Grip and cue ball action

[SirNoobs]

Recently, I've been messing around with where I grip my cue and how I grip my cue. Today at the pool hall, I saw that I got more draw out of the cue ball if I held the pool cue looser, but I was holding it so loose, it felt like I was almost throwing the pool cue into the ball. I almost drew half the table and some more!

So I've been thinking, have I been gripping the pool cue too tight before or should I try to adapt my grip into this new looser form? I've never held a baby bird in my hands so I wouldn't know the old benchmark on how to grip a pool cue.

 

[mincho]

At this point I don't know what to tell you. Lately I've been trying all kinds of different grip types, pressures, and overall stroke and I'm confused for lack of a better word.

 

[SirNoobs]

At this point I don't know what to tell you. Lately I've been trying all kinds of different grip types, pressures, and overall stroke and I'm confused for lack of a better word.

I feel you man, sometimes I shoot like Minnesota Fats where I stand at this high stance and grip the cue a little higher and I do well. Pool is a strange game.

 

[supergreenman]

On Freddy the Beards Banks that don't go but do DVD that you can purchase from the AZbilliards marketplace, there is a special feature where he talks about grip.

This is by far the most informative instruction on grip I've seen on any video.

It's worth the money so I'm not going to expand on this.

 

[Blackjack]

I learned a lot of tricks - try the one finger and two finger grips - there are several different ways to get different reactions by adjusting the grip points on the cue - I have some videos on youtube showing how much action you get on the ball playing around with that.

Watch Keith McCready in this match - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsHAG8YrXG8

Pay special attention to the way he grips the cue and delivers it -sometimes in a flicking motion - especially at 13:10 - 27:55 & 29:55 - you get a really good look at it. You don't get the type of action on the cue ball that Keith does by using conventional stroke/grip methods.

 

[SirNoobs]

I learned a lot of tricks - try the one finger and two finger grips - there are several different ways to get different reactions by adjusting the grip points on the cue - I have some videos on youtube showing how much action you get on the ball playing around with that.

Watch Keith McCready in this match - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsHAG8YrXG8

Pay special attention to the way he grips the cue and delivers it -sometimes in a flicking motion - especially at 13:10 - 27:55 & 29:55 - you get a really good look at it. You don't get the type of action on the cue ball that Keith does by using conventional stroke/grip methods.

Thanks, I've experimented with a one finger grip I found that there's a lot of pressure the base of my finger and after a while my finger aches.

Do you think it's because I grip it too far back? I also, had this theory that my cue might be poorly balanced for that type of grip. Do you guys think the proper balance of a cue might play a part where you guys grip?

 

[The Renfro]

The loose grip will add speed to the stroke because it will promote more wrist action. Stroke is really all about speed. The traditional teaching is that all the wrist action required to play pool can be accomplished without actively deviating the wrist(see image below of radial and ulnar deviation). Allow the wrist to simply react to the weight of the cue and let the big muscles generate your power.

Actively and aggressively deviating your wrist can add power but it also adds complexity. It will also add another timing variable to your stroke that you will have to work on.

I use lots of wrist and am prone to slumps more often than I should be from short layoffs because of the complexity. As long as I actively hit lots of balls everything works great. I do lose a little consistency imho but I play 9ball 10ball and Banks more than I play straight pool or 1hole so the added power gets me out of trouble enough to where I don't want to try to go back and develop a neutral wrist. It would change my patterns and shot selections.

I do try to eliminate the wrist when I am rolling the ball which has been very useful in improving the quality of my safety play. So maybe from your end you should stay with the grip/stroke you have been comfortable playing with and learn the loose grip wrist shot as a bailout shot that you only pull out of the toolbox when all other options are exhausted.

 

[larrynj1]

On Freddy the Beards Banks that don't go but do DVD that you can purchase from the AZbilliards marketplace, there is a special feature where he talks about grip.

This is by far the most informative instruction on grip I've seen on any video.

It's worth the money so I'm not going to expand on this.

i picked up this revelation from freddy the beards tape recently as well.
maybe he'll share it here.