Cue alignment???

[HelpMeScrubs0013]

Ok almost got my stance an everything down. Been trying to perfect my draw stroke. Feel like I'm stroking the ball good an aligned perfect but kept wondering why I draw It back at an angle sometimes to. My cue is not centered with my shot. What movement need to be make to address this? I feel it's my right foot on the shot line position that can fix it? Been trying to get my shoulder behind my head also. It's really weird in the mirror I do it perfectly grip an all but can't reinact it on the table.

 

[tomatoshooter]

Not an instructor but these may help

I like to stroke with my cue above the tape measure. You can really see how shifting your stance and your upper body and arm alter the path of the cue. Then I line up with my cue in line with the line on the paper. The zig zag in the paper makes it really apparent when you not perfectly aligned. I practice coming down in my stance on these a few times every week because if I don't calibrate, my alignment drifts.

 

[WobblyStroke]

The seem between the rail and cushion cloth also works as a good reference. In an interview, John Morra talked about drilling his stroke on the rail seem for many hours daily without even hitting a ball.

As for the pic, the camera does lie sometimes, but it looks like you are lined up for straight cueing to send the 9b into the long rail or at best hit the point of the pocket. A video would be better.

 

[Oikawa]

Ok almost got my stance an everything down. Been trying to perfect my draw stroke. Feel like I'm stroking the ball good an aligned perfect but kept wondering why I draw It back at an angle sometimes to. My cue is not centered with my shot. What movement need to be make to address this? I feel it's my right foot on the shot line position that can fix it? Been trying to get my shoulder behind my head also. It's really weird in the mirror I do it perfectly grip an all but can't reinact it on the table.

Not an instructor, just speaking from my limited experience:

If the cue steers off-line when you draw it back, this could be caused by multiple things, and a video would help diagnose it better

One common reason is that your stance causes some part of your body (typically the side of the chest) to interfere with your right arm's path. If your body is in the way of moving the right arm straight back, the arm will move sideways slightly to continue the motion, causing it to go off-line.

If this is the issue, it can be fixed by changing your stance. A common fix is to step into the shot slightly differently, such that your chest no longer limits the path of the right arm. Try different approaches of where you place your feet, and see if some eliminate this issue.

Another reason for this issue could be vision-related. tomatoshooter gave some good tips about this in an earlier post. Find your vision center and keep your head at the same sideways point while dropping down into the shot, this should ensure that you see the shot properly and your perception of pulling the cue straight back should match the reality.

Also, do you play with your chin and/or chest touching the cue? Not that they are right or wrong, just asking because it might help understand the issue better.

 

[Zerksies]

Your elbow isn't aligned

 

[HelpMeScrubs0013]

Your elbow isn't aligned

So basically move my elbow to a 90 an it should bring my hand in an straighten it up? I always shoot with my chin am chest on the cue also.

 

[Island Drive]

Not allot to go buy, but you might try this, get your handle hand closer to your body during your walk up. Often I've seen players with their handle hand tooooooooooo far away from their hip.

This is a picture of Judd Trump, world snooker champion. Look how close his handle hand is next to his hip, thus will not allow the handle to move inward during ''follow thru'' due to hip interference, helps immensely to straighten your swing out.

 

[HelpMeScrubs0013]

Here's video of cueing.

 

[bbb]

Here's video of cueing.

your upper arm is moving all over the place

 

[HelpMeScrubs0013]

your upper arm is moving all over the place

Trying to get the feel of keeping elbow straight.

 

[bbb]

try this
put the cue ball on the spot
put the object ball in the right corner pocket as you look behind the cue ball closest to the cue ball ...not all the way down the table
hit a soft stop shot
meaning hit low on the cue ball and hit thru the cue ball
notice
did you get a perfect stop shot?...is there a tendency for the same unintended spin or the the cue ball drifts to the same side?
is your tip over the white dot of the spot?,,,if no...where is it pointing?
if you have trouble with this
your odds of doing what you want at longer distance requiring more power will be low (more power harder to be accurate)
master the soft one first
i am not an instructor
jmho

 

[skiergd011013]

Trying to get the feel of keeping elbow straight.

if you keep your chest on the cue (like most snooker players do), and you are aligned right when you get down before you even start stroking, very gently press the cue inward against your body. This will stop that wobble that your arm is doing. But first, you need to make sure your are aligned from the get go. If you are properly aligned, your chest should touch the cue when you get down, you are not twisting the cue sideways to bring it to your body. Like barry stark says "bring the body to the cue, never bring the cue to the body". I like to use an ironing board set to table height, and a mirror Infront of me, and then i can get down like i am shooting and see how everything looks.
As demonstrated in this video at 3 minute mark, gently press the cue into your body. It acts as a very good guide and wont allow the cue to wobble.

 

[FranCrimi]

Here's video of cueing.

Stop the video at 7 seconds and you'll see your problem. See how your cue is angled inward? It's your approach. You start out straddling the shot line, which is fine, but you have to make an adjustment to get your back foot on the shot line or you'll wind up at that point at 7 seconds into the video. You can't keep that back leg in the same spot as it was when you were standing upright because then it will wind up outside the shot line.

Start out a little farther back and take your first step with your back foot and plant it on the line of the shot. So your first step shouldn't be a normal step forward, but rather right between your legs when you were standing still. It takes a little practice to get it right. Eventually you should be able to feel it rather than see it.

