Let the cue do the work..

X Breaker

X Breaker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I hardly have any time to play pool these days, but I have the pleasure to watch and talk to some pool players, some of whom have shared some of their valuable experience and knowledge with me.

One thing I have been working on was not to hit the ball too hard.

Recently, I was told that a good player will not snap the ball, but he/she will follow through and try to allow the tip to stay on the ball longer. It is supposed to be a smooth motion to allow more energy to be tranferred to the cue ball. It is like trying to ride the cue ball with the tip.

I have tried to understand that, and I think finally I can feel the difference between snapping the ball and letting the tip ride the cue ball.

While I was trying out different things, I realized that I can really just let the cue do the work. Rather than using my arm muscle, or my elbow, I just let the cue stay on the cue ball, to move it around the table.

When I am doing this, I always see my tip staying on the table after the cue ball is gone, and I am hitting the ball lighter but have a lot more movement on the cue ball.

It is a very new and interesting experience for me, I wonder if any of you have felt this way? Am I doing something right? Is this how I am supposed to feel when I am letting the cue do the work?

Richard
 
Efren and Jeremy Jones do that on almost all shots.
They just let the cue go.
As some would say, a good stroke is a good throwing motion.
Or sumthin' like that.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Efren and Jeremy Jones do that on almost all shots.
They just let the cue go.
As some would say, a good stroke is a good throwing motion.
Or sumthin' like that.
Click to expand...
Joey,

I used to play snooker and I had always thought the snooker stroke was more of a snapping stroke, but now when I pay attention to how snooker players hit the balls, I all the sudden realize they have a very smooth follow through and they are also "riding" the cue ball with their cues. It is just that they hardly drop their elbow, and the arena is so quiet it appeared that they were hitting the ball real hard.

I watched Ronnie O Sullivan and tried to pay attention to how he made contact with the cue ball with his tip. In my observation, he was so effortless and amazingly smooth. He also rested his tip on the table after his follow through on every shot, despite how fast he was shooting.

I am not hitting balls with an instructor next to me so I am not sure if this is the way I am supposed to feel. I feel almost like I am pushing the cue ball, and like you said, almost letting go of the cue at the balls sometimes.

Richard
 
Well, the let the cue slip stroke has existed for a long time I think.
Jimmy Moore and Mosconi did some variety of it I think.
Some do grip the cue in the middle of the wrap then pull back on the last stroke, and that to most is the slipstroke.
I've watched Efren for hundreds of hours I think. His tip almost always ends on the cloth unless he's hitting really high on the ball.
 
When you talk about learning to hit them softer, it brings back memories to my personal progress. We as players go through many stages of learning and improvement over the years. We can go several months without any improvement no matter how many hours we spend on the table, and then from out of the blue, hit a two or three day period where our ability/level shoots up. Then it's back to the several months (maybe years) before we climb the next hurdle to the next level. For me, one of the most significant hurdles I've climbed in my years as a player was learning just how softly you can stroke while still getting the intended result. We're all familiar with the effect that cb speed has when it hits a rail right? The harder it hits the rail, the tighter the angle. The softer it hits, the wider the angle. For me, realizing that this doesn't apply only to banks was one of those 'enlightening' moments that really improved my game. Here's a most simple and basic example of what I'm talking about. How many of us have been guilty, as 'learning' players, of using extreme low/left in order to get position on the 9 in this diagram. The reason we used extreme low/left was because we were hitting the shot too hard, and not giving the cb a chance to 'bite' into the cushion, so at that particular speed, extreme low/left was needed to get shape. As a player gets better, you find that a much softer stroke and a slower cb with center and just a touch of left will get the same shape 'cause the slower cb is given a chance to 'bite' into the cushion. This is very simple, and many seasoned players will laugh at this post, but from experience, learning to get the most out of the cushions has probably been the most significant factor in improving my game. And, as I watch others play, it's pretty obvious that there are many many players that still think they need to put too much junk on the cb in order to get certain shapes that can easily be obtained with simply hitting it with the right speed.
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nipponbilliards said:
I hardly have any time to play pool these days, but I have the pleasure to watch and talk to some pool players, some of whom have shared some of their valuable experience and knowledge with me.

One thing I have been working on was not to hit the ball too hard.

Recently, I was told that a good player will not snap the ball, but he/she will follow through and try to allow the tip to stay on the ball longer. It is supposed to be a smooth motion to allow more energy to be tranferred to the cue ball. It is like trying to ride the cue ball with the tip.

I have tried to understand that, and I think finally I can feel the difference between snapping the ball and letting the tip ride the cue ball.

While I was trying out different things, I realized that I can really just let the cue do the work. Rather than using my arm muscle, or my elbow, I just let the cue stay on the cue ball, to move it around the table.

When I am doing this, I always see my tip staying on the table after the cue ball is gone, and I am hitting the ball lighter but have a lot more movement on the cue ball.

It is a very new and interesting experience for me, I wonder if any of you have felt this way? Am I doing something right? Is this how I am supposed to feel when I am letting the cue do the work?

Richard
Click to expand...

