The Grip

dr_dave said:
I'll be the first.

You need a different grip for a mechanical-bridge shot, a dart-stroke jump shot, and some masse shots. :p :grin-square:

Regards,
Dave
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And a different grip to use to whack people over the head with your cue. But then again, CJ's "hammer grip" might come in handy here...

:p
-Sean
 
dr_dave said:
I'll be the first.

You need a different grip for a mechanical-bridge shot, a dart-stroke jump shot, and some masse shots. :p :grin-square:

Regards,
Dave
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Perhaps you don't need a different grip though. I've used the same grip I use normally when using the bridge. If your cue is long enough...like they have at the side of snooker tables for example, but can't reach long enough to bridge steadily you can use the bridge to reach out further and still get down with the bridge hand at the side of your body and cue as normal. Players who can't use the bridge for toffee do this all the time in snooker clubs ip and down the country.

I'll give it to you though, I wasn't thinking of "different shots" as everyone else was...i was thinking more along the lines of draw, follow, stun and side spin. My bad :)
 
naji said:
Ok supergreenman, you say different grip for different shots, others say no difference, some say hard grip only, some say soft, some say extremely light grip

Where do we go with this ! it drove me nuts, and i am sure drove everyone nuts too! no more.

Thanks.
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Ok, fak it. Next time you're at a table set up a long straight shot to a corner pocket.

Use your regular grip and use backspin. Do it a few times with the same stroke to get an idea where you end up.

Now. set up the same shot, hold the cue loosely with your thumb and back two fingers and do the same shot the same number of times and tell me there's no improvement.

EDIT: These grips are also paired with different bridge lengths, Backspin uses a shorter bridge length and topspin uses a longer bridge length.

Repeat this experiment with topspin except instead of using your back two fingers and thumb use your front two fingers and thumb.

If you see a significant difference, do me a favor and go buy Freddy's DVDs. I'm sure his family could use the money.
 
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It comes with letting the cue do the work.

supergreenman said:
Ok, fak it. Next time you're at a table set up a long straight shot to a corner pocket.

Use your regular grip and use backspin. Do it a few times with the same stroke to get an idea where you end up.

Now. set up the same shot, hold the cue loosely with your thumb and back two fingers and do the same shot the same number of times and tell me there's no improvement.

Repeat this experiment with topspin except instead of using your back two fingers and thumb use your front two fingers and thumb.

If you see a significant difference, do me a favor and go buy Freddy's DVDs. I'm sure his family could use the money.
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try the same shot using the grip I described and concentrate on letting the weight of the cue do the work and you will get the same result.

You should be doing that for all shots.

Jaden
 
it's vital to have sensitivity from your hand to the TIP.

There's not a need to change grips, however, there is a need to change WHERE you grip the cue. As a "rule of thumb" the further you are from the object ball the further back you hold the cue (this will change your hand angles slightly too)......for shots that are close, or need extra "touch" it's best to hold the cue further towards the balance point.

It's amazing how much easier it is to perform finesse' shots when you hold the cue hear the balance point.

I also believe in consistent grip pressure.....more on the firm side, because it's vital to have sensitivity from your hand to the TIP....and this is difficult with a "loose" grip.



supergreenman said:
8 pages now and nobody has acknowledged that you need a different grip for different shots.

I would write what I know, except that I learned it from Freddy the Beards videos and it wouldn't be right for me to give knowledge that he was selling for a reasonable price away.
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CJ Wiley said:
There's not a need to change grips, however, there is a need to change WHERE you grip the cue. As a "rule of thumb" the further you are from the object ball the further back you hold the cue (this will change your hand angles slightly too)......for shots that are close, or need extra "touch" it's best to hold the cue further towards the balance point.

It's amazing how much easier it is to perform finesse' shots when you hold the cue hear the balance point.

I also believe in consistent grip pressure.....more on the firm side, because it's vital to have sensitivity from your hand to the TIP....and this is difficult with a "loose" grip.
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Blimey, something I agree with :)

Constant grip pressure is extremely important in cue sports. A lot of misses are down to people increasing the grip pressure as they move closer to the CB and this ends with the tip not contacting where they intended. Its more common on hard shots, people tend to have an iron grip on the cue when playing with power.

Also the firmer grip is good advice. How do you define firm? Its hard so its best not to go into it. If you cradle the cue, and don't have it touching the webbing between thumb and index finger then its quite difficult not to have a loose grip...and also the change in grip pressure has a more drastic effect on the contact point on the cue ball. I would advise anyone struggling with a cradle like grip to wrap the fingers around the cue and have the webbing in contact with the cue at all times.
 
Pidge said:
Blimey, something I agree with :)

Constant grip pressure is extremely important in cue sports. A lot of misses are down to people increasing the grip pressure as they move closer to the CB and this ends with the tip not contacting where they intended. Its more common on hard shots, people tend to have an iron grip on the cue when playing with power.

Also the firmer grip is good advice. How do you define firm? Its hard so its best not to go into it. If you cradle the cue, and don't have it touching the webbing between thumb and index finger then its quite difficult not to have a loose grip...and also the change in grip pressure has a more drastic effect on the contact point on the cue ball. I would advise anyone struggling with a cradle like grip to wrap the fingers around the cue and have the webbing in contact with the cue at all times.
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Ah, but while the webbing on the cue is a good idea, it also introduces the possibility for a problem where the webbing itself acts like a fulcrum, and the temptation is there in the hand to push the fingers behind the webbing up into the cue, via just the natural grip motion of the hand, or if the player is tempted to use wrist action. In other words, instead of freely swinging the cue, the player is tempted to rigidly "push" it via pressure against the bridge hand.

