ideal stance pictures

P

PetToilet

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
does anyone have some pictures of good stances from angles that you can actually see the alignment along the aiming line and the relationship the feet, shoulders, and hips are?

i've been trying to find some to square up my finicky stance but most just focus on the shooting / upper half, and from the side where you can't see the feet/hip relationship to the cue/aiming line. is the front foot more towards or away from the cue? how about the back foot? how much more should the front foot be angled out? how much do people follow the 45 degree rule (this refers to the feet?) do you point your toes in the same direction? and how does it apply to the hips and shoulder?

i want to know for the pool stance, not snooker (which i know lines it up based on your eye). I want my body's natural motion to be lined up, instead of just for aiming. i can sight the aiming line very well, it's just the trouble of finding something comfortable not just for standing over the cue but also comfortable to send the cue down the aiming line. at times i feel like im using more than just my bicep to hold it in place and i don't want to, even if it is pretty comfortable.

when you cant have your ideal stance, for example with one leg up, how do you align your hips and shoulders to make everything work?
 
Last edited:
"Good players do not lose their swing they lose their alignment.
Put their stance and alignment back in the proper place and thier swing comes back."
Ken Venturi professional golfer and instructor.

I would encourage you to find an instructor, who can refer you to people they have helped for references, and then invest in a lesson or two specifically on stance and alignment.

I personally am of the opinion that we all have a differenct body structure and natual alignment and therefore there are a lot of very good stances and alignments that produce a repeating swing. While they all may look slightly different at their core they have some common denominators.

Accordingly, you may want to look for pictures of people with a similar body structure as your own for ideas.

Good luck.
 
stance photos

Johnnyz86 said:
does anyone have some pictures of good stances from angles that you can actually see the alignment along the aiming line and the relationship the feet, shoulders, and hips are?
Click to expand...
This might not be exactly what you want, but I think it gives a fairly good general idea:
It is based on this document:

However, body posture, feet placement, and head and shoulder position can be a very personal thing, so I wouldn't try to force your body into any reported "ideal" position. As long as your stance is comfortable and allows you to align and stroke the cue along your aiming line, without body interference, that's what really matters.

Regards,
Dave
 
There is no such thing as an "ideal stance" for everyone. There is what I would call a "classic" stance...that which is recommended in most texts dealing with the subject which are, in turn, based on the stances used by a large number of top players.

That "classic stance" might be described as:

1. Placing the back foot on the extended line on which the CB will be directed toward the OB.

2. Place the front foot at about a 45 degree angle to that line.

3. Bend forward with a RELATIVELY straight back leg onto a bent forward leg.

4. Place the cue directly under the chin.

5. In the SET position, with the tip very close to the OB, the forearm should be at a right angle to the CUE.

The variations from "classic" are nearly endless but frequently would include.

1. Instead of a nearly straight rear leg, both legs are bent in a partial "squat" type of stance...watch Strickland who does this.

2. The Brits tend to adopt more of a snooker stance where the forward let is placed at a wider than 45 degree angle which, in turn, "squares up" the chest toward a more perpendicular orientation to the line toward the OB.

3. The chin is moved to various positions to the outside (away from the body) of centered under the chin.

Finally, various chin heights (above the cue) are used. Back in the day, the chin was held several inches above the cue but today, many pros have moved the chin much lower...Allison's cue rubs back and forth ON her chin.

Re: Dave's first pdf link, that player uses a VERY non-standard, non-traditional WIDELY SPREAD leg position which VERY few top pros have adopted.

Regards,
Jim


dr_dave said:
This might not be exactly what you want, but I think it gives a fairly good general idea:
It is based on this document:

However, body posture, feet placement, and head and shoulder position can be a very personal thing, so I wouldn't try to force your body into any reported "ideal" position. As long as your stance is comfortable and allows you to align and stroke the cue along your aiming line, without body interference, that's what really matters.

Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
av84fun said:
There is no such thing as an "ideal stance" for everyone. There is what I would call a "classic" stance...that which is recommended in most texts dealing with the subject which are, in turn, based on the stances used by a large number of top players.

