Playing one handed to improve your stroke
- Thread starter JoeW
- Start date
I have heard kinister also recommend it, one of his drills is to have a guy sink an OB near the side rail (2 diamonds from the end rail) and his CB is in the kitchen, also near the side rail. Gotta get 10 in a row. Sounds like a tall order but this is on the bar box.
Personally I'm not sold on the idea of using this as a stroke aid.
The one handed stroke is not just your usual stroke with a hand missing. A one handed stroke is anywhere from a hovering jab to a compact stroke off the rail. You're standing more erect usually and you don't get the same extension on your followthrough without a hand propping the stick up as it travels forward.
The stroking arm is using the same muscles and bending at the same places, but it's not the same stroke.
My thinking is... your goal in pool is to take a certain basic stroke and repeat it as consistently as you possibly can. It's not useful to practice a different stroke, or even a 'very similar' stroke. It's best to practice the exact same stroke thousands of times. Yes, you will be forced to deviate from it occasionally, but your bread'n'butter stroke should be available for at least 90% of your shots. Any time spend on a non bread-n-butter stroke, particularly one you wouldn't use in a game... I hate to say this but I suspect the time is wasted. Or at least could be better spent practicing something else.
Personally I'm not sold on the idea of using this as a stroke aid.
The one handed stroke is not just your usual stroke with a hand missing. A one handed stroke is anywhere from a hovering jab to a compact stroke off the rail. You're standing more erect usually and you don't get the same extension on your followthrough without a hand propping the stick up as it travels forward.
The stroking arm is using the same muscles and bending at the same places, but it's not the same stroke.
My thinking is... your goal in pool is to take a certain basic stroke and repeat it as consistently as you possibly can. It's not useful to practice a different stroke, or even a 'very similar' stroke. It's best to practice the exact same stroke thousands of times. Yes, you will be forced to deviate from it occasionally, but your bread'n'butter stroke should be available for at least 90% of your shots. Any time spend on a non bread-n-butter stroke, particularly one you wouldn't use in a game... I hate to say this but I suspect the time is wasted. Or at least could be better spent practicing something else.
I tell my students that have trouble following through, to do this. The bridge hand can be your enemy sometimes. Don't let it stop your cue when you contact the cue-ball. The shot isn't over at that point, it's just beginning.
There is a story about St. Jean in our part of the country. Suppose-ably he ran seventy-five balls, ONE HANDED.
There is a story about St. Jean in our part of the country. Suppose-ably he ran seventy-five balls, ONE HANDED.
Glendale
Banned
WTF???? LOL. Thanks for sharing that. I don't know why he did that, but I'd never question The Magician. That was strange, though.
I think Mark Wilson had Sarah Rousey shoot 6 hours one handed...
I also have my students use it but I always have them use the rail to rest the cue. It definitely helps with the stroke, grip and alignment.
I've had students play one handed with a 2.5 pound ankle weight on the wrist of their stroking arm.
10 racks of 15 balls with the weight on - one handed
10 racks of 15 balls with the weight off - one handed
10 racks of 15 balls both hands - weight on
10 racks of 15 balls - weight off
Resistance is a wonderful tool for registering muscle memory control.
not sure, but you might have read it in my post about my stroke -research i have been doing in the instructional section.
i found out i was FAR a better potter playing one handed then two handed, narrowing the research area down, of things i had to analyse to find the solution.
like someone posted, i started playing one handed when i wanted to find a good handicap vs a non regular poolplayer, but still have fun. playing one handed gives you so much more feedback on your aligment, position and the complete arm (wrist, shoulder, elbow), etc.. if the cue can rest in the rail, with a perfect aligment en stroke, it should be no different then 2 handed.
i recommand it to everyone !!
credo: you shouldnt play it like in the video of blue Hog. you should bend down like in every shot, rest the cue on the rail, and do exactly! the same.
usually i start with the cue perpendicular to the rail, and after some shots, i move down to resting the cue in an angle on the rail. the angle will make the cue move to the left/right, if its not perfectly balanced. I really don't think there is any difference in my stance or stroke. just dont give yourself a 30inch bridge distance
. resting the cue on the rail with the cb at same distances of your regular bridgedistance of the rail, would be perfect.
