Topic: learning snake or europin

[gpeters]

In my limited time for practice and playing, I want to next learn either an europin (like Fredric Colligon's) or a snake shot (like Rob Mares').  Which one is the best bet for me to learn?  I play about six hours a month on Tornado tables.

I can already do a modest openhanded europin to the pull side, but not yet the push side.  I think there is more potential to walk the ball farther and fancier laterally with the europin compared to simply rocking the ball with the typical snake shot.

I am starting from ground zero with the snake.  Walking the ball seems very difficult because the handle is on my wrist.  The slap in the goal is fast, but not yet as fast as it should be.

My thinking at this time is to simply practice the europin.  If I learn it well enough, there would be little need for learning the snake.  It seems the snake's shot is faster, but the walking/rocking of the ball is inferior to the europin's walking/dancing movements.

After watching Fredric Colligon shoot the europin, he really makes it look easy.  Does he have some sort of very unique hands that allow him to do this shot?  Or are there many players that shoot it?  I rarely see anyone in Colorado shooting the europin on a Tornado, but I see many snake shots.  Why is this so?

It seems the weakness of the europin is perhaps a tougher/slower execution of the straight on shot.

Am I wasting my time trying to learn the europin because the snake is simply superior?  Or vice versa?  What do you all think?

[EDGEER]

The rollover is much easier.  There is only a couple of American players that can even remotely shoot a euro good enough to win a regional much less a National tourney.  On the push side euro I find that if I pitch the ball slow and smooth I can get arround it and waite on the ball to catch up to the long hole before I wack it.  Watch how much torque Rico gets on the rod from the pull side, its wicked that a small guy can bend the rod that much.  His lateral ball speed is not so fast, but his rod speed is as fast as Billy's if you know what I mean.

On the Roll over (RO) your not trying to go past the ball on the pitch, so you can increase the lateral speed of the ball.  In other words on a RO there is no waiting on the ball to catch up to where the man is like when shooting a Euro.  Also you are correct about the difficulty of hitting a straight from a pin.  Even Rico struggles shooting straight.  He will do a sissy spin straight as we use to call them.  Basically flipping the rod over in his palm, he could take some lessons from some of the old guys on that.

You should pick one and stick with it until your profiecient, then learn the other.  They really do compliment each other.  I have made a ton of points doing a quick euro while setting up a RO.