any conscious thought, you will have to think of where your Back Foot Starting Point is when you begin your aiming process. Whenever you can, take the extra second or two to make sure that you are placing your feet the same way each time that you begin. Are they both starting straight? Are both of your feet slightly angling to the side a little bit, or is just one foot straight? Beginning your aiming process in a comfortable alignment can help speed you on your way to forming those new desirable habits. For the sake of curiosity, my suggestion to the intermediate and more advanced players is to try some slightly different Back Foot Starting Positions. Maybe you can discover a slightly more comfortable alignment. Take your time and see if you are descending into your shooting position as comfortable as you can. Who knows? Maybe you will surprise yourself after years of playing and experience a slight improvement. A slight improvement can contribute to a more comfortable consistent game. The following photo shows me starting with my back foot’s top heel area directly over the aim line. Normally this is a little bit too much to the right for my back foot for me to feel comfortable. I usually begin with the ball of my foot, which would be about 3 inches more to the left. Remember that I am trying to demonstrate the effect that just the slightest variance of the back foot’s initial placement will have on the shooter’s descent into their final shooting position, as well as their Facial Guide Points over the aim line. Please look at the photo.
In the second initial Back Foot column of this series, I illustrated that having my back foot’s arch as my initial footing would comfortably bring my left nose edge as my Facial Guide Point. Look at the following photograph to see where my Facial Guide Point will be with this particular initial footing. In the above photo, my left nose edge is directly over the aim line. I usually prefer to have the left edge of my nose directly over the aim line. Therefore, I have just demonstrated that by starting about 3 three inches further back on my initial back foot alignment, results in a shift of about ½-inch further away from my usual left nose edge Facial Guide Point. Did you observe that I did not shift my Facial Guide Point the same 3 inches as my back foot’s 3-inch starting shift? The reason has to do with my particular physique and my body’s particular tendency to descend and pivot while I find the final adjustments over the aim line. The next column will conclude this particular series of initial Back Foot Alignment examples.
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest instruction from the sport of billiards and pool.
Ussery Wins Florida Pro Tour Eventby Rick DavisAs the afternoon moved along, the remaining top eight players clashed as everyone inched closer to the finals. On the winners
