Elbow drop

Fatboy

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wwe havent had a good old elbow drop thread in a while(we used to have them weekly a year or 2 ago, I miss them), since I love re-runs I thought I'd start a new one.

Mike Davis who just won Reno has it mastered as well as Keith, so I think its a great skill if you can get away with it, its all about tip contact time with the CB, every little bit helps, Choppy, hackey ,punchey strokes just dont get it done anymore on 860. with LD Shafts....


Happy New Year
 
It's ok as long as you have low deflection shaft, CTE aiming system, Filipino bridge , true Hoppe cue, OLD Moori tip and Jay's autograph.
Don't forget Master BLUE chalk.
 
I spent hours trying to cure elbow drop, then I saw some video of a guy named Mikka Immonen who seems to shoot pretty good pool even though his elbow drops clear down to his belt.

Dave Nelson
 
Seems like Mike Davis has what appears to be shoulder drop (not elbow drop)....His arm moves in a way like no other I have ever seen.

.......but he sure can play damn good!!!!!!!
 
Seems to me that if you use a pendulum stroke and finish your stroke with your back hand on your chest there is no elbow drop. The back hand reaches the end of the natural swing and stops.

Natural follow through is only about 6".
 
My question is, how can I have a relaxed, thorough follow-through without the drop?

Is this just another thing I should worry about?
 
Impact Blue said:
My question is, how can I have a relaxed, thorough follow-through without the drop?

Is this just another thing I should worry about?
Click to expand...
With a relaxed stroke?
 
Absolutely correct JoeW. However, someone's natural finish may be more or less than 6"...depending on the length of their bridge, and how long their arms are. Many players naturally fall in the 4-6" range, though.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JoeW said:
Seems to me that if you use a pendulum stroke and finish your stroke with your back hand on your chest there is no elbow drop. The back hand reaches the end of the natural swing and stops.

Natural follow through is only about 6".
Click to expand...
 
Just because one pro or another can play one way doesn't mean it should be emulated.

Ralph Greenleaf is one of the greatest players ever and he had a side arm stroke. Alex Higgins was a great snooker player, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to cure your habit of jumping up.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Just because one pro or another can play one way doesn't mean it should be emulated.

Ralph Greenleaf is one of the greatest players ever and he had a side arm stroke. Alex Higgins was a great snooker player, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to cure your habit of jumping up.
Click to expand...

It isn't just one or two pros - search out some videos
of great straight pool players. On break shots and many secondary
(cluster) breakouts they almost all, almost always drop the elbow.

Miz came so far down his elbow was by his waist - Mosconi even farther.

The only question I have is: how can this still be in question?

Dale
 
Last edited:
elbow drop

Fatboy; I know Mike pretty well and I asked him about his unusual delivery and his answer was as follows........He watched the machines that tried all the shafts for comparison and said that if he could copy it he would have his stroke. He actually shoots "from his shoulder" right handed but if you see him left handed he has a traditional shooting method (from the elbow). FWIW Mike's a great guy and will talk to anybody regarding the game.
 
pdcue said:
It isn't just one or two pros - search out some videos
of great straight pool players. On break shots and many secondary
(cluster) breakouts they almost all, almost always drop the elbow.

Miz came so far down his elbow was by his waist - Mosconi even farther.

The only question I have is: how can this still be in question?

Dale
Click to expand...

My point was mainly that people tend to justify their flaws by refering to pro's who share common flaws. The difference being the pro has spent many hours perfecting their game.

My personal opinion is that the elbow shouldn't drop before contact as you can generate more speed with your forearm.
 
Most of the Pro's mentioned went through their learning process years before the validity of the "no elbow drop" concept became known. The late Hal Mix wrote that the players who have unconventional styles may be great but you have to wonder how good they might have been with proper fundamentals. (Not verbatim) It seems logical that fewer muscle groups involved the easier it would be to establish "muscle memory."
 
We must also remember that there are 3-types of elbow drop.

1. Before contact.
2. During contact.
3. After contact.

SPF=randyg
 
Gerald said:
Most of the Pro's mentioned went through their learning process years before the validity of the "no elbow drop" concept became known. The late Hal Mix wrote that the players who have unconventional styles may be great but you have to wonder how good they might have been with proper fundamentals. (Not verbatim) It seems logical that fewer muscle groups involved the easier it would be to establish "muscle memory."
Click to expand...

Sorry, but the idea of not dropping the elbow has been around - and well known by top players - longer than the lifespan of any living player.

The perfect pendulum is a good starting point for beginners - most
shots can be executed by that techique - the important point is to not
move the elbow while addressing the ball.

The fallacy IIUC is that dropping your elbow during follow through is a flaw
because it is somehow detrimental to accuracy. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Dale
 
I always preferred the elbow drop to lock-up the win.

f_ShawnMichaem_e126388.jpg
 
I've thought about this a lot recently, since my stroke isn't a 100% pendulum motion. My elbow drops just after CB contact, and my forearm isn't perfectly perpendicular to the floor.

My thought on this is that having a stroke that isn't technically "perfect" is ok - as long as you practice with it enough. If someone only plays a little bit, it might be advantageous to use the pendulum, since that is an easy way to make sure they are stroking the same way every time. For someone who plays regularly, they have the ability to develop muscle memory so that their stroke becomes consistant in it's inconsistancies... If you know what I mean ;)
 
What is always interesting about the "don't drop the elbow" or "it's ok to drop the elbow"...or "its ok to drop the elbow after impact"....is....nobody ever really explains why it is an issue...

What exactly is the effect of the elbow drop???? That might make people understand why it is necessary or not necessry to drop the elbow.
 
I thought it was because when you drop your elbow it causes the tip of your cue to rise and you end up striking the cue ball higher than intended.
 
Poolfiend said:
I thought it was because when you drop your elbow it causes the tip of your cue to rise and you end up striking the cue ball higher than intended.
Click to expand...

This happens when you are dropping your elbow before contact. If you drop your elbow after contact this does not happen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top