A question about proper stance

[Roscue]

When I play longer than about 90 minutes, I'm experiencing some nasty pain in the shoulder of my bridge arm. I suspect this is caused by a bad stance.

Recently I received "Mastering Pool", a 3 DVD instructional video series featuring Mika Immonen. Since this serie is also covering the basics like preshot routine, stroking etc. I decided to pay very close attention to the "stance" part.

This is what the narrator in the video says about stance:

"Ensure that your front foot points toward the object ball at which you're about to take aim. This helps to rotate and align your shoulders and create a smooth stroke."

All of the instructions are somewhat illustrated by Mika at the table. However, Mika's front foot is not even close pointing to the object ball (5-ball), as far as I can see in the video:

Anyone has some advice about proper stance to take away the shoulder pain in the bridge arm?

Thanks

 

[Cardigan Kid]

This video will solve your problem....
https://youtu.be/XHAl4j5eRBA

It sounds like you are out of balance, and maybe supporting too much weight on your bridge arm.

Coach Lee Brett solved all my issues in one night by showing me how out of balance I was in the traditional pool stance.

Here in this video he explains everything in detail.

I hope this helps.

 

[Roscue]

This video will solve your problem....
https://youtu.be/XHAl4j5eRBA

It sounds like you are out of balance, and maybe supporting too much weight on your bridge arm.

Coach Lee Brett solved all my issues in one night by showing me how out of balance I was in the traditional pool stance.

Here in this video he explains everything in detail.

I hope this helps.

Thanks Cardigan, I'll give the stance in that video a try.

 

[Roscue]

Just followed the exact same stance and steps as mentioned in the video above, but unfortunately it didn't solve the problem. My bridge shoulder keeps getting very sore after about 60-90 minutes of play :frown:

 

[FranCrimi]

Just followed the exact same stance and steps as mentioned in the video above, but unfortunately it didn't solve the problem. My bridge shoulder keeps getting very sore after about 60-90 minutes of play :frown:

Without seeing you, I'm just guessing ---- But ---

Well, first, you may have developed a touch of tendonitis in your shoulder if you've been doing it that way for awhile. You're going to have to give it some time to heal.

I suspect you are leaning left and forward. (Assuming you are right-handed). That means that you are doing two things wrong -- and you may not even realize you're doing them:

1.) Your right foot is positioned to the right of the line of the shot, thus you have to lean left to make room for your cue to come through.

2.) Your left foot is too far above your right foot, thus turning your body toward your cue, forcing you to shoot pool by looking over your left shoulder. That will strain your shoulder.

So, when you combine the twist with the lean, you've got too much stress on your shoulder.

The fix: First plant your right foot on the line of the shot or even slightly left of the line. But NEVER right of the line. Second: place your left foot at least shoulder width apart and approximately a half of a foot in front of the other.

Now you will be facing the shot and no longer shooting by looking over your shoulder and you will be leaning slightly right and back, which is the correct balance for that stance.

 

[Roscue]

Without seeing you, I'm just guessing ---- But ---

Well, first, you may have developed a touch of tendonitis in your shoulder if you've been doing it that way for awhile. You're going to have to give it some time to heal.

I suspect you are leaning left and forward. (Assuming you are right-handed). That means that you are doing two things wrong -- and you may not even realize you're doing them:

1.) Your right foot is positioned to the right of the line of the shot, thus you have to lean left to make room for your cue to come through.

2.) Your left foot is too far above your right foot, thus turning your body toward your cue, forcing you to shoot pool by looking over your left shoulder. That will strain your shoulder.

So, when you combine the twist with the lean, you've got too much stress on your shoulder.

The fix: First plant your right foot on the line of the shot or even slightly left of the line. But NEVER right of the line. Second: place your left foot at least shoulder width apart and approximately a half of a foot in front of the other.

Now you will be facing the shot and no longer shooting by looking over your shoulder and you will be leaning slightly right and back, which is the correct balance for that stance.

Thank you very much for this clear and detailed information!

I'm training pool almost 4 hours a day, so if you're right about the tendonitis in the shoulder, it might never had some time to heal. I'll immediately cut the daily training down to about an hour and a half.

Tomorrow I'm gonna try shooting the way you described. It just leaves me with one question regarding the bridge arm.. with a stance like this, is it best to lay your entire forearm (flat) on the table, or is it just the bridge hand that should be touching the table when shooting?

 

[FranCrimi]

Thank you very much for this clear and detailed information!

I'm training pool almost 4 hours a day, so if you're right about the tendonitis in the shoulder, it might never had some time to heal. I'll immediately cut the daily training down to about an hour and a half.

Tomorrow I'm gonna try shooting the way you described. It just leaves me with one question regarding the bridge arm.. with a stance like this, is it best to lay your entire forearm (flat) on the table, or is it just the bridge hand that should be touching the table when shooting?

I recommend bridge hand only down with this stance, forearm off the table, straight but relaxed. Resist the urge to stiffen it. The stance will take some tweaking so be patient. Post back with any questions.

 

[Roscue]

I recommend bridge hand only down with this stance, forearm off the table, straight but relaxed. Resist the urge to stiffen it. The stance will take some tweaking so be patient. Post back with any questions.

Great, got it. Will post back if encountering any problems.

 

[M.G.]

You could also try a Snooker stance. It sure looks funny, but it balances your body out to not put any pressure on your bridge hand to support the body.

You might also try to put your weight fully against the table and the put the bridge hand down.

Then there are support bandages, wear them at least 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after your training.

Good luck, it's a nasty pain.

 

[Roscue]

You could also try a Snooker stance. It sure looks funny, but it balances your body out to not put any pressure on your bridge hand to support the body.

