Keith/Players

[Silk]

Since I started playing pool I've always wondered why nineball players and pool players generally, have a very different stroke/ stance to snooker players.
And I then think which style is the most effective? Considering they both have the same goal, or are tested under the same medium at least. So which is the better?
Or am I missing the point all together.
Cheeers.....
(P.S I Play eight ball in aussie with a snooker style stance, as do most)
(pps. whats a barbox table? 7,3?)

Silk!

 

[mapman72]

I'm no Keith McCready, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so I'll take a shot at this one. A barbox is a 7x3.5' table, usually coin operated with various cue ball sizes and weights and mostly found in bars. As for stances, I have noticed that Snooker players get in a very low crouch and it is typical for their chin to rest right above their cue, almost touching it. I believe this is due to the precise accuracy needed to pot balls in snooker, given the large tables and very small pockets. In pool, with the much larger pockets, it isn't always necessary to be extremely accurate with shots and I tend to think that many players get lazy in their stances while playing. I know I do. Plus, in a fast action game like 9 ball, some players may conserve energy by not getting down into a snooker style stance on each and every shot. Sometimes when I'm struggling, if I pay particular attention to my stance and keep my chin right over my cue, I notice that I usually bring myself up out of the funk. Obviously, snooker players are very effective when making the transition to pool (e.g., Alison Fisher) and I have to think their ability to pot balls in snooker and their stance and fundamentals come into play. So that probably wasn't at all helpful, but I did want to chime in because I knew what a barbox was

 

[Black-Balled]

I didn't stay at any Holiday Inns last night, but I did get Holiday pay for July 4.

Perhaps a big part of the stance difference is the height differences of the 2 table types- I have noticed that snooker tables tend to be significantly taller than pool tables.

 

[gregory]

i think the leg forward stance is used in pool because pool players need to generate more power than snooker players on some shots, and this is easier to do with the pool stace. try breaking hard with each stance. snooker stance is hard to get a lot power.

 

[Keith McCready]

Since I started playing pool I've always wondered why nineball players and pool players generally, have a very different stroke/ stance to snooker players.
And I then think which style is the most effective? Considering they both have the same goal, or are tested under the same medium at least. So which is the better?
Or am I missing the point all together.
Cheeers.....
(P.S I Play eight ball in aussie with a snooker style stance, as do most)
(pps. whats a barbox table? 7,3?)

Silk!

Silk, I developed my stance from being small when I was a kid. Taller people usually stand straight up and down. Smaller people seem to bend more over the table. I believe a person's stance goes with their own personal feel.

What works for me may not work for another, but I do emphasize to bend the knees a bit more and use short and long strokes for different shots. You can usually find a comfort zone when you experiment with all of the different shots you have in your arsenal, but it is very important how you stand.

I try to master my stance with each and every stroke. I know all of my different stances from as many balls as I have hit in my lifetime, and I know when I am off balance. So you've got to try to get yourself on balance and get settled in with the confidence you need to execute the shots superbly.