The most important thing about Filler's game is that he has NO FEAR whatsoever when delivering his cue forward. There's no sudden but subtle increased tension or pressure in his grip. No jerkiness of the transition from back swing to forward swing. No mis-timing his cue action. He shoots every shot with the same level of confidence whether it's a hanger or a full-table power follow shot while jacked up on the rail. IMO, you can have perfect or nearly perfect mechanics, including alignment and tip placement, and still miss shots, especially under pressure, if you let fear of missing creep into your game. Or, in some cases, any tension whatsoever. Filler plays relaxed and confident, so his excellent alignment remains preserved and intact throughout the entire stroke. That's the key! It's not that difficult to have good alignment, but it's very difficult to hit the "micro dot" on the cue ball when you're nervous, anxious, timid, fearful, tense, etc. Especially on long shots that you already feel are difficult and while under pressure.
Thing I noticed with filler is his grip hand is more firm than others. Meaning his back swing he doesn’t open up his hand completely like a gorst or melling but keeps all four fingers on the butt and does more of a short punch stroke
I think your analysis of Joshua Filler's stroke technique is spot on. I noticed that your technique has an idiosyncrasy that might be ever-so-slightly impeding your performance. That slight flaw is that your stroke might be just a bit too quick. I've been working on this detail myself. I know that a quick stroke creates a choppiness that results in poking or stabbing at the cue ball, which of course is a giant NO NO. I have a slow and controlled pool stroke. Nonetheless, I've evaluated that the elapsed time between when I begin my stroke and when my cue strikes the cue ball is just a bit too short. I think we all tend to become slightly anxious and that anxiety results in us not realizing how hasty we become to complete the task. I think that when we are "in the zone" our rhythem is slower and unknowingly more syncopated. I further think that the point of transition from the back stroke to the forward movement is the critical point and I'm focusing on that moment. Many elite players implement a specific pause between the backward and forward motion; I'm experimenting with that also. I'd welcome your opinion about adding a pause to my stroke. I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and that you're surviving your last couple of weeks camping in your Denver house ,before, what I hope will be a joyful albeit hectic relocation to S. Phoenix.
Spot on. Slowing down my stroke is one of the last ingredients I've been working on lately. Was doing much better before "the move" process began. Can't wait to settle into the new house and get back to proper practice again.
@@ShortstopOnPool with respect, does any of that have anything to do with analyzing his stroke? Whether or not he's a "young gun" he's still arguably the number one US player.
@@ObsessedWithPool Ruiz, SVB, Chang and Orcollo round out the top 8 players in the world but are not "young guns". And they all also make fantastic shots. Chang and Ruiz's fundamentals are similar to the young guns, while SVB and Orcollo are both non-traditional. All of which would make an interesting study on its own. But I didn't mention any of them because they are not "young guns". Which doesn't mean anything - it was just a comment.
One thing that amazes me about fillers precise alignment is how he has a pivot as he's gettin down on his shot. He initially comes down with the cue tip pointing at the left of the cue ball but he pivots to the right to center himself. It's pretty wild how accurate he is with such a drastic movement prior to finishing full address.
I agree. One thing I noticed - his grip hand stays on the shot line as he enters the shot. So the front end of the cue is just swinging around to get in line with the rear of the cue. Rather than coming down from above like some players.
@@ShortstopOnPool Probably it has sth to do with eyes dominance. I think he initially uses his dominant eye to glance at an object ball and returns his cue to his vision center (usually the line between one's dominant eye and another eye) by pivoting it.
For me, when I raise the cue, for a cue ball close to a rail, that is where the straight line changes for me. The very movement of my arm has to be vertical ... Or the line to the object ball changes. I struggle with being vertical. My change in "view" of this shot line becomes more difficult as well, I can no longer see the line to the object ball as easily...
I think the only thing you missed was his grip which is arguably the biggest reason he shoots so straight. Kristina teaches this grip in her course. A lot of the euro players grip with wrist “outward” forcing the bicep to do most the work.
I've had lessons with her and she taught me that too. Her explaination was that we have a tendency to tense up under pressure. But having our wrist outwards, even when we tense up we do not veer off from the shotline too much - helping us maintain a straight stroke under pressure.
Wow, great tip! Can I ask you guys what you mean by wrist outward? Do you mean the wrist is less facing forward? And how has this grip impacted your game? Do you feel like you can still do the so-called “wrist snap”?
