Giant Killer x2
The streak ended wow Congrats TS Grand Master !
Hey everybody this is from my buddy Charles Dangler who died recently and he will be honored that you all will appreciate Loffredo and his insight similar to what he enjoyed while living in this great country.
Going through the training material i gathered and wrote over the years. Ib let it sit for the last 5-6 years for some reason. But i was talking with Leo and decided you dig it out. Way too much to send via text...i will figure something out. There is a lot of good matetial i collected from the foosball boatd and other places and some of my own thoughts. Dice you are both pull shootets i will send you what i have from one of the smartest players ever...a great student even after 40 years of playing at the highest level
Overcoming Pressure/Fear:
The key is to embrace it as a normal part of fighting to win. Expect it, look forward to it.
And then understand that the fear is the reason you practice and play. And obviously the
fear is where the pressure comes from. So when you feel the most fear, you know that
you have arrived to the place where you can face it and do something about it… Todd
Loffredo
Short version: Pressure-embrace it as a normal part of fighting to win. Expect it, look
forward to it then, understand that the fear is why you practice and play-when you feel
the most fear you have arrived to the place where you can face it and do something
about it- (shortened version) TL
"I would just let the fear wash over and all around me. And when it all passes,
that's where you find you're by yourself, realizing how alive you felt and feel, and
it is really exhilarating!" Brian Uytiepo , 9/18/08
What does it take to be a world champion? Todd L
Todd L. 9/3/06 ezboard
It takes Love.
You have to love it like it's something you want more than anything. You have to live it,
drink it, feel it, ask questions about it. Think about it some more. Cry about it. Get
frustrated about it. Fight it. Need it. Think about it at night when you go to sleep. Make it
number 1 and you have a good chance to do something about it.
It doesn't take a special person to be a world champion. It takes making the game special to you. TL
Todd L. On pull Part 1
What makes a great pull – Todd L. ezboard, 9/3/06
Great pull shots are based on a lot of other variables that have nothing to do with the actual shooting of a pull shot. Then there is the actual shooting of the shot itself.
Examples:
You get the ball. What is your pre shot routine? Does it establish a threat of any kind as you go into the set of the pull?
How quickly do you set it up? Can you shoot all the shots well from different sets, both under the rod and behind the rod? How about on the roll?
Does your ball scrapping and five defense allow you the opportunity to take opportunistic chances?
Then we get into the actual shot itself.
Do you move outside of your shot? Does your hand move like 98% of the people out there on most non rollover shots.
This is the main reason I don't like the rollover because there is no telegraphing problems, so the art of scoring is changed
forever. If there is no telegraphing issues then the choke factor is nil and the art of shooting is lost.
You never have to practice the discipline of not giving the shot away like all other shots. Imagine if someone learned how to throw a punch without telegraphing it. That is the rollover. The pull shot is a different beast, it takes discipline to shoot it well for long periods of time.
But if your seeking the best pull shot once the ball is set and just looking for who has the best mechanics and
who is able to hit all the shots over and over again with speed and power through a tournament then it would probably be Steve Benie or Tracy Mac.
TL Part 2
TL ezboard 9/5/06
This opinion is based on experience and is only an opinion.
The best follow through is to resist extending the man past the ball in case of a block so that your in position to receive a rejected shot for a second attempt. This is also true for the 5 man. So Ideally your man will follow through the shot and start to head back towards the straight and you contract or
resist the extending fingers by using the recoil in a circular motion back to the spot where the ball was struck, in this case a long. Much like the number 6 spiraling in towards the center of itself.
Adrain Zamora is an excellent example of this move/stroke watch him shoot on tape.
After you get a decent stroke, experiment with different sets. Ball very far back, ball back fairly far, Ball back a little. Ball straight under the rod. Ball in front of the rod. Ball way in front of the rod. Teach yourself how to execute a straight-middle and long from those different sets. Now after you master this, then it's time to expand and add a dimension to your game. After all you've earned it!
So now we are going to shoot a pull shot with the ball straight under the rod and the man slightly under or in front of the ball so that the back half of the man is even with the center of the ball. Learn all three shots from this position. Straight-middle-Long. You will notice that the ball stubs easy from this position but that you can also hit tight tucking middles and that the straight is slower because you have further to travel. Actually this set is slower because you have further to travel. This is why Johnny Horton shot is a little slow but very accurate.
TL Part 3
Now do the same ball position except with your man on the back side of the ball with the front of the man even with the middle of the ball, set for a pull. Learn how to hit the Straight-middle-long from this position.. After a few days of this you will understand it better. This is harder than being in front of the ball so bear with it until you understand it somewhat. Definitely not easy. You have to spray the ball more to get it to the hole but it is much faster because your almost behind the ball already.
Move the ball back behind the rod a little and try it again. This is preferred way to set the ball on my shot. Learn all three shots, Straight -middle - long. Now move the ball in front of the rod and put the man below the ball in your set so that the back part of the foot is even with the center of the ball, again more like Hortons set.
Congratulations!! you now have a multidimensional pull shot.. Ready to improve on it? Good..Lets add yet another Dimension to your pull. This part is about stance. Learn how to shoot your favorite stance, whatever it may be. Now after you figure out what your favorite is then try a few from the body position that you caught your wall pass in. Lane pass also. I learned early in my career to shoot a pull shot with my right foot forward. I use to hit the long very good from that position and practiced it. I learned that people would leave me easy longs before I got in my regular stance.
