This thread may be of interest to some.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=384317
Happy New Year :smile:
John
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=384317
Happy New Year :smile:
John
How straight is straight?
- Thread starter Zphix
- Start date
With your grip hand on the back of the cue, release your index finger, and point it straight down. Shoot with the index finger in this position while practicing, as it has a tendency to help reduce wrist twist during the shooting stroke. It takes a lot of pressure of the cue, and reduces the number of muscles involved in the shot.
Weber
Registered
The wrist turning is a problem with the grip. It could be too tight or too loose. All 4 of my fingers come away from the cue when I pull back. The pressure is applied from the thumb and the fleshy part of the palm underneath the big knuckle on the index finger. Try this out. When practicing just have all 4 fingers and thumb straight. Not wrapped around the cue. Place the cue up tight against the webbing between thumb and index finger and just shoot some shots. It gives you the feeling and really frees up the cue to travel straight back and forth and stops my wrist from curling or cocking out. When I play I wrap the middle finger and grip with that, the rest are just brushing against the cue and as I pull back the middle finger releases and my cue action is pretty straight.
If you are to video yourself then front of the tip and back behind the grip are a must. Preferably on a level with the cue. If you can manage a Birdseye view that would be good too.
If you are to video yourself then front of the tip and back behind the grip are a must. Preferably on a level with the cue. If you can manage a Birdseye view that would be good too.
This would make shooting a little more awkward for me RJ because I shoot with a teacup grip. Only use my index and middle finger to grip
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This would make shooting a little more awkward for me RJ because I shoot with a teacup grip. Only use my index and middle finger to grip
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So, you can try using your middle and ring finger....... And see if it works for you......
My contact point perception is great unless I'm shooting long shots, or some cut shots. Generally, it's the long shots that end my runs the most.
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The longer the shot, the less the margin of error. Do you bring your cue back slowly on the final pull back, making sure it comes back straight, then go forward ensuring it stays on the line you chose? If not, that could be the problem. If so, then you know that your sighting or aiming are off a little, and with practice can correct it.
Good reference but thats for sight alignment which I will be trying later. I am not sure how everyone lines up a shot. For me no matter the angle I am looking straight through the center of the cue ball. I am guessing based on my perception where the cue ball will make contact with the object ball. Kinda like driving a big truck down a narrow street. I am using my perception to gauge my clearance to cars on both sides. I could stick my head out the window to see on sides clearance. Kinda like pool. I dont think players aim this way or at least I dont. Say you have a think cut to the left. You dont move your sight line to the left say edge to edge. I would think most players are sighting straight center cue ball and using their perception as to where the contact points will be. Which is basically a guessing game. Some players are better guessers than others. Hope I explained what I was trying to say. Hence aiming systems for those who have trouble guessing where the cue ball is going to make contact.
In degree of difficulty:
easy: Place CB on headspot. Roll CB to opposite diamond and have CB roll back and land on still extended cue tip. Success:: greater than 90% success rate.
Medium: Place CB on headspot, place OB on center spot. Roll CB hit OB so that OB hits opposite center diamond rolls back to hit CB. Success greater than 75% success rate.
Hard: Place CB on headspot, place OB on center spot. Roll CB hit OB so that OB hits opposite center diamond rolls back to hit CB so that CB rolls back to hit still extended cue tip.
If you can do the hard one 30% of the time, your stroke is straight, no mater how crazy it looks on film.
Really hard: Place CB on headspot, place OB on center spot. Roll CB with a lot of draw; hit OB so that OB hits opposite center diamond, and drawing CB back to center diamond on near rail; then have both balls meet at center spot.
Weber, A tip given to me by Randy G. was to drop both the index and pinky, just using the middle two fingers to cradle the cue. It helped me.
As for a brace, any decent drugstore will carry a carpel tunnel syndrome brace. There will be a metal piece in the palm that you can shape to force your hand into alignment with the arm while the fingers are in a cradle position.
As for a brace, any decent drugstore will carry a carpel tunnel syndrome brace. There will be a metal piece in the palm that you can shape to force your hand into alignment with the arm while the fingers are in a cradle position.
I'm at the table right now. I'll find out shortly
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Earl puts a weight on his bridge arm to hold himself down better on shots. I made me think if a small weight on your stroke arm wrist might help train you not to turn it. Just thinking....
Alright. A few things.
1) The wrist twist I'm having isn't an issue as I noticed it's the result of my arm naturally stopping at the end of the follow through. My arm is straight upon contact with the CB.
2) I was not stroking back slowly on long shots. Taking the extra time to check my stroke on long shots has helped me in these few racks I've just shot.
3) My arm/grip is now completely loose when stroking. I've had the habit of gripping more tense-ly on long shots mid-stroke. I just broke that habit.
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1) The wrist twist I'm having isn't an issue as I noticed it's the result of my arm naturally stopping at the end of the follow through. My arm is straight upon contact with the CB.
2) I was not stroking back slowly on long shots. Taking the extra time to check my stroke on long shots has helped me in these few racks I've just shot.
3) My arm/grip is now completely loose when stroking. I've had the habit of gripping more tense-ly on long shots mid-stroke. I just broke that habit.
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Like others have noted here, using a top pro as a guide to doing things right can lead you astray. A short stroke does not ensure a straight stroke, and since there is less tip travel, it is even harder to see if you are going straight or not. This could actually hamper your efforts in some cases. A one inch stroke might look perfectly straight from your viewpoint, but it might also be a few degrees off the true shot line in reality.
The key for me was to actually lengthen my stroke. With a 12-14" bridge length I can really see if the cue is traveling straight on the backstroke. The backstroke is critical IMO. If you want a really straight forward stroke, learn to pull the cue back really straight and 90% of your problems are solved.