I am fairly new to the game and it was pointed out to me that on many shots I am hitting the cue slight off center to the right despite aiming to hit center. Hit right-handed. I think I have diagnosed the problem to be the result of slightly drawing my bottom hand inwards at the end of my stroke. What can I do / practice to dial-in a straight stroke and correct this bad habit or flaw. thanks.
Hitting the cue to right of center
- Thread starter mpap
- Start date
One simple practice technique is to get in shooting stance with your cue/bridge directly over a visible straight line (like the line on a table's rail where the cushion cloth meets the rail surface) and practice stroking the stick straight along/over that line with your tip ending up on the line at the end of your follow through. If you're lucky you might find a small stance correction (such as elbow/arm position) that makes the correction more natural and permanent.
pj
chgo
pj
chgo
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Old school way is to stroke your shaft into a coke bottle thats on its side.
Pretend the opening is the cue ball and just play a soft shot into the bottle about 4 inches trying not to hit or move the bottle.
Pretend the opening is the cue ball and just play a soft shot into the bottle about 4 inches trying not to hit or move the bottle.
Make sure the knuckles of your grip hand stay in the same position from start to finish on every shot. When you can accomplish that, then you can lock into what it feels like, because in pool, it's all about locking into the right feel. Right now you're locked into the wrong feel. Do the same thing with your wrist. Make sure it hasn't deviated left or right of the cue during your stroke. Again, once you've accomplished that, then lock into that feel.
Make videos of yourself from several different angles doing the shot you have a problem with. Comment out loud about what you're doing and how the shot felt while you are shooting. Then review the video. It would be better to have someone else watch who knows what to look for, but maybe you don't have someone like that handy.
Thanks for the all the great replies here. I like the bottle exercise and focus on developing a solid bridge that feels right. I need to continue to work on it to be consistent. Another thing I discovered that may have been contributing to the problem was the 'death-like' grip I was using on the cue. I am trying to remember to not choke my cue to death and hopefully the progress on improvement continues. thanks.
You may have solved your own issue. A tight grip will result in an improper wrist/elbow lever. It also induces a wonky delivery.
Try gripping the cue in one hand, and then hold the cue up in front of you. Loosen your grip until the cue feels like it’s sliding out of your gf your hand. The thumb is now pointed down and slightly inward. Assuming that you’ve properly positioned your stance - I’d suggest setting up a 3/4 ball stroke center on the cue ball. Stroke easy and down the target line. Pay attention to the cue ball reaction and whether it deflects offline. Stay down and relax your stroke - Perfect!