WRISTS - The "hidden power catalyst" of a great stroke or "just along for the ride"?

[CJ Wiley]

Earl Strickland grew up roofing with plenty of hammering experience.

Googling "Push Hammer drill" finds an efficient copy /paste process....

https://www.google.com/search?q="Pu...69i57j69i59&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Yes, the Mexican Champion, Rafael Martinez was taught the stroke using a hammer by his father. I grew up on a lumber yard, hammering nails and Earl Strickland grew up roofing with plenty of hammering experience.

There's probably many pros that grew up that way, haven't made a point to ask that question. The motion is a great training and I use it with all my students to get results and improve their understanding of the pool stroke.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

[snip unrelated ad]

It's not even worth your time any more to make up new ads - just cut-and-paste the same ones from a couple years ago - who's gonna notice?

pj
chgo

AzB Post from Nov 13, 2013:

I've now been doing this drill every day for several weeks and it's made a noticeable improvement in my stroke and Targeting the cue ball as precisely as ever.

I put all 15 balls up two diamonds and "Push Hammer Style" all 15 balls down to the opposite corners and then repeat for a total of 30. Then I put the balls an inch off the rail and "Push Hammer Style" the balls again, with my cue elevated like I'm shooting off the rail.

This is a really effective way to groove the stroke and feel that "SLOT/TRACK" that I've referred to in this thread several times. I also shoot all the balls off the rail "Mexican Rotation" style after the "Push Hammer Style" drill to groove the stoke for acceleration.

I've been incorporating these drills in my lessons with noticeable results. I have an entire 3 hour training that I"m doing on request where I oversee the player do a regiment of the most effective drills I know.....it's like going through a workout, however the results are worth it for those that truly want to improve.

AzB Post from 4/29/15:

I've now been doing the "Push Hammer Drill" drill every day for several weeks and it's made a noticeable improvement in my stroke and Targeting the cue ball as precisely as ever. It's a drill that requires you to get down and place the tip to the center of the cue ball and PUSH the ball into the pocket with just a Hand/Wrist/Forearm motion.....the practitioner must be very precise of the ball with squirt off path very noticeably, and when done correctly it grooves the stroke in a very effective way.

I put all 15 balls up two diamonds and "Push Hammer Style" all 15 balls down to the opposite corners and then repeat for a total of 30. Then I put the balls an inch off the rail and "Push Hammer Style" the balls again, with my cue elevated like I'm shooting off the rail.

This is a really effective way to groove the stroke and feel that "SLOT/TRACK" that I've referred to in this thread several times. I also shoot all the balls off the rail "Mexican Rotation" style after the "Push Hammer Style" drill to groove the stoke for acceleration.

I've been incorporating these drills in my lessons with noticeable results. I have an entire 3 hour training that I"m doing on request where I oversee the player do a regiment of the most effective drills I know.....it's like going through a workout, however the results are worth it for those that truly want to improve.

 

[DTL]

.....................

 

[MahnaMahna]

It's not even worth your time any more to make up new ads - just cut-and-paste the same ones from a couple years ago - who's gonna notice?

pj
chgo

Ha
haha

Hahahahahahahaaaa

Aaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaahhahhahhahahahahahahah!!!

That is the funniest shit I have ever seen on here!

 

[Spimp13]

lol! Here we go!

 

[lfigueroa]

It's not even worth your time any more to make up new ads - just cut-and-paste the same ones from a couple years ago - who's gonna notice?

pj
chgo

wow. Every day for several weeks for a couple a years, lol.

Lou Figueroa
that hammer must be
getting heavy by now

 

[SJDinPHX]

It's not even worth your time any more to make up new ads - just cut-and-paste the same ones from a couple years ago - who's gonna notice?

pj
chgo

As many times as it has been pointed out, its hard to believe his excessive redundancy is just now being noticed.

This is a perfect 1800 post example of it !..20 to 1, the clever "stay off my lawn" joke, will be coming soon.(again)

 

[Neil]

As many times as it has been pointed out, its hard to believe his excessive redundancy is just now being noticed.

This is a perfect 1800 post example of it !..20 to 1, the clever "stay off the lawn" joke, will be coming soon ! (again)

He started doing it after he got busted by a number of people for having three different versions of TOI. I guess he got tired of trying to keep up with what he was saying, and just started regurgitating the same posts over and over and over.

 

[DTL]

......................

 

[lfigueroa]

Yea, it's amazing. He just lets the dust settle and then carries on like nothing has happened.

I suppose he feels any feedback, good/bad/otherwise, will get his stuff exposure. I guess if only 10% bite, he's making money.

It's definitely been going on for a while.