There's a snooker training cue on the market called the "Pure 360 Stroke Trainer" that has a spring built into it, that gives the player immediate feedback when they're applying too much fulcrum pressure at the webbing -- i.e. the cue breaks down:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RRYrBnXG2dk

-Sean
 
sfleinen said:
Ah, but while the webbing on the cue is a good idea, it also introduces the possibility for a problem where the webbing itself acts like a fulcrum, and the temptation is there in the hand to push the fingers behind the webbing up into the cue, via just the natural grip motion of the hand, or if the player is tempted to use wrist action. In other words, instead of freely swinging the cue, the player is tempted to rigidly "push" it via pressure against the bridge hand.

There's a snooker training cue on the market called the "Pure 360 Stroke Trainer" that has a spring built into it, that gives the player immediate feedback when they're applying too much fulcrum pressure at the webbing -- i.e. the cue breaks down:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RRYrBnXG2dk

-Sean
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I bought my nephew the stroke trainer. He had a pretty decent stroke before he got it, but it would still break down on almost half the shots he played. After using it for a while he improved massively. Beat his highest break by 32 points in the space of 3 months. They also to an American pool version of it, id recommend anyone struggling with consistency with their strokes to buy it.
 
hold the cue and write your name

Yes, the point of an advanced grip is two fold: 1) To allow player to maximize cue acceleration and accuracy 2) To maximize sensitivity of the hand/tip and increase the touch/feel effectiveness

An ideal exercise to experience your best grip {that accomplishes both of these results} is to hold the cue and write your name (or my name;)) in the air with your tip.....this gives a sense of controlling the tip to write each letter (cursive is best).




Pidge said:
Blimey, something I agree with :)

Constant grip pressure is extremely important in cue sports. A lot of misses are down to people increasing the grip pressure as they move closer to the CB and this ends with the tip not contacting where they intended. Its more common on hard shots, people tend to have an iron grip on the cue when playing with power.

Also the firmer grip is good advice. How do you define firm? Its hard so its best not to go into it. If you cradle the cue, and don't have it touching the webbing between thumb and index finger then its quite difficult not to have a loose grip...and also the change in grip pressure has a more drastic effect on the contact point on the cue ball. I would advise anyone struggling with a cradle like grip to wrap the fingers around the cue and have the webbing in contact with the cue at all times.
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CJ Wiley said:
Yes, the point of an advanced grip is two fold: 1) To allow player to maximize cue acceleration and accuracy 2) To maximize sensitivity of the hand/tip and increase the touch/feel effectiveness

An ideal exercise to experience your best grip {that accomplishes both of these results} is to hold the cue and write your name (or my name;)) in the air with your tip.....this gives a sense of controlling the tip to write each letter (cursive is best).
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"But-but-but they don't teach cursive in schools anymore." ;)

I imagine you could wave the cue tip with enough pressure to press keys on a keyboard, because they've replaced the cursive part of writing classes with keyboarding classes. :o

-Sean
 
No one under 26 reads this forum anyway......they can paint pictures if they choose to.


sfleinen said:
"But-but-but they don't teach cursive in schools anymore." ;)

I imagine you could wave the cue tip with enough pressure to press keys on a keyboard, because they've replaced the cursive part of writing classes with keyboarding classes. :o

-Sean
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a black belt in "chuck norris"

Sure you are.....you also play good snooker I bet....and a black belt in "chuck norris". :groucho: I have some great land in west Texas that you might be interested in. ;) ......or my swamp land in Florida is prestine.
swampland.jpg



Pidge said:
I'm under 26...and cursive completely threw me :(
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CJ Wiley said:
Sure you are.....you also play good snooker I bet....and a black belt in "chuck norris". :groucho: I have some great land in west Texas that you might be interested in. ;) ......or my swamp land in Florida is prestine.
swampland.jpg
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You don't believe my age? Ok :)

And no...ive got a Chuck Norris belt in karate ;-)
 
sfleinen said:
Ah, but while the webbing on the cue is a good idea, it also introduces the possibility for a problem where the webbing itself acts like a fulcrum, and the temptation is there in the hand to push the fingers behind the webbing up into the cue, via just the natural grip motion of the hand, or if the player is tempted to use wrist action. In other words, instead of freely swinging the cue, the player is tempted to rigidly "push" it via pressure against the bridge hand.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the hammer grip to me.;)

sfleinen said:
There's a snooker training cue on the market called the "Pure 360 Stroke Trainer" that has a spring built into it, that gives the player immediate feedback when they're applying too much fulcrum pressure at the webbing -- i.e. the cue breaks down:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RRYrBnXG2dk
Click to expand...

I've never been a big believer in mechanical training devices, but I can easily see why that cue would help develop both a proper cradle grip and a straight stroke.

The question is: "Can you write your name in the air with it?"

I think not.
 
Sloppy Pockets said:
Sounds like the hammer grip to me.;)



I've never been a big believer in mechanical training devices, but I can easily see why that cue would help develop both a proper cradle grip and a straight stroke.

The question is: "Can you write your name in the air with it?"

I think not.
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No, but it makes a good wand. Harry Potter himself has used it in the past.

Seriously though, it doesn't allow anything but a perfect stroke. Its a little pricey but they're a lot of fun and very informative to use. I bought a snooker version for my nephew and one with a 13mm tip for me, to use for my break. It was a real eye opener to see how shocking my break stroke was.
 
I highly doubt if you've ever even met Chuck Norris

You do live in a fantasy world.....and no, I don't believe anything you say. ;)

And I highly doubt if you've ever even met Chuck Norris.


Pidge said:
You don't believe my age? Ok :)

And no...ive got a Chuck Norris belt in karate ;-)
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