Keeping your back arm straight...

K

ktrepal85

Banned
I just recently found out that my back arm is not completely in line when I shoot. I have a very slight 'reverse chicken wing' (for lack of a better term) going on. So basically when I am lined up my wrist is closer to my body then it should be.

It's not very drastic and I've never had anyone ever tell me that it was misaligned but recently I watched an old video of myself and I noticed it. I was surprised b/c I've had numerous compliments on my fundamentals and not one has ever pointed this out to me before.

So now that I realize the problem I've been trying to correct it on my own. It's hard to do on my own b/c I can't watch myself. Before I do the obvious and contact an instructor I would like some advice. Are there any training techniques I can do on my own? The only thing I can think to do is have a friend stand behind me and adjust my arm position before every shot. Will an instructor do anything more than this?

It seems like there should be something I can do with either a mirror or something.

Anyways, ever since I noticed this whole alignment thing I've been frazzled. Please help, before I go to an instructor...
 
ktrepal85 said:
I just recently found out that my back arm is not completely in line when I shoot. I have a very slight 'reverse chicken wing' (for lack of a better term) going on. So basically when I am lined up my wrist is closer to my body then it should be.
It's not very drastic and I've never had anyone ever tell me that it was misaligned but recently I watched an old video of myself and I noticed it. I was surprised b/c I've had numerous compliments on my fundamentals and not one has ever pointed this out to me before.
So now that I realize the problem I've been trying to correct it on my own. It's hard to do on my own b/c I can't watch myself. Before I do the obvious and contact an instructor I would like some advice. Are there any training techniques I can do on my own? The only thing I can think to do is have a friend stand behind me and adjust my arm position before every shot. Will an instructor do anything more than this?
It seems like there should be something I can do with either a mirror or something.
Anyways, ever since I noticed this whole alignment thing I've been frazzled. Please help, before I go to an instructor...
Click to expand...


I always thought a chicken wing stroke was when your arm flew out to the side.
Then, of course, the dead giveaway here is when you say, "Pawk, pawk, pawk.", at the same time. :smile:
 
I check my alignment with a mirror by the table and making sure my shooting elbow is centered over my head and cue like the pic below. If your elbow is directly above your head and cue then your forearm will be hanging straight down (if you're not doing anything funky with your wrist).
 
Are you left eye dominant? Mine does the same thing, and if you watch the pros, you will find that many that are left eye dominant have the same situation. Preferably, you want your forearm straight up and down. But, what you really want is to be able to stroke the cue in a straight line. Are you stroking it straight? If so, it's not a problem.
 
I fixed mine with footwork, making sure my back foot is in line with the shot. your stance might be too narrow, or you could be unknowingly bending your wrist, or using too tight of a grip, either in your fingers or bridge to grip arm length. I mean... if you shoot at B+ or above speed, why bother messing with what works?
 
Neil said:
Are you left eye dominant? Mine does the same thing, and if you watch the pros, you will find that many that are left eye dominant have the same situation. Preferably, you want your forearm straight up and down. But, what you really want is to be able to stroke the cue in a straight line. Are you stroking it straight? If so, it's not a problem.
Click to expand...

I think I'm right eye dominant but I'm not 100% sure. I've never put much focus on that.

I shoot very straight as long as I am not in an awkward position or shooting a power draw shot.

Maybe I should just leave it alone. My stroke has been extremely consistent and reliable so why mess with it? I guess I'm just a perfectionist. This will probably set my playing back a while until I either correct it or stick with what I've been doing.
 
I've noticed that many higher ranked players don't have perfect form either.

Keith Jawahir said:
I fixed mine with footwork, making sure my back foot is in line with the shot. your stance might be too narrow, or you could be unknowingly bending your wrist, or using too tight of a grip, either in your fingers or bridge to grip arm length. I mean... if you shoot at B+ or above speed, why bother messing with what works?
Click to expand...
 
Try using a video camera setup & shoot several balls down the long string, while the camera is running. Also do it at the side.

Then play the video & watch your performance.

When we go to the big tournament, we put up a Video Analysis booth, with 4 cameras. It works great & the folks really like their new way of doing things... You'll enjoy making a video.
 
I have the same concerns with my stroke: it feels like my upper arm is "in line" but I'm never really sure. The mirror idea is a good one.

I vaguely recall seeing a video in which someone demonstrated an "aid" whose objective was checking upper arm position. It was like a panel that fit between the body and upper arm. The idea was that the upper arm and forearm should lay against the panel throughout the stroke. Sorry, I've done a couple of youtube searches and haven't found it.
 
Is your stroke coming through straight? If so, move along to some other real problem and don't worry about this. As long as your stroke is straight that's all that matters. The balls have absolutely no idea if your arm is straight or not.


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Video Analysis

ceebee said:
Try using a video camera setup & shoot several balls down the long string, while the camera is running. Also do it at the side.

Then play the video & watch your performance.

