Oliver Ortmann's stroke

[grandpapkusky]

Thanks!

grandpapkusky:

Check out pics 5, 7, and 10 here:
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/showplayergallery.php?playernum=693

Notice how Oliver has his elbow tucked in close to his body, with his forearm angled out away from his body, and his canted (bent) inwards wrist. This is a sidearm style, but with a canted/bent wrist. (A "pure" sidearm style has the wrist straight with the forearm -- again, angled away from the body -- with the cue resting more on the pads of the fingers, just like Keith McCready's style.) Oliver bends his wrist inward towards his body (so that he can grip the cue deeper into his hand rather than resting upon the pads of his fingers), but since his forearm is pointing away from his body, the final result is that his hand points straight downwards towards the floor.

Now compare this with a true chicken wing style, like Gabe Owen's style:
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/showplayergallery.php?playernum=37

Notice how Gabe's elbow juts out from his body, with his forearm pointing INWARDS towards (not outwards away from) his body. Hence the name -- elbow jutting out = chicken wing.

Hope that helps clear it up!
-Sean

Sean, Cuetechasaurus, rackmsuckr and everyone else who helped explain this, thank you! I had never heard of chicken wing and just took it as a sidearm delivery. Now I understand the difference and I sincerely thank all of you for helping me out!

 

[metallicane]

I just watched the player review Ortmann did for his 150 and out against Earl Herring and Ortmann says his stroke is more side arm now because of a back operation a few years ago. He said he hates to look at it and wants to change it, but is playing too well. He said that no one should copy his stroke and Pat Fleming agreed, but added Oliver should not change it either.

Very good DVD too.

 

[metallicane]

He began to play at age 6, that´s why he has his arm sidewards.

I really don´t think it is that much important how your arm is or your stance or whatever. there are so many world champion players that have not the book type stance,stroke... but they are among the worlds best.

here is a list of Olivers titles that proves it :

World 9-Ball and straight pool
14 times European champion
40-times german champion
9 times Mosconi Cup
2 times Challenge of Champions Winner
2 times US Open straight pool Champion
15 Eurotour wins
couple 100 tournaments all over europe

He started young and is a champ, but his stroke has not always been sidearm. He is a hero of Thorston Hohmann and Hohmann has said that Ortmann's stroke used to be cue under the elbow when TH first started watching him. It has been OO's back issues that have created his current sidearm stroke. Now Keith McCready, his sidearm came from shooting as a kid and has never left him.