Chicken Wing Help

Ideally you want your shoulder and elbow on the same line as your eyes, and directly over the stick and the shot line. Notice in the pic below that your shoulder and elbow are well outside that line, forcing you to tuck the stick under to get it on line. This allows you to stand with your torso and head facing the shot more squarely (more snookerish), which might be more "natural" for you, but isn't ideal for your stroke.

To get your shoulder and elbow on line with the shot is pretty straightforward: just move your grip hand away from your body until it's under your elbow, move your bridge hand the other way a little to keep the stick under your eyes, and turn your head a little more to look squarely along the new shot line.

Now you're standing with your body (feet, hips, torso) turned a little more toward your stick (a more "closed" stance) so all the important parts can be on the same line.

pj
chgo

Patrick and surffisher,

That was the very 1st thing that I noticed. Nice job on picking that up Patrick.

r/DCP

Check out a You Tube video titled "Learning the Line Up" by jordidonosti. It has Thorsten Hohmann demonstrating a technique for getting the body perfectly in line prior to getting doew on the shot. This was also demonstrated by Bert Kinister in his Advanced Fundamentals video.

My strong preference is to repair your stance rather than have you move your arm away from your torso.

In the shots where your pre-stance routine is shown, you stand with your head several feet to the side then lay the cue down on the shot line, giving you a parallax view of the shot, compromising aim.

Instead, stand straight behind the cue ball and walk straight into the shot rather than sidesaddle into the shot.

My routine:

1) Stand with the head centered behind the cue ball, to eye the upcoming shot from the best possible vantage point

2) Bring the right foot in, to move my head slightly to my left, so my eyes are on their optimal line of sight, aka my "vision center"

3) Step forward with the left foot

4) My stroke hand/right hand is precisely on the line now and I come down and in, not to the side and down and in

Once you learn to adjust your right and left steps for 2) and 3) you can do the same and walk "into" the shot better.

Hi Surfisher2a,

You're correct that your chicken wing is your biggest problem. It can definitely be fixed but I will tell you that you have to be patient and be willing to make some big changes because it will feel like you completely changed your game.

The reason for the chicken wing is that your pool cue is too close to your torso so your arm can't hang down straight. The root cause of this is that your feet are in the wrong place at the table. It's a common error because your head is in the center of your body, yet you will have to shoot with the side of your body being over the shot. You will have to relearn a new stance and a different balance. It will feel in the beginning like you are starting over.

Overall, the angle of your feet to each other looks pretty good but you'll have to shift it a bit as you make your adjustments. Keep a similar angle but move everything to the left about 6 inches while keeping your pool cue on the line of the shot. Keep tweaking the angle until at least part of your right foot is on the line of the shot, even if it's just your toes. You will find that you have to lean slightly more to the right to get your head over the cue. That's okay. It's not as much as it feels but it's correct.

Being in balance when you're standing low to the shot should feel like you're leaning slightly right and back.

Now your arm should be hanging straight down from your elbow at address. It will feel awful to shoot that way, but just hang in there until you can get used to a new alignment and balance. It will take some time and you'll have to resist wanting to go back to your comfort zone. But it will be well worth it to endure the pain and suffering. You'll free up your arm this way and enable a straighter stroke.

Lastly, always remember. When getting down over a shot, bring your body to the cue. Never bring the cue to your body.

I disagree that your chicken wing is your worst problem. The important thing is that the cue strikes the CB accurately. IMO your biggest problem is engaging your shoulder as part of the swing. It causes you to miss frequently. Do yourself a favor, and contact Steve Jennings in Charlotte NC. He's a great PBIA Master Instructor and excellent at video analysis.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

surffisher2a said:

Awesome info everyone. I really appreciate it.

I am going to try and make some changes this weekend and early next week depending on my work schedule.

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Not an instructor but I think I found your problem....Are those your legs or are you riding a chicken? Sorry, I just wanted to lighten things up a bit.

On a more serious note, your photography was great for your first attempt. If you video again I would like to see the camera exactly behind the cue. It was difficult to determine if the cue was going in an exact straight forward line, which I think is your goal. If it is not going straight then determining if the problem is in the wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, etc., or a combination of these would help the instructors give advice.