Look how Tracy Mac stands. His body hardly moves and yet his shot is beautiful and fast. I'll bet he could hit that same shot standing on one leg after a few attempts. So stance is more about comfort than anything. Just standing in front of the rods with your right leg slightly back is probably the norm. Tommy Atkinson can stand with his right foot pointing straight sideways and still hit a great long. He is not tall, he is practiced. So work on many stances and look at the results of the stance.
TL Part 4
Look how Tracy Mac stands. His body hardly moves and yet his shot is beautiful and fast. I'll bet he could hit that same shot standing on one leg after a few attempts. So stance is more about comfort than anything. Just standing in front of the rods with your right leg slightly back is probably the norm. Tommy Atkinson can stand with his right foot pointing straight sideways and still hit a great long. He is not tall, he is practiced. So work on many stances and look at the results of the stance.
Then learn the body positions that you pass in. All the shots, Straight middle and long..After this you have become a multidimensional pull shot guru! But just when you think you have it all, you can yet learn another dimension. Shooting on the roll. The thing that can put fear into the strongest defenses. Why? because now they have to block you 100 percent of the time that you are rolling the ball over and that can be unnerving for a goalie and put major heat on the other forward. Learn all the shots on the roll from many of the pass stances also.
Also, learn a quick set. But learning how to shoot from all the positions makes the set much easier because your sets don't have to be so perfect. Learn how to shoot from about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the perfect set also because you get many sets like this when time and nerves are a factor. Is your shot complete yet? Oh contraire Mon friar
Now learn how to shoot without moving your hand or shoulders and letting your body language give the signal that your about to shoot. . You've done it! You are now master of the pull shot Universe. What's next!?
TL Part 4
Todd Lofredo’s Advice on Shooting a Pull – date unknown
Todd was asked:how do you get so much power behind it without exerting yourself ?
"AnSWeR:: My PuLLShot wasnt always so effortless, I went through many years
of Arm and Shoulder Pain before I figured out that you can't Smash
something over and over again recklessly and survive for a weekend of
Pullshots…
I learned to Stand up more and take my shoulder out of the
shot. This took a lot of the wasted moving parts and energy out by
accident. Then I learned that the power of the shot comes from the hips
not the Shoulder. I learned this from playing golf of all things. The
Pull shot is very simular to a Golf Swing in that the arm is an extension
of the whip where the power Flows through and accelerates not where it is
generated.
When I learned the Timing between the Hip turn and the Snap of
the wrist then I not only generated power effortlessly but created a
smoother speed that is hidden to the defender. Unlike the Shoulder
Dipping Pullshooters out there who give away the takeoff on their shot
before the ball has even moved even a micron.
I worked with a Mirror on the other side of the table to Hide my Takeoff even more.
And every now and then it needs to be re-learned from bad habits just as in the golf Swing..
The Best Grip is at the end of the handle for power and at the front of
the handle for control so I guess it depends on which you need
more. Sometimes I move up on the handle because my Hand has a bad bone
that gets bruised from Smashing longs and having the end of the handle
prying on my hand but I prefer the end of it in the Biggest Tournaments...
Stance – This is Important, Ive seen so many good Shooters lose because of
poor Stances. The one to me that comes to mind is Steve Murry...He is
almost standing sideways when he is in his set stance to shoot and has a
real problem with getting the Wifs or loosing feel. A lot of old Texas
players used to shoot that way.
TL Part 5
Basically its like Running uphill in a race thats on a flat track. Its good to have a little angle so you can clear the hips easily and get easy access to the power of the hips but not that much. Tracy McMillin has an Excellent Stance to Copy for Beginners. So
does ToM Spear. You want to stand as if there were a Rope on your
right side and someone were about to pull on the other end of it hard. You
want to be in a position to be Braced for the yank of the person pulling
on the other side...Now Steve Murry would get yanked across the table
Quick in his stance because he's in a weak position but Tracy and Tom
would be Braced for a good Yank.
Do I have a Hole in mind? of course I do..its LONG..hehehhehe.
And Im going to make the Goalie prove to me that he can stay on that Long. Usually
I watch the people play in a match before I Play them. That really helps
because I can go into the match with a good Idea of what Im going to shoot
right off the bat and when to shoot it. Otherwise I base everything on
Experience.
You see, they may want to block the long but I want to make
the long. May the best man win...Im not so dumb that you can just leave the
man there so if you are going to stop me you have to hide it well but if its timable you can bet I'll see it.
TL Part 6 ...last one for Todd on the pull
Offense has the advantage because the shooter decides When...=) hehehe. If I
know the Goalie’s game, it changes things and I usually know what to look for right
off the bat and how to Adjust.
You get a sixth sense about when to adjust to goalies and when you think they finally have had enough of you dictating a certain hole. That just comes with experience.
AS far as a Rolling Long goes...well that ones easy. People know I Like
the long and that I have a good long so in their vanity they think going
into the match that they will "bait" me for it when I roll the ball
over. This is how you say "STuPiD" hahahaha NeVER!!!, EVER!!! Bait a guys
Favorite Shot when the shot is faster than you are. Thats like standing
behind a Wall of Glass and Jumping out to Bait a Guy with a Gun. What! you
think your going to be able to Duck? hehehehehe...Whoops Sorry, You got
Shot..hahahaha...I know Im being kinda Cocky here but Sometimes it really
is a Comedy with the defenses guys show me.
To learn the Rolling Pull it takes Practice on tossing the ball over the right way and Shooting - like anything else. Why give a Goalie time to Relax when your setting up
the Ball...I don’t want to Give him time to do anything but Panic! =)
Sent from my iPhone
