The Grip
There is no right or wrong way to grip the cue. Everyone's hands are different shapes and sizes, cues come in a variety of sizes so its ver subjective to the individual. There are a few basics you should be looking for, though. Firstly, CJ mentions holding the cue like you would a hammer, and lots of very good players do this. Basically, hold it like you are about to hit someone over the head with it. You will notice one thing jumps out at you...its not resting in the fingers, the fingers push it up against the palm and fleshy pads at the base of the fingers and there is no space between hand and cue. This is how I believe a cue should be held, no gaps. The 'V' formed by the thumb and index finger should be snug against the cue. Not too snug, but snug enough that the fleshy webbing is in contact with the cue at all times. Pressure should remain consistent throughout the cueing action and should be less of a 'wrapping' or 'throttling' pressure, but more of a 'pinching' pressure. By this I mean the thumb and index finger should be pushed together rather than trying to touch the tips of them together. I much prefer a tighter grip than a loose one. Many will advise on just loose enough so the cue doesn't slide about, but I prefer a fairly firm grip. As you bring the cue back, pinky, ring and middle fingers should release from the cue. If not, the cue action has more of a rocking motion to it rather than a straight back and forth motion. Depending on how far your backswing will be depends on how many fingers need to be released. The further back you go the more fingers should come away from the cue.
There are some variations of the grip. Ronnie O'Sullivan uses a middle finger grip. Everything is the same as above, but the squeeze comes from thumb and middle finger instead of index finger. The index finger barely touches the cue, and the thumb just hangs straight down, or cradles the cue. This massively limits how far you can pull the cue back, whilst using a straight back and forth cue action, but it does add extra accuracy if done properly. You can't help but drop the elbow after also, which is why Ronnie has the elbow drop. Some people who try this say its tough to get massive action on the cue ball, but again, practice with this and the action will follow.
The Cue Action
This refers to how you feather the cue ball, and how you strike the ball. During the feathering process concentration should be on the white. So, little back and forth movements to really hone in on where you want to strike the cue ball. I also throw in some longer feather strokes to gauge how far I need to pull back, how many fingers will be released and how it will feel in my arm. No need to go over board on these, I only do 1 or 2.
Before you are about to do the final stroke, I can't stress enough how important a pause is at the cue ball. This is time for your eyes to adjust, and switch to the object ball. So, pause at the white, switch the eyes to the OB and pull back. It is also important as a final aim check to make sure everything is looking right. Others do this check when feathering the cue ball, their eyes will flicker between the two balls, but I focus purely on the white when feathering and switch at the front pause. The pull back should be slow, straight and controlled. This alone can massively improve someone's accuracy on the cue ball. If you pull back nice and straight it greatly improves a persons odds of cueing straight.
Now, we should talk about the back pause. This is highly debatable on whether its needed or not. I say it isn't needed, and if you don't already have a pause at the back, don't try and incorporate one without proper 1 on 1 instruction. It can completely ruin a persons game if done incorrectly.
So, the back pause...i personally have a pause at the back of around a second or so. Its a timing thing mostly for me. If I don't do it, my timing goes to pot and I get either too much, or not enough action on the white. It also helps with accelerating through the cue ball. Its hard to decelerate from a stationary position, and all the cue can do after its stopped is accelerate. Again, its not needed so don't try doing it without help.
Lastly we come to the part of the cueing action where we contact the cue ball. All being well you should hit the white where you intended and make the shot whilst putting the white where you want. Easy, right? If only. This is the most crucial part of the cueing motion, and its important to keep still. If you have issues with swaying or moving then focus on keeping the head perfectly still and the rest of your body will follow suit. You should not try and grip harder at the point, the grip should remain the same pressure throughout. As you start to move the cue forward, it should start slowly and gradually pick up speed. Don't try and jab at it or force it, let the cue do the work. Depending on how you stand, the grip hand should hit the chest. Make a mental note of where the hand hits the chest, how it feels on a successful shot. Next time you can look to create the same feeling and it will lead to more successful shots, hopefully. Once you e contacted the white, your arm, body and cue can do what ever the hell it wants. The white is long gone by this point. However, its not advised. Try to remain still, if you have an elbow drop now is the time to drop it, but try staying down as long as you can.
All in all the cueing action should look effortless. It should be fluid, smooth and under control at all times. Hopefully some can pick up a tip or two from this and help them get to the next stepping stone.
