Tossing in an idea
I use the toss dynamic as an analogy to get a sense of the body’s innate natural tendency, and timing. Take something like a remote control in hand. Pick a target on a couch or chair a few feet away. The idea is to make a precise toss to an exact target. A right handed description of what I do is as follows. My body is square to target more directly opposite the right side. My head moves in line with where the right arm would naturally hang and swing. With the remote in hand the arm bends at the elbow and the hand extends somewhat lining up the arm. The elbow and arm are returned to the side with the upper arm now beside the body. A slight lean in on the target line as part of readying is accompanied by a mini toss rehearsal hefting of the remote, feeling its weight and testing the aim line. The hand is loose and after a few up down motions closing the elbow slightly I go into the toss motion. The left foot wants to advance slightly as the arm prepares to toss. What’s interesting now is how the whole arm not the forearm and wrist go into the motion. The forearm is lowered as the upper arm and elbow move slowly pull back creating an open angle at the elbow, they all move in a coordinated unhurried motion. The hand has been passive. The arm slows and starts to come forward. The whole arm leads holding the elbow angle initially. The elbow starts to close moving the forearm faster than the overall arm providing a timing with the hand holding the remote increasing in speed. Once the hand arc and speed are sensed to match the one imagined for the toss, the remote is simply released on that desired path.
I’ve noticed roughly the same type of process in many top players when they use a whole arm stroke often noted by observers as an elbow drop. There is far more going on with these players. They are using a lot of elements used in that toss dynamic seen in those cueing actions. Many of these players use a "walled" backswing. During setup once the cue is aligned on the aim line the player moves the upper chest to the cue. That creates a "wall" with the chest at one end and the vee of an open bridge at the other. When pulled back to deliver the cue, the cue should have no choice but to be aligned at the back of the backswing. When the slower paced delivery of a whole arm stroke is wanted some slight modifications are needed prior to the backstroke. If the tip is to be delivered level through impact the hand can’t drop the cue below the bridge before contact. Del Hill the coach who developed Ronnie O’Sullivan as a teenager debunks the idea of a level cue prior to contact. Clearance of the rail and other factors mean the cue plane at address and prior to contact will have an element of a downplane. The tip travel needs to follow a path similar to a plane landing, coasting in to a flat or near flat plane through impact. There is an added benefit to the butt being elevated when using a whole arm stroke, vertical space for the arm to rotate down into. Where the toss elbow angle didn’t close much initially during the forward swing of the arm, the same is true here. The arm starts by a rotation of the arm in the socket with the elbow hinge not leading the way. The elbow angle remains open and only starts to close naturally as it judges the momentum impact at a subconscious level. The initial minimal drop and delayed elbow hinging lets the hand holding the cue glide into the desired plane/contact point. The vertical space moves the hand through lowering the grip hand enough to avoid jamming the thumb into the rib cage. The cue travels unhindered without a body bump. Of course players who don’t use a walled stroke and have a more upright stance already have a starting point with a lowered upper arm in place and space through which the cue can travel unhindered as well. Their additional challenge is a less guaranteed online position at the back of the stroke. Walled strikers tend to use longer backswings, whereas the rest often restrain or shorten the backstroke in an attempt to hold the shot line before bringing the cue forward. Freezing the upper arm is often part of that method.
That’s my take on the topic posed here. Hope it adds something to the conversation.