That "classic stance" might be described as:

1. Placing the back foot on the extended line on which the CB will be directed toward the OB.

2. Place the front foot at about a 45 degree angle to that line.

3. Bend forward with a RELATIVELY straight back leg onto a bent forward leg.

4. Place the cue directly under the chin.

5. In the SET position, with the tip very close to the OB, the forearm should be at a right angle to the CUE.

...

Regards,
Jim
Click to expand...

I found in the book 99 Critical Shots in Pool, the easiest way to get into this position.

Start while gripping your cue at your grip point, and your arm hanging straight down at your side, feet together, facing your shot, with the tip of the cue about a half inch in front of the cue ball.

Turn 45 degrees, move your Left foot( If you are right handed, right foot if you are left handed) forward 1 step, bend over into your aiming position.

You should be alligned with your shot, and your back hand should be directly below your elbow at this point, ready to aim and shoot.
 
stance "best practices" and wide stance

av84fun said:
There is no such thing as an "ideal stance" for everyone. There is what I would call a "classic" stance...that which is recommended in most texts dealing with the subject which are, in turn, based on the stances used by a large number of top players.

That "classic stance" might be described as:

1. Placing the back foot on the extended line on which the CB will be directed toward the OB.

2. Place the front foot at about a 45 degree angle to that line.

3. Bend forward with a RELATIVELY straight back leg onto a bent forward leg.

4. Place the cue directly under the chin.

5. In the SET position, with the tip very close to the OB, the forearm should be at a right angle to the CUE.

The variations from "classic" are nearly endless but frequently would include.

1. Instead of a nearly straight rear leg, both legs are bent in a partial "squat" type of stance...watch Strickland who does this.

2. The Brits tend to adopt more of a snooker stance where the forward let is placed at a wider than 45 degree angle which, in turn, "squares up" the chest toward a more perpendicular orientation to the line toward the OB.

3. The chin is moved to various positions to the outside (away from the body) of centered under the chin.

Finally, various chin heights (above the cue) are used. Back in the day, the chin was help several inches above the cue but today, many pros have moved the chin much lower...Allison's cue rubs back and forth ON her chin.
Click to expand...
Jim,

Excellent summary!

av84fun said:
Re: Dave's first pdf link, that player uses a VERY non-standard, non-traditional WIDELY SPREAD leg position which VERY few top pros have adopted.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how many pros have a wide stance (although, many pros are fairly short and don't need a wide stance), but the amount of leg spread obviously will vary a lot from one person to the next based on the person's height, flexibility, chin height above the cue, body shape and anatomy, and comfort level. The photos in my document are of a top regional player. I also prefer a wide foot stance because of my height (6' 3") and desire to get my head low without too much strain on my lower back and neck.

Regards,
Dave
 
dr_dave said:
Jim,

Excellent summary!

I'm not sure how many pros have a wide stance (although, many pros are fairly short and don't need a wide stance), but the amount of leg spread obviously will vary a lot from one person to the next based on the person's height, flexibility, chin height above the cue, body shape and anatomy, and comfort level. The photos in my document are of a top regional player. I also prefer a wide foot stance because of my height (6' 3") and desire to get my head low without too much strain on my lower back and neck.

Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...

EDIT: the fact that the player in the picture is a top regional player (Bobby Pickle uses a very wide stance too) is just proof that there is no "ideal" stance. Re: lateral instability, if the shooter remains motionless...except for the pendulum stroke...then there will be so stability issue.

THANKS! And yes, taller players may need to spread the legs like that but Earl is fairly tall and squats down rather than spreads out. The widely spread approach creates LATERAL instability...i.e. approach such a player from the side and it would be easy to push him over.

Not so with the Strickland Squat...which I also use due to a lack of flexability which prevents me from using the "classic" straight rear leg.

