Forearm is wrong?

Fastrs

Fastrs

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http://forums.azbilliards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=298631&stc=1&d=1381786640

I have recently been told that my forearm is incorrect. That I need to have it pointing straight towards the ground while I am addressing the cue ball.

My question is ... Why and What is the advantage to this?

Also how do I correct this?

Currently my stroke is straight( I think ) and I normally can run 6-7 balls

I practiced for several hours this past weekend and found I had to change my stance in order to straighten my arm.

Thank you for any and all inputs
 
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Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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Fastrs said:
... I have recently been told that my forearm is incorrect. That I need to have it pointing straight towards the ground while I am addressing the cue ball.

My question is ... Why and What is the advantage to this?

Currently my stroke is straight and I normally can run 6-7 balls

Thank you for any and all inputs
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In order for your stroke to be straight with that much angle, you must be compensating somehow. Simple mechanics says that if you angle your forearm in or out, a simple motion of the forearm has to be out-in or in-out motion for the hand.

A general philosophy of playing pool is to keep things as simple as possible. A straight stroke obtained by some kind of compensation layered onto an underlying problem is not simple.
 
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FranCrimi

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F

FranCrimi

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Fastrs said:
No, I was not given an explanation other than "that's just how it's suppose to be"
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Well, I wouldn't believe anyone who couldn't explain why. I can't say that I blame you for doubting. Does this person claim to be an instructor?
 
Fastrs

Fastrs

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FranCrimi said:
Well, I wouldn't believe anyone who couldn't explain why. I can't say that I blame you for doubting. Does this person claim to be an instructor?
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I have looked at several pool instruction books ( after being told this ) and the books state the same thing. I just have not been able to find any explanation as to why it has to be this way.
 
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FranCrimi

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Fastrs said:
I have looked at several pool instruction books ( after being told this ) and the books state the same thing. I just have not been able to find any explanation as to why it has to be this way.
Click to expand...

The reason you're turning your arm under your body like that is because you are crowding the line of the shot with your torso. Therefore you have to pull your arm underneath to get your cue on line with the shot.

If you have always played this way, then you don't know what it feels like to allow your arm to move freely without the obstruction of your chest. Right now you are shooting with a restricted stroke. You probably have difficulty shooting power shots due to your restricted arm swing.

This arm position also encourages you to roll your hand under your cue stick. If you're not extremely careful, rolling your hand under can cause you to apply unwanted side spin.

You may wonder how you got into this habit in the first place. If you approach the line of the shot with the center of your body, you will wind up crowding your arm. Your arm is on the right side of your body. Your right side, as opposed to the center of your body, must be properly aligned with the line of the shot.
 
BeiberLvr

BeiberLvr

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FranCrimi said:
The reason you're turning your arm under your body like that is because you are crowding the line of the shot with your torso. Therefore you have to pull your arm underneath to get your cue on line with the shot.

If you have always played this way, then you don't know what it feels like to allow your arm to move freely without the obstruction of your chest. Right now you are shooting with a restricted stroke. You probably have difficulty shooting power shots due to your restricted arm swing.

This arm position also encourages you to roll your hand under your cue stick. If you're not extremely careful, rolling your hand under can cause you to apply unwanted side spin.

You may wonder how you got into this habit in the first place. If you approach the line of the shot with the center of your body, you will wind up crowding your arm. Your arm is on the right side of your body. Your right side, as opposed to the center of your body, must be properly aligned with the line of the shot.
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Fran,

I know you and I have had this discussion before, and maybe I don't fully understand what you mean by crowding the line of the shot. I purchased the first TAR match with Shane and Corey, and took a screen cap of Shane in his stance. Now to my eyes, it looks as though he his over the line of the shot. Yet, I believe you would agree that he has one of the most unrestricted strokes in the game today, and has no issues with generating power. I think the same can be said about Corey's stance, although it doesn't appear to me that he is over the shot line as much as Shane.

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Edit: I very well could just be misunderstanding what you're saying. No big deal.
 
