Fast Twitch muscle development exercises

I put 2 2.5 lb ankle weights on my cue, around my back hand, and do stroke drills or shoot long straight shots.

I think it's helping with both accuracy and speed of all my shots. The biggest notable difference is I'm much more steady in my stance.

Anyone else try something like this?

It's got me thinking I want to find a cue stick that weighs 5lb just for practice.
 
If youre trying to develop hand speed, shadow box with dumbbells. Back when I used to kickbox this was one of the best ways to add snap to your punch. I dont know what fighters advocate now, but dumbbells do work. No need to go nuts with weight, 5-10lbs is plenty, if you already have fast hands you can step it up to 20lbs, but the heavier you go you are risking joint and ligament damage. Also, dont try to throw punches as hard as you can, focus on short fast punches that bring your hands back to an on guard position.
Hope this helps.
Chuck
 
If you want a 30mph break then learn to power break. As golfers and baseball players know it is all in the hips. This is the era of controlled breaks . Years ago folks thought if you hit them hard enough something would go in.
 
uwate said:
Instead of trying to do exercises for fast twitch muscles, it might be better to work on using a tool like the breakrak to get your timing down better. There is quite a bit of slo mo video capture of the better players breaking and you could try to break down the timing of the great breakers vs your own. Get someone with one of those iphone 6s and have him do some video of you breaking and compare. The new iphones capture at 240 fps so the level of detail you can get as to your own mechanics and where they differ from someone like dechaine or svb might be of more help then trying to build fast twitch muscle fibers.
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I agree with this as well. The BreakRak is an effective tool to use. Just developing fast twitch muscles doesn't do anything for timing or accuracy in breaking imo.

Also, as Hu suggested, accuracy is extremely important in breaking effectiveness.

I also recommend that people try HEAVIER cues. Yes, that flies in the face of other opinions which suggest lighter cues means you can move the cue faster but in my personal experience, a person may be able to break the balls BETTER, using a heavier cue rather than a lighter cue.

JoeyA
 
Actually, physics says that a cue ball hit at 20 mph with 23 ounce break cue will go faster than a cue ball hit at 20 mph with a 17 ounce break cue.

Because the extra weight of the heavier break cue slows some of us down, we choose to use the lighter break cue.

QUOTE;
Also, as Hu suggested, "accuracy is extremely important in breaking effectiveness". UNQUOTE

Truer words have never been spoken.

Actually a player could practice with a heavier break cue & then compete with the slightly lighter break cue. Baseball players use a heavier bat in batting practice, than they use in competition. Below is an analysis

Bat Weight Batted Ball Velocity
20oz (0.57kg) 68.5mph (30.6m/s)
25oz (0.71kg) 73.0mph (32.6m/s)
30oz (0.85kg) 76.2mph (34.0m/s)
35oz (0.99kg) 78.6mph (35.1m/s)
40oz (1.14kg) 80.4mph (35.9m/s)

Bat Swing Speed Batted Ball Velocity
20.5mph (9.2m/s) 62.0mph (27.7m/s)
27.3mph (12.1m/s) 68.8mph (30.7m/s)
34.3mph (15.3m/s) 76.2mph (34.0m/s)
41.0mph (18.3m/s) 83.8mph (37.4m/s)
47.9mph (21.4m/s) 91.4mph (40.8m/s)

There is some info available on the heavy cue & lighter cue vs cue ball speed

Good Luck...
 
ceebee said:
Actually, physics says that a cue ball hit at 20 mph with 23 ounce break cue will go faster than a cue ball hit at 20 mph with a 17 ounce break cue.
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I may be mistaken, but I don't believe there is much difference at all if both cues are going at the same speed. The CB weighs significantly less than the cue, therefore, you won't see much in the way of deceleration when the Cue Tip strikes the CB. I suspect you are referring to F=ma where a is acceleration. We're dealing with velocity here, not acceleration, when you're talking about the cue moving at 20 mph.

Here's the other thing to consider. If your "controlled stroke" using a 17 ounce cue moves the cue at 20 mph, chances are, that same amount of effort won't move the 20 ounce cue at the same velocity. It will take more effort to stroke the 20 ounce cue at the same speed.

As an experiment, around a year ago, I purchased a cheap Elite break cue that is 16 ounces and a Heavy Hitter that I believe was 23 ounces. I broke a lot of racks with each cue, alternating one to the other. While this wasn't a perfect scientific experiment, there was noticeable better break action with the 16 ounce Elite break cue, in fact, it wasn't even close.

This is not to say that some people may not have better luck with a heavier cue. It may force them to slow down a bit and hit the rack more accurately. IMHO, someone who is willing to put some practice time in would end up with better break action using a lighter cue.
 
A great break is about accuracy, timing & putting your body into it, it's a motion.
 
nobcitypool said:
ceebee said:
Actually, physics says that a cue ball hit at 20 mph with 23 ounce break cue will go faster than a cue ball hit at 20 mph with a 17 ounce break cue....
Click to expand...
I may be mistaken, but I don't believe there is much difference at all if both cues are going at the same speed. The CB weighs significantly less than the cue, therefore, you won't see much in the way of deceleration when the Cue Tip strikes the CB. I suspect you are referring to F=ma where a is acceleration. We're dealing with velocity here, not acceleration, when you're talking about the cue moving at 20 mph. ...
Click to expand...

From dr_dave's website: "Other than tip efficiency, what determines CB speed is the cue's momentum at impact, and CB speed is what we are striving for (in addition to accuracy) with a break. Cue momentum is the product of cue mass and cue speed. For a given cue speed, if the cue has more mass, the CB will go faster; and for a given cue weight, if the cue has more speed, the CB will go faster. Both factors (cue speed and cue weight) are important. Some people can generate more momentum with a lighter cue, and some can generate more with a heavier cue."
 