There is no right or wrong way to grip the cue. Everyone's hands are different shapes and sizes, cues come in a variety of sizes so its ver subjective to the individual. There are a few basics you should be looking for, though. Firstly, CJ mentions holding the cue like you would a hammer, and lots of very good players do this. Basically, hold it like you are about to hit someone over the head with it. You will notice one thing jumps out at you...its not resting in the fingers, the fingers push it up against the palm and fleshy pads at the base of the fingers and there is no space between hand and cue. This is how I believe a cue should be held, no gaps. The 'V' formed by the thumb and index finger should be snug against the cue. Not too snug, but snug enough that the fleshy webbing is in contact with the cue at all times. Pressure should remain consistent throughout the cueing action and should be less of a 'wrapping' or 'throttling' pressure, but more of a 'pinching' pressure. By this I mean the thumb and index finger should be pushed together rather than trying to touch the tips of them together. I much prefer a tighter grip than a loose one. Many will advise on just loose enough so the cue doesn't slide about, but I prefer a fairly firm grip. As you bring the cue back, pinky, ring and middle fingers should release from the cue. If not, the cue action has more of a rocking motion to it rather than a straight back and forth motion. Depending on how far your backswing will be depends on how many fingers need to be released. The further back you go the more fingers should come away from the cue.
There are some variations of the grip. Ronnie O'Sullivan uses a middle finger grip. Everything is the same as above, but the squeeze comes from thumb and middle finger instead of index finger. The index finger barely touches the cue, and the thumb just hangs straight down, or cradles the cue. This massively limits how far you can pull the cue back, whilst using a straight back and forth cue action, but it does add extra accuracy if done properly. You can't help but drop the elbow after also, which is why Ronnie has the elbow drop. Some people who try this say its tough to get massive action on the cue ball, but again, practice with this and the action will follow.
The Cue Action
This refers to how you feather the cue ball, and how you strike the ball. During the feathering process concentration should be on the white. So, little back and forth movements to really hone in on where you want to strike the cue ball. I also throw in some longer feather strokes to gauge how far I need to pull back, how many fingers will be released and how it will feel in my arm. No need to go over board on these, I only do 1 or 2.
Before you are about to do the final stroke, I can't stress enough how important a pause is at the cue ball. This is time for your eyes to adjust, and switch to the object ball. So, pause at the white, switch the eyes to the OB and pull back. It is also important as a final aim check to make sure everything is looking right. Others do this check when feathering the cue ball, their eyes will flicker between the two balls, but I focus purely on the white when feathering and switch at the front pause. The pull back should be slow, straight and controlled. This alone can massively improve someone's accuracy on the cue ball. If you pull back nice and straight it greatly improves a persons odds of cueing straight.
Now, we should talk about the back pause. This is highly debatable on whether its needed or not. I say it isn't needed, and if you don't already have a pause at the back, don't try and incorporate one without proper 1 on 1 instruction. It can completely ruin a persons game if done incorrectly.
So, the back pause...i personally have a pause at the back of around a second or so. Its a timing thing mostly for me. If I don't do it, my timing goes to pot and I get either too much, or not enough action on the white. It also helps with accelerating through the cue ball. Its hard to decelerate from a stationary position, and all the cue can do after its stopped is accelerate. Again, its not needed so don't try doing it without help.
Lastly we come to the part of the cueing action where we contact the cue ball. All being well you should hit the white where you intended and make the shot whilst putting the white where you want. Easy, right? If only. This is the most crucial part of the cueing motion, and its important to keep still. If you have issues with swaying or moving then focus on keeping the head perfectly still and the rest of your body will follow suit. You should not try and grip harder at the point, the grip should remain the same pressure throughout. As you start to move the cue forward, it should start slowly and gradually pick up speed. Don't try and jab at it or force it, let the cue do the work. Depending on how you stand, the grip hand should hit the chest. Make a mental note of where the hand hits the chest, how it feels on a successful shot. Next time you can look to create the same feeling and it will lead to more successful shots, hopefully. Once you e contacted the white, your arm, body and cue can do what ever the hell it wants. The white is long gone by this point. However, its not advised. Try to remain still, if you have an elbow drop now is the time to drop it, but try staying down as long as you can.
All in all the cueing action should look effortless. It should be fluid, smooth and under control at all times. Hopefully some can pick up a tip or two from this and help them get to the next stepping stone.