In the first shot, It seems that you do not align your rear foot with the rest. You are standing way more “out to the side” compared to Joshua. I can’t see any other differences 😊
So after all is said and done is filler looking at the cue ball or object ball at impact in your opinion? And, does he do this all the time. I’ve always been trained to set tip position, focus on object ball slow back pause…and through🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷
I have been always asking myself, where my eyes have to look when having a shot, the cue ball or the target ball? When i look at the target ball, i often miss the point i aim in the cue ball. But when i look the cue ball, the target ball misses. Can u give me some advices, thanks u
Pool instruction often begins with shoot just the cue ball. One drill is to shoot the cue ball from the spot, to the opposite short rail and have it return to the tip of your cue. There are many others. This way you first learn to strike the cue ball accurately. Then when you shoot a ball you can trust you will hit the cue ball where you intend, while you focus on the object ball. Get with an instructor, there is so much more.
Really good form, but I feel your right foot could be back behind the shotline more. Occasionally your elbow is not perfectly vertical and I think it is because your body is a bit in the way. It pretty good most of the time. Im looking at it from a weird angle so feel free to disregard.
Filler on difficult shots only uses center ball. I mean no side spin. This is a huge part of his game. He does use side spin but not on anything challenging. This is something that Jason shaw does as well. These guys have truly burned in center ball on their strokes. This is a huge reason why these steps work so well. I've met a few really good players who still can't hit a true center ball. But it holds them back from moving forward
Thats what seperates the Vintage Efren Reyes to other greats. In Efren's prime, he would even put a side spin even in long difficult shots and still make them.
@@rafaelvillamor9702 ya but the pockets are a lot smaller nowadays days. On 5 inch pockets I'm sure filler and all the other top pros would use side spin more
The most important thing about Filler's game is that he has NO FEAR whatsoever when delivering his cue forward. There's no sudden but subtle increased tension or pressure in his grip. No jerkiness of the transition from back swing to forward swing. No mis-timing his cue action. He shoots every shot with the same level of confidence whether it's a hanger or a full-table power follow shot while jacked up on the rail.
IMO, you can have perfect or nearly perfect mechanics, including alignment and tip placement, and still miss shots, especially under pressure, if you let fear of missing creep into your game. Or, in some cases, any tension whatsoever. Filler plays relaxed and confident, so his excellent alignment remains preserved and intact throughout the entire stroke. That's the key!
It's not that difficult to have good alignment, but it's very difficult to hit the "micro dot" on the cue ball when you're nervous, anxious, timid, fearful, tense, etc. Especially on long shots that you already feel are difficult and while under pressure.
I use the "align first then elevate" technique you highlighted from Filler on a daily basis because of this video. Thank you!
Thing I noticed with filler is his grip hand is more firm than others. Meaning his back swing he doesn’t open up his hand completely like a gorst or melling but keeps all four fingers on the butt and does more of a short punch stroke
Great video man. Really enjoy this QUALITY info! Thanks!
This is very useful… thanks much I saw the shot and I was amazed how how well he does what he does on the stage… will be doing this today
Thank you for your time and help
Thanks for this great video! Please keep them coming in!
Whoa can’t wait to watch this whole thing!
please, can you analyse joshua's grip ?
thank you for sharing your precious knowledge with us ❤
I think your analysis of Joshua Filler's stroke technique is spot on. I noticed that your technique has an idiosyncrasy that might be ever-so-slightly impeding your performance. That slight flaw is that your stroke might be just a bit too quick.
I've been working on this detail myself. I know that a quick stroke creates a choppiness that results in poking or stabbing at the cue ball, which of course is a giant NO NO. I have a slow and controlled pool stroke. Nonetheless, I've evaluated that the elapsed time between when I begin my stroke and when my cue strikes the cue ball is just a bit too short. I think we all tend to become slightly anxious and that anxiety results in us not realizing how hasty we become to complete the task. I think that when we are "in the zone" our rhythem is slower and unknowingly more syncopated. I further think that the point of transition from the back stroke to the forward movement is the critical point and I'm focusing on that moment.
Many elite players implement a specific pause between the backward and forward motion; I'm experimenting with that also. I'd welcome your opinion about adding a pause to my stroke.
I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and that you're surviving your last couple of weeks camping in your Denver house ,before, what I hope will be a joyful albeit hectic relocation to S. Phoenix.
Spot on. Slowing down my stroke is one of the last ingredients I've been working on lately. Was doing much better before "the move" process began. Can't wait to settle into the new house and get back to proper practice again.
Great video and also this is a nice series if it becomes one analyzing those four pros (gorst, Shaw, Kaci)
Aaaahhh, good idea!
Don't forget SVB!
@@ObsessedWithPool Shane is not a "young gun" anymore. And Shane's fundamentals are not the same as the others.
@@ShortstopOnPool with respect, does any of that have anything to do with analyzing his stroke? Whether or not he's a "young gun" he's still arguably the number one US player.
@@ObsessedWithPool Ruiz, SVB, Chang and Orcollo round out the top 8 players in the world but are not "young guns". And they all also make fantastic shots. Chang and Ruiz's fundamentals are similar to the young guns, while SVB and Orcollo are both non-traditional. All of which would make an interesting study on its own. But I didn't mention any of them because they are not "young guns". Which doesn't mean anything - it was just a comment.
