Grip Pressure

G

Gerry Williams

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So for years I have played with a very loose grip but lately I have found that a firmer (not tight) grip enables me to stroke the cue down the line more consistently. Still early stages for me but just wondering what people thought and how you all grip the cue.

Cheers,
Gerry
 
I like the firm grip too, even though we are "not" suppose to. My wrist stays in line when I grip tight with my knuckles pointing to the side..... maybe it's cause of all the baseball I play, but just strokes more true this way for me personally.......I think the reason it is not "taught" as much is because folks have a tendency to turn their wrists with a firmer grip..... but if you don't, you are good to go :)
 
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You ever do any sort of test or drill to confirm you deliver the cue ball straighter?
Any chance you're just playing better lately due to something unrelated?

Not saying you're wrong, there's a lot of "common knowledge" in pool that is wrong
for some people or possibly wrong for everybody.

Maybe your normal grip was so loose it made you uncomfortable with hitting certain shots
with speed or heavy spin.
 
I, too, play with a firm(er) grip. I fear this way lies madness, but it definitely works very well for me. Besides staying straighter, I also have better touch with it, too. For me, it keeps everything consistent, especially when shooting for a few hours.
 
Perhaps - where I notice a firmer grip helps is on long straight shots - there is no room for the cue to be offline, very little margin for error.

The stroke feels like it is on a tighter line with a firm grip. Able to draw straight back from 6 feet away more consistently for example.


CreeDo said:
You ever do any sort of test or drill to confirm you deliver the cue ball straighter?
Any chance you're just playing better lately due to something unrelated?

Not saying you're wrong, there's a lot of "common knowledge" in pool that is wrong
for some people or possibly wrong for everybody.

Maybe your normal grip was so loose it made you uncomfortable with hitting certain shots
with speed or heavy spin.
Click to expand...
 
IMHO there is not a "right" grip...everybody has to find what works best for them...I purposely worked on nothing but my grip for 6 months or more. tried ALL grips, 2 fingers, 4 fingers, etc etc.......what worked for me is the grip with the hand but a loose grip...if I have a long shot, I tighten up ever so slightly on the little finger,,,,,,,i have used this new grip for about a month and a half and think I have found what is good for me. my game has improved so I'm not going to tweak it any further, I have other issues to fix, as always.........:rolleyes:
 
I have played with tighter grips and find that it can be used fairly effectively if you can keep yourself from steering the cue with your grip hand. However, I think that a loose grip provides better results if you can maintain that loose grip throughout your stroke. If you shoot long shots better with a firm grip, it is probably because you don't maintain a consistent grip when you shoot them with a loose grip.
 
I would still say my grip is loose - just firmer than before. I appreciate all the input - this game is a lifelong journey.

Matt said:
I have played with tighter grips and find that it can be used fairly effectively if you can keep yourself from steering the cue with your grip hand. However, I think that a loose grip provides better results if you can maintain that loose grip throughout your stroke. If you shoot long shots better with a firm grip, it is probably because you don't maintain a consistent grip when you shoot them with a loose grip.
Click to expand...
 
I think that as long as the firmness of the "grip" doesn't interfere with the movement of the stick, it should work well.

randyg
 
Gerry Williams said:
I would still say my grip is loose - just firmer than before. I appreciate all the input - this game is a lifelong journey.
Click to expand...
In that case, perhaps you've gone from too loose to loose. The analogy I've heard is to hold it like a baby bird; firm enough that it doesn't get away, but loose enough that you don't crush it. If your loose grip had you on the verge of dropping the cue, it may have been causing you to unconsciously tighten up during your stroke just to hold on to the cue, and the effect would have been more pronounced on harder (faster) shots. The reason that you see so many recommendations for a loose grip is that a lot of new players grip the cue like it's a baseball bat, especially when they are nervous. In any case, I'm glad to hear that you found something that works for you.
 
Yeah - I think you nailed it Matt. From too loose to loose.

Matt said:
In that case, perhaps you've gone from too loose to loose. The analogy I've heard is to hold it like a baby bird; firm enough that it doesn't get away, but loose enough that you don't crush it. If your loose grip had you on the verge of dropping the cue, it may have been causing you to unconsciously tighten up during your stroke just to hold on to the cue, and the effect would have been more pronounced on harder (faster) shots. The reason that you see so many recommendations for a loose grip is that a lot of new players grip the cue like it's a baseball bat, especially when they are nervous. In any case, I'm glad to hear that you found something that works for you.
Click to expand...
 
