Elbow and stroke

Ideally, the elbow should be on the same line because it is the pivot of your pendulum. Imagine you could view a clock pendulum where the pivot was out of alignment....It would not "naturaly" flow straight. In fact, it would make somewhat of a figure eight pattern as it rocked back and forth.

Many players create a situation where the elbow/pivot is out of alignment and they impose subtle stress within the stroke to push or steer the stroke along a straight line. This is not a pure and natural stroke delivery. They are basically compensating for errors in their technique.

It is this subtle level of stress that players impose upon their pendulum that allows them to stroke a straight line but it may also be creating unrecognized issues in other areas of the stroke delivery.

This is often how plateaus are created. We subconcsiously programm elements into our performance that limit our ability to reach the higher levels. We simply fail to recognize how deterimental these small imperfections in techniqe can be to our overall performance.

It's all about fundamentals.

Did you see this at all shot speeds?

does it go like this

http://youtu.be/uKaFPapD_0c?t=22s

or like this

http://youtu.be/quNUndF8VwI?t=4m10s

if the elbow is not aligned it can make it difficult to get the cue through straight along the whole length of the stroke, on the other hand some players still do very well like this.

clarkie39...While I agree with Bob here, I have had students who had the same issue you describe. That said, if they delivered the cue in a straight line, I would not try to "fix" anything (and I have had those students). If it caused a problem that showed up at higher speeds, then it would be an issue to correct. :grin:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Bob Jewett said:

There may be a problem if the speed of the shot increases. Does your stroke stay straight on, for example, table-length draw shots?

For the stroke to stay straight with the elbow in/out, there has to be some motion other than just the forearm swinging. The wrist or upper arm needs to move also. That motion has to be coordinated with the forearm swinging to get a straight-line motion from the cue stick. The potential problem is getting that coordinated motion at all speeds of stroke. If the elbow is directly above the grip, there is no extra motion needed.

A similar argument can be made for a stroke that is curved. A curved stroke is OK as long as it returns to the exact same spot on the cue ball. The problem is to coordinate the more complicated motions to achieve that at all speeds.

Click to expand...

From my experience most players follow through to far

clarkie39 said:

I video taped myself with a laser line behind me to see if I was stroking straight with the shot line. The good thing is I noticed I was stroking in line, but my elbow as off line. 1-2 inches... From I understand you want your elbow, wrist and and cue on the line. But if I'm stroking straight does it really matter if my elbow is off line? Ant thoughts would greatly appreciated..

Thanks

Click to expand...

I doubt if you'll see any two players with the same elbow movement, so it is irrelevant. What really matter is that you're delivering your cue straight through your "Tip Target" point on the cue ball. Your stroke need to do this as simply and precisely as possible, I would suggest making sure your hand goes back and returns to the same place with acceleration.

From my experience most players follow through to far and it increases the reaction of miss hits on the cue ball. Some of us will throw our opponents off by exasperating our follow through....DO NOT fall victim of this, it's not something you want to emulate. Back when I was gambling for a living I would do things like this intentionally to throw off my opponent and get him doing the same thing.

I see some of the champion players do this as well, they probably developed the habit many years ago and just continue to do it. You want to keep your follow through close to the same distance you are bringing the cue back, no more, no less is a good rule of thumb. 'The Game is the Teacher'

clarkie39 said:

I video taped myself with a laser line behind me to see if I was stroking straight with the shot line. The good thing is I noticed I was stroking in line, but my elbow as off line. 1-2 inches... From I understand you want your elbow, wrist and and cue on the line. But if I'm stroking straight does it really matter if my elbow is off line? Ant thoughts would greatly appreciated..

Thanks

Click to expand...

If your elbow is not directly above your hand at address, then your arm is angled in or out towards your cue stick. Monica Webb is an example of a player who plays with an angled-in arm. I have noticed in more recent videos of her where it seems that she has done some work to decrease that angle but she still has a fairly significant one.

I think you have to work harder when you shoot that way. Monica is an example that you can be successful that way, but I don't think it's an optimal position, and I wonder if a player can develop some medical issues with their elbow, shoulder, or arm shooting that way over time.

By the way, this position would be consistent with bridge arm shoulder pain if the player is also standing off-balance.