If your alignment is wrong, you'll wind up making all kinds of compensations with your stroke, which is also what you may be experiencing.

 

[HelpMeScrubs0013]

Stop the video at 7 seconds and you'll see your problem. See how your cue is angled inward? It's your approach. You start out straddling the shot line, which is fine, but you have to make an adjustment to get your back foot on the shot line or you'll wind up at that point at 7 seconds into the video. You can't keep that back leg in the same spot as it was when you were standing upright because then it will wind up outside the shot line.

Start out a little farther back and take your first step with your back foot and plant it on the line of the shot. So your first step shouldn't be a normal step forward, but rather right between your legs when you were standing still. It takes a little practice to get it right. Eventually you should be able to feel it rather than see it.

If your alignment is wrong, you'll wind up making all kinds of compensations with your stroke, which is also what you may be experiencing.

Thank you!

 

[dquarasr]

Stop the video at 7 seconds and you'll see your problem. See how your cue is angled inward? It's your approach. You start out straddling the shot line, which is fine, but you have to make an adjustment to get your back foot on the shot line or you'll wind up at that point at 7 seconds into the video. You can't keep that back leg in the same spot as it was when you were standing upright because then it will wind up outside the shot line.

Start out a little farther back and take your first step with your back foot and plant it on the line of the shot. So your first step shouldn't be a normal step forward, but rather right between your legs when you were standing still. It takes a little practice to get it right. Eventually you should be able to feel it rather than see it.

If your alignment is wrong, you'll wind up making all kinds of compensations with your stroke, which is also what you may be experiencing.

Not an instructor.

One thing that has helped me is the Mighty X drill. I have the 2,1 diagonal diamond spots carefully marked with reinforcement donuts. I have the shot line discreetly marked with a small red unobtrusive brown spot made with a Sharpie (on wood facsimile laminate floor.)

Per Mark Wilson’s excellent book describing feet placement, and experimentation, my perfect alignment is my back foot big toe just touching the shot line, thusly marked.

Sometimes during practice if I am “off”, I will practice stepping into the X drill shot (without even having to shoot) to verify whether my back foot is off my optimal spot.

 

[Mensabum]

Ok almost got my stance an everything down. Been trying to perfect my draw stroke. Feel like I'm stroking the ball good an aligned perfect but kept wondering why I draw It back at an angle sometimes to. My cue is not centered with my shot. What movement need to be make to address this? I feel it's my right foot on the shot line position that can fix it? Been trying to get my shoulder behind my head also. It's really weird in the mirror I do it perfectly grip an all but can't reinact it on the table.

It's all in your back hand. As it comes forward thru the stroke, if you're right handed, there's a tendency for the cue to curve a fraction to match your arms natural forward motion. A radial hiccup, if you will. This isn't a glaring curve. Mine is barely perceptible to the eye, but can affect the tips contact point on cue ball sufficient enuf to alter the hit a fraction, causing off angle return on draw.
I hope this helps explain it. Fixed my problem by going w a longer cue. I'm 6'4".

 

[FranCrimi]

It's all in your back hand. As it comes forward thru the stroke, if you're right handed, there's a tendency for the cue to curve a fraction to match your arms natural forward motion. A radial hiccup, if you will. This isn't a glaring curve. Mine is barely perceptible to the eye, but can affect the tips contact point on cue ball sufficient enuf to alter the hit a fraction, causing off angle return on draw.
I hope this helps explain it. Fixed my problem by going w a longer cue. I'm 6'4".

His cue is already angled-inward at address.

 

[Mensabum]

His cue is already angled-inward at address.

I should have read the entire post B4 commenting. Apologies.
Don't know why it hit my inbox.

 

[FranCrimi]

I should have read the entire post B4 commenting. Apologies.
Don't know why it hit my inbox.

That's okay. It was a bit of a hard catch. You have to study the video he posted to see it. It's not something that's easily seen. I thought your post was interesting about the natural arm swing. I think though, with a pendulum type arm swing, the follow through is where the bottom half of the arm hits the top half of the arm, so if the player strives for that closure-type follow through, it kind of straightens out the stroke. But the elbow drop stroke is something different, and your theory may apply there.

 

[Mensabum]

That's okay. It was a bit of a hard catch. You have to study the video he posted to see it. It's not something that's easily seen. I thought your post was interesting about the natural arm swing. I think though, with a pendulum type arm swing, the follow through is where the bottom half of the arm hits the top half of the arm, so if the player strives for that closure-type follow through, it kind of straightens out the stroke. But the elbow drop stroke is something different, and your theory may apply there.

Excellent insight. Wasn't going to comment further, as most wouldn't have thot it thru. Appreciate that!!
My elbow drop is significant due to height, length of cue, pocketing speed and follow thru. I'm a big follow thru guy. Lol.
My cue shaft will be 3 feet in front of me after some difficult shots. I need every bit of that to get the goodies required on ol whitey. Lol.
I've recently started playing w a mid cue extension. This seems to have eliminated the elbow drop and my entire stroke is changing to allow for a nice, even, Edgar Allan Poe type. Lol.
I'm not missing those long shots anymore as my tip is level on approach and hit. No more low dipping prior to pulling trigger.