Regards,
Jim
 
Last edited:
thank you guys for your input, i've been doing mostly what av84fun has said but really focusing on doing it every time is making me more consistant.

i'm a pretty short person so i cant quite do that wide stance. however, i am a huge fan of your site, dr dave, it has really improved my game. i also am a big SPF guy (just from reading around here and implementing it) so i am squaring my stance down. i guess i mostly have trouble when i cant have my ideal 45 degree stance and dont know how to position my shoulders and hips, because thats where my consistancy seems to drop. also sometimes my elbow seems to pop out just a bit, which seems to say i should angle myself a little less than 45 degrees?
 
Last edited:
Johnnyz86...Steve is right on track here, with his comments...and an excellent instructor, if you happen live in the Quad Cities area. As AV84FUN said, there is no one right stance that works for everyone. We can teach you your Personal Shooting Template, which is made up of your natural stance, your natural grip, and your natural bridge...all coupled with a perfect SPF swing. We can point you towards a good SPF instructor. If there isn't one close to you, I travel the entire country teaching. PM me if you're interested.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Steve C said:
I would encourage you to find an instructor, who can refer you to people they have helped for references, and then invest in a lesson or two specifically on stance and alignment.

I personally am of the opinion that we all have a differenct body structure and natual alignment and therefore there are a lot of very good stances and alignments that produce a repeating swing. While they all may look slightly different at their core they have some common denominators.

Accordingly, you may want to look for pictures of people with a similar body structure as your own for ideas.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
i guess it feels a little awkward to step 45degrees after i put my back leg in position. in other sports i've been used to stepping towards where I am trying to aim, but analyzing my stroke seems to say i need at least 45 degrees. does it feel natural for everyone else to step 45 degrees away from their target? also, i like sighting back from further away, so when taking a 45 degree step, that leaves my bridge too long and i guess i have to work on sighting then moving up then stepping first.

i'd love to take a lesson if i had the money/time, perhaps in the future
 
Last edited:
Johnnyz86 said:
i guess it feels a little awkward to step 45degrees after i put my back leg in position. in other sports i've been used to stepping towards where I am trying to aim, but analyzing my stroke seems to say i need at least 45 degrees. does it feel natural for everyone else to step 45 degrees away from their target? also, i like sighting back from further away, so when taking a 45 degree step, that leaves my bridge too long and i guess i have to work on sighting then moving up then stepping first.

i'd love to take a lesson if i had the money/time, perhaps in the future
Click to expand...

Johnny, to acquire the "baseline" 45 deg. angle doesn't require much "stepping out".

People walk normally with the outside edge of their feet about directly under the center of their shoulder joints (except when they're drunk in which case the feet are spread out a little further!!) (-:

So, if you are walking with your right (back) foot on a line from the CB to the point on the OB you intend to hit...and then simply take one more normal step with your left foot, you will have achieved almost a 45 degree angle...maybe 1 foot width narrower than that...so there is no wide adjustment required.

On the more open snooker-type stance there IS quite an adjustment from the normal walking motion...which is the stance I have adopted after numerous training sessions with Allison Fisher.

My final left foot move is about 3 foot widths to the left.

Allison famously used a marker on the carpet under her parent's home table to mark the EXACT foot position.

Whatever angle you eventually adopt, it is absolutely critical to use that SAME EXACT ANGLE every time (except as noted below) so you need to have objective ways to measure whether you have adopted the correct foot position.

For me, it is the left foot 3 foot widths to the left of my normal walk AND where a line drawn across the front of my right foot intersects the middle of my left foot.

Of course, there are shots that don't allow normal foot positions. In such cases though, you can adopt the same SHOULDER angle as normal.

So, once you have adopted your standard normal foot positions....take careful note of the angle of your shoulders relative to the stroke path of the cue. MEMORIZE that angle. Then, when you can't adopt your normal stance at least you can adopt that shoulder action.

Finally, as you seek your optimum foot position angle, err on the side of being wider than 45 degrees (the angle that approaches the Fisher/Corr angle) rather than narrower which IMHO does nothing but harm.


Regards,
Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top