How high? Low vs. high stance....

W

WillyCornbread

Break and One
Silver Member
Hi all...

How far above the cue is your head when you shoot? I've traditionally been a low player, with my chin just an inch or so above the cue.

Lately when practicing, I feel like I am getting a clearer 'picture' if I raise my head up about 6 inches above the cue - perhaps my eyesight is changing?

Curious what everyones thoughts are - is one better than the other? The discussions I can find about this have more to do with body type, comfort, back problems etc. without much regard to how some extra depth perception could be helpful (or harmful)

b
 
Purely personal preference Bill. For most players it's a "comfort level" thing...just like your bridge length. Some players feel like they "see" the shot better from a higher perspective (I'm one of them). Others believe the best sight-line is lower over the cue. 6 of one, half a dozen of another!

BTW, I'm looking at Fri 10/21 or Sat. 10/22 for our time together. Let me know which date works better for you. :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
 
Thanks for the responses...

Perhaps I'm doing something wrong with my aiming while standing that is making my low stance feel less reliable now, but it 'feels' like there is a sweet spot in my vision at this new higher head height.

The decision I'm trying to make is should I start to modify my stance to this higher height, or is it temporary and a result of some other inconsistency.

I realize no one can tell me this from a forum, but I have the tendency to tinker with my game at times when I shouldn't...

b

Scott - I'll PM you, working out my schedule now but it looks like half a day on Sat. is good for our follow up lesson....
 
Because of my vision and eyewear my chin almost touches the cue.
 
I don't like using these words BUT:

A little HIGHER head position allows the shooter a very good look at angles.
A LOWER head position allows the shooter better depth perception.

randyg
 
randyg said:
I don't like using these words BUT:

A little HIGHER head position allows the shooter a very good look at angles.
A LOWER head position allows the shooter better depth perception.

randyg
Click to expand...

Interesting, I would have thought the raised position would provide better depth perception...

So one other question, when I'm in a 'low' stance, it's easy to be consistent in my head placement because I have the cue as a reference. For those of you that shoot a little higher, is it just feel or is there some way you drop into your stance that makes it easy to always maintain the same head position?

I suppose the reference may be as simple as the picture 'feels' right...

Thanks again for taking the time to discuss -

b
 
My name is Scratch and I'm a chin dragger

FWIW, I touch the cue in an attempt to get the same head position every time but it causes me problems on some shots. It works great for shots that still allow a complete view of the object ball but works poorly on shots that are so close that it obstructs some of the object ball. It is even worse for shots that are close and do not give a view of the pocket.

After 40+ years of playing, I have adopted a raised position on those close shots. I don't like it and it is definitely one the weaknesses in my game.
 
WillyCornbread said:
Hi all...

How far above the cue is your head when you shoot? I've traditionally been a low player, with my chin just an inch or so above the cue.

Lately when practicing, I feel like I am getting a clearer 'picture' if I raise my head up about 6 inches above the cue - perhaps my eyesight is changing?

Curious what everyones thoughts are - is one better than the other? The discussions I can find about this have more to do with body type, comfort, back problems etc. without much regard to how some extra depth perception could be helpful (or harmful)

b
Click to expand...

It depends on how long it's been since I was outside.

If I was outside recently, my head is going to be really high. If I've been inside a while, it's not going to be so high.

;)
 
WillyCornbread said:
Hi all...

How far above the cue is your head when you shoot? I've traditionally been a low player, with my chin just an inch or so above the cue.

Lately when practicing, I feel like I am getting a clearer 'picture' if I raise my head up about 6 inches above the cue - perhaps my eyesight is changing?

Curious what everyones thoughts are - is one better than the other? The discussions I can find about this have more to do with body type, comfort, back problems etc. without much regard to how some extra depth perception could be helpful (or harmful)

b
Click to expand...


Are you experiencing a difference in your performance when you raise your head?
 
I'm going to offer a different "perspective" on this. My stance will vary depending on how hard I want to hit the cue ball. If I have a long shot and just want to pocket the ball, I'll get very low. If I'm cranking up the speed, I'll get a little higher in my stance to allow for more arm movement.
 
FranCrimi said:
Are you experiencing a difference in your performance when you raise your head?
Click to expand...

Fran - that's the tricky part. I believe that I am, but I also know that changing something can sometimes make it seem like things are going better because I'm paying more attention to something else...

I'm a tinkerer, but sometimes that's not a good thing - so I'm trying to determine if there is something to this to see if I should change my stance.

Also - I thought it might provide interesting discussion, particularly if it mattered to anyone else.
 
Ok you got my not serious reply earlier. Now for my serious reply.

In answer to the how high question, I'm going to have to say it depends.

It depends on how close the object balls are together and how far away you are from the cue ball.

Short shots with the balls close together, it's advantageous to stand higher up so that you can see the contact points between the balls.

After that, the farther away the OB is, the lower down on your shot you should be.
 
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