Characterize your grip pressure, please

Seneca Steve

Seneca Steve

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Curious about other players grip hand pressure and how many digits (fingers) you involve. Also do you maintain the same grip characteristics for all types of shots ( draw, stun, follow, natural roll) ?
Personally I seem to experiment on these a good bit of the time. Might be why I do not improve. Always searching to improve I suppose. Just one of my faults.
 
My cue lays in the bend of my fingers, with my thumb just there to provide stability. The cue rocks through my fingers as my hand position changes angle. The grip is very light, regardless of the kind of shot, and remains consistant throughout the stroke.

Steve
 
I was taught to grip the cue with the same force at is takes to pick up the cue. Two fingers and thumb grip and the rest cradle the cue. I try to keep everything in my grip and stroke the same regardless of the shot.
 
Seneca Steve said:
Curious about other players grip hand pressure and how many digits (fingers) you involve. Also do you maintain the same grip characteristics for all types of shots ( draw, stun, follow, natural roll) ?
Personally I seem to experiment on these a good bit of the time. Might be why I do not improve. Always searching to improve I suppose. Just one of my faults.
Click to expand...

I grip the cue with the thumb, index finger and the middle finger. I hold it like I am holding a baby bird just strong enough to not let it get away, and soft enough to not suffocate it. I hold it on the balance point or somewhere real close and lead with my forearm as if it were the cue itself. I have absolutely no separation between myself and the cue when delivering the shot. I am the cue. ;)

Buddy Hall taught me to keep the whole hand on the cue and release with the small fingers just slightly when bringing the cue back. He also said the cue should be gripped with enough pressure so that if someone came in behind you, they would be able to slide the cue out of your fingers. I believe in that, but I also believe that his hand is huge in relation to the cue compared to my hand in relation to the cue. His hand is twice the size of mine.

If I were to emulate one player it would be SVB.
 
Take a look at Efren & Francisco...they hold it about as loose as possible. Thats why many players prefer wood handles or leather....they stick in your loose grip and allow you to stroke. Linen wraps slip when held lightly & you have to grip them tighter to get the cue move. I'll pass on the irish linen. Notice how many top players who have linen for a wrap hold the cue below the wrap on the buttsleeve. Try holding it both places, linen & buttsleeve...and see which one you can hold more loose while stroking.;)
 
Varney Cues said:
Take a look at Efren & Francisco...they hold it about as loose as possible. Thats why many players prefer wood handles or leather....they stick in your loose grip and allow you to stroke. Linen wraps slip when held lightly & you have to grip them tighter to get the cue move. I'll pass on the irish linen. Notice how many top players who have linen for a wrap hold the cue below the wrap on the buttsleeve. Try holding it both places, linen & buttsleeve...and see which one you can hold more loose while stroking.;)
Click to expand...

Mr Varney, i totally agree.
 
My grip is all wrong, my stroke is awful...my cues are worthless pieces of firewood and my case is a stinking piece of rotten cowhide!

(Can anybody tell I played horribly today? :frown: )
 
Seneca Steve said:
Curious about other players grip hand pressure and how many digits (fingers) you involve. Also do you maintain the same grip characteristics for all types of shots ( draw, stun, follow, natural roll) ?
Personally I seem to experiment on these a good bit of the time. Might be why I do not improve. Always searching to improve I suppose. Just one of my faults.
Click to expand...

Steve, I grip the cue with the Thumb and Fore Finger only, however, I allow the cue to rest on my three remaining fingers. If this method is used correctly it will place your wrist directly in line with your shoulder and you elbow.

There are many techniques that you can use to achieve these results, whatever is comfortable is what you should use. The most important thing to remember is that at no time should you allow your palm to touch the cue as part of your grip. If your palm is used as part of the grip, you will not have the wrist action needed for a good pendulum stroke, and you will tend to steer the cue ball in place of stroking it to it's target.

Hope this helps
 
Like you would hold a bird, light enough so as to not hurt it, but just tight enough to keep it from flying away.

I grip with my index and middle finger, locking the cue in with my thumb.
 
pooltchr said:
My cue lays in the bend of my fingers, with my thumb just there to provide stability. The cue rocks through my fingers as my hand position changes angle. The grip is very light, regardless of the kind of shot, and remains consistant throughout the stroke.

