A "new way" to grip the cue

I was probably editing the post when you responded to me haha. Shouldn't be an issue now.
 
Zphix said:
I prefer a loose fingertip grip because the fingertips are more sensitive than the palms of your hands. The fingertips have more sensory receptors than the palm. If you take two pins, and press the two pinheads into your fingertips you'll be able to detect the two individual pinheads - but you cannot do this same thing with your palms. Perhaps.

Anyway, whenever I've shot with a firmer grip; it throws everything off from my straight stroke to keeping my cue level during the shot and I cannot feel a thing when stroking. Plus, CB control seems to be more arm speed than cue speed at that point. That make no sense to me. The arm speed it what is moving the cue. So, with a firm connection to the cue the cue speed is very much related to the speed of the arm movement.

When you keep a loose grip, you're letting the weight of the cue do the work and that creates consistency in your speed control and gives you a reference point for future shots. How so? If you're using a firm grip your speed control consistency then becomes based on your ability to move your arm at the same speed on every shot instead of letting a consistent cue weight dictate your base speed. No, that make no real sense. One is not hitting every shot with the same consistent speed. but is moving the arm at different speeds for different shots. The weight of the cue is consistent but the speed is different. The cue weight is consistent for both methods of connecting to it. It sounds like you have been listening to some bad stuff. Either that or you are may not be expressing yourself well. I'm not sure which.

Just my 2 cents.

EDIT: If a firm grip works for you then keep it. I've seen a few players who have short backswings, and follow-throughs on every shot due to their "grip" and they are more accurate (on average) but cannot do as much with the CB. However, many players I know who use a loose grip are just as accurate (due to experience) and they get more out of the CB.
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Sorry for the blue ink inserted into your words but it seemed to be the most simple method of communication without getting too wordy.

If you've misspoken or if I have misunderstood, I would appreciate a clarification.

Thanks.
 
ENGLISH! said:
Sorry for the blue ink inserted into your words but it seemed to be the most simple method of communication without getting too wordy.

If you've misspoken or if I have misunderstood, I would appreciate a clarification.

Thanks.
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I'd prefer to not call upon information that I heard second handedly but I may have to in this case. I apologize if any of the names are wrong below.

I wrote up a reply and realized that I did miscommunicate my thoughts.

What I was going to mention was something Tom Simpson calls the Happy Shot (or something similar) and it's designed to get you to understand your base speed. You take the CB and spot it, then stroke the CB letting the weight of the cue determine the speed of the stroke so the CB should end up within a diamonds distance on the table every time you stroke. That becomes your base speed, and reference speed on future shots.

Let's say that a players base speed is 2 and a half table lengths, if they're cutting a ball thin they can expect to go that distance. If they need to only bounce 1 table length then they know to lessen their speed. If they need to go longer then they know to increase their speed past letting the cue weight do all the work.

That was my point. I hope I wasn't insinuating that cue weight does all the work, just that knowing how far the CB does when you do let the cue weight determine the speed is important and serves as a reference. I don't think anyway disagrees that arm speed changes from shot to shot, or that arm speed is negligible. But you need to gauge your arm speed vs. a consistent speed (the cue weight).

As for why my stroke changed when I gripped more firmly, I don't know why this was the case but it was fairly easy to see and notice it. I remember John Schmidt talking about loose grip vs. firm grip on the Tar Podcast with Corey and his reason for doing so is my reason for doing so. A firm grip does not work for me and it takes away my feel and touch on shots.

Again, I wasn't saying arm speed is unimportant or negligible; it's very important and it changes shot by shot. But, you have no base/natural/reference speed if you haven't ever let the weight of the cue determine one for you is all. I struggled with this concept for a while, and I struggled to actually find my base speed because I was incapable of completely letting the cue do the work.

Then, from my martial arts background. It's easier to throw a straight punch when your hand is relaxed, and much more difficult to do when your hand is tense. I think the same applies in pool. With a firm grip it feels like I'm trying to direct the cue, with a loose grip it feels like I'm letting the cue fly straight. This is just my experience with experimenting with how different grips feel for me.
 
I have read all these posts and not to hi-jack the discussion but add to it. An elderly gent who played a lot mentioned that a larger diameter butt allowed a looser grip with more control essentially giving the best of both worlds....albeit more weight i would guess.

If the size of your hand would dictate it would you consider a larger dia Butt if it would require your hand to loosen?
 
How you hold the cue is just a small part of the grip. What you do with the hand during the stroke opens up a whole other aspect of it. Whilst my grip may be firm, I have a long backswing with the tip coming back all the way to my bridge making it about a 13-15" pull back for most shots except for the delicate ones. Because of this, all my fingers release from the cue and I grip with thumb and underside of the large index knuckle as I pull back. If I didn't, I would be trying to generate the speed of the cue with my shoulder and it causes me all kinds of issues. This is how I generate lots of spin when needed or a lot of power with little effort.
 
Pidge said:
How you hold the cue is just a small part of the grip. What you do with the hand during the stroke opens up a whole other aspect of it. Whilst my grip may be firm, I have a long backswing with the tip coming back all the way to my bridge making it about a 13-15" pull back for most shots except for the delicate ones. Because of this, all my fingers release from the cue and I grip with thumb and underside of the large index knuckle as I pull back. If I didn't, I would be trying to generate the speed of the cue with my shoulder and it causes me all kinds of issues. This is how I generate lots of spin when needed or a lot of power with little effort.
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Same thing I do but my grip stays loose for that reason. Sounds like we take different paths to the same point.

Something I've noticed in my own game, and from watching countless pro matches on YouTube and a few in real life is that on long stroke shots; the grip is loose, and on shorter, jab strokes the grip is more firm and tight.

Kudos to everyone in this thread :thumbup:
 
Interesting thread.

More than one way to hold the cue, but there are common parts.

Longer strokes need room for the cue to move. That could be a loose grip or a firm grip with fingers releasing at the back of the stroke.

Shorter strokes don't need as much room for cue movement so you can hold loose or firm.

As I progress in my learning and ability, I've changed my grip. I currently like a firm grip for short and medium length strokes and a looser grip for longer strokes.
 
screamingelvis said:
I have read all these posts and not to hi-jack the discussion but add to it. An elderly gent who played a lot mentioned that a larger diameter butt allowed a looser grip with more control essentially giving the best of both worlds....albeit more weight i would guess.

If the size of your hand would dictate it would you consider a larger dia Butt if it would require your hand to loosen?
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I found this to be the case for me after buying a Barnhart cue. My grip loosened quite a bit and now have a sensation of holding the weight of the cue. This feeling isn't there on my previous cues.
 
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