Pivot Point

Doodysquat

Doodysquat

Registered
I was just reading the thread on bridge length and the pivot point was mentioned a couple of times. I realize I may get hammered for not knowing, (grin), but how do I find the PP? Be gentle....
 
Pidge....just watched the video. Great info. Thanks! I will be at the pool room when they open today and find the PP on my every day player and my break cue.
 
The break cue is a fantastic shout! Its far more important to find the pivot point on the break cue imo. Firstly you hit the shot hard so trying to hit centre, or where you intend is difficult for even great players. Secondly, because you hit it so hard swerve doesn't have much time to kick in, so you only have squirt to account for which is exactly what the pivot point is used for.

A few tips on pivot points that I can't remember if the video covers...

Find a pivot point for hitting centre, low and high. For me they all differ slightly because my cue is at a different approach angle. Mark them L for low, C for centre and H for high for example. Then vary speeds. Medium, hard and soft. Again mark these for LM for low medium etc. This may not be necessary for you and you could just have a better memory than me and remember that a centre slow shot is about an inch further back than a centre medium for example.

Anyway, have fun messing around at the table with this!
 
Very interesting.

In the past I would intentionally not read threads with bhe, pivot, aiming, etc.
I like the way I do it and might be to old to change anyway.
however...
After watching a video or two about pivot lenght I am curious.

For me, I am never going to use back hand english, I know it works but it is not for me. I shoot with the stick against my body and bhe would require my whole person to physically move or sway to get the stick to move that much. Not going to happen.
I do intend to find the exact point of pivot for my poolstick as DrD shows in his video.

My question is:
For a person like me, I like to aim directly at my target with whatever spin I want and just stroke it, Would simply bridging the poolstick at a more correct point offset a misshit? at least within reason?

thx
steven
 
DTL said:
And what is your target?

Is it the contact point on the OB? If so you're likely undercutting balls.

Is it the center of the ghost ball? If so you can aim at a portion or edge of the OB for < 31 degree cuts, otherwise you have to aim out into space.
Click to expand...

Neither,
I dont use ghost ball, nor do I aim at any point on the ob.
Target was the wrong word.
I see two lines, one from the pocket to object ball, the other from ob to cueball.
I then get everything on line from me to the cueball and hit it as best I can on this line.
thx
steven
 
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The pivot point is one of the most powerful concepts in pool, IMHO.

Every cue has one (or more, see above), they are easy to find and easy to use, and they reduce a lot of the "religious" arguments about FHE, BHE, low deflection, high deflection, good cue, bad cue, etc., into unnecessary vapor.

Yet, 100% of the players I have randomly polled at my local pool hall have never heard of the concept.

In my opinion, pivot points should be disclosed as routinely as other cue measurements (weight, length, tip diameter, etc.).
 
When you are talking about the pivot point on the break, are you just talking about the grip?
 
irock said:
When you are talking about the pivot point on the break, are you just talking about the grip?
Click to expand...
No, on the break it is where your bridge is placed on the shaft. If you have a break cue and are able to break whilst bridging on the cues pivot point then it makes getting a fuller hit on the head ball a whole lot easier.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I spent about an hour finding the PP on my various cues. If I have studied correctly and performed the experiment correctly, all three if my cues have very different PP's. The OB2 is 13" from the tip. The Lucassi Hybrid is 11 1/2 inches and my break cue is only 9". I am assuming it is shorter because it is solid maple and the other 2 are LD? I proved my findings to myself with BHE with the two LD shafts. It was an "ahah!!" moment for me. Thanks again for all the responses. There is a ton of knowledge on thus forum.

JT
 
I found my pivot point as well, following drDave video.
I was able to spin the ball in place pretty good a couple times, not always.

I can see the benefit of bridging exactly there on a breakshot in nine ball.

On a long straight shot, I see no advantage whatsoever.
If, on an off center hit, whitey is indeed sent on the correct line due to my proper bridge on the pivot point, whitey is still spinning and must throw the shot off.
What other, if any applications of this knowledge besides a breakshot am I missing?
thx
steven
 
driven said:
... On a long straight shot, I see no advantage whatsoever.
If, on an off center hit, whitey is indeed sent on the correct line due to my proper bridge on the pivot point, whitey is still spinning and must throw the shot off. ...
Click to expand...
If you choose a slightly different bridge length -- in this case longer -- you will be able to cancel the combination of squirt and throw. That is, if you bridge back farther than the "real" pivot point and happen to hit with left english, you will land a little to the right of center on the object ball but the left english will bring the shot back to straight. Similarly if you hit with right english the cue ball will land on the left of the object ball (a little) and the right english will throw the shot back to straight.

The correct bridge length to get this happy cancellation for a particular shot will depend on the speed of the shot, amount of draw/follow and the distance to the object ball since swerve is also involved.
 
Doodysquat said:
Thanks for all the info guys. I spent about an hour finding the PP on my various cues. If I have studied correctly and performed the experiment correctly, all three if my cues have very different PP's. The OB2 is 13" from the tip. The Lucassi Hybrid is 11 1/2 inches and my break cue is only 9". I am assuming it is shorter because it is solid maple and the other 2 are LD? I proved my findings to myself with BHE with the two LD shafts. It was an "ahah!!" moment for me. Thanks again for all the responses. There is a ton of knowledge on thus forum.

JT
Click to expand...
Congrats on finding the pivot points! It can be quite a mundane job finding them but its worth it in the long run. Those pivot points you found seem quite reasonable to use when playing. The break cue is a little on the short side for me personally, I prefer to bridge a little longer at maybe 12" when breaking. My playing cue is not far from your cue, its pivot point for a centre stun shot is 14.5", but when playing follow its increased to 16". I find it quite difficult to bridge that far back, so if anyone has the same issue with follow a little trick I use is to alter the cues elevation to what it would be when playing centre and the pace needed on the shot, and use that same elevation when using follow.

Good luck with this new found knowledge!
 
I am going to need a few days....
this is all kind of new to me.

aside from that,
DTL said:

Must be raising up or moving during the last forward stroke

I just recently noticed this is a problem for me.
I might need a a couple weeks...
thx for the input guys, maybe we all get a little better.
steven
 
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