Elbow dropping in SD

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
with all the bad press on elbow dropping. Why did SVB play good enough tonight to beat Efren and on about 80% of his shots he dropped his elbow and get away with it? I'd really like to hear about this, if its so bad how did he do it? would he play better if he didnt? case closed.
 
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Good Point Fatboy. Did you see which elbow drop Shane was committing?....SPF=randyg
 
The more I read the more I conclude that a stoke is a very personal thing.There is no way to "do it right"...although I'll concede it can be bad enough for correction and improvment...but after the major flaws are fixed,its just a matter of results.Regardless of how it looks.

JMHO
 
Thunderball said:
The more I read the more I conclude that a stoke is a very personal thing.There is no way to "do it right"...although I'll concede it can be bad enough for correction and improvment...but after the major flaws are fixed,its just a matter of results.Regardless of how it looks.

JMHO

Exactly.. A stroke is like a jump shot In basket ball doesnt matter what it looks like as long as it goes in.. Just because they have an ugly stroke or jump shot doesnt mean that they cant play..
 
Fatboy said:
with all the bad press on elbow dropping. Why did SVB play good enough tonight to beat Efren and on about 80% of his shots he dropped his elbow and get away with it? I'd really like to hear about this, if its so bad how did he do it? would he play better if he didnt? case closed.

A lot of peoples would say: it wouldn't matter if the elbow dropping is AFTER the hit.

I would say, elbow dropping isn't a bad thing. For a beginner, elbow dropping might be bad, because you want to learn to have a nice straight stroke. When you are dropping your elbow there are 1 factor more, what can effect your stroke. So a lot of peoples are saying not to drop your elbow, so it's easier to have a nice stroke. The problem with not dropping your elbow is that your cue will move downwards after the stroke. It will not be level as possible. Dropping your elbow will give you a nicer follow through. If you have a good stroke, it wouldn't matter if you drop or not drop your elbow.
 
I noticed one the other day, sorry if it has been stated elsewhere.

If you move the bridge hand closer to the cue ball, you can use a slip stroke to get the back hand to vertical (or slightly before as the case may be). This will in turn lead to a straighter follow through with less elbow drop.

Personally, I like leaving the tip on the cloth after shooting as it graphically shows me what I did right or wrong on nearly every shot.
 
WesleyW said:
A lot of peoples would say: it wouldn't matter if the elbow dropping is AFTER the hit.

I would say, elbow dropping isn't a bad thing. For a beginner, elbow dropping might be bad, because you want to learn to have a nice straight stroke. When you are dropping your elbow there are 1 factor more, what can effect your stroke. So a lot of peoples are saying not to drop your elbow, so it's easier to have a nice stroke. The problem with not dropping your elbow is that your cue will move downwards after the stroke.

If the cueball is gone in 1/1000 of a second, then all the amount of "follow through" and where your tip finishes will not effect the path of the cueball. Your cue stick only has to be level at impact.


It will not be level as possible. Dropping your elbow will give you a nicer follow through. If you have a good stroke, it wouldn't matter if you drop or not drop your elbow.


What's a "nicer" follow through????....SPF=randyg
 
randyg said:
What's a "nicer" follow through????....SPF=randyg
C'mon Randy, you know a follow-through should be 2 feet long - you can't draw the rock without it....

-djb
 
I took a BCA Foundation Course from Stan Shuffett not long ago. I am not a top player, just a B+ on my best days. Of course Stan tried to get me to stop dropping my elbow on my follow through. I am one probably who, if I could manage to retrain myself after 40 years of pool, would benefit from it. Why you ask ? Same reason that others are encouraged not to do it. For those who are less than extrordinarily gifted in the coordination department, it's far easier to improve and simplify if you don't drop it. A follow through to the chest will do everything that you need and nothing that you don't.

Champions like SVB and others are exceptional athletes. They have far better than average hand eye coordination and fluid strokes which are not very forgiving for the average guy if we copy them. Randy G and others can correct me if I'm mistaken...Tom
 
randyg said:
What's a "nicer" follow through????....SPF=randyg

http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2004-02.pdf

I prefer diagram 4 above diagram 2. There are peoples who like to finish (follow through) his stroke further. As shown in diagram 2 the tip will hit the table and scratch the cloth. Watch some videos, Efren does it sometimes (after his stroke). Sometimes when he stroke, the tip will almost hit the table, his elbow drops and the tip will go up again.

If peoples can manage this kind of technics (just stroking straight, without moving the tip up and down), why not doing it. It isn't wrong to drop your elbow.
 
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so elbow dropping is cool after the hit? i couldnt read all those threads. if so then i'm cool with my elbow. thanks guys. :)
 
Fatboy said:
so elbow dropping is cool after the hit? i couldnt read all those threads. if so then i'm cool with my elbow. thanks guys. :)

Yes!

