What Type of Cueist Are You & Why Do You Think Your Way is Best?

In first.....

Hi Rick,
I've been away from the forums for awhile. So what do I see when I reappear but my favorite poster starting the first thread. As I said, I've been away. I hope no one's been giving you any ****** while I've been away!:thumbup:

I like to think I "caress" the cue ball. Why do I think that's the best way? It's simple. I've tried pushing, throwing, and pulling ( if you mean " hammer stroke) and "caressing is what all three eventually evolved into.

What is " Caressing" exactly? I read Willie Hoppe use that word to describe his hit on the ball. It's an aesthetic quality that appears after years of practicality and tinkering with the hit is practiced to exhaustion. It's accompanied with a certain sound.

I've heard it in videos; but, I forget which ones, I have no intention of making a video, I don't hang out in pool halls and no one's allowed in my basement, so maybe I should shut up and continue to stay away from the forums....I'll do just that....The "Caress" hit does exist though!

Are you supposed to know stuff like this?
I just bend over and look at the place i am shooting at swing the right hand back,pause and finish

it is becoming clear to me that i know nothing about pool

deanoc said:

Are you supposed to know stuff like this?
I just bend over and look at the place i am shooting at swing the right hand back,pause and finish

it is becoming clear to me that i know nothing about pool

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Your not supposed to think about stupid stuff like this...knowing the poster he's either making fun of someone or trying to start and argument.

Funny Hat Technique

I think it would help things a lot if you wear a funny hat.

ENGLISH! said:

When the ball is on the tip of your cue...

are you pulling the cue through the ball...

or are you pushing the cue through the ball...

or are you throwing the cue through the ball...

or are you one that just feels that you are swinging the cue at the ball with the intent of hitting it at the bottom of your swing arc?

And why do you think that your way is better than the others & the best way?

Best Wishes for ALL,
Rick

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Answer

Maybe this is a trick or funny question but I will give my answer. I try throwing the cue , why ? Because I have read and heard many top players say that. They don't mean letting go of the butt and actually throwing the cue but they do mean loosening up your grip as the cue contacts the cue ball. Top players have the balls rolling, I do see players everyday pushing the cue and this causes the ball to slide rather then roll.
I have not to this day ever have seen anyone pulling the cue ?

I maneuver the cue. Inexperienced players like yourself wouldn't get it, but the players who do get it just "know".

I like to use a 'ram stroke'

Depends on the shot. I pull, push, throw and swing. Suits me but it suits others to cue consistently. Having said that I don't understand the question or the point of it.

Swighey said:

Depends on the shot. I pull, push, throw and swing. Suits me but it suits others to cue consistently. Having said that I don't understand the question or the point of it.

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Grab an Oar since we are in the same boat:shrug:

336Robin said:

I think it would help things a lot if you wear a funny hat.

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hey look now.....dont be giving my secrets away son.......

https://youtu.be/IUwd1eSwboo

lol

franko said:

Maybe this is a trick or funny question but I will give my answer. I try throwing the cue , why ? Because I have read and heard many top players say that. They don't mean letting go of the butt and actually throwing the cue but they do mean loosening up your grip as the cue contacts the cue ball. Top players have the balls rolling, I do see players everyday pushing the cue and this causes the ball to slide rather then roll.
I have not to this day ever have seen anyone pulling the cue ?

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so when you do a curl with a dumbbell.....your pushing it? or are you pulling it?

youve seen it plenty

I use a mechanical bridge to pull the ball in the direction I want, like using a rake.

ENGLISH! said:

When the ball is on the tip of your cue...

are you pulling the cue through the ball...

or are you pushing the cue through the ball...

or are you throwing the cue through the ball...

or are you one that just feels that you are swinging the cue at the ball with the intent of hitting it at the bottom of your swing arc?

And why do you think that your way is better?

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mostly "poking" the CB, and I dont think my way is better...:embarrassed2:

I would say throwing the cue at the cue ball would fit best for what I do. I do not claim it to be the best but it does seem to move cue ball around with least effort. If someone has something better I would most certainly be open to switching to something superior.

