For reference, I'm an APA 6 and in my 50s (old dog, new tricks etc.) and play mostly on 7 foot tables.
I noticed a few months ago that - especially on long shots - I was missing shots.I was missing slightly to the right of the pocket which means I was hitting the OB slightly to the left - especially when I shot firm.
I had a friend watch my shots and he noted that I was cueing about a quarter tip right while I was seeing centerball. This could explain some unexpected deflection in my shots that only becomes an issue on long shots (I'm shooting with an OB pro+2 - low deflection shaft). It's important to note that I am blind in my left eye (hello Niels Feijen!) so it's important that I get my good eye directly over the cue and I thought that I was doing a good job of that.
When I play the full table drill where I set the CB on the spot and shoot at the far center diamond I can roll the CB back over the spot 99% of the time. But I usually shoot this at a medium pace so I think my stroke and my sighting are at least consistent at medium to medium slow pace.
Here's where my question gets interesting. I was running some straight in drills this week and found that when I gripped the cue with my thumb and middle finger instead of my thumb and index, I was dead center on every shot regardless of the speed. Is this a function of change causing me to focus more precisely on the shot? Or could my index/thumb grip have caused a mechanical, weird hitch in the stroke. At present, I think it's a focus issue - the change required that I give more attention to the PSR (I have a solid PSR BTW), grip pressure and follow through but can anyone explain it from a mechanical stand point?
I do have a tendency to anticipate the hit and choke the cue on my follow through. I feel like my middle finger grip removes this error in my stroke. Should I continue stroking with a middle finger grip? or should I work out my choke grip on the index finger? I wonder if the change in grip has allowed me to escape the tendency to "steer" the shot. I'm worried that my older, less elastic muscle memory means that correcting my normal grip would take more work than transferring to a newer middle finger grip... do any pros use an alternate grip and should I just lean in to what is working for me?
I noticed a few months ago that - especially on long shots - I was missing shots.I was missing slightly to the right of the pocket which means I was hitting the OB slightly to the left - especially when I shot firm.
I had a friend watch my shots and he noted that I was cueing about a quarter tip right while I was seeing centerball. This could explain some unexpected deflection in my shots that only becomes an issue on long shots (I'm shooting with an OB pro+2 - low deflection shaft). It's important to note that I am blind in my left eye (hello Niels Feijen!) so it's important that I get my good eye directly over the cue and I thought that I was doing a good job of that.
When I play the full table drill where I set the CB on the spot and shoot at the far center diamond I can roll the CB back over the spot 99% of the time. But I usually shoot this at a medium pace so I think my stroke and my sighting are at least consistent at medium to medium slow pace.
Here's where my question gets interesting. I was running some straight in drills this week and found that when I gripped the cue with my thumb and middle finger instead of my thumb and index, I was dead center on every shot regardless of the speed. Is this a function of change causing me to focus more precisely on the shot? Or could my index/thumb grip have caused a mechanical, weird hitch in the stroke. At present, I think it's a focus issue - the change required that I give more attention to the PSR (I have a solid PSR BTW), grip pressure and follow through but can anyone explain it from a mechanical stand point?
I do have a tendency to anticipate the hit and choke the cue on my follow through. I feel like my middle finger grip removes this error in my stroke. Should I continue stroking with a middle finger grip? or should I work out my choke grip on the index finger? I wonder if the change in grip has allowed me to escape the tendency to "steer" the shot. I'm worried that my older, less elastic muscle memory means that correcting my normal grip would take more work than transferring to a newer middle finger grip... do any pros use an alternate grip and should I just lean in to what is working for me?