Applying english help

J

john coloccia

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I got my first low deflection cue, after playing 30 years with a traditional cue. Wow, what a difference. I've come to grips with aim points and things like that, but I'm wondering how people actually apply parallel english? I thought I was doing that all along, but apparently I was applying back hand english. Now I'm finding that I absolutely have to apply parallel english because BHE, and even FHE is just way too much correction.

But how do I do it? Do you setup over your aim line as normal, and then just move both the front and back hands over, or do you setup with your entire body offset so that your mechanics stay exactly the same? I'm struggling a little bit to find a comfortable way to do it, so I'm wondering what is normally recommended.

Thanks!
 
john coloccia said:
So I got my first low deflection cue, after playing 30 years with a traditional cue. Wow, what a difference. I've come to grips with aim points and things like that, but I'm wondering how people actually apply parallel english? I thought I was doing that all along, but apparently I was applying back hand english. Now I'm finding that I absolutely have to apply parallel english because BHE, and even FHE is just way too much correction.

But how do I do it? Do you setup over your aim line as normal, and then just move both the front and back hands over, or do you setup with your entire body offset so that your mechanics stay exactly the same? I'm struggling a little bit to find a comfortable way to do it, so I'm wondering what is normally recommended.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

LD shafts have a longer pivot point so you need to bridge further away to use backhand english properly.
 
I switched to a OB Classic+ and still play same way. On soft English shots i kinda parallel shift and on firmer/harder spin shots i pivot butt-end. Backhand, tuck-n-roll, whatever you want to call it is still usable with low-squirt cues. I'm sure other posts will agree/disagree.
 
I switched to LD shafts after 45 years of playing english on nearly every shot & just took me a few sessions to make the mental adjustment whch makes the physical adjustment.

That said I never used the pivot point of the cue & mostly use what 'we' call parallel english.

If you truly used parallel before I would say change nothing & just hit a lot of shots with english until your subconscious make the adjustment.

If, however you were using BHE then as another poster said the pivot point on the LD shaft is longer & you will need to bridge longer to get similar results.

Dr. Dave has info about finding the pivot point of shafts on his site.

Best Wishes & Good Luck with finding your solution.

PS I'd stay with it though & not go back. I'm fairly sure that my subconscious thanks me for making the switch because now he does not have to work as much making those larger calculations.
 
john coloccia said:
So I got my first low deflection cue, after playing 30 years with a traditional cue. Wow, what a difference. I've come to grips with aim points and things like that, but I'm wondering how people actually apply parallel english? I thought I was doing that all along, but apparently I was applying back hand english. Now I'm finding that I absolutely have to apply parallel english because BHE, and even FHE is just way too much correction.

But how do I do it? Do you setup over your aim line as normal, and then just move both the front and back hands over, or do you setup with your entire body offset so that your mechanics stay exactly the same? I'm struggling a little bit to find a comfortable way to do it, so I'm wondering what is normally recommended.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


In my opinion these are things only you can figure out.
And in order to do that you have to spend a few hours shooting the exact shots you're talking about and set them up again and again.

After trying most if not all the LD shafts on the market I realized I couldn't warm up to them and was never happier than the day I stopped using them and stopped subscribing to the nonsense that they somehow make your game better.

But keep at it and you'll get better, eventually you might even prefer the LDs.
 
I think maybe I wasn't clear in the first post. I've made an effort to stop using BHE on the low deflection shaft, because it simply doesn't work well IMHO (it may for you, but it doesn't for me). I'm not about to start changing where I bridge just to compensate for a little squirt. What I'm wondering about is what mechanics people use to apply parallel english. I'm self taught and never learned the proper way of doing that. It all feels funny to me right now, so if I'm going to get comfortable with a method, I'd like it to be a good method. :)

Do you setup as normal, and then just move both hands, or do you setup so your body is aligned with the hit point on the cue ball, taking the english into account? In other words, if you apply a tip of right english, do you move your whole body to the right one tip, or do you stay aligned with the aim line and simply move your hands over? One of these two ways is soon going to become comfortable and automatic, so I'd like it to be the one that is generally considered best.

FWIW, I don't see that I'd have a problem switching back and forth from an LD to a traditional shaft. I was really surprised to read that it took John Schmidt 18 months to adjust....but he still managed to run what...400 balls, or something...the first day he got it. For short, half table shots at pocket speed, there is practically no squirt, and that makes those shots incredibly simple. It's brilliant for 14.1 where you're maneuvering 1/2 table with a very crowded layout. Anyhow, I'm not a "convert". It's just another tool in the arsenal.
 
:)





Just practice. Pool is nothing but memory and repetition.

Very simple vintage game with round balls and long sticks.



.
 
:grin-square:
Simply move your bridge hand (and grip hand) parallel to the right or left. Don't use BHE.
Like a center shot, but simply move 1-2cm to the left or right.

It's actually as simply as it can get :thumbup:

Cheers and best decision ever!

PS: And this is why high squirt shafts are crap - you acquire strange habbits!
 
I never even thought about this before. I don't know about you guys but my back hand always seems to be in the same position. I could go left, right or center just by moving my bridge hand a little bit. That being said, you should know what you're going to put on the ball before getting down on the shot, then get down on it accordingly. If there is too much manipulation or aim adjustment once you're down, get up and get down properly or your head might be out of position. The most important thing is to visualize the shot while you're standing, pick a spot for the cue ball to get to, then get down on it accordingly.

The one suggestion I have is to stay as close to center as possible and use your stroke (with English) to achieve the effect you want. For me, the impact area on the vast majority of shots with left or right are maybe the size of a nickel. Maximum English shouldn't be necessary very often.
 
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Ideally, visualize the shot in your head; place the cue where it needs to be to actualize that vision; place your body around the cue, in the same fashion every time.

Thank you kindly.
 
What he said.

If you move your bridge and grip hand to the side the same amount to effect the english that you desire while down on the shot, your body will not be in the best position relative to your stroke.

So if you can visualize the parallel location of your cue while standing. then move your cue and body in place while dropping down on the shot.

Be well
 
I think that's how I'm going to try it for a few days, and see where it gets me. I'll align my entire body to the cue. It's funny how dialed in your body can get. You'd think with just one stinking tip of english offset it would be no big deal to just move your hands over, but just that tiny bit of offset feels incredibly wrong and awkward to me.
 
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