The essence of power comes not through strength but through technique!
This explains why we can see skinny little guys pounding the break considerably harder than 300lb behemoths down at the local.
To use the language of the biomechanical physiologists, the key is 'eccentric or isometric contractions'. Ok,...I'll speak English for you
A muscle can contract with much greater force when resisting a force than it can when acting in the direction of movement. An isometric contraction is when you are resisting force without movement. An eccentric contraction occurs when you are acting against a force while moving backward to the force you are applying. This sounds far out, but I can prove it to you beyond a doubt with a few of examples you can relate to:
1. Try a squat jump from a stationary squat position, then see how high you can reach if you drop into the squat before you jump. (Eccentric Contraction)
2. Try hitting your middle finger onto the palm of your hand as hard as you can. Then click your fingers and see that your middle finger hits the palm of your hand so hard it makes a noise. (Isometric contraction)
3. Try flicking a coin without your thumb touching anything but the coin. How high does the coin go? 6"? Now lock your thumb under your forefinger (isometrically contracting the muscles) and then let the thumb rip. How high can you get the coin? Maybe to the roof if you practice! (Isometric contraction).
For your interest, Bruce Lee used to use a lot of isometric contraction exercises to develop his fast and powerful movements.
So how can we adapt this to breaking balls, or to making that screw shot travel 20 feet around the table for position?
As in most sporting techniques, we cannot use isometric contractions very much if at all, but we can use eccentric contractions which are also very powerful. Achieving this well, is quite difficult, but if you understand the concept you have a good chance to develop the technique. Some people do it quite naturally, just as some people can sprint and throw quite naturally. Don't pay much attention to all the fast twitch fiber theories. Anyone can produce exceptional power if they have good technique.
We have 3 major areas where eccentric contractions can occur in a swing. These are, in level of importance, the wrist, the biceps and the pectorals. The pectorals are your chest muscles that move your upper arm to the front. Your biceps move your lower arm toward the front and your wrist and even hand is propelled forward by various muscles of the forearm and within the hand.
To make the force applied to these muscles optimum, they should each begin contraction at a point when they are eccentrically contracting (or moving in the opposite direction of where they will eventually push). The transitions are quite quick, but you will feel the increased power when you contract the muscles at the right time.
As you swing to the farthest point of the backswing, the chest muscles should resist and pull the cue forward. For a slight time, the bicep should relax and extend, and then contract, lastly a loose wrist should contract against the forces produced upon it from the chest and bicep muscle pull. If you time it right, the wrist will explode through like your thumb does when flicking a coin.
With good timing of these contractions, you won't even need much effort to create power shots. Your biggest worry will be keeping the cue ball on the table.
An additional consideration is raising your body during the shot. The reason this adds more power is the same reason hammer throwers can throw further with a longer wire attached to the hammer. The longer the radius (in this case the arm of the cue) the greater is the speed at the end.
To put all these things together requires a lot of practice to train neuromuscular memory. But with persistance, anyone can learn to develop power shots way beyond the average mortal.
To begin, I suggest you focus on relaxing the wrist until you feel it is being pressed back. Wait longer than you usually do, and then flick your wrist forward. This alone will increase your power over 20%. If you can learn to work all the muscles this way, with the correct timing, the power will be amazing. You will begin to understand how elite athletes can throw javelins 90m and shot puts over 22m.
This explains why we can see skinny little guys pounding the break considerably harder than 300lb behemoths down at the local.
To use the language of the biomechanical physiologists, the key is 'eccentric or isometric contractions'. Ok,...I'll speak English for you
A muscle can contract with much greater force when resisting a force than it can when acting in the direction of movement. An isometric contraction is when you are resisting force without movement. An eccentric contraction occurs when you are acting against a force while moving backward to the force you are applying. This sounds far out, but I can prove it to you beyond a doubt with a few of examples you can relate to:
1. Try a squat jump from a stationary squat position, then see how high you can reach if you drop into the squat before you jump. (Eccentric Contraction)
2. Try hitting your middle finger onto the palm of your hand as hard as you can. Then click your fingers and see that your middle finger hits the palm of your hand so hard it makes a noise. (Isometric contraction)
3. Try flicking a coin without your thumb touching anything but the coin. How high does the coin go? 6"? Now lock your thumb under your forefinger (isometrically contracting the muscles) and then let the thumb rip. How high can you get the coin? Maybe to the roof if you practice! (Isometric contraction).
For your interest, Bruce Lee used to use a lot of isometric contraction exercises to develop his fast and powerful movements.
So how can we adapt this to breaking balls, or to making that screw shot travel 20 feet around the table for position?
As in most sporting techniques, we cannot use isometric contractions very much if at all, but we can use eccentric contractions which are also very powerful. Achieving this well, is quite difficult, but if you understand the concept you have a good chance to develop the technique. Some people do it quite naturally, just as some people can sprint and throw quite naturally. Don't pay much attention to all the fast twitch fiber theories. Anyone can produce exceptional power if they have good technique.
We have 3 major areas where eccentric contractions can occur in a swing. These are, in level of importance, the wrist, the biceps and the pectorals. The pectorals are your chest muscles that move your upper arm to the front. Your biceps move your lower arm toward the front and your wrist and even hand is propelled forward by various muscles of the forearm and within the hand.
To make the force applied to these muscles optimum, they should each begin contraction at a point when they are eccentrically contracting (or moving in the opposite direction of where they will eventually push). The transitions are quite quick, but you will feel the increased power when you contract the muscles at the right time.
As you swing to the farthest point of the backswing, the chest muscles should resist and pull the cue forward. For a slight time, the bicep should relax and extend, and then contract, lastly a loose wrist should contract against the forces produced upon it from the chest and bicep muscle pull. If you time it right, the wrist will explode through like your thumb does when flicking a coin.
With good timing of these contractions, you won't even need much effort to create power shots. Your biggest worry will be keeping the cue ball on the table.
An additional consideration is raising your body during the shot. The reason this adds more power is the same reason hammer throwers can throw further with a longer wire attached to the hammer. The longer the radius (in this case the arm of the cue) the greater is the speed at the end.
To put all these things together requires a lot of practice to train neuromuscular memory. But with persistance, anyone can learn to develop power shots way beyond the average mortal.
To begin, I suggest you focus on relaxing the wrist until you feel it is being pressed back. Wait longer than you usually do, and then flick your wrist forward. This alone will increase your power over 20%. If you can learn to work all the muscles this way, with the correct timing, the power will be amazing. You will begin to understand how elite athletes can throw javelins 90m and shot puts over 22m.
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