This IS How I Conceptualize MY Pool Stroke

I am not pushing the cue....I am not throwing the cue.......the former seems too indecisive and the latter too abrupt.

When it comes to the pool stroke, I think of it as TOSSING A BALL......using an underhanded soft tossing motion.

When I toss a ball, my arm follows through the motion so I can direct where I want the ball to go.
Take your hand and imagine tossing something to someone. The wrist hinge comes into play and
for longer toss distances, your arm extends further.

That's my pool stroke...the wrist hinges and the arm swings smoothly like I was soft tossing something.
When you need to hit the ball harder, the velocity of the toss motion increases, not the brute strength.


So when I practice, I pay close attention to the feel of my stroke.....is it smooth, does my wrist remain
straight instead of bending or twisting, am I following through with my stroke extending beyond the
cue ball's original table position.....how far...how fast.....I want the soft toss motion unless I have to use
a hard hit required by a particular shot.


Anyway, that's the type of cueist I am......where I strike the cue ball entirely depends on what I want the
cue ball to do after striking the intended object ball.


Matt B.

p.s think of it as tossing/catching an egg....the further away your distance becomes, the longer your tossing motion becomes.

There are many varieties of shots.
So if you are trying to find ONE way of hitting a ball....
....you are training to be a one-trick pony.

All of the above?

There are several shots that I approach differently with different strokes. My consensus about stroke types is this: each offers its own benefits and weaknesses.

I however, don't use a different stroke as much as I use a different grip tension. For some shots I let go of the cue completely and grab it again. My hand opens more on some shots and stays pretty closed on others.

Ultimately the best stroke technique IMO is used by snooker players. The common theme is unless the speed of the shot demands it, you pull the cue all the way back and your hand opens, then the hand closes though/after finish. The only thing I don't care for is a full pause. I would call what I do a transition, my arm acts like a spring that is pushed all the way down and let go and the end rather than pushed down and held, then let go.

All in the the actual force I'm using at contact is pull the cue with my fingers, wrist, and elbow. I do have a little bit of elbow drop but its only a few inches.

I Don't See This As a One Trick Pony Proposition

There are certainly are a variety of shots but practicing fundamentals hardly makes you a one trick pony. Even pro baseball players still hit off of a tee when they want to practice fundamentals. And pro golfers practice swing fundamentals every time they are on the range but on the course, the lie of the ball determines the actual swing needed......and they even practice using odd stances and difficult lies. However, on the driving range they practice swing fundamentals....like baseball players.

Pool players don't have to be any different and probably aren't when you break things down. We all expect to have to shoot jacked up over the cue ball at some point. frozen on the rail, snookered and a masse shot is required but that's just part of the game.....part of the rub of the green so to speak. But as pool players we all have a basic stroke....open or closed bridge....doesn't matter. As players, we have a bio-rhythm to our game...a cadence ...... the good players exhibit this trait and everyone can benefit from a more consistent routine......so being aware of how you execute and complete your pool stroke.......mentally conceptualizing the delivery and contact.....this helps you develop a consistently repetitive delivery method......you train yourself to feel the movement and when you get good at it, you can feel even the tiniest variations in arm or shoulder position or flexing, miniscule drop in your elbow, slight wrist bend.....I mean even tiny subtle stuff is detected even when you pocket the ball dead center but it didn't feel right.

When I feel that I am "in-stroke" if there's such a thing, even when I run a rack I can feel frustrated because my stroke didn't get me the position shape I wanted but stick ran the rack......pocketing object balls but my stroke just didn't feel right. There's also times when I didn't run the table and yet my stroke felt really good (sometimes balls just won't drop yet your stroke still produced perfect shot position).....you tune yourself in mentally and physically to the stroke movement....your stance....your head & neck position. It's all part of the process of trying to perfect a stroke delivery system that has minimal variation except as and when needed.


Matt B.