Characterize your grip pressure, please

[Beware_of_Dawg]

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

Along this line of thinking....

Instructors, would you agree that this is sound advice in regard to grip?

The single most important aspect of grip pressure is that it stays the same throughout the stroke. One of the biggest destroyers of the stroke is an increase in grip pressure at the start of the downswing. When this happens it is virtually impossible to stroke the tip on the correct path. If anything the grip pressure should lighten slightly on the downswing to help us fully release the stroke.

Here is a simple drill to help you stop choking the cue on the downswing. During your practice sessions check your grip pressure when you are addressing the cue ball and check it again when you are holding your finish position. It should be the same at the finish as it was during address. If it is not you have some work to do. The more often you check on yourself, the sooner your brain will get the message you want the pressure to stay the same.

If we were to rate grip pressure on a scale of one to ten (with ten being a death grip and one being just barely enough pressure to keep the cue from falling out of our hands) the ideal grip pressure is between 3 and 5. The lighter the better. We need speed to propel the cueball long distances NOT FORCE. Swinging a cue is similar to throwing a ball, the muscles of the hand and arm should be loose and whippy. The tighter we hold on the SLOWER the cue will be moving when it gets to the ball.

 

[Cameron Smith]

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

I don't know. I first heard it in the movie the Greatest Game Ever Played. Near the beginning Harry Vardon is teaching Francis Ouimet how to grip the club and he uses that analogy.

I thought it was a great example so I use it to describe the pool grip.

 

[Andrew Manning]

The more you want to kill the cue ball, the tighter you grip.

I have to respectfully disagree. You may get good results on kill shots with this technique, but my best results come from doing the opposite. On normal shots I use what I would call medium grip pressure. I'm not squeezing the cue any more than necessary, but I'm not letting it move around in my fingers either.

But when I'm trying to really kill the CB, I lighten up my grip to where the cue is actually slipping a little, and using that grip I hit softly with extreme draw. I find I can really make the CB die after contacting the OB with this method, because it retains back-spin even when hit very very softly. I'm not sure exactly why the slip-grip helps with this, but it does. I don't use this technique for harder spin shots, though, because I can't control the cue using a hard stroke and such a light grip. On harder strokes I put enough pressure on the cue to keep it in one place in relation to my hand.

-Andrew

 

[alstl]

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.

Loose, mostly thumb and middle finger, but I do tighten it some on shots requiring more force. To be honest though it isn't something I think about at the table, it just happens that way.

 

[Beware_of_Dawg]

I first heard it in the movie the Greatest Game Ever Played

I pulled it over from Golf as well. The quote is actually a very famous quote about the golf grip. advice given by Sam Snead

 

[androd]

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.

Your gonna get a lot of different answers to this post, probably most are correct but different. My 2 cents is as Scott Lee says "finish like you start," most tend to tighten up on more difficult shots. I probably play looser than most, but really , as long as you don't have a death grip, it may not matter, just finish like you start.

 

[aeoliner]

for me it varies shot to shot, and during the shot i tighten and loosed throughout the stroke. but the rule i was taught and follow is:
"Whatever feels natural and comfortable"
It probanly helped that i have/had a naturally good if not great stroke and form to start with

 

[blueridge]

Here's how I grip my cue stick: :thumbup:

The Vulcan Death Grip


The grip should be very loose, just cradling the cue stick. When you deliver you stroke, the cue stick should slide through your grip hand, almost like you're throwing your cue stick at the cue ball.

 

[ironman]

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.

The best explanation I ever heard came from Robert Byrne. He said, "grip the cue as you would an empty styrofaom coffee cup."

I thought it was good!

 

[manwon]

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

Scott, if you take another look at what I said you will see that I said grip with your palm. I may have not been clear, but I was essentially trying to said what you said.

Thanks for the clear explanation Scott.

 

[Seneca Steve]

Thanks for the response

Great responses guys. Very helpful and informative. Thanks