What the pros do differently ...
- Thread starter jbart65
- Start date
Ah thank you...
Yes we agree on that part at least. However I believe "you may" should be swapped for "you should put emphasis on". When speaking about playing like a pro anyways. ...and if you can't count on it, then the plan early on is to pull a move.
Would you be able to explain how a loose or tight grip for that matter alters the mis-cue limit of tip placement on the CB and how it also alters the physics of velocity at point of contact...?
I make no claim to understanding the physics, but I struggled for a few months to draw the ball more than a few feet. I kept watching instructional videos saying to keep a loose grip. They just never said how loose!
Then I came across one site that recommended a grip so loose you were barely holding the cue at the back. I tried it. Felt very weird, I have to say. And yet, after a few shots, I got the cue ball to come back quite a bit.
Bingo. I was on my way.
Another video said a tight grip on the back hand would cause the tip to dive into the table and cause the ball to scoop. Once I learned just how loose to keep my back hand, miscues almost went away.
I can do most draws now with some ease and accuracy. But I still haven't perfected the loose grip and I still can't always get the snap of my wrist to generate the backspin that I would like. Mostly I have trouble on very long draws. I am getting there, though.
It's not just a loose grip, either. It's a slower and measured backswing. Going thru the cueball, as it's often said.
Frankly, nobody has created the video yet that explains this all very well. Like, really well. But sometimes you just have to get on the table and try ... stuff.
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There is a lot of voodoo science floating around the pool world. We can have a good draw stroke with anything from a death grip to the cue just laying on our fingers. The shot will be more accurate with the death grip.
Having said that, a soft grip like holding a bird or shaking hands with a very old person seems best. If a person likes their grip a little tighter or looser, that will work too. Whatever you play with full time for awhile will become your grip and will work for you. The only major issue with an extremely tight grip is it will wear you out in a few hours of play.
Oh yeah, if you are using a light break cue it will draw better than your main playing cue.
Hu
snookered_again
Well-known member
i sometimes struggle with not enough backspin although with the smaller snooker balls.. think maybe it relates to the follow through, in other words, what is happening just after that point of contact.
far as I can figure, having the cue physically low along its entire length, and with follow though helps.. otherwise it looks more like a stop shot.
why is the loose grip important? maybe it encourages more follow through, which gets more cue into and under the ball during "launch" , as opposed to giving it a short knock?
far as I can figure, having the cue physically low along its entire length, and with follow though helps.. otherwise it looks more like a stop shot.
why is the loose grip important? maybe it encourages more follow through, which gets more cue into and under the ball during "launch" , as opposed to giving it a short knock?
My answer is:
A good grip allows input from the fingers individually. Like playing a musical instrument. Nineball Billy spoke of Efrens stroke being like playing a
. Having a tight grip would be like ....well giving up the fine tune knob on my metal detector. The coarse tune knob is the shooting platform. Body, arm and hand. The fine tune is the fingers.
Here's Barry Stark on the grip. Furling and unfurling.
Searching youtube for Barry Stark and grip turns up a set of 6 very good lessons.
The one on the ring finger has been of great value to me.
The one on the ring finger has been of great value to me.
only the speed of the cue and height of the tip will determine the draw you get.
follow through doesnt do anything if it doesnt alter your speed by doing it.
the loose grip lets you add wrist speed to get more speed for your length of stroke.
same as swinging a golf club or tennis racket. or using a hammer
follow through doesnt do anything if it doesnt alter your speed by doing it.
the loose grip lets you add wrist speed to get more speed for your length of stroke.
same as swinging a golf club or tennis racket. or using a hammer
Mmm. The draw shot. I’ve noticed most people shoot the long draw jacked up. The way you are learning it is the hard way for most players. It’s probably a bit more accurate though. Good luck!
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Drawing from a distance requires a jacked up cue - rails etc... Drawing from closer; you can get away with leveling out and shooting as if following. If you need to whip the ball back and around, that's a whole nuther dynamic.