Steve
Click to expand...

Yep. This is what I was gonna post.
 
This right here is the way to do it.

pooltchr said:
My cue lays in the bend of my fingers, with my thumb just there to provide stability. The cue rocks through my fingers as my hand position changes angle. The grip is very light, regardless of the kind of shot, and remains consistant throughout the stroke.

Steve
Click to expand...

For those who use a tighter grip it might be easier to get a feel for what it sHOULD feel like by placing your thumb in between your forefinger and your middle finger.

Jaden
 
Craig...I have to respectfully disagree with you here. My palm rests on the cue much of the time, as I stroke the CB...and I have a perfect pendulum stroke, with a natural finish. The truth is that it doesn't matter HOW you hold/rest/cradle the cue in your hand. All that matters is that you don't squeeze the cue tightly, as you stroke forward through the CB. In other words, the grip pressure should remain the same throughout the range of the stroke. We teach grip pressure as numbers...1-5. At grip pressure #5, with an open hand bridge, the cue would be pointing up in the air. We suggest to our students that they try to keep a grip pressure #1 on the cue, at all times. Grip pressure #1 would be indicated, as when gripping the cue, the tip would not leave the surface of the table (this is just holding the cue in your grip hand...not using your bridge hand at all).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

manwon said:
The most important thing to remember is that at no time should you allow your palm to touch the cue as part of your grip. If your palm is used as part of the grip, you will not have the wrist action needed for a good pendulum stroke, and you will tend to steer the cue ball in place of stroking it to it's target.
Click to expand...
 
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The only reason...

...my grip hand is on the cue is to keep the butt from hitting the floor. (as taught by Randy G and perpetuated by me)

Buddy Eick
BCAPL National Head Referee (irrelevant here)
BCAPL Director of Referee Training (irrelevant here)
Technical Editor, BCAPL Rules (irrelevant here)

Dedicated student of Randy G (relevant here) (*sigh* - yes, I'm a BCA instructor too...)
 
I grip it very delicately, as just about every other poster said, the only difference is that I use my thumb, middle and ring fingers, and not my index or pinky. I was taught that by using the middle two fingers of the hand, there is less rotation off axis from your wrist, therefore less side to side movement of the cue because your wrist can't twist, and as a result, a straighter stroke.

If you ever see a side picture of Ray Martin gripping the cue, that about sums up my grip.
 
pooltchr said:
My cue lays in the bend of my fingers, with my thumb just there to provide stability. The cue rocks through my fingers as my hand position changes angle. The grip is very light, regardless of the kind of shot, and remains consistant throughout the stroke.

Steve
Click to expand...

This about sums up my grip also.

I have found that it helps to have the first finger contact only at its tip (in contrast to the other fingers, which touch the cue at the fingers' middle section).

The last one or two fingers come off the cue at the end of the backswing.

If I can get the cue to finish in the fleshy part of the base of the palm (does that make any sense? I mean next to the base of the thumb), then that gives me a really confident stroke. But it is something that I find difficult to get right and am having to work on.

I sometimes make a conscious decision to loosen my grip a tad when shooting with extreme side english, but only very occasionally. The only time I tighten my grip is on some very short range shots when I am trying to kill the c.b.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Like you would hold a bird, light enough so as to not hurt it, but just tight enough to keep it from flying away.
Click to expand...

I carried that over as well. Do you know where that analogy originated? It's amazing how many things carry over.
 
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Remember you grip pressure

Seneca Steve said:
Curious about other players grip hand pressure and how many digits (fingers) you involve. Also do you maintain the same grip characteristics for all types of shots ( draw, stun, follow, natural roll) ?
Personally I seem to experiment on these a good bit of the time. Might be why I do not improve. Always searching to improve I suppose. Just one of my faults.
Click to expand...


As grip pressure varies from player to player. The most important thing to me is when you are playing really well, I mean dead stroke, take note of your grip pressure and make a mental note. For me, when I am in dead stroke I am barely holding the cue.

The reason I say remember or take a mental note is so when you are not playing well you can check your grip pressure since now you know what is has to be to be in dead stroke.
 
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