When we go to the big tournament, we put up a Video Analysis booth, with 4 cameras. It works great & the folks really like their new way of doing things... You'll enjoy making a video.
Click to expand...

Ceebee: I would go to a tournament just to have this done - how can I find out where you'll be? And what does it cost?
 
ktrepal85 said:
I just recently found out that my back arm is not completely in line when I shoot. I have a very slight 'reverse chicken wing' (for lack of a better term) going on. So basically when I am lined up my wrist is closer to my body then it should be.

It's not very drastic and I've never had anyone ever tell me that it was misaligned but recently I watched an old video of myself and I noticed it. I was surprised b/c I've had numerous compliments on my fundamentals and not one has ever pointed this out to me before.

So now that I realize the problem I've been trying to correct it on my own. It's hard to do on my own b/c I can't watch myself. Before I do the obvious and contact an instructor I would like some advice. Are there any training techniques I can do on my own? The only thing I can think to do is have a friend stand behind me and adjust my arm position before every shot. Will an instructor do anything more than this?

It seems like there should be something I can do with either a mirror or something.

Anyways, ever since I noticed this whole alignment thing I've been frazzled. Please help, before I go to an instructor...
Click to expand...

You say you are looking at old videos. It sounds like this is something you have always done, not a bad habit you have recently picked up. What makes you think it needs to be corrected? Is there some problem you have identified that you attribute to this?

I am sure at some point someone told Efren his bridge was too long or Hopkins stroke was jerky or Keith was standing to high. It may just be the fundamental way you play, especially if you have been playing for a long. time.
 
ktrepal85 said:
I think I'm right eye dominant but I'm not 100% sure. I've never put much focus on that.

I shoot very straight as long as I am not in an awkward position or shooting a power draw shot.

Maybe I should just leave it alone. My stroke has been extremely consistent and reliable so why mess with it? I guess I'm just a perfectionist. This will probably set my playing back a while until I either correct it or stick with what I've been doing.
Click to expand...

Being a perfectionist is all well and good. But, you have to keep things in the proper perspective. What is the actual goal here? That would have to be having a straight and repeatable stroke. NOT keeping the arm completely in line.

Usually, keeping the arm in line is the easiest and most reliable way to achieve the goal of a straight and repeatable stroke. That's probably true for over 90% of all players. But, it is not the only way. It should only be messed with if you do not have a straight stroke.

Remember- the straight , repeatable stroke is the goal here.

edit: There are a number of tests one can do to see if their stroke really is straight and repeatable. Many think theirs is when it really isn't. Doing a stop shot from dead straight in is one test. The cb should freeze in place after contact with the ob. See how many times out of one hundred you can freeze the cb in place. That is your actual percentage of a straight and repeatable stroke.
 
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Hi, i am a BCA instructor and an old time road player and your problem is easy to correct. Have someone watch your get down and move your hand back until your perfectly vertical and then check the placement of your hand on the butt. Maybe it is 2 inches from the start of the wrap from the butt end. Remember that spot and whenever your ready to get down on your shot, look at your hand placement and make sure its on that spot. Jonny Archer and many other pro's look at there hand placement before bending into the hitting position. Hope this helps. Get rid of your negative thoughts and where your hand is and focus on your shot,PERIOD. N.YLarry
P.S. remember pool is as an art and not a science, don't over do mechanics. Learn to be smooth and relaxed and yet be focused and intense. it's not easy, thats why there are so few pro's. Learn to hit with your practice stroke.
 
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I had the exact same issue, fixed it by adjusting the positioning of my feet. I knew that was the problem but struggled to find the best way to find my personal ideal foot positioning; I needed eyes in the back of my head.

I ended up getting those eyes in back of my head by using a DSLR camera in video mode on a tripod positioned in back of the shooter and wired to a TV directly in front of the shooter. The camera has grid lines for framing the shot; I used the center vertical grid line to make sure the camera was perfectly inline with the diagonal cross table shot. Then, while shooting you can see if the shoulder, elbow, wrist and butt of the cue are all perfectly centered on the shot line.

If something is off, adjust the positioning of the feet to find the spot where everything is naturally inline without being forced. If the shoulder, elbow, wrist and butt of cue are all on the center vertical line (shot line), the object ball goes into the center of the pocket nearly every time and the cue ball stops centered on the shot line without any spin. Alternatively, you can follow the cue ball into the center of the pocket. Pictures of my setup are attached.
 
mullyman said:
Is your stroke coming through straight? If so, move along to some other real problem and don't worry about this. As long as your stroke is straight that's all that matters. The balls have absolutely no idea if your arm is straight or not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

All well and good except there's a big difference between doing a drill like the "CB to the short rail and back to your tip" and making sure you're straight on every shot during a game. IMHO a little bit of analysis, correction and practice pays off.
 
I don't have a table at home so when I noticed my stroke was kind of waving I took my girlfriend's mirror, set up a card table and shot into a pop bottle. It has actually helped me stroke straighter and I can see how I'm aligned.

That being said if it doesn't effect your shot don't worry about changing it. :)
 
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