ChicagoRJ said:
I like the firm grip too, even though we are "not" suppose to. My wrist stays in line when I grip tight with my knuckles pointing to the side..... maybe it's cause of all the baseball I play, but just strokes more true this way for me personally.......I think the reason it is not "taught" as much is because folks have a tendency to turn their wrists with a firmer grip..... but if you don't, you are good to go :)
Click to expand...

That describes my grip exactly. I play at a pretty good clip and this has served me well. I think you just need to do what's comfortable...so long as your stroke is straight. There is no one size fits all. Look at Keith McCready's grip and stroke and get back to me. :wink:
 
CreeDo said:
You ever do any sort of test or drill to confirm you deliver the cue ball straighter?
Any chance you're just playing better lately due to something unrelated?

Not saying you're wrong, there's a lot of "common knowledge" in pool that is wrong
for some people or possibly wrong for everybody.

Maybe your normal grip was so loose it made you uncomfortable with hitting certain shots
with speed or heavy spin.
Click to expand...

Good post. I don't think the tighter grip helps
 
I believe what is most important is for the grip pressure to remain constant during the stroke itself. Going from very loose or loose to tight due to clinching the butt of the cue during the stroke is the killer.

When I first started playing and before I got reasonably serious about improving, I had quite a tight grip. I've gotten to where I have a reasonably loose, relaxed grip and I'm able to keep reasonably consistent during the stroke. That works for me but I also believe there are lots of different unique grips that can work for different people out there.
 
Not sure it's the grip pressure at all that helps me to stroke straighter and more through the ball as I can vary that and still get good results. Of course, as long as I'm not holding the cue too light like was mentioned already things tend to be more predictable. If hitting the shot wobbles the cue in your back hand or slides it back you're holding the cue too light. The thing that I notice that seems to make the biggest difference for me is my hand/wrist position and how that allows me to guide the cue in a straight line. Lately I've gotten comfortable with holding the cue full hand with a medium strength grip with my thumb pointing down and my pinky serving as a fine adjusting rudder for the cue. I try to let my wrist's natural straight line movement work at a biomechanical advantage. My grip and wrist motion is sort of like what CJ describes as stabbing motion like is done with a sword. I allow the weight of the cue to do the work but my current grip allows the cue to stay on track and not veer off from the shot line due to contact with the cue ball, at least most of the time. So far this is giving me the best success in controlling the direction of the cue, speed of the shot, english and in getting predictable results on my shots.

With the medium grip I think I feel the cue's feedback more and that's the benefit for me of not using a tighter or looser grip.
 
I agree with RandyG. Just don't grip it so tight that your wrist curls and throw the swing out of alignment.
 
I have always had a relatively loose grip, EXCEPT on hard power draw shots where I accidentally tighten up at the last moment just before I hit the cue ball and I quite often miss the shot.

I have been working on keeping the same pressure throughout the stroke and when I do, I get successful results.

This is why players should hit the same shot over and over. By shooting the same EXACT shot over and over, you may discover why you are not successful. Recently a pal suggested to me that on power shots, I sometimes, move my head slightly and that has a bearing on the shot. Hell, "everything" has a bearing on the shot. You just have to find out what is causing you to miss and fix it.

JoeyA
 
As long as your grip is not overly loose or tight, I don`t really see a problem. If a firmer grip works better for you, you should keep it up.
Just try to avoid the tensing up on hard draw shot, so many of us tend to do in anticipation .
 
Gerry Williams said:
So for years I have played with a very loose grip but lately I have found that a firmer (not tight) grip enables me to stroke the cue down the line more consistently. Still early stages for me but just wondering what people thought and how you all grip the cue.

Cheers,
Gerry
Click to expand...

One must wonder, if senility is setting in ?...Jusy a few days ago, we had a 5 page thread, on this EXACT same subject...To avoid constant duplicity, we should all flip back just a few pages, before posting the same subject AGAIN !

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=4451526&postcount=14
 
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