What kind of grip do you use? Most sources say a loose grip but what does that mean? How loose? Should the cue slide in your hand or not? I've heard some say that just before the moment of contact, tighten the grip. If you do prefer the cue to slide in your hand, how do you keep it from sliding out of your hand on an extreme stroke shot?
Grip
- Thread starter Rickw
- Start date
When i first started i had some tight grip going on....i mean all fingers grabbing onto the wrap....now i experimented and i just use 2 fingers loosly, i'm still experimenting using 3 some times, but i can never go back to that full grip ever again.
I have a similar experience. I read one book that said use a loose grip for long shots and a little snugger grip for short shots. It was a really old book but it made some sense. I am having much more success with a loose grip now. If I get any more loose, my cue is going to fall and hit the table. As a matter of fact, sometimes when I'm really using some juice, the stick has come out of my grip. I'm thinking that might be a little too loose, what do you think?
the stick is coming out of your grip?....mine is pretty loose two fingers loose and i'm not grabbing it meaning not choking the stick with 2 fingers and that never happens to me....it ain't gonna get anymore loose with my grip...maybe you don't know how to grip the cue with your grip. I actually do it the other way around, i use a more tighter grip sometimes when i use long shots and loose grip with a short shot, i just find it to be more accurate when it's snug in there.....much like snooker players, that's prolly why their soo accurate, i haven't seen a snooker player with a loose grip yet.
I have found that a loose grip works about the best....I wrap my hand around the butt and then let it basically rest on the middle and ring finger. I close the grip with my thumb, but my hand does not touch the handle other than this. My stroke has improved a lot by doing this.
The only time I grip it tighter is on the break...when I need a little more speed and force, otherwise my stick would fly across the room.
Anywayz, thats how I do it.
The only time I grip it tighter is on the break...when I need a little more speed and force, otherwise my stick would fly across the room.
Anywayz, thats how I do it.
Chuck,
I find that the grip you're describing works best for me also. I have experimented with other grips and usually come back to this one. The only difference with me is that I try not to tighten my grip at all, even for the break. 99% of the time, my cue doesn't leave my hand. If you think about it, the impact of the tip on the cb is helping to keep the stick in your hand. I find that the cue stick being sent on it's path much like a thrown baseball or a dart even, gives you an incredible amount of action on the cb. I don't think you can get the cue stick moving faster by holding on to it than you can by throwing it. But, that's why I started this thread, I want to hear what everyone else has to say about it.
One more thing, I started choking up a little on my cue so I have more cue to throw out before the butt end shoots out of my grip. Like I said, I've only lost my control of the cue less than 1% of the time and it's getting less and less as I get more and more used to this stroke.
I find that the grip you're describing works best for me also. I have experimented with other grips and usually come back to this one. The only difference with me is that I try not to tighten my grip at all, even for the break. 99% of the time, my cue doesn't leave my hand. If you think about it, the impact of the tip on the cb is helping to keep the stick in your hand. I find that the cue stick being sent on it's path much like a thrown baseball or a dart even, gives you an incredible amount of action on the cb. I don't think you can get the cue stick moving faster by holding on to it than you can by throwing it. But, that's why I started this thread, I want to hear what everyone else has to say about it.
One more thing, I started choking up a little on my cue so I have more cue to throw out before the butt end shoots out of my grip. Like I said, I've only lost my control of the cue less than 1% of the time and it's getting less and less as I get more and more used to this stroke.
I forgot one more thing. Shooting with this grip has helped me achieve drawing the cb the length of the table when I shoot the cb from the head corner and the ob is in the foot corner, a diagonal line. I could never do that before I started using this stroke. I can't do it 100% of the time, but I have done it this way.
P
Pop And Slop
Guest
now think about it... if you have a tight grip on the cue when you stroke, your wrist and your elbow have to work together to keep the back end of the cue level. Now if you let the cue sit on your fingers with space between your palm then you need not move your wrist and it is only the movement of your elbow keeping the cue level.
I have never had my cue slip out of my fingers because I use a loose grip. you're not supposed to throw your cue at the cue ball, it is suppose to be a smooth transition from practice stroke to shot.
I have never had my cue slip out of my fingers because I use a loose grip. you're not supposed to throw your cue at the cue ball, it is suppose to be a smooth transition from practice stroke to shot.