Very good points. I was at a pool hall with my son last Friday watching a couple guys shooting. The one player just drew the CB and turned around and told me that he doen't draw like most players, he infact hits it softer. I told him that he had a nice draw stroke because he stayed with the shot and that most pros shoot that way, so he wasn't different rather his execution was correct.

All shots played as you stated, nipponbilliards, will enable not just better accuracy but better CB movement with less effort. Thanks for info.
 
Ages ago when I started playing a ex road player told me to keep it simple. He said all I needed to master was the center ball shot. He made shooting look so easy. I thought that I needed lots of english on every shot. As the years passed I now know but at the time didn't understand. Keep it simple. I now have more skill at seeing the patterns for stop, stun and natural angles that just require center ball along with speed of stroke and using the whole pocket. There are times when follow, draw and english is required but not very often. The problem is it seems easier to use all of the other stuff but it is not consistant. Learn center ball control and your game will become more consistant and the game will become easier.

In Bob Henning's "Pro Book" he starts out with the most important shot. A center ball shot straight into the corner pocket. It then makes up 3 of his 16 shots to master. This shot is overlooked by everyone because it is so simple but in fact is the most complicated.
 
nipponbilliards said:
I hardly have any time to play pool these days, but I have the pleasure to watch and talk to some pool players, some of whom have shared some of their valuable experience and knowledge with me.

One thing I have been working on was not to hit the ball too hard.

Recently, I was told that a good player will not snap the ball, but he/she will follow through and try to allow the tip to stay on the ball longer. It is supposed to be a smooth motion to allow more energy to be tranferred to the cue ball. It is like trying to ride the cue ball with the tip.

I have tried to understand that, and I think finally I can feel the difference between snapping the ball and letting the tip ride the cue ball.

While I was trying out different things, I realized that I can really just let the cue do the work. Rather than using my arm muscle, or my elbow, I just let the cue stay on the cue ball, to move it around the table.

When I am doing this, I always see my tip staying on the table after the cue ball is gone, and I am hitting the ball lighter but have a lot more movement on the cue ball.

It is a very new and interesting experience for me, I wonder if any of you have felt this way? Am I doing something right? Is this how I am supposed to feel when I am letting the cue do the work?

Richard
Click to expand...

Took me something like 7-8 years to finally understand what does the phrase "let the cue do all the work" means and to use it as an advantage. It's something you need to experience yourself. Apparently that's what you've just done. Welcome to the next level ! ;) Now, try to use the same thing on every shot and your consistency goes wayyy up.

I understand it as it's no use of tightening your arm muscles after the cue has been released from the final backswing towards the cueball. Your hand on the cue is not increasing the cue speed, it's actually decreasing it and even more if you shoot with tight muscles or with too tight of a grip. If your grip is too loose, you cannot get enough momentum at the start of the final forward motion of the cue. That's why many pros "let go" of the cue... Jones, Reyes, Immonen, etc.
 
I've noticed a dramatic improvement in my breaks, and accuracy in general, by focusing on a smooth stroke with a nice follow through while staying down on the shot. I've reached the conclusion that for best results, the fluidity of the stroke is more important than the raw power, much like a good golf drive (from my very limited golf experience).
 
TheBook said:
In Bob Henning's "Pro Book" he starts out with the most important shot. A center ball shot straight into the corner pocket. It then makes up 3 of his 16 shots to master. This shot is overlooked by everyone because it is so simple but in fact is the most complicated.
Click to expand...

I agree totally. The Stop, Straight Follow, and Straight Draw are number 1, 2, and 3 for a reason ! They are the underpinnings of good speed control / position from what I can tell about the game.

Dave
 
ToykoDave,

Interesting you mentioned that. I have just recently dicovered that myself. At first, I though it was my shaft or my cue which gave me too much spin, then I realized it was because by letting the cue ball rolls, I got a wider angle. I did nto know this before as almost all the players I observed in my local area hit the balls pretty hard. Then, I started goign to trade shows and tournaments and I was amazed at how much more fluid the pros hit their cue ball. Thank you for sharing.

The Book,

I also like the "keep it simple" remark. This is something I observed from watching Allsion Fisher runs out. She uses perfect speed most of the times and her run out pattern is always "bullet proof" in the sense that her cue ball hardly cuts across her path, and in the odd case when it does, she has perfect speed to stop it where she wants to. I don't think she uses too much english.

I also notice it when I watched Mika Immonen play. His cue ball control is so good, coupled with great potting ability, it makes his run out look so simple. He is so good with his speed, I watched him land the cue ball in the zone the size of a fist a few times when he absolutly had to in order to run out.

I just recently realized how easy it is to run out certain tables by using mostly center ball with the porper angel. It is like just connecting the dots on the table when you see the pattern. My problem is sometimes I miss easy shots.:)

Mjantti,

I tend to have better feel of the shots when I am more relaxed. One thing I am trying to figure out is how loose to hold the cue and still have enough power with a porper wrist action.

I wish I had more time to play. But it is actually not too bad that I have so little time now. I really try to make the most out of every time that I play, and it tends to help me to understand the game faster.

Thank you for sharing. It is a pleasure to be speaking to knowlegable posters.

Richard
 
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