What fantastic video!
One thing that amazes me about fillers precise alignment is how he has a pivot as he's gettin down on his shot. He initially comes down with the cue tip pointing at the left of the cue ball but he pivots to the right to center himself. It's pretty wild how accurate he is with such a drastic movement prior to finishing full address.
I agree. One thing I noticed - his grip hand stays on the shot line as he enters the shot. So the front end of the cue is just swinging around to get in line with the rear of the cue. Rather than coming down from above like some players.
@@ShortstopOnPool Probably it has sth to do with eyes dominance. I think he initially uses his dominant eye to glance at an object ball and returns his cue to his vision center (usually the line between one's dominant eye and another eye) by pivoting it.
You make allways top video
For me, when I raise the cue, for a cue ball close to a rail, that is where the straight line changes for me. The very movement of my arm has to be vertical ... Or the line to the object ball changes. I struggle with being vertical. My change in "view" of this shot line becomes more difficult as well, I can no longer see the line to the object ball as easily...
I think the only thing you missed was his grip which is arguably the biggest reason he shoots so straight. Kristina teaches this grip in her course. A lot of the euro players grip with wrist “outward” forcing the bicep to do most the work.
Interesting! I will look into that....
I've had lessons with her and she taught me that too. Her explaination was that we have a tendency to tense up under pressure. But having our wrist outwards, even when we tense up we do not veer off from the shotline too much - helping us maintain a straight stroke under pressure.
Wow, great tip! Can I ask you guys what you mean by wrist outward? Do you mean the wrist is less facing forward? And how has this grip impacted your game? Do you feel like you can still do the so-called “wrist snap”?
@@logic368basically what they're saying is instead of your knuckles pointing down, knuckles twist to the left or right.
In the first shot, It seems that you do not align your rear foot with the rest. You are standing way more “out to the side” compared to Joshua.
I can’t see any other differences 😊
So after all is said and done is filler looking at the cue ball or object ball at impact in your opinion? And, does he do this all the time. I’ve always been trained to set tip position, focus on object ball slow back pause…and through🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷
IMO, that rail shot was an exception. If you watch him shooting regular shots its always object-ball-last.
I have been always asking myself, where my eyes have to look when having a shot, the cue ball or the target ball? When i look at the target ball, i often miss the point i aim in the cue ball. But when i look the cue ball, the target ball misses. Can u give me some advices, thanks u
Pool instruction often begins with shoot just the cue ball. One drill is to shoot the cue ball from the spot, to the opposite short rail and have it return to the tip of your cue. There are many others. This way you first learn to strike the cue ball accurately. Then when you shoot a ball you can trust you will hit the cue ball where you intend, while you focus on the object ball. Get with an instructor, there is so much more.
@@ShortstopOnPool
Cool explanation!
Hope u do ecklent kaci too mate
I've featured Eklent in a couple videos. I study his fundamemtals because we are the same height.
@@ShortstopOnPool thanks..yup he is tall guy too...i love his technique hope someday i will copy it right
Really good form, but I feel your right foot could be back behind the shotline more.
Occasionally your elbow is not perfectly vertical and I think it is because your body is a bit in the way. It pretty good most of the time.
Im looking at it from a weird angle so feel free to disregard.
You missed that he uses a compact stroke.
That's a good point. Especially when the cue ball is near a rail, short backstroke benefits accuracy.
@@ShortstopOnPool Thanks! I failed to say that I thought that the rest of the analysis of his shooting was excellent.
👍🏾😁👍🏾
Filler’s secret is his superior mental game. Any strong amateur can make those two shots in practice. They’re only hard when performed under pressure.
Filler on difficult shots only uses center ball. I mean no side spin. This is a huge part of his game. He does use side spin but not on anything challenging. This is something that Jason shaw does as well. These guys have truly burned in center ball on their strokes. This is a huge reason why these steps work so well. I've met a few really good players who still can't hit a true center ball. But it holds them back from moving forward
Thats what seperates the Vintage Efren Reyes to other greats. In Efren's prime, he would even put a side spin even in long difficult shots and still make them.
@@rafaelvillamor9702 ya but the pockets are a lot smaller nowadays days. On 5 inch pockets I'm sure filler and all the other top pros would use side spin more
You said Young guns of today, and included Jayson Shaw?
You got me! I didn't think it through. Still had him as a youngin' though its been some years now.
@@ShortstopOnPool 😂
He only pulls back about 4" on normal shots and a Tad Bit more on power or long shots. Shorten the back-swing folks! Like Filler does
Text on screen says Lead with Forward Foot should be Lead with REAR foot. Which is how I describe it in the video. Fire the editor!!