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FranCrimi

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Neither Shane nor Cory crowds the line of the shot. I've done the best I can to explain it in this and other threads. I don't know what else I can say to make it any clearer.
 
Fastrs

Fastrs

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I think I understand what your saying. My hips / lower body is too close to the shot line thus causing me to bring my arm in towards my chest in order to maintain a straight stroke. Of which also limits the amount of follow through especially on power shots. So, in order for me to correct this I have to learn a different stance.

Thank you Fran
 
BeiberLvr

BeiberLvr

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FranCrimi said:
Neither Shane nor Cory crowds the line of the shot. I've done the best I can to explain it in this and other threads. I don't know what else I can say to make it any clearer.
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That's good enough to me. I guess what I was eventually getting at is the stance I switched too which you complimented has become uncomfortable after putting more time in with it. So I've tried to sort of emulate Shane and Corey's stance (to the best of my ability), but was afraid I was going back to old habits of crowding the line of the shot since until you clarified, I thought they were.
 
victorl

victorl

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The "chicken wing" stroke as some people call it. I shot like that for 5 years and got an an A level with it. One of my friends, a great player and instructor, kept telling me I needed to straighten it up if I wanted to be a better player. I resisted at first, but decided to try it as my game had hit a plateau at the time. At first, it felt strange to not have my body there to guide the sho-t and I struggled with my game for at least a couple of months, but once it became natural, my stroke felt so free and I saw steady improvement in all areas of my game.
It's definitely tough to make major changes to the stance, but it's important to keep at it, even if the results don't come at first. You'll be happy you did.
 
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FranCrimi

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BeiberLvr said:
That's good enough to me. I guess what I was eventually getting at is the stance I switched too which you complimented has become uncomfortable after putting more time in with it. So I've tried to sort of emulate Shane and Corey's stance (to the best of my ability), but was afraid I was going back to old habits of crowding the line of the shot since until you clarified, I thought they were.
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Yes, I think you took your stance to the outer boundary. There was room for tweaking. I think I mentioned that Sigel and Dodson stood that way, but there weren't many other players who did. Just use your arm as a gauge. If it starts to tilt inward, then you may be starting to crowd the line again.
 
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FranCrimi

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Fastrs said:
I think I understand what your saying. My hips / lower body is too close to the shot line thus causing me to bring my arm in towards my chest in order to maintain a straight stroke. Of which also limits the amount of follow through especially on power shots. So, in order for me to correct this I have to learn a different stance.

Thank you Fran
Click to expand...

Right. Actually, your right foot is to the right of the shot line, so you can start by placing that foot a bit more to the left.

This is a pretty common issue among players who approach their shot with the center of their bodies. However, many players would rather keep the old stance because the change feels very dramatic. You may feel like you're starting over. You're not, and you won't lose everything you've learned. You will just have to give yourself time to get used to a new feel at the table. Trust that you will get used to it and you will play better.

Also, check to see if your left eye is dominant and you want to place your cue under that eye. That may or may not be a contributing factor. If that's the case, then you will have to face your cue stick a bit more in order to allow your cue to be placed both on the line of the shot and under your left eye. Disregard this if that's not the case with you.
 
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6

67tbird

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BeiberLvr said:
That's good enough to me. I guess what I was eventually getting at is the stance I switched too which you complimented has become uncomfortable after putting more time in with it. So I've tried to sort of emulate Shane and Corey's stance (to the best of my ability), but was afraid I was going back to old habits of crowding the line of the shot since until you clarified, I thought they were.
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Hey Beiber,

What I do (more of a mental thing I guess) is aim with two points... the "V" of my thumb and pointer on my grip hand, and the heel of my back foot. You may have to bring your grip hand in front of your back foot to accomplish this. Get those two things on the line of the shot, and you'll have a solid foundation. Then it's a matter of coming straight down with your bridge hand/ eyes.

Your cue belongs directly over the heel of your back foot.

In my opinion, you can do what you like with your front foot, just do it consistently. Many people advocate pointing it towards the contact point.

- Andy
 
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