Search the key words on almost any of his posts and multiple previous posts of the same come up.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Tony_in_MD]

Wait for it........

 

[lfigueroa]

Wait for it........

lol.

Here. Let me see if I can beat him to the punch.

Lou Figueroa
sometimes I
crack myself up

 

[JoeyA]

CJ,

Just how valuable is the hammer stroke? Would you be the champion that you are, without it?

JoeyA

Yes, the Mexican Champion, Rafael Martinez was taught the stroke using a hammer by his father. I grew up on a lumber yard, hammering nails and Earl Strickland grew up roofing with plenty of hammering experience.

There's probably many pros that grew up that way, haven't made a point to ask that question. The motion is a great training and I use it with all my students to get results and improve their understanding of the pool stroke.

 

[Mikjary]

CJ,

Just how valuable is the hammer stroke? Would you be the champion that you are, without it?

JoeyA

Joey,

As one of the few posters in this thread that actually use a hammer for a living, I can tell you a percentage of players stroke the cue like this. I never knew I did until CJ pointed it out. I thought I moved my wrist forward and up, but I break it down.

This may have happened after years of swinging a hammer, I don't know. I can't remember how I first started playing and if my wrist movement was different. It's a natural stroke for me now, so I don't think about it.

Best,
Mike

 

[West Point 1987]

I'm sold on it, but it took a while...

I instituted this grip/stroke about 2 years ago and will never go back...I've tried other more conventional wrist positions/action and for me the hammer stroke is the nuts. To me it feels more like pushing the cue through the shot, vice dragging or pulling it forward. I've been paying attention to high level players and pros lately, and more use it than you'd think. Not a whole lot of them, but more than I thought. I'm not sure they're even aware of it, but quite a few folks cock their wrists like this, maybe not as severe, but it's there. For me, it's laser-straight and it holds up better when I start to get fatigued. It also helps me feel the shot better. It took some time for me to get comfortable with it and to get the same or even more action out of it than the way I used to shoot.

On an unrelated note, I recently started trying something I heard a top snooker player say during a commentary recently..."the first look is almost always the right one"...meaning, once you get down on the shot, your alignment is usually correct; sometimes it looks a little off, and we all have a natural tendency to want to make a micro adjustment or cue across the face of the ball a tiny bit as a correction--and miss. I started stubbornly trusting my initial alignment, especially when it looks a tad off, and drill the pocket regardless. Another lightbulb went off for me...keep my PSR consistent and trust my 30 years of muscle memory. Kind of like the adage, "think long, think wrong"...when you start doubting your position, you've already missed.

 

[Mikjary]

...On an unrelated note, I recently started trying something I heard a top snooker player say during a commentary recently..."the first look is almost always the right one"...meaning, once you get down on the shot, your alignment is usually correct; sometimes it looks a little off, and we all have a natural tendency to want to make a micro adjustment or cue across the face of the ball a tiny bit as a correction--and miss. I started stubbornly trusting my initial alignment, especially when it looks a tad off, and drill the pocket regardless. Another lightbulb went off for me...keep my PSR consistent and trust my 30 years of muscle memory. Kind of like the adage, "think long, think wrong"...when you start doubting your position, you've already missed.

I think this ties in with making the mental note of the cue ball being the target. I shifted my focus from the object ball to the cue ball as my main point of reference. I'm still looking at the object ball when I get down on the shot and when I shoot the shot, but I'm addressing the cue ball as my mental goal.

It takes away the tendency for me to make that small adjustment in my routine and stroke. I recognize the object ball, understand my alignment, but shift my focus to the contact on the cue ball. It gives my mind a different perspective and quiets the thinking process for me. Nothing has changed physically, just my thought process.

Best,
Mike

 

[JoeyA]

Joey,

As one of the few posters in this thread that actually use a hammer for a living, I can tell you a percentage of players stroke the cue like this. I never knew I did until CJ pointed it out. I thought I moved my wrist forward and up, but I break it down.

This may have happened after years of swinging a hammer, I don't know. I can't remember how I first started playing and if my wrist movement was different. It's a natural stroke for me now, so I don't think about it.

Best,
Mike

I would love to see a slow motion video of the hammer stroke being used for different kinds of shots.

JoeyA

I instituted this grip/stroke about 2 years ago and will never go back...I've tried other more conventional wrist positions/action and for me the hammer stroke is the nuts. To me it feels more like pushing the cue through the shot, vice dragging or pulling it forward. I've been paying attention to high level players and pros lately, and more use it than you'd think. Not a whole lot of them, but more than I thought. I'm not sure they're even aware of it, but quite a few folks cock their wrists like this, maybe not as severe, but it's there. For me, it's laser-straight and it holds up better when I start to get fatigued. It also helps me feel the shot better. It took some time for me to get comfortable with it and to get the same or even more action out of it than the way I used to shoot.