AtLarge said:
From dr_dave's website: "Other than tip efficiency, what determines CB speed is the cue's momentum at impact, and CB speed is what we are striving for (in addition to accuracy) with a break. Cue momentum is the product of cue mass and cue speed. For a given cue speed, if the cue has more mass, the CB will go faster; and for a given cue weight, if the cue has more speed, the CB will go faster. Both factors (cue speed and cue weight) are important. Some people can generate more momentum with a lighter cue, and some can generate more with a heavier cue."
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And you're assuming someone can stroke a 20 ounce cue at the same velocity as they can a 17 ounce cue. Can you throw a shot put the same distance or the same velocity as you can a baseball? Of course you can't. My point, which you obviously missed, is the velocity of the cue is a greater factor than the mass in affecting the velocity of the cb. But even if they're equal, it is irrelevant as the player won't be able to stroke the heavier cue as fast as they can the lighter cue.

It's nice to know, however, that what you lack in original thought, you attempt to make up for with Google search. Since you're the math proponent, why don't you show the actual math to prove your point. Otherwise, quit stalking me. To be 100% clear, I am maintaining that what you lose in mass (in the cue) you more than make up with stroking the lighter cue at a higher velocity.
 
nobcitypool said:
And you're assuming someone can stroke a 20 ounce cue at the same velocity as they can a 17 ounce cue. Can you throw a shot put the same distance or the same velocity as you can a baseball? Of course you can't. My point, which you obviously missed, is the velocity of the cue is a greater factor than the mass in affecting the velocity of the cb. But even if they're equal, it is irrelevant as the player won't be able to stroke the heavier cue as fast as they can the lighter cue.

It's nice to know, however, that what you lack in original thought, you attempt to make up for with Google search. Since you're the math proponent, why don't you show the actual math to prove your point. Otherwise, quit stalking me. To be 100% clear, I am maintaining that what you lose in mass (in the cue) you more than make up with stroking the lighter cue at a higher velocity.
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You're not looking at it right..... given the same cue speed, the heavier cue will move the cb faster than a lighter cue. You seem to be sticking on you cant move a heavy cue as fast as a light cue, and that is in and of itself the point. You can get the same cue ball speed from a heavier cue and a slower stroke as you can with a lighter cue and faster stroke.
Some people can stroke a light cue fast and controlled, some prefer a heavier cue for control and dont have to move it as fast to get similar results as the lighter cue moving faster. It depends on an individuals physiology, and the OP is talking about changing his physiology to achieve a faster cue movement.
Chuck
 
Thank you for all the responses. As for my break- right now my max controlled break (meaning being able to park the cueball in the middle of the table consistently) is 24mph according to the break speed app. My max uncontrolled break speed is 26mph but I never go that fast because I cannot park the cueball.

I am currently looking to get to a controlled speed of 27mph at least but would like it to be closer to 28-29.

The advice in this thread about strengthening fast twitch muscles was nice and has helped me a bit. I will continue to work out and will see how far I can get with the break.

As for the lighter vs heavier break cue thing.... The equation has 2 variables- mass and speed. If you have more mass for a given person you will have less speed at maximum force. If you have less mass you will have more speed at maximum force.

All things being equal I believe it comes down to how your individual body is built. Chose whatever cue weight you feel comfortable with.
 
Chuck, I am getting the point. The trade off is cue weight versus cue velocity. Hit light cue faster or heavy cue slower. I'm saying greater cue velocity impacts the cb speed more than a few ounces of higher weight. 35 years ago, I could have figured out the math reasonably easy. Now, it's more instinctual and my own experimentation with a light and heavy cue. I don't happen to think the control is about how fast you're moving your arm, it is how much effort you're expending to move the cue that fast. In other words, if I put the same effort into the stroke, one with a 17 ounce cue, one with a 20 ounce cue, the 17 ounce cue will be stroked at a faster speed. Given my stroke effort and stroke are essentially the same, the control should be the same.
 
If you want to follow what most believe in other sports, optimal control comes in at around 80% of maximum. 24 mph is about the hardest average break in pro tourneys. the best can hit 23 or 22 everytime if it makes the corner or 1 ball in the side. Corey is one of the best at reading how the balls are breaking and changing speed, Normally less than the speeds mentioned above. Just food for thought.
 
How heavy of a weight?
chefjeff said:
Take an old cue and a circle weight (like one that is put on a bar or dumb bell bar) and slide the weight over the cue's tip down to the grip area.

Then very carefully use the weighted cue as a real cue and hit a ball. Be very careful to use a good bridge (to make it strong, too) to protect the table rail from scratching, Stroke the cue slowly and carefully in a straight line with your elbow dropping (or not) as you normally shoot. Look at your back hand and be sure it is in position, too, during the stroke.

You can do just a few of these every other day. Maybe 3 or 4 max.

I have a tremor and this exercise has helped reduce the arm shaking during competition.


Jeff Livingston
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Belford said:
How heavy of a weight?
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I started at 5 pounds and now do 8 pounds.

That seems to be enough to get the job done, but I'm not as strong as I was years ago, so you might need more. My old cue that I use is jointed and anymore than 10 would probably harm the joint.

Be sure to protect the table rail with a washcloth or towel if you're making a rail bridge. A heavy cue can do some damage to it pretty quickly....ooops, as I found out the hard way.

Jeff Livingston
 
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