Learn the Techniques of Shuffleboard Legend Roadhouse Billy Mays
If you’re a fan of table shuffleboard, you may have heard of Roadhouse shuffleboard legend Billy Mays. He has a repertoire of tricks he can do. If he watches his techniques, he can learn to play shuffleboard better than his opponent. Shuffleboard legend Roadhouse Billy Mays has a YouTube video that’s only a couple of minutes long, but if you watch it closely, you’ll see that he has total control over the weights and looks like he can control exactly where they end up.
Watching his shots you will see that he seems to use a lot of English, side spin and control when placing his shots. Perfecting these techniques can help you score more points. For those who play table shuffleboard, Roadhouse Billy Mays is one person who has practiced these shots over a period of years, but learning how to reverse swing weights using English is involved in many of his shots.
To apply English, the thumb and forefinger are used to turn the weight backwards. This takes practice because the weight can actually go down enough to keep you from going off the end, but too much English and you’ll go back in the point values, which isn’t what you’re looking for. Getting used to the board surface and practicing how much power and English you need is the key to this control. Because English puts a braking action on the forward motion of the weight, you just have to make sure it goes far enough on the shuffleboard table.
Another trick that Roadhouse shuffleboard legend Billy Mays uses is the side spin technique, where he will shoot from the side of the table, using his third and fourth fingers to “guide” the weight down the table. Like bowling, table shuffleboard is very much about knowing where to start with a controlled spin or angle on the weight to get it where you want it and in a space that will be too risky for your opponent to take down. Along the sides can be a safe bet, but you don’t want to end up in the gutter, so practice can be perfect on this type of controlled shot.
If you listen to Roadhouse shuffleboard legend Billy Mays, he says table shuffleboard is easy to play and he certainly makes it look that way. The key is to use the techniques to get the right amount of force and control where you put the weight for the best scoring chance. This may take a bit of practice. The best players will have a shuffleboard table at home. If you have your sights set on becoming a pro at tabletop shuffleboard, you’ll probably want to get one of the best tables that are closest to tournament tables. The best quality wood tables are made from solid maple, cherry, walnut, and kiln dried with polymer finishes to keep the table slippery.
A good table, good technique and practice are the keys to learning to play table shuffleboard as well as Roadhouse shuffleboard legend Billy Mays. Practice the skills of putting English on your shots and use the side wheel to control.