S
Sputnik
Guest
One, two or three finger grips really depends on the angle of the hand from the wrist. For angles pointing inward to the waist, the pointing finger dominates the feel. For knucles pointing outwards, the thumb and the pionting fingers are the main characters. For the orthrodox (knucke in line with the forearm like in karate), up to three fingers can cradle the cue, and the thumb hardly does anything.
The essence of a loose grip is for the forearm to be the only one to do the memorizing of the straightness of the stroke (muscle memory). Tense up the grip and you will notice your whole arm moving while you are moving. Harder to memorize.
At times when you seem to be doing things correctly with your grip but you are not happy with the result, don't forget the other guy - try snuggling up your cue with your brigde hand.
The essence of a loose grip is for the forearm to be the only one to do the memorizing of the straightness of the stroke (muscle memory). Tense up the grip and you will notice your whole arm moving while you are moving. Harder to memorize.
At times when you seem to be doing things correctly with your grip but you are not happy with the result, don't forget the other guy - try snuggling up your cue with your brigde hand.
I have a loose grip with only 3 fingers cradling the cue.Ii try to maintain the looseness of my grip even upon impact with the cb, i find that this give me more accuracy.
Rickw, are you referring to slipstroke? I also use this and have found it to give more spin on the cb and less prone to mistake on your stroke since you are esssentially throwing the cue. Efren is using this type of stroke also, I just don't know on which kind of shots should it be used.
Rickw, are you referring to slipstroke? I also use this and have found it to give more spin on the cb and less prone to mistake on your stroke since you are esssentially throwing the cue. Efren is using this type of stroke also, I just don't know on which kind of shots should it be used.
I've learned some things watching tapes of Efren. IMO, Efren gets more action on the cueball than anyone I've ever seen (sorry FL, I've never seen you play, although I need to buy your tapes). Most players I've seen have their palm perpendicular ( 90 degrees) to the table when stroking the cue. In other words, in line with their forearm. I've noticed Efren has his slightly cocked outwards if that makes any sense. In other words, his palm is facing the table more than it's facing his body. This loosens up the wrist. So when the forearm strokes forward, the wrist is able to magnifiy the forward acceleration. Whereas, if it's perpendicular to the table, it would move the cue up and down which is a no-no.
Miko,
I don't know if you call it a slip stroke or not. When I asked someone a while ago, he said that a slip stroke occurs when you slide your hand back and forth over the cue and then grip it a little when you shoot. One of the older players evidently used this type of stroke. I let the cue slide through my hand when I shoot the shot resulting in the cue stick doing all the work. I don't follow through that much with my elbow. I stop my elbow and the stick keeps moving. Does this make sense?
I don't know if you call it a slip stroke or not. When I asked someone a while ago, he said that a slip stroke occurs when you slide your hand back and forth over the cue and then grip it a little when you shoot. One of the older players evidently used this type of stroke. I let the cue slide through my hand when I shoot the shot resulting in the cue stick doing all the work. I don't follow through that much with my elbow. I stop my elbow and the stick keeps moving. Does this make sense?
Rickw, hmm.. the way slipstroke was explained to me was u let the cue slip from your grip on your final stroke. Practice strokes is the same as for normal strokes. I understand the explanation of your stroke. That's what I have been doing also, seems to put a lot of action on the cb, no need to follow through the cb since your essentially throwing the cue, which imo is better since your grip wouldnt slow down the follow through.
Seems like slipstroke has different meanings in diff countries.
Seems like slipstroke has different meanings in diff countries.
L
locki
Guest
i use three fingers when gripping my stick...
Miko,
Sounds like you and I are doing the same thing. I'm not sure but I think it might have been Luther Lassiter that slid his hand over the cue. For the life of me, I can't figure out how one would do that. I guess you'd have to hold the cue tight with your bridge hand or something. Seems very odd to me. Maybe that's not how he really did it. I dunno! I just know that I really like this stroke that I'm using right now. I've been using it more and more as I play. I used to hold on to the cue when I shot and never felt I was getting enough out of my stroke. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to control all the action I'm getting!
Sounds like you and I are doing the same thing. I'm not sure but I think it might have been Luther Lassiter that slid his hand over the cue. For the life of me, I can't figure out how one would do that. I guess you'd have to hold the cue tight with your bridge hand or something. Seems very odd to me. Maybe that's not how he really did it. I dunno! I just know that I really like this stroke that I'm using right now. I've been using it more and more as I play. I used to hold on to the cue when I shot and never felt I was getting enough out of my stroke. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to control all the action I'm getting!