hand position on the cue

berlowmj

berlowmj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Am I correct in assuming that the forearm is perpendicular as the tip comes in contact with the cue ball? How do we resolve the contradiction if this position conflicts with the edge of the hand being placed 6 inches from the balance point? My rethinking these issues has interfered with the progress of my learning curve on the stroke. Yes, I have been reading too many books.:)
 
The theory about being 6 inches away is wrong. It all depends on the length of your arms. With a correct stroke, the rear hand position will depend on the length of bridge needed, therefore, it wont always be a set distance from the balance point. You should focus on always having that pendulum swing with the stroking arm perpendicular to the cue at the time of tip-cueball impact. Balance point is all a matter of preference. Most choose between 17.5-19.5" from the buttcap. Try out cues with different balance points to find your preference, then stick with it. Good luck with your stroke. Practice it until it comes naturally, cause you shouldnt have to think about it all the time.

IM
 
berlowmj said:
Am I correct in assuming that the forearm is perpendicular as the tip comes in contact with the cue ball? How do we resolve the contradiction if this position conflicts with the edge of the hand being placed 6 inches from the balance point? My rethinking these issues has interfered with the progress of my learning curve on the stroke. Yes, I have been reading too many books.:)
Click to expand...

The point where you grip the cue will change depending on your bridge distance. Shorter bridge distance requires you to choke up on the cue. The goal is, as you stated, to be perpendicular at the time when the tip meets the cue ball.
Steve
 
Steve is correct; forearm perpendicular at impact is the overriding consideration. There are a few exceptional circumstances, i.e., masse', long-reach shots, etc., where one simply cannot and shouldn't try to fulfill this prescription.

If you really must meet the perpendicular and the 6-inches-from-balance-point goals, you could add a sliding weight to your cue to adjust its balance point after you determine the "perpendicular grip point" for each shot.

You might actually win more games that way, since your opponent will be utterly sharked by your antics. :D
 
Great posts.

The "Balance Point" of our cue has nothing to do with playing. It is what it is.....SPF=randyg
 
Forearm perpendicular

Forearm perpendicular when striking the ball. We pretty much all accept this as truth. It's a shame that the vast majority of pro's I have been watching on tape are too silly to know this.

I have been trying to rebuild my game into a textbook style of play for months now. My game has steadily progressed downhill! Then I started really watching the TV matches and looking at tapes and books. What I quickly discovered was that the vast majority of time the forearm is forward of perpendicular when the cue ball is struck. The majority of shots hit the cue ball below centerline too. The two do go together when you think about it.

I spent seven hours on a table yesterday ignoring balance points, forearm angles, everything but aim and stroke. This didn't cure bad eyes but my game was far superior to the artificial game I have been trying to create.

The point of this long winded discourse is that you are ahead of the game to do what the best do, not what they advocate or even think they do. I don't mean one pro with an odd style of play, I mean general patterns.

I am going back to playing pool naturally and letting the shot and table tell me how to hold the stick and how to stroke the shot. I don't care if that means my fore arm is forward or back or if I am holding the stick near the buttcap or joint, I'm going to do what the shot demands without forcing artificial form.

Hu
 
Exactly ...

fullsplicefiend said:
The theory about being 6 inches away is wrong. It all depends on the length of your arms. With a correct stroke, the rear hand position will depend on the length of bridge needed, therefore, it wont always be a set distance from the balance point. You should focus on always having that pendulum swing with the stroking arm perpendicular to the cue at the time of tip-cueball impact. Balance point is all a matter of preference. Most choose between 17.5-19.5" from the buttcap. Try out cues with different balance points to find your preference, then stick with it. Good luck with your stroke. Practice it until it comes naturally, cause you shouldnt have to think about it all the time.

IM
Click to expand...

It depends on your physical size, I don't know where the 6" inch thing came from, but when I was a teenager, I was told that if you were about normal height, or thereabouts, a General rule of thumb was to balance
the cue, then go halfway from the balance point towards the rear of the stick, and that is APPROXIMATELY where your grip hand should be, but if you were taller than average, it would be further back. Now, that was just a general thing, and not the bible on holding the stick.

I think it is pretty good advice, especially for a brand new beginner, until
they make slight adjustments as they get used to shooting.
 
Snapshot9 said:
It depends on your physical size, I don't know where the 6" inch thing came from, but when I was a teenager, I was told that if you were about normal height, or thereabouts, a General rule of thumb was to balance
the cue, then go halfway from the balance point towards the rear of the stick, and that is APPROXIMATELY where your grip hand should be, but if you were taller than average, it would be further back. Now, that was just a general thing, and not the bible on holding the stick.

I think it is pretty good advice, especially for a brand new beginner, until
they make slight adjustments as they get used to shooting.
Click to expand...


The little REd Book published in 1947 and signed off on by non other than Willie Mosconi.........randyg
 
Old stroke vs new

Just about everybody I talk to nowadays endorses perpendicular contact and as I've reconstructed my game I have tried to incorporate that into my stroke. But back when I was a kid, back when I could actually play, there wasn't anyone around to give me tips and the only advice I got was written in Mosconi's little red book, Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards. What Willie advised regarding the stroke was contrary to modern recommendations. This is taken from page 35:

"At the backward point of the stroke the hand points down to the floor at approximately a right angle. (The accompanying illustration shows the cue tip is 6-8 inches away from the cue ball at this moment.) At the forward point in the stroke, the shoulder is in about the same position; the elbow has dropped slightly, and the wrist moves forward."

Since it was the only guide I had, I modeled my stroke after the stroke described by Willie and it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, when I took the game back up after 38 years of inactivity my muscles had forgotten the stroke of old and all attempts to ressurrect it failed. Still, because it did work once I tend to believe that the length of your follow through is more important than the forearm angle at the moment of impact.
 
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