You might also try to put your weight fully against the table and the put the bridge hand down.

Then there are support bandages, wear them at least 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after your training.

Good luck, it's a nasty pain.

Thanks for the tips.I'll consider them :smile:

Nasty pain indeed..

 

[Roscue]

You could also try a Snooker stance. It sure looks funny, but it balances your body out to not put any pressure on your bridge hand to support the body.

You might also try to put your weight fully against the table and the put the bridge hand down.

Then there are support bandages, wear them at least 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after your training.

Good luck, it's a nasty pain.

Thanks for the tips.I'll consider them :smile:

Nasty pain indeed..

 

[Scott Lee]

You should never be putting so much pressure on your bridge hand such that it is causing pain in your upper arm or shoulder. You should have just enough weight on your bridge hand to form a tripod in your stance. I suspect you're putting too much weight on your bridge hand. Go back to more of a balanced stance. Regardless of what some video may say, there is no one correct stance for anyone.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

 

[Roscue]

You should never be putting so much pressure on your bridge hand such that it is causing pain in your upper arm or shoulder. You should have just enough weight on your bridge hand to form a tripod in your stance. I suspect you're putting too much weight on your bridge hand. Go back to more of a balanced stance. Regardless of what some video may say, there is no one correct stance for anyone.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Actually, you might be right about that. I also noticed that the pain is getting worse when I stretch my bridge arm entirely. Therefore I'm now trying to bend that arm slightly so it can relax a little.

Forming a tripod doesn't mean that the entire weight is divided equally between both legs and the bridge hand, right?

 

[bbb]

Actually, you might be right about that. I also noticed that the pain is getting worse when I stretch my bridge arm entirely. Therefore I'm now trying to bend that arm slightly so it can relax a little.

Forming a tripod doesn't mean that the entire weight is divided equally between both legs and the bridge hand, right?

have you considered seeing an orthopedist to check out your shoulder and neck??
i would if it were me
i am not an instructor

 

[Roscue]

have you considered seeing an orthopedist to check out your shoulder and neck??
i would if it were me
i am not an instructor

I went to the GP's office this week. He told me that some muscles in the shoulder, upper arm and left side of my chest (just below the armpit) are probably overloaded and should be given some rest.

Haven't played for 4 days since and the pain is mostly gone by now. I'm pretty sure it's caused by playing pool.

Tomorrow I'll be playing again. My guess it's now about finding a stance where minimal body weight is put on the shoulder and bridge arm to avoid new injuries.

 

[bbb]

I went to the GP's office this week. He told me that some muscles in the shoulder, upper arm and left side of my chest (just below the armpit) are probably overloaded and should be given some rest.

Haven't played for 4 days since and the pain is mostly gone by now. I'm pretty sure it's caused by playing pool.

Tomorrow I'll be playing again. My guess it's now about finding a stance where minimal body weight is put on the shoulder and bridge arm to avoid new injuries.

i am glad you saw a doctor
i would still see an orthopedist if its affordable for you
its what i would do
they are experts in joint issues
just sayin

 

[FranCrimi]

I went to the GP's office this week. He told me that some muscles in the shoulder, upper arm and left side of my chest (just below the armpit) are probably overloaded and should be given some rest.

Haven't played for 4 days since and the pain is mostly gone by now. I'm pretty sure it's caused by playing pool.

Tomorrow I'll be playing again. My guess it's now about finding a stance where minimal body weight is put on the shoulder and bridge arm to avoid new injuries.

I think you should consider laying off pool for at least a few weeks. Then you can go back to playing with a more balanced stance once you have healed. If you start again too soon, you will just do more damage.

 

[FranCrimi]

Actually, you might be right about that. I also noticed that the pain is getting worse when I stretch my bridge arm entirely. Therefore I'm now trying to bend that arm slightly so it can relax a little.

Forming a tripod doesn't mean that the entire weight is divided equally between both legs and the bridge hand, right?

I'll answer this question for you. Many years ago, old timers who didn't realize how they stood at the table, claimed that balance meant having weight evenly distributed between both legs. With pool, being in balance means counteracting the forward weight of leaning forward with the bottom half of your body. There are also left and right lean issues as well.

Your problem, most likely, as I stated earlier, was that because you were blocking the line of the shot with your torso, you were forced to lean on your left side. It then turned into a habit where you automatically did that.

So your problem began with your stance being out of alignment.

I am amazed as to how many instructors and players over the years haven't given enough consideration to stance.

 

[Roscue]

Hi Fran,

I'm not sure I fully understand your statement about balance:

With pool, being in balance means counteracting the
forward weight of leaning forward with the bottom half of your body.

Does this mean the amount of weight carried by the bridge arm/hand/shoulder should be just enough to prevent one from falling forward?

Other than that, your explanation is clear. Thanks. I'm gonna lay off pool for 14 days, starting now.

 

[Scott Lee]

Bending the forearm is not necessary. No, forming a tripod does NOT mean equal weight everywhere. You should be equal front to back feet, with a small bit of pressure on your bridge hand. How much? Enough to feel like your bridge hand is planted on the table, but not so much that it makes your arm and shoulder hurt. Some instructors are far more anal about stance than some of us...and I don't understand that either. There's 49 million poolplayers out there, and probably 49 million stances and 49 million aiming methods! LOL Do what works for you!

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Actually, you might be right about that. I also noticed that the pain is getting worse when I stretch my bridge arm entirely. Therefore I'm now trying to bend that arm slightly so it can relax a little.

Forming a tripod doesn't mean that the entire weight is divided equally between both legs and the bridge hand, right?