ps the idea of hanging weight on the arm, to increase the speed of the muscle memory, sounds like a VERY good idea!!! I can understand how it would help. thanks for that greath tip. (ps is there an articel i can read somewhere, where they explain how the increased weight will improve this? im curious to know more about it)
one-handed-eyes-closed-long-pots will till you everything you need to know to improve your stroke quality
greaths
i found out i was FAR a better potter playing one handed then two handed, narrowing the research area down, of things i had to analyse to find the solution.
like someone posted, i started playing one handed when i wanted to find a good handicap vs a non regular poolplayer, but still have fun. playing one handed gives you so much more feedback on your aligment, position and the complete arm (wrist, shoulder, elbow), etc.. if the cue can rest in the rail, with a perfect aligment en stroke, it should be no different then 2 handed.
i recommand it to everyone !!
credo: you shouldnt play it like in the video of blue Hog. you should bend down like in every shot, rest the cue on the rail, and do exactly! the same.
usually i start with the cue perpendicular to the rail, and after some shots, i move down to resting the cue in an angle on the rail. the angle will make the cue move to the left/right, if its not perfectly balanced. I really don't think there is any difference in my stance or stroke. just dont give yourself a 30inch bridge distance
. resting the cue on the rail with the cb at same distances of your regular bridgedistance of the rail, would be perfect.ps the idea of hanging weight on the arm, to increase the speed of the muscle memory, sounds like a VERY good idea!!! I can understand how it would help. thanks for that greath tip. (ps is there an articel i can read somewhere, where they explain how the increased weight will improve this? im curious to know more about it)
one-handed-eyes-closed-long-pots will till you everything you need to know to improve your stroke quality
greaths
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I have to agree here with this . What I would find more useful which I do in my practice is to shoot with the opposite hand. I will play an entire game this way. I can shoot from anywhere on the table no problem.
Shooting one handed is more of a poke than a stroke. Shooting one handed really has not helped my stroke. It just give me a different style of stroke to use when needed.
But then again, I have several styles of strokes and not just one style. Playing 14.1, jacked up trying to shoot over a almost full rack when the cue is against the rack takes a different stroke than a easy to get at shot.
But then again, I have several styles of strokes and not just one style. Playing 14.1, jacked up trying to shoot over a almost full rack when the cue is against the rack takes a different stroke than a easy to get at shot.
how can it be a poke, if you lay the cue down on the rail, bend down like normal, and do everything the same?
i dont advocate for the : one hand with tip in the air and let the cue fall and then poke thing, im talking about one handed + cue resting on the rail with you normal stance. do this, and eyes closes and FEEL the stroke. there is no vertical movement, only side movement if the stroke is not perfectly straight. even just doing warm-up strokes this way, will tell you ALOT about your aligment, the final-stroke itself, will tell you alot on the stroke, the eventual stearing, etc..
Six hours a day! Pleasssse! How much time does she practice two handed? Twelve? That leaves her six hours to eat, sleep and work.
In real "jacked up" pool, you can't rest your other hand on the table. Big difference!
Different Stokes for different folks. But One Handed did nothing for me except ruin my two handed stroke.
Back in the 1960's I played a lot of one handed pool in bar rooms with the Big Old Mud Cue Ball. I got so I played almost as good as two handed. But it messed up my game because I became a puncher instead of a stroker. And as Jay said real Jacked up pool you can not touch the table with your other hand for balance. This will cause you to poke or punch the ball even more instead of stroke it.
I have Parkinson's Disease... bigger difference.
shooting one-handed
I play one-handed quite often even in matches, its saved my a** too many times to count, I like to play that way more than with mechanical bridge, somehow I am able to aim better this way. I even played one-handed cut in the finals of 14-1 nationals and ran 40 from there, it was after the break and the CB was kissing the rack and the only ball released from the rack was near the bottom rail. I couldnt get to the cb by any ordinary means as the whole rack was the obstacle, the only way was to shoot one-handed. I shot that one in the pocket and broke the rack as well. Oh for your information I am using "dart" technique to shoot one-handed.
I play one-handed quite often even in matches, its saved my a** too many times to count, I like to play that way more than with mechanical bridge, somehow I am able to aim better this way. I even played one-handed cut in the finals of 14-1 nationals and ran 40 from there, it was after the break and the CB was kissing the rack and the only ball released from the rack was near the bottom rail. I couldnt get to the cb by any ordinary means as the whole rack was the obstacle, the only way was to shoot one-handed. I shot that one in the pocket and broke the rack as well. Oh for your information I am using "dart" technique to shoot one-handed.