Ideal right hand (if R handed) position on cue?

J

John oleson

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Recognizing there are successful players with non-traditional stances and head positions, am sure this is same with right hand on cue.

However, there must be some standard grip that the most accomplished male/female players use to insure a consistent stroke?

Advice most appreciated ... john_oleson@comcast.net
 
goettlicher said:
When your cue tip is addressing the cue ball:
Your back hand should be directly under your elbow.
This is referred to as 90ndegrees.

randyg
Click to expand...
My right hand is just slightly forward of that.
I've done it that way for over 60 years.
I've tried it at 90 degrees but it just feels awkward.
 

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Yup, what these guys said. To put it another way, when your tip contacts the cueball, your hand should be at the bottom of the arc of your stroke. Use whatever grip accomplishes this for each shot. There is no "one" grip position. It changes based on the stance, reach, and bridge requirements of each shot.
 
I don't think he's asking about where his hand should be on the cue but HOW his hand should be positioned. I've come to the conclusion that figuring out the answer to this question -- is the most important fundamental in pool. Of course it needs to be in proper relation to one's alignment (shoulder, elbow, and forearm).

For me, the best place to start is by looking at you hand as it's lying naturally by your side. For almost all of us, the dorsal portion of your hand is in alignment with your forearm. So to me, this should be the starting point for your grip. If you curl your wrist in or out much from this natural state, you will always have to be somewhat cognizant of your wrist's position in order to cue straight. I know because I've struggled with this for as long as I've played pool. You'll see a lot of crazy wrist positons even among the pros. I think this is something they overcame and shouldn't be emulated. Jeremy Jones has quite the unorthodox position, and even Johnny Archer has his wrist turned quite in a bit.

Once you figure out how your wrist should he cocked it becomes a matter of how to hold, grip, or as the SPF crew likes to call it -- cradle the cue. There's several different ways to skin the cat here and I've tried most of them over the years. Here recently, I've gone to the light thumb, index and middle finger grip. It's sort of like the further back the grip goes the lighter the finger pressure becomes. I also like to open up the grip a bit on the backstroke to keep my cue on plane a bit more.

The real truth is the grip is a personal mystery we must all figure out on our own.
 
I think every single instructional book and video has something on the grip and stance. Mark Wilson, Tor Lowrly, bunch of others have videos out about it. Really depends on your arm span, length of cue you use, how you line up to see the shot correctly, etc...

As with everything else, there is no secret ingredient that will work for you without a lot of trial and error. I fully believe that a big part of what separates the skill level of players is not just "talent" or "practice" but the great players happened to find an ideal cue stance and position naturally for how they stand and shoot and were playing with the correct aim and cue ball contact from an early start in their game.
 
measureman said:
My right hand is just slightly forward of that.
I've done it that way for over 60 years.
I've tried it at 90 degrees but it just feels awkward.
Click to expand...
I think players that stand taller over the cue like you do tend to be more forward on the cue. I suppose you're in good company as Mosconi himself looked similar. I think if you just lowered down where your chin hit the cue you would actually be pretty close to 90 degrees. So I think it's more a stance difference than a grip position difference. Not totally sure though.
 
I was just talking in another thread about J Archer and me having this talk years ago. He feared I was gripping too far back. I have long arms.

It seems to me that the most important fact is the length of the upper arm and how far back that puts the pivot point of the elbow. Below that is the proper grip position. If you have to grip the cue on the butt, so be it.

On a similar note, I've been shooting well, then 2 months ago it all fell apart. Finally, I figured out I had let my grip sneak up on the cue. I put it back to the butt end more and presto, chango, instant return to good potting.

Your mileage may vary,



Jeff Livingston
 
For me, the fundamental I still have to concentrate on is holding the cue loose enough when striking the cue ball-

-dj
 
Mick said:
To put it another way, when your tip contacts the cueball, your hand should be at the bottom of the arc of your stroke.
Click to expand...
I think that's a useful approximation, but ideally your grip hand should be moving parallel with your cue when the tip hits the CB (where your forearm is perpendicular to your cue and the tip is moving parallel with it, not up or down). That usually happens just before the "bottom" of your stroke arc, because your cue is usually pointed slightly downward, not horizontal.

pj
chgo
 
to the op
are you asking where on the cue to grip
see randy's post
are you asking how to grip?
thats another question
please clarify
thanks in advance
 
Knuckles straight downward at the floor, wrist is straight, no flex or bending-completing the stroke,
back of the palm facing the wall and minimal shoulder movement at all times so your arm just moves
forward and collapses. In other words, your forearm and lower biceps touch. Don’t death squeeze the
butt and just grip the cue with fingers spread as if you were handshaking with the cue butt. The final
and may be the most critical is following thru on the stroke…..don’t quit on it, don’t jab it, don’t draw
back slowly & fast accelerate your forward stroke. Try to get a balance and rhythm to your stroke that
has a smooth glide like action through your bridge fingers and let your cue tip extend beyond the cue
ball’s original position. Now I know you have to stroke the cue ball differently for various shots not only
to pocket the OB but attain the desired shape. But your fundamental stroke has to be mechanically and
rhythmically sound or your progress will ceiling out. You’ll miss shots because of your stroke mechanics.

Sure, everyone makes an occasional mechanical mistake but if the mistakes keep reoccurring, is it really
a mistake? Know what it is called? Yup, it’s the dreaded term none of us ever want to admit to….a flaw.

So fix it and work on your stroke…….consistency is the goal…..keep practice strokes to a minimum before
you stroke the cue ball (2-5 strokes is more than ample)……maintain a suitable bridge distance…..make sure
your mind is blank…..no thoughts at all……after you stroke the cue ball, stay down in stroke position with your
hand still on the cloth and observe the cue ball path, speed and English you “intended” rather than “unintended”
because the cue ball never lies. It tells you exactly what you did right or wrong. I don’t get out of my shooting
stance until after the cue ball stops rolling. I often have to lift my bridge hand to let the cue ball pass. I observe
the cue ball for its velocity as it comes off a rail. I evaluate the shot results which helps me correct any flaws that
we all have manifest it seems at the worst moments. Remember the cue ball never lies to you so learn to read it.

Think of it this way…….your cue can be played like a violin or played like a fiddle. Both instruments look alike and
have four strings. People often think of them as being the same instrument but admittedly, the acoustical sounds
produced are strikingly different. Well, your cue has to be both and it’s your stroke that decides which one on every
shot. Yes, your stroke & bridge will change during a game but if you do not possess a sound one, your game suffers.
 
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