Stroke flaw - hitting cue ball left of center

Could be that you are rolling your grip hand outwards during the stroke.

Check your "V" before and after.

randyg

You might try adjusting your head and eyes a little to the right to see if there is a position where it looks like you are lined up in the center and that's where you hit it.

hitting to the left

mr5994 said:

I just got the Rempe cue ball, and I'm finding that I tend to hit the cue ball to the left of center. It doesn't seem to matter much where I hit on the vertical axis of the cue ball or the speed of the shot, every time the chalk mark is 1-3 mm left of center. This does not seem to be an issue with where I perceive the center to be....during warm-up strokes the tip is dead center. I must have some sort of swoop in my stroke when I take the shot.

I should also mention..I am right handed (left hand bridge, right hand grip). And I keep a loose grip on my cue (only thumb and middle finger contact the cue).

Any ideas on how to correct this?

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I've struggled with the same problem for years. For me though, it's mostly when I begin to apply more force to the shot. Some players never really learn a proper stance, and a slight deviation at times could be your problem. I teach stance using golf as an analogy. You never see a pro golfer walk up to a shot, look at the ball and hit. They are very fussy about where their feet are. Your feet should be the last thing to move before bending over to address the CB. Many players don't pay attention to this and by being a little lazy tend to shoot the same shot with different stances. Example: I've seen players plant their feet and then when they feel they're not quite close enough to the shot they lean forward rather than adjust their feet. Some players tend to get lazy with their stance after playing for a certain amount of time in a session. Experiment with this, and particularly try moving your right foot back (to the left) just an inch or two (your hip may be getting slightly in the way, causing your grip hand to move to the right).
Donny L
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl

Donny Lutz said:

I've struggled with the same problem for years. For me though, it's mostly when I begin to apply more force to the shot. Some players never really learn a proper stance, and a slight deviation at times could be your problem. I teach stance using golf as an analogy. You never see a pro golfer walk up to a shot, look at the ball and hit. They are very fussy about where their feet are. Your feet should be the last thing to move before bending over to address the CB. Many players don't pay attention to this and by being a little lazy tend to shoot the same shot with different stances. Example: I've seen players plant their feet and then when they feel they're not quite close enough to the shot they lean forward rather than adjust their feet. Some players tend to get lazy with their stance after playing for a certain amount of time in a session. Experiment with this, and particularly try moving your right foot back (to the left) just an inch or two (your hip may be getting slightly in the way, causing your grip hand to move to the right).
Donny L
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl

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I agree with this assessment. I would check my feet first. The stance may be too far to the right, crowding out the shooting arm, forcing a right-to-left cue angle. If it were a golf swing, they'd probably be hitting a slice.

Stance adjustments are among the most psychologically difficult to make. It will take you right out of your comfort zone, so the OP should be aware that it's important to hang in there and trust that it will feel better over time if they do make a stance adjustment.

I'm not crazy about the two/three fingered grip, although I don't think it's the culprit in this case. Generally right handed players who twist will twist the cue to the right, although there are exceptions. However, if I were the OP I'd experiment with a full hand on the cue with a fairly light grip.

mr5994 said:

A big thanks for the responses.....

Randy - I've checked the V in my grip both before and after the hit, it does not seem to be rolling the cue. I also placed a small piece of tape on the shaft of my cue - the tape stays in the same position throughout my stroke.

Mark - This does not seem to be a perception issue. During my warm-up strokes with a well chalked tip, I can nudge the tip into the ball and it hits dead center.

Donny/Fran - My stance does tend to crowd my grip hand a little. But after moving my back leg well away from the grip hand, I still hit the cue ball to the left of center.

I have spent the last 2 days working with the Rempe ball and focusing on my stroke. One thing I have noticed is that my forearm is not vertical, it leans in towards my body (think of it as being the opposite of Keith Mcgready). When I deliberately move my forearm out towards a more vertical position, I hit the middle of the Rempe ball nearly every time.

Is this a common stroke flaw? And does it often lead to an off center hit on the cue ball?

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Your arm leans in towards your body because your stance was too far right of the line of the shot. A lot of players make the mistake of centering their body over the line of the shot. That puts your right arm too far out to the right and causes you to crook your arm under your torso. Another reason but less common, is when players have a cross dominant eye and are pulling the cue under their inside eye. You should take a dominant eye test to eliminate that possibility.

At this point, even if you correctly adjust your stance, and I'm not sure if you've really done that yet, you have to now break the habit of crooking your arm under your torso. This is going to be a very tough habit to break but it definitely can be done, and it's a must. But you won't be able to keep your arm straight until you correct your stance.

To answer your question, yes, I am confident in saying this is a classic reason for hitting the cue ball unintentionally left.

Physiology can also play a role in this occurrence.. The bicep has a short head and a long head and if the long head is overdeveloped or the short head is underdeveloped you could actually have a situation where the forearm is rotated without your knowledge....... Try hitting some shots thinking a conscious thought that you are going to be using the inside, side closest to the body, of the bicep to pull the cue....

I know when I work out with weights my arm naturally rotates if I do not pay close attention to technique because the long head is stronger in my case..... I suspect it may also be faster.... Food for thought in case nothing else seems to work :thumbup: