Establishing the Ideal Grip and Pro Alignment

CJ Wiley

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
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I have an unusual grip, mostly because I played tennis, golf and pool at the same time when I was a much younger man. Like Shane Van B. I pre set my wrist forward, cocking it more than most players so I get more acceleration with less effort. I show how you can find your ideal grip no matter how you like to hold the cue, the important thing is a powerful, consistent release at the moment of contact.

I also show how I align Center/Center or Center/Edge BEFORE I aim the shot. I also set my feet, which is the foundation of your game, first, then align to the shot.....when this is done correctly you won't have to aim, it's natural. The key is the stance, it's important to do it exactly right to become a pool playing machine.

When I'm teaching someone how to do this it usually takes 2+ hours and the rewards are worth it because your aiming will have a reference or baseline so your subconscious can calculate the angle needed so well you'll feel like your cheating.

The Game is the Teacher.......click here to watch the video
 
Judd Trump.....
 

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Island Drive said:
Orcullo....View attachment 616657
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I've talked with Dennis about his grip, he holds it firmer than most people think, he said he has consistent grip pressure with his thumb and index finger. It also depends on the type of shot, with finesse shots or some follow shots the grip pressure is less than full shots. Bustemante and I talked about it too in W Monroe at the Scotty Townsend tournament, he holds it loosely but at impact you can see how firm he is. I'm more of an advocate of consistent grip pressure, modeling the Filipino players is challenging, especially Dennis and Efren, Jeffrey Deluna is probably best to watch.
 
I switched my grip a few years ago. Now, the cue just tangles from my finger tips similar to Orcullo. I can't remember why I made the change but I remember it being a huge improvement at the time. Now it's second nature.
 
That's not good FDA.....Judd Trump has been taught by the best, comparable to the PGA golf instructors. ''Close it up''.

Keep in mind FDA, J.T's. handle diameter is smaller than a normal pool cue.
Snooker guess 1.0'' diameter compared to a cue butt 1.3''
 
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Island Drive said:
Good post CJ....
Wish I woulda closed mine up 40 yrs ago....
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The grip is very important, I've had issues with mine too through the years. Back in the golden days I could always find someone that would play me for 10+ straight hours and my grip would always get grooved in long sessions. The hands are the only direct contact we have with the game, the feel, touch, consistency and power all come from the hands.....Like Earl Strickland told me one time "CJ it's all in the hands, it's ALL in the hands!!" I'd say the feet position, the hips and the hands are what separates the champions from those that practice every day and never get noticeably better......even now if I decided to play seriously I would learn something new every day and continue to fine tune by fundamentals, like Shane Van B, he told me he'd changed his stroke 4 times since 2006 and that was 6 years ago.....it's a journey, not a destination!
 
FeelDaShot said:
I switched my grip a few years ago. Now, the cue just tangles from my finger tips similar to Orcullo. I can't remember why I made the change but I remember it being a huge improvement at the time. Now it's second nature.
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Orcollo's grip is much tighter than it looks. Just like bunting a ball in baseball, the firmer the grip at contact the more energy you'll direct to the cue ball. I'm not suggesting a tight grip, although Earl says he uses a "death grip" when playing his best....I advise holding the cue like you'd hold a hammer, not too loose because it's not accurate, and not too tight because it restricts your release. Consistent pressure produces consistent results. There are exceptions of course, like eating we all hold the fork differently but we all need full control and accuracy to cut our food and hit the "target".......The Game is the Teacher
 
CJ, I've been trying the thing you talked about where you line up with a full or half ball hit. It seemed odd at first, but it's really great. I plan on burning it in over the next month or so. I was the type of player to get down directly on the line of aim. Getting down on a center or edge then pivoting the entire upper body... just great. It takes very little pivot/adjustment and it simplifies the process so much. There's no guesswork, any idiot can align to a full or half ball hit, consistently and when under pressure.

Before if I got down perfectly everything worked. If I was a little sore or got down a tiny bit wrong it could result in a series of odd misses. Really hard to keep your confidence when you can't trust the process. The way you explain lets you get down with 100% confidence then fine tune. When you fine tune and know the shot is on, there is no second guessing.

Your upper body is pretty much like a tank turret, you're either on target or not and with your upper body rotating as a whole, your vision is on point, less funny optical illusions going on IMO.
 
Here's what I've been doing as of late, when I'm sitting around.
I have an old Dufferin cue handle that I had cut to be a club.
I now hold it when I'm sitting around watchin' tv to ''get a grip'' on the handle, as I would during play.
 
Island Drive said:
Here's what I've been doing as of late, when I'm sitting around.
I have an old Dufferin cue handle that I had cut to be a club.
I now hold it when I'm sitting around watchin' tv to ''get a grip'' on the handle, as I would during play.
Click to expand...
That's great, I work on my grip with several things other than a pool cue. I use an 8 pound sword, and lately I've been using a 7 foot staff every day that has made an amazing difference. I mostly teach and don't focus on playing, and when I do my stoke is better now than ever. There's a few things anyone can do to have a more powerful, precise and consistent stroke, "it's ALL in the hands"!
 
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