I like the idea of the cocked wrist holding up under fatigue. It's something I face in just about every multi-day tournament I play in.

JoeyA

On an unrelated note, I recently started trying something I heard a top snooker player say during a commentary recently..."the first look is almost always the right one"...meaning, once you get down on the shot, your alignment is usually correct; sometimes it looks a little off, and we all have a natural tendency to want to make a micro adjustment or cue across the face of the ball a tiny bit as a correction--and miss. I started stubbornly trusting my initial alignment, especially when it looks a tad off, and drill the pocket regardless. Another lightbulb went off for me...keep my PSR consistent and trust my 30 years of muscle memory. Kind of like the adage, "think long, think wrong"...when you start doubting your position, you've already missed.

It's funny that you should mention this. I too, recently have been doing and teaching, "accepting and trusting the initial alignment" even if it doesn't look right at first.

 

[His Boy Elroy]

We'll have to "agree to disagree" on this one.

The bridge needs to be firm and not have any movement, especially lateral (I do some movement, just not allowing the cue tip to move left or right, up or down is okay). "Relaxing" into the bridge has caused many players to misfire, especially under pressure. When I'm playing seriously I'll feel like I'm digging my fingers into the slate. This is not a good place to relax in your game, it will lead to some other bad habits if the player's not careful. imho

The bridge has always been my achilles heal. I use an open bridge on every single shot. I wish I could use a closed one on extreme draw shots at least, but the closed bridge is just downright awkward for me. I have small hands, my index finger actually gets sore from performing it, and I've just never been able to "get it."

 

[CJ Wiley]

"for me the hammer stroke is the nuts" - West Point 1987

I instituted this grip/stroke about 2 years ago and will never go back...I've tried other more conventional wrist positions/action and for me the hammer stroke is the nuts. To me it feels more like pushing the cue through the shot, vice dragging or pulling it forward. I've been paying attention to high level players and pros lately, and more use it than you'd think. Not a whole lot of them, but more than I thought. I'm not sure they're even aware of it, but quite a few folks cock their wrists like this, maybe not as severe, but it's there. For me, it's laser-straight and it holds up better when I start to get fatigued. It also helps me feel the shot better. It took some time for me to get comfortable with it and to get the same or even more action out of it than the way I used to shoot.

On an unrelated note, I recently started trying something I heard a top snooker player say during a commentary recently..."the first look is almost always the right one"...meaning, once you get down on the shot, your alignment is usually correct; sometimes it looks a little off, and we all have a natural tendency to want to make a micro adjustment or cue across the face of the ball a tiny bit as a correction--and miss. I started stubbornly trusting my initial alignment, especially when it looks a tad off, and drill the pocket regardless. Another lightbulb went off for me...keep my PSR consistent and trust my 30 years of muscle memory. Kind of like the adage, "think long, think wrong"...when you start doubting your position, you've already missed.

Another positive attribute of cocking the wrist "hammer style," is that on the forward motion you can activate your stoke simply by closing your hand. With the correct timing the acceleration will happen EXACTLY at impact. It's also important to know that the game is played with the EDGE of the tip, must like punching with your knuckles instead of the flat part of your fist. This technique is what road players call "Pinning" the ball.

Most players accelerate improperly and don't get the most action out of the cue ball. Buddy Hall does this superbly, sometime the cue ball looks like jerks back when he draws the cue ball. This is something we can all strive to improve on a regular basis or we will inevitably regress in our overall development. 'The GAME is our teacher'

 

[CJ Wiley]

When I'm standing my visual (sense) is dominant, once my hand hits the table.........

I think this ties in with making the mental note of the cue ball being the target. I shifted my focus from the object ball to the cue ball as my main point of reference. I'm still looking at the object ball when I get down on the shot and when I shoot the shot, but I'm addressing the cue ball as my mental goal.

It takes away the tendency for me to make that small adjustment in my routine and stroke. I recognize the object ball, understand my alignment, but shift my focus to the contact on the cue ball. It gives my mind a different perspective and quiets the thinking process for me. Nothing has changed physically, just my thought process.

Best,
Mike

This is essential in my game. I feel like I'm just aware of the object ball once I'm down on the shot. It's vital to take advantage of how our senses work, when one is reduced, the others are heightened.

When I'm standing my visual (sense) is dominant, however, once my hand hits the table, my visual is deliberately reduced and my focus is primarily on the cue ball and tip connection.....this automatically raises my feel and touch, which is what "separates the men from the boys" when it come to ball pocketing and position play (champions will refer to having a "feel for the pocket," and the cue ball).