i was wondering if any of you could describe the grip you use. i seem to be changing mine constantly.
thank you
i was wondering if any of you could describe the grip you use. i seem to be changing mine constantly.
thank you
what goes through my mind sometimes when i miss a shot is that the grip felt awkward. the ones i use the most one similar to what one pocket john described, or one like that with my index finger off the cue.i don't like the orcullo grip which i think is index and middle finger only but it does seem to work for him.
I am working towards a pendulum stroke, insofar as I am still working on my stroke and other fundamentals. I wanted to relay what was going on with my grip and get some opinions.
If we consider the cue to be the x-axis, and the plane perpendicular to the x-axis and (fairly) parallel to the plane of the table to be the y-axis, then I can describe what i think is going on with my grip.
At address, I have a loose grip with all fingers closed on the cue. I mainly rely on my middle finger to "cradle" the cue. Upon takeback, I open my ring and pinky fingers (as some players do). Open and close as I take practice strokes.
What I feel is odd is that I believe there is some rotation in my hand in the x-y plane. To describe it better, it feels as if at full takeback my palm is facing towards the butt end of the cue (though not that extreme). So, at address, the palm is facing the cue itself, and at full takeback it is rotated towards the butt end.
My straight ins and stop shots work quite well doing this. Any comments would be appreciated.
Well, if you're pocketing balls this way, then you must be rotating your hand back to it's originating point when the tip reaches impact with the cue ball. So whatever you're doing with your grip during the stroke --- you're finishing at the same position you started with at address.
And when you miss --- you may not quite be making it back to your original address position at impact.
That sure sounds like a lot of hard work to get back to where you started. The way I see it, you have two choices: 1) You can let the movement control you, or 2) You can take control of the movement.
Hi Fran. I appreciate the feedback. I have tried various different grips in the past and this seems to work the best so far. Sometimes, it is a little tough to figure out, say on a standard cut shot, whether my stroke wasn't straight, or whether my aim was just a little off.
My thoughts are that if you (and others) don't see this as a major flaw that needs to be corrected in order to progress in pool, I will just stick with it. My focus has been on just forming a repeatable straight stroke and so far this has fit the bill.
Fran, I have a question similar to this. My stroke is smooth and I follow through correctly, well at least I think, and I cradle the cue but primarily use my index finger and my middle finger. As Scott mentioned above it’s also important to have a smooth transition forward. Sometimes I actually feel the cue sliding through my fingers on the forward stroke. Is this bad or a bad habit forming? I still stroke straight and pocket balls but I just want make sure I’m not doing something wrong here. Thanks , mike
Fran, I have a question similar to this. My stroke is smooth and I follow through correctly, well at least I think, and I cradle the cue but primarily use my index finger and my middle finger. As Scott mentioned above it’s also important to have a smooth transition forward. Sometimes I actually feel the cue sliding through my fingers on the forward stroke. Is this bad or a bad habit forming? I still stroke straight and pocket balls but I just want make sure I’m not doing something wrong here. Thanks , mike
Hey Mike,
Players usually place their grip emphasis either on the thumb, index finger, and third finger together, or on the last three fingers together. Either grip can be used with a full fist on the cue. It's just a matter of where you place your emphasis.
I think it's a bit unstable for the grip pressure to be on the index and third fingers only. The cue sliding through your fingers isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there is potential for bad things to happen, such as causing you to not follow through properly on shots. These problems associated with the cue sliding start to creep up on you without your realizing it's happening, so be careful.
I think you should consider choosing one of the two grips I mentioned above rather than your current grip.
I am working on this grip now. Thank you (I know this is an old thread)Okay. Got it.
The grip is important because it's where you feel the shot. There is some feel in the bridge hand as well, but the main feel is in the grip. The grip should not impede the motion of the cue in any way. That is why I like the same grip you do, which is not with the thumb and index finger but with the middle to the back of the grip hand. But I do have my entire hand on the cue, including thumb, index finger and my pinkie, which is my anchor. It's a matter of where you place your emphasis.
However, don't forget that it's your arm that propels the cue stick into the cue ball, and not your hand. For the majority of shots, you want your grip hand to be passive on the cue stick --- no more than a receptor of feel. However, there are occasions when grip hand manipulation on the cue is necessary, as with certain power shots, like break shots or short power shots where you have to use your wrist to get power or you would double hit the cue ball, for example.
For now, try keeping your grip relaxed and sensitive but focus more on your arm swing. Things may fall into place for you that way.