I have Predator shafts that are about 20 years old, still straight.

As long as the cue moves in a straight line, everything else doesn't matter.
if you have problems doing that, just loosen your grip a bit and everything else will most likely fall into place.
How loose?
Just let the cue sit on your fingers without touching the palm, something like that:

Bob Jewett said:

Cue stick closer to your body than your elbow. Soufi and McCready are the opposite -- side arm.

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Okay thanks I was actually thinking of it as like Keith but yeah I know what you're talking about and I've seen that a lot of times. Remember one guy who's entire wrist curled so far inward that the cue was almost above his wrist

Bob Jewett said:

I think you want to just work on bringing your stick straight through, regardless of the angle of your arm.

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I think I have mentioned this before, but there is a video of Willie Hoppe giving instructional advice and he’s advocating a side arm hold and that the stroke should come from the shoulder, not the elbow. It seems crazy (given modern mechanics) but he seemed to be able to play a bit.

With the event just two days away, I think it's time for me to go on the record with a prediction.

ROW 11, Asia 9.

I wonder if they retained any of the sterling personnel? The woman Linda was a dream to deal with. She knew exactly what we wanted and the options.

BlueRaider said:

Hopefully Ralf pairs SVB and Filler in a doubles match. May be the only opportunity for it to ever happen.

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Ralf is the perfect coach for Team ROW, offering the right blend of focus and professionalism. I am dying to see Filler pair up with both Shane and Fedor in doubles, and feel Ralf will see to it that this happens.

bbb said:

could someone hel with a pic please?
trying to follow bob"s description i could only come up with this to the corner pocket
please correct my diagram
i apologize in advance for my poor comprehension skills
View attachment 936962

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Dr. Dave's, "1/3-more-than-twice" diagram, where the individual lines should converge at the same aimpoint (off the table):

Sad to hear. Knew him well. Had a photo collection featuring virtually every great player since the 1960s.

skogstokig said:

denis grabe then?

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Here's a shot of Denis. His hand is maybe very slightly inside of vertical.

CeaseLess said:

I've had a chicken wing for my entire pool life. It feels so strange having a straight forearm now that my arm twists and twitches. So I'm trying to study the stroke of great players that had a pronounced, not slight, outward chicken wing stroke. Any players yall can think of?

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I think you want to just work on bringing your stick straight through, regardless of the angle of your arm.

trob said:

Is that true or were you making a joke. Lol I’ve had a ton of predator cues and know plenty of people who have and have never had or heard they have a warping issue.

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It happens. I have a Z2 shaft that has a very slight roll to it.