Why do so many players cue under the cue ball?

[nahog99]

I see a ton of really good players cue no where near where they actually hit the cue ball, usually kinda underneath the cue ball. Why do they do this? Is it just a feel thing? I always imagined the "best" way to shoot would be to aim where you wanna hit the cue ball and then perform the shot but considering how many amazing players do this it's got me thinking. Thanks.

Edit: If you have seen Landon Shuffet shoot, I feel like he has the ideal stance, stroke, follow through etc. Then you have someone like Efren who cues like I mentioned above on most shots and obviously he is just a tad better. I know everyone shoots differently and for someone like Efren the cue stick is basically an extension of his body. Just wondering what everyone thinks.

 

[TSW]

Because they're used to it. Some say that it's easier to find the vertical axis if you're cueing at the base of the ball.

Regardless, it's not necessary. Watch snooker and see how many players cue anywhere other than where they intend to hit.

 

[frankw]

Lee Brett did this as well. I noticed he hit the cue ball very low. He said he always did that when he was playing snooker.

 

[nahog99]

Because they're used to it. Some say that it's easier to find the vertical axis if you're cueing at the base of the ball.

Regardless, it's not necessary. Watch snooker and see how many players cue anywhere other than where they intend to hit.

Could this have to do with the shaft diameter of most snooker cues? Also the ball size, table size and pocket shape. I would imagine they have to be a lot more precise and that whole "feel" the shot kinda thing wouldn't work so well for them.

 

[pt109]

Could this have to do with the shaft diameter of most snooker cues? Also the ball size, table size and pocket shape. I would imagine they have to be a lot more precise and that whole "feel" the shot kinda thing wouldn't work so well for them.

The 3-cushion players play with even bigger balls....
..Willie Hoppe said to cue the ball where you're going to hit it.
If you get sloppy at that game, you may miss a 5-railer by two diamonds.

 

[Petros Andrikop]

The table surface acts as a "reference" for the mind, that's why it happens.

 

[RFranklin]

Middle Low to start

TDW nailed it. Imagine just bisecting balls. Forward throw would change the angle so just below center is the start point. Additionally, most good players like to move whitey only when they need. Especially if you are playing on fast tables the stop-draw shot is a good way to control spin.

 

[nahog99]

TDW nailed it. Imagine just bisecting balls. Forward throw would change the angle so just below center is the start point. Additionally, most good players like to move whitey only when they need. Especially if you are playing on fast tables the stop-draw shot is a good way to control spin.

I agree with what you are saying, but I am not talking about where they actually HIT the ball at all. I'm talking about where they cue up the ball BEFORE they stroke it. A lot of great players I've seen line up their shot with the cue tip pretty much ON the table below the cue ball but then when they actually stroke it they'll hit top english/left/right/somewhere NOT where they were aiming.

 

[demonrho]

Petros Andrikop nailed it.

 

[scratchs]

I start with my cue on the table..it where the ball is resting.
I also look at spot in front of the ob where its resting on the line.
then I either take one or two strokes or no strokes..I already
know what english I'm putting on the shot if any..hope this helps.
Its just how I learned..its how I saw the shot..to old to change..every
time I try..my game goes to..

 

[AtLarge]

I see a ton of really good players cue no where near where they actually hit the cue ball, usually kinda underneath the cue ball. Why do they do this? ...

Different players do it for different reasons, including:

• To aid in centering the stick (the base of the ball is on the vertical axis).
• To see the CB better (no blockage by the stick).
• To compensate for a stroke that raises the tip (not unusual on a break).
• To achieve consistency in initial alignment.
• To disguise where they are actually hitting the CB.

 

[Taco]

In my experience it's mostly Asians who address the CB this way - low, on the cloth. Don't know why but I suspect it's because, as someone mentioned, it's easier to find the vertical center of the CB, and it also gives you a more unobstructed sighting line to the OB. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[OnTheMF]

Why do they do this? Is it just a feel thing?

There are three reasons people do this:

1) They saw someone else do it and copied it. SVB would fall into this category. He talked about this in one of the TAR podcasts, but I can't remember which one.

2) They want to hide the type of English used on a shot. This mainly applies to old school players from the days when that information wasn't widely known.

3) They don't even realize they're not actually hitting where they're aiming. A lot of pro's actually think they are stroking way lower on the cue ball than they are. They don't realize that they are making a subconscious adjustment to their final "execution" stroke and hitting the ball higher.

Personally I don't think there's an advantage or disadvantage to it.

 

[blakeshot27]

weak bridgehand

 

[Shortside K]

Monkey see, monkey do.

 

[deanoc]

i was having trouble hitting draw shots when the cue ball was over 4 or 5 feet from the object ball

I asked the man I was playing with if he had any ideas

He recommended that I cue the ball way below the ball and then to go ahead and hit it
This worked immediately,after years with this limitation,i was amazed at my quick results

The man I was playing with was a pool instructor of some reputation and
experience and showed me a few other things suggesting that I take some structured
lessons if I really wanted to improve

I suspect my thinking , that since I had learned so much in only a few minutes
of informal tips had been so beneficial,should have lead me to schedule lessons/
Looking back,it does cause me to wonder what might have been.

Instead ,my previous experience and confusion with wasted golf lessons influenced me to make the decision to decline his offer.

Looking back I see that my thinking was wrong,I might have learned a tremendous
amount and really improved my game,at the same time I realized that I disliked practice
and figured I would not put the effort into it needed to improve,nor would I be able to play high stakes games until the new ideas had become natural

As to why this worked cueing the ball exaggeratedly low and then actually hitting
what seemed higher and up on the ball,I have no information on why it works.

Several ideas come to mind but whether any are correct or not,I do not know.
I suppose that if the Filipino players are doing it,that it must be a good way to do it,probably the best way.

I asked Billy Incardona why he did it when I noticed him cueing low and hitting higher on his one pocket break.Billy replied that he was unaware that he was doing it.
I could have been wrong in what I thought I was seeing

Like so many threads that ask a question,the answers or comments seem to
be directed elsewhere.I would like to hear from someone who actually addresses the question of why they do it,and is it involved with any reasonable basis in
fact or is it preference only

 

[trinacria]

what is happening is the shooter finds the contact point of the object ball and looks at the bottom of the ball, than he finds the center of the cue ball from the bottom ( its much easier if you try) and than he adjusts accordingly.

 

[ThePoliteSniper]

Bad habits.

 

[Cornerman]

Like so many threads that ask a question,the answers or comments seem to
be directed elsewhere.

Unfortunately, this is the curse of open forums.

 

[randyg]

The start of a very good aiming system.

randyg