There are many peoples asking me, why I didn't finish my stroke smoothly. That's because I'm trying not to drop my elbow after the hit. I can't manage to finish my stroke without dropping my elbow. I have a very low stance (snookerstance with cue close to the chest). If I don't drop my elbow the cue will go up and get stuck. I read peoples saying not to drop elbow, but that's wrong! You can drop elbow after the hit. It's just not propper to drop your elbow before the hit.
 
onr thing i noticed watching alot of players who dont drop their elbow much is that they are down real low on the cue(their chest is below the elbow) like snooker players, thus it makes it easier for your arm to be a pendlum and follow through the shot with out dropping your elbow, i'm 2" shorter than SVB and I cant get down low on shots-I have never been able too because my back hurts-hell i cant play now at all this month because of it, but anyways Its impossible for me to get much follow through because i'm tall with out dropping my elbow AFTER contact, Additionally I have very wide sholders much wider than Shanes and that too changes alot of things because my wingspan is alot wider with shorter arms-ever notice how long Efrens armes are? they hang way down and he has nawwor shoulders, this lengthern Efrens pendulim too. I'm looking foward to talking to a few insturctors about this, in a constructive way-I'm know knocking it, but it is largely dependent on the anatomy of the player and not a general rule.
 
Fatboy said:
onr thing i noticed watching alot of players who dont drop their elbow much is that they are down real low on the cue(their chest is below the elbow) like snooker players, thus it makes it easier for your arm to be a pendlum and follow through the shot with out dropping your elbow...

Are you really sure? I would like to know what players you are talking about. When you are getting as low as a snooker player your arm will be blocked. So the follow through will be quite short. Just watch some snookervideos the snookerplayers almost always has a shorter follow through (around 4 inches after contacting the CB) than poolplayers.
 
Fatboy said:
onr thing i noticed watching alot of players who dont drop their elbow much is that they are down real low on the cue(their chest is below the elbow) like snooker players, thus it makes it easier for your arm to be a pendlum and follow through the shot with out dropping your elbow, i'm 2" shorter than SVB and I cant get down low on shots-I have never been able too because my back hurts-hell i cant play now at all this month because of it, but anyways Its impossible for me to get much follow through because i'm tall with out dropping my elbow AFTER contact, Additionally I have very wide sholders much wider than Shanes and that too changes alot of things because my wingspan is alot wider with shorter arms-ever notice how long Efrens armes are? they hang way down and he has nawwor shoulders, this lengthern Efrens pendulim too. I'm looking foward to talking to a few insturctors about this, in a constructive way-I'm know knocking it, but it is largely dependent on the anatomy of the player and not a general rule.

i find its the exact opposite for me.....im tall and if i get down too low on a shot its harder for me to not drop my elbow. When i raise up off the shot i have pretty much zero elbow drop, i try to maintain the pendulum stroke and it works great for me.
 
tpdtom said:
Champions like SVB and others are exceptional athletes. They have far better than average hand eye coordination and fluid strokes which are not very forgiving for the average guy if we copy them. Randy G and others can correct me if I'm mistaken...Tom

Tom...You're NOT mistaken! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
WesleyW said:
Are you really sure? I would like to know what players you are talking about. When you are getting as low as a snooker player your arm will be blocked. So the follow through will be quite short. Just watch some snookervideos the snookerplayers almost always has a shorter follow through (around 4 inches after contacting the CB) than poolplayers.

yes pretty sure, the snooker players use a 4 point body contact with the cue, Saramouche has posted threads about this, Alan Morris a snooker who posts here has showed this to me first hand, the cue touches their chest and their elbow is behind them far enough, I was watching Steve Davis, Mark Selby and a few other taller players that had a good follow through but it is shorter than Earl or Shane, I have watched ALOT of snooker this year 150 hours not counting youtube and re-runs ths year in germany-I was recovering from a operation-it saved me.
 
Fatboy said:
onr thing i noticed watching alot of players who dont drop their elbow much is that they are down real low on the cue(their chest is below the elbow) like snooker players, thus it makes it easier for your arm to be a pendlum and follow through the shot with out dropping your elbow, i'm 2" shorter than SVB and I cant get down low on shots-I have never been able too because my back hurts-hell i cant play now at all this month because of it, but anyways Its impossible for me to get much follow through because i'm tall with out dropping my elbow AFTER contact, Additionally I have very wide sholders much wider than Shanes and that too changes alot of things because my wingspan is alot wider with shorter arms-ever notice how long Efrens armes are? they hang way down and he has nawwor shoulders, this lengthern Efrens pendulim too. I'm looking foward to talking to a few insturctors about this, in a constructive way-I'm know knocking it, but it is largely dependent on the anatomy of the player and not a general rule.


SCOTT PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS, i'm not arguing just want to learn, and let me know when your in vegas, thanks fb
 
Fatboy said:
SCOTT PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS, i'm not arguing just want to learn, and let me know when your in vegas, thanks fb


Hi FATBOY: I know quite a few "stand-up" players. They all play quite well indeed. Scott Lee is one of them. Have Scott explain the "follow through" to you. That might help clear up your elbow drop.

Remember: It's not the length of follow through that's important but how do will arrive at the cueball......SPF=randyg
 
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