You can do the long ones level too once you have solid mechanics. My point was playing that low with cue level isnt easy and in turn a lot of players choose to take the easy route and jack up instead. Don’t know what the skill level of jbart is.
Absolutely. Just saying you gotta clear the rails - more so on a small table. On new cloth of course it's almost automatic no matter how you hit it.
The only advantage for jacking up when attempting long range draw, is the removing the cloth frictional loses to the rotation of the CB by hopping the CB to the OB. This is more common on subpar equipment, and generally not necessary on fresh cloth in a climate controlled room.
Of course performing this shot has a whole other realm of issues and is best avoided by alternate shot choices.
Of course performing this shot has a whole other realm of issues and is best avoided by alternate shot choices.
Nice post. I played one of our states top players yesterday some 10-ball sets. I hit a draw shot pretty badly, and it confused me as to what happened. He asked me such a simple little question and I definitely learned something... He asked "was you pinky on the cue?" The dude was absolutely right! I have some work to do.
I don't know what my skill level is, but I can consistently do full-table draws now on shots with up to four feet of distance between the CB and OB. Gets dicier as I move to five or six feet. Mind you, I've put in a few hundred hours this year to try to become proficient at draw.
Of course, if one has to use that kind of draw, one didn't get good position in the first place. Or was left a tough shot by an opponent. Truthfully, I've only needed to do two long draw shots at my pool hall in the last few months. It's a tool that is nice to have, but best avoided.
That said, I have found constant draw drills to be a great way of making my stroke straighter and more accurate. These shots are so unforgiving.
On jacking up: I swear, I have seen SVB in particular jack up on a number of long draw shots. I don't think I am imagining it. And I saw an instructional video in which Hunter Lombardo said you do want some downward angle on a draw shot.
When trying to draw with the CB close to the rail, I can still draw by jacking up. But I found I had to hit a bit higher on the CB to avoid miscuing or scooping.
It amazes me to see SVB of Jeff De Luna pull off a power draw. And some of Cory Duel's draws seem to defy belief. Got to wonder if they have developed super strong wrists over the years from constant practice ...
Of course, if one has to use that kind of draw, one didn't get good position in the first place. Or was left a tough shot by an opponent. Truthfully, I've only needed to do two long draw shots at my pool hall in the last few months. It's a tool that is nice to have, but best avoided.
That said, I have found constant draw drills to be a great way of making my stroke straighter and more accurate. These shots are so unforgiving.
On jacking up: I swear, I have seen SVB in particular jack up on a number of long draw shots. I don't think I am imagining it. And I saw an instructional video in which Hunter Lombardo said you do want some downward angle on a draw shot.
When trying to draw with the CB close to the rail, I can still draw by jacking up. But I found I had to hit a bit higher on the CB to avoid miscuing or scooping.
It amazes me to see SVB of Jeff De Luna pull off a power draw. And some of Cory Duel's draws seem to defy belief. Got to wonder if they have developed super strong wrists over the years from constant practice ...
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"A level stick" is mostly myth. I have tried a true level stick dropping down inside the cushions. The only thing I gained was some severe rugburn on my fingers!
If you look at any of the old masters recommending a level cue, not one practices what they preach! Their "level cue" is three to six inches higher at the buttcap than the tip even when they have clearance to lower it beyond that point. Leads me to the conclusion that this is what they really mean by a level cue.
Stopping holding the cue as level as possible and deliberately building in a four inch angle from buttcap to tip made my game more consistent so that it was much easier to learn the cue ball's path than a constantly changing angle.
Hu
If you look at any of the old masters recommending a level cue, not one practices what they preach! Their "level cue" is three to six inches higher at the buttcap than the tip even when they have clearance to lower it beyond that point. Leads me to the conclusion that this is what they really mean by a level cue.
Stopping holding the cue as level as possible and deliberately building in a four inch angle from buttcap to tip made my game more consistent so that it was much easier to learn the cue ball's path than a constantly changing angle.
Hu