Let's talk about grip hand position

[one stroke]

Iv have often wondered what position is the best and thru just moving my wrist in different positions Iv noticed that the position of you wrist activates different muscles , straight or cupped to the outside activate the mostly the muscles on the outside of the forearm,,

However if you Cup to the inside this activates the inside forarm muscle easily the biggest of all the muscles in the forarm ,,
I ask this because anytime I see a player cupping inside I'm paying attention I find more times than not he's a player and in many cases I've noticed they have a more powerful stroke or am I dreaming

1

 

[couldnthinkof01]

One of the best players around here has a very interesting
grip. He posts on here as tinman. It looks like he pinches
the cue between his finger and thumb. He has a good stroke
and I haven’t seen very many players with that style.

As for inside cupping I only know of one off the top of
my head near me that does that. He plays pretty good
on a bar table but when having to hit the ball with a lot
of speed on a 9 ft it doesn’t seem to help him.

Interesting concept.

 

[one stroke]

One of the best players around here has a very interesting
grip. He posts on here as tinman. It looks like he pinches
the cue between his finger and thumb. He has a good stroke
and I haven’t seen very many players with that style.

As for inside cupping I only know of one off the top of
my head near me that does that. He plays pretty good
on a bar table but when having to hit the ball with a lot
of speed on a 9 ft it doesn’t seem to help him.

Interesting concept.

Ever heard of this guy Efren he cups inside

1

 

[couldnthinkof01]

Ever heard of this guy Efren he cups inside

1

I was thinking about local players.
Efren rings a bell, Chinese guy right?

I suppose he does.

 

[jrctherake]

There are many, many reasons why a player would choose inside or outside. The only reason out of the many that matters is:

Preference and what you are accustomed to doing through repetition to comfort while achieving the goal.

There, that should be a clear as mud.

Rake

 

[one stroke]

There are many, many reasons why a player would choose inside or outside. The only reason out of the many that matters is:

Preference and what you are accustomed to doing through repetition to comfort while achieving the goal.

There, that should be a clear as mud.

Rake

True however I noticed certain things in the stroke like if you forward press your stroke hand it no doubt in my mind gives more power in the stroke with less elbow drop ,,

 

[MitchAlsup]

Iv have often wondered what position is the best and thru just moving my wrist in different positions Iv noticed that the position of you wrist activates different muscles , straight or cupped to the outside activate the mostly the muscles on the outside of the forearm,,

Hand position is not nearly as important as lack of tension in the hand muscles, especially the wrist.

 

[one stroke]

Hand position is not nearly as important as lack of tension in the hand muscles, especially the wrist.

I will bite on some of that hold a bird in your hand and swing a golf club is something a golfer hears
I will add that I don't think it's nearly important in the game today as the tables are lighting fast so that big power stroke is not needed near as much
1

 

[JoeyInCali]

Hand position is not nearly as important as lack of tension in the hand muscles, especially the wrist.

You lose power when your hand is too far forward.
You will need to drop the elbow and let the cue go if your forearm is past perpendicular to the floor when the tip hits the cue ball.

 

[Scratch85]

Never been one to over analyze, but doesn’t bridge length enter into the equation. In my head, longer bridge length equates to more cupped hand position. Does that fit with the previous observations?


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums

 

[Texas Carom Club]

Grip hand location matters alot in carom

We use about 4 different locations to hold all relative to the type of hit we want

When nursing the balls , its held at the balance for best control of power, as we dont want the balls to move much at all, and very short bridges like 2 inches

For a gather shot where we pop the 2nd ball around the table will hold it a few inches away from the end with longer bridges, or short, again depends what we want to do with the cue ball, send it a few inches or feet

 

[ChrisinNC]

You lose power when your hand is too far forward.
You will need to drop the elbow and let the cue go if your forearm is past perpendicular to the floor when the tip hits the cue ball.

Hand too far forward - you can't pull it back without raising your elbow and you can't follow-through without firing your elbow.

Hand too far back - you can't pull it back without significantly elevating the back of the cue and you can't follow through without either severely limiting your follow-through or raising up with your elbow/shoulder/head.

 

[Imac007]

He is in good company especially in top snooker players and coaching. The snooker gym teaches the grip by having beginners open the hand and put the cue up into the crotch of the thumb and forefinger. They keep the thumb and fingers pointed down and have them shoot like that initially. Snooker coach Barry Stark points out that the cue should be well up into the same area and that the main grip is there and the second last finger. Another coach states that the grip must not allow any space above the cue in the thumb crotch and that all fingers form a channel keeping the cue on line. Stephen Lee, the Rolls Royce of cue actions, says all fingers stay in contact and that the action is a "squeeze". Ronnie O’Sullivan also talks about varying grip pressure. He also described it as a squeeze. These players also have the cue held firmly in the thumb crotch.

During air stroking the end of my stroke closes in a squeeze action against both sides of the cue. On power shots such as breaks, I make sure my shoulder is relaxed and arm hanging. My grip is a slight squeeze allowing for power without losing control of the cue. Equal pressure from both sides allows tightening without twisting. Accurate cueing keeps the cue ball table center on most breaks.

The elbow is a hinge that needs to be on the shot line. The hand needs to allow it to hinge and keep it on line while maintaining control of the cue. All of the players and coaches mentioned here retain a vertical thumb throughout.

There will be innumerable players with a myriad of styles. Based on top coach and player descriptions some basic concepts to shorten the learning curve emerge. The trick is to transfer that understanding to others. They say that understanding is being able to explain it to your grandmother. This is my grandmother description.