If you have a banana shape in your swing, it is usually because you are bring the dice inside closer to you on the back swing. Try this drill: forget the landing spot and aiming for it and instead keep your eyes on your hand during the swing especially on the back swing. You will see if you are coming inside–or outside for that matter–and make the correction. Then you can go through your routine of looking at your landing spot. as taught in the class, and be able to feel if you are going straight back or not. Remember this is a drill not the way you want to practice all the time or use in the casino.

Also use the lines on the table felt—pass line, come and/or field bet so you can swing the dice straight back and straight forward down the table.

Hope this helps.

Alligator Rose and Doc

As a bit of a caveat, I would make this observation regarding lining up based on the felt. When you get to the table, take a look down the runway and be certain that the passline borders are truly square with the wall of the table. Don’t just walk up there and assume they are square. I’ve seen some where there is what looks like a small discrepancy but when you look past the stick to the corner, you see a widening or narrowing gap. Some tables, such as those in the casino named after a Roman Emperor actually have concave walls, and I sometimes feel goofy playing those tables if I pay any attention to the felt. Most of the time, the first roll or two, I’ll check my dice on the set up to see if they look square with the wall I’m standing at, i.e. parallel and then check off down the line to be sure I can count on the railroad effect. Doc is very correct about the backswing, as well. It’s like golf. Damned hard to tell what your backswing looks like but the ball trajectory tells you when ‘something’ is off.

Based on my personal experience, I’d highly recommend a video session at least once every two years to see what new bad habits you’re up to. On film, the guys can look and re-look and tell you different things. Last year, I found out I had gotten in the habit of lining up out of square, so I was slicing the dice. I knew they were creeping over to the left, I just couldn’t figure out why on my own. Just fixing that changed a lot of stuff for me.

Last caveat: Lots of throws with the best technique you can claim at the stage you’re in. I’m talking in the 10s and 20s of thousands….that many.

Keep On Rollin’

Alamo

someone give feed back on this, but I find it highly on unnatural to throw with a stiff locked elbow arm/pendulum, movement originating from strictly the shoulder. I currently use a stiff slight curved arm, or slight banana shaped arm, as my swing. the origin of movement is still the shoulder, except there appears to be more room for the upper arm to swing. do you guys use a locked elbow/ straight arm from beginning to the end?

I have to lock my elbow, or nothing works correct. 😀

"ArvinnI1" wrote: …I currently use a stiff slight curved arm, or slight banana shaped arm, as my swing. the origin of movement is still the shoulder, except there appears to be more room for the upper arm to swing. do you guys use a locked elbow/ straight arm from beginning to the end?

Hello Arvinn,

GTC teaches a throw that will be consistently repeatable if executed properly. It’s the consistently repeatable part that is most important.

The arm swing is but one component of a consistently repeatable throw. We want your arm to be comfortably extended, not rigidly locked, and to swing from the shoulder like a pendulum.

There is no elbow or wrist movement in the GTC throw.

You’ve written that you are swinging from your shoulder. I also see you’ve taken the Primer class. If your arm extension and arm swing weren’t identified as problematic in class and you’re able to consistently replicate your swing, I wouldn’t change your arm position.

Work on grooving your grip and the swing basics taught to you in Primer class into muscle memory so that all becomes repeatable and automatic. We’ll then build on this foundation in the Refresher.

😎 😎 😎

THanks Timmer.

yeah, one of the things they kept stressing to me was " no wrist flick" lol. I had that problem when I was in the Primer. so now, like you said, no wrist or elbow movement. thanks for the feedback!

"TommyC" wrote: I have to lock my elbow, or nothing works correct. 😀

Tommy,

Your shot was looking just great at the end of the June Vegas class.

If this swing thought is working for you, it’s all good!

Say hi to the family. Hope to see all of you again soon…

😎 😎 😎

The locked arm seems to keep me straight. I read Rafs and your notes before I start each practice.
Still having trouble w/ the Heisman, but that is getting better.
Will see you in Oct.
TommyC

Tommy,
Your throw was looking great at the end of the class.
Also remember to use the muscles in your shoulder to "lift" the arm.
That should also help you to get that "heisman" look you’re looking for.

Will do. I think tonight’s practice will be concentrated on using those muscles and the Heisman
Thanks for yours and Timmers input. Its nice to know you still remember the things I need to work on.
The ” NEW GTC ” the gift that keeps on giving !
TommyC