Loose or Tight Grip

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Matt,

Thanks for the clarification. You are still using a non-tight/loose grip, relatively speaking.

Regards,
 
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An old man semi pro's opinion

I find this very interesting, not only from the standpoint of pool / billiards but also golf and bowling. Having just come across this learned dissertation while browsing, I hope someone observes my oration.

Having grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, I was privileged to have been a working stiff from early age on. Sticking pins at the bowling alleys, caddying, and occasionally racking balls / getting hustled at a very young age -- LOL

Although my golf ( -2 handicap for over 35 years) and bowling (208 average for over 35 years] endeavors were cut short about 20 years ago because of a major auto accident, league ratings of 9 and a DAMN little side action keep me tuned into the pool scene.

My freebee's to the young generation :

Cue stick grip: I use many: Bar tables and full size are two different worlds, however all grips can be used in both conditions - here's where the touch comes in. Fast table = very soft grips. ALL V grip, cradle and wraps very soft. Try throwing the cue. Not really, however you get the idea.Scummy valley 8 bar tables = bang away LOL any grip will do !! On the hit - squeeze your hand. Grip on the butt, at balance pt, behind balance pt = all o k practice and you shall be enlightened to which grip for which shot. All good shooters are natural sighters. After much practice, if you cannot immediately see the line / point of contact - take up a different sport. Your a fishy. TIP NO 2 Ignore your apponent completely. This is a virtuoso game, Unless your a scumbag - if you shoot - do the job - if you miss = nothing you can do to change anything. Unfortunately, it's killing the art.

Bowling = you can practice forever and never become anything but a joke. Learn the fundamentals and THEN : When you can do all that stuff - from 180 average to 210+ average is - squeeze your grip at the top of your back swing and then flip your wrist / squeeze your fingers on the release. YOOOOOOOO EASY Of course on the right line / speed / tempo / posture, etc etc etc LOL

Golf = Again after the fundamentals = Putting = relax your body - left hand leads - right hand pushes through. NO WRIST I mean deliberate attack with the right hand / fingers. YOOO if your right handed. All other golf shots = AS per Hogan and other old timers - After fundamentals ' back swing / grip etc - one really big grip squeeze at the top and let er rip !! Snap that wrist at impact - left side leads AAAA YOOOOO away she goes. Pussy out here and you are doomed. Perhaps forever.

Just an old man SAYING.


Enjoy
 
a tight grip will put the forearm and even bicep in a partially flexed position before the shot this in turn will allow for a less fluid stroke thereby reducing the cue speed you can generate.
 
Loose grip.......firm grip.

A lot of folks state that the cue must be held as though you have a bird in your hand. I've never held a bird in my hand so I have no idea what that feels like. :smile:

But I do have quite a few grand children and I know what it feels like to hold one of their arms gently, I also know what it feels like to increase the pressure to keep them from running off. To me, that's the two different grip pressures to use.

The way I teach the grip is to take my hand and put it around a students wrist with just enough pressure that tells me I am holding his wrist. Then I ask, do you feel that? Now I increase the pressure just a little and ask once again, do you feel that? Well, that's the grip.

You can perform this on yourself, put your hand around your wrist with just enough pressure that you feel your wrist with your hand. Now gently squeeze your wrist. That's the grip.

During the practice strokes the grip is not squeezed. When contact is made with the QB the cue is gently squeezed.

The reason for all of this is, you must get feed back from the striking of the QB. The feed back comes from the tip of the cue, down the length of the cue and finally to your hand, then to the brain where this information is stored for future use.

Hope this helps someone. :smile:

John
 
We get into 'discussions' from opposite ends so often. I have used a 'loose' 'V' grip with basically one point of contact on each side of the cue for 46 years since I was 13 years old. Then CJ Wiley comes on AZB talking about his firm 'tennis' type grip. I was once offered a position to teach tennis but was too young to appreciate the opportunity it might have afforded me so I turned it down. Hence CJ's tennis grip intrigued me so I tried it. It took a bit of adjustment to be able to stroke straight, but once the adjustment was made it worked well.

The point of this is that either a loose or firm 'grip' can work if it is associated with a coordinated stroke to compliment the grip. They need to go hand in hand so to speak.

IMHO I think a looser grip is conducive to more stroke styles.
 
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Try opening and closing you elbow with a tight fist. Try it again with your hand relaxed.

Did you notice any differences? Would your stroke be different with one or the other?
 
Rick...Here's a "nickle's worth" of fact! The amount of followthrough has no relationship with how much draw somebody gets...whether they are a novice or a pro. It is only related to how low you strike the CB, and how much speed you swing the cue with.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Quote:
Originally Posted by ENGLISH!
That is why to a novice it looks like I am drawing back so far with not much follow through.

Just my nickel's worth,

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PBIA Master Instructor

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Last edited by Scott Lee; 12-08-2012 at 12:26 PM.

How did I mis this?

As you so often do, you take a snippet out of context to distort & then make a true statement in reference to the snippet to make yourself out to appear more knowledgeable or to belittle the other person by making them to appear foolish or less knowledgeable than yourself.

When put in its full context one could readily see that my comment regarding a novice & follow through implies that that could be their false belief not mine.

For your sake, I wish you could realize how much of a 'little man' this type of petty activity makes you out to be for all reasonable people to see.

 
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Full Context

ENGLISH! said:
Hi all,

I learned from watching & playing an older gentleman who had many times, but not always, done something very similiar to what Fran has said & I picked up on it & do it to a lesser degree. Spideyweb has talked about throwing the cue in another thread. What this gentleman seemed to do was throw the cue through the cue ball but then catch it. I have that same sensation on my normal power draw. That is why to a novice it looks like I am drawing back so far with not much follow through. I am not just catching it but snatching it back after it has been 'released' so it does not go flying out as Fran mentioned. I would call it a 'slip' stroke by it is not what most refer to as a slip stroke because the cue slips throught the hand but in the forward direction. It it sort of a release & catch rather than a throw of the cue. A novice might try to emulate drawing the ball with this type of hit & pull back type stroke but with a tight grip & would certainly not get the same results. So to answer the original question I would say that I believe you can get more draw & power with a loose 'grip' but just don't let the cue go flying all over the place. A loose grip also allows a loose wrist which allows the cue to continue its acceleration a little longer than would a tight wrist. Just my humble opinion. (normal disclamer so as to prevent arguements)

Just my nickel's worth,
Click to expand...

Here is the full context.
 
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