Pendulum for draw/stun and piston for follow

[JoeyInCali]

I can't follow worth a lick unless I piston stroke the cue ball.
It staggers too much when I keep the elbow stationary and let the tip dip after contact. My tip has to go through the cue ball straight to get a good follow.

I can't draw worth a lick if I piston stroke the ball .
I can draw table length easily with a pendulum stroke.

Is it an oddity?

 

[FranCrimi]

I can't follow worth a lick unless I piston stroke the cue ball.
It staggers too much when I keep the elbow stationary and let the tip dip after contact. My tip has to go through the cue ball straight to get a good follow.

I can't draw worth a lick if I piston stroke the ball .
I can draw table length easily with a pendulum stroke.

Is it an oddity?

Nope. Not an oddity. I see it a lot. It's your grip. You've probably got a little twisting thing going on. You can get away with it more when you drop your elbow on topspin shots and shoot with a rigid upper arm when you draw.

 

[JoeyInCali]

Nope. Not an oddity. I see it a lot. It's your grip. You've probably got a little twisting thing going on. You can get away with it more when you drop your elbow on topspin shots and shoot with a rigid upper arm when you draw.

Thanks Fran.
I will put a dot on my shaft to check it .

 

[ENGLISH!]

If you prefer the piston you might try lowering your bridge for the draw.

I basically use a low closed bridge for draw & a high open one for follow...

unless I'm powering the ball & then I will use a closed one for follow too.

Your issue is one reason that I don't like a a 'full' pendulum stroke.

IMHO keeping the cue & the tip moving in a straight line is the best 'medicine'.

Good Luck with whatever you do & Listen to Fran. I've never seen her be wrong.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... I can't draw worth a lick if I piston stroke the ball .
I can draw table length easily with a pendulum stroke.

Is it an oddity?

I think you are not actually stroking like you think you are. Either kind of stroke -- if done correctly -- will return the tip to the addressed spot on the cue ball. How low are you addressing the cue ball? Are you addressing the same spot for each kind of stroke?

 

[JoeyInCali]

I think you are not actually stroking like you think you are. Either kind of stroke -- if done correctly -- will return the tip to the addressed spot on the cue ball. How low are you addressing the cue ball? Are you addressing the same spot for each kind of stroke?

I think my tip is just too far from the cue ball most of the time. I'm too farsighted now.
So, on pendulum, I actually hit the ball lower than intended.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I think my tip is just too far from the cue ball most of the time. I'm too farsighted now.
So, on pendulum, I actually hit the ball lower than intended.

Then you either need to fix your depth perception and address the ball more closely or you need to address the ball in a different place. But I think it's very hard to lose all your spin by changing between piston/pendulum unless you are a couple inches back when addressing the ball. That would be very broken.

As for hitting the ball lower than intended for the pendulum, you could adjust your grip position so the tip is at the same height at address as it is at impact. That position is probably slightly back of where you hold the cue now if you are perpendicular at (distant) address.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

I can't follow worth a lick unless I piston stroke the cue ball.
It staggers too much when I keep the elbow stationary and let the tip dip after contact. My tip has to go through the cue ball straight to get a good follow.

I can't draw worth a lick if I piston stroke the ball .
I can draw table length easily with a pendulum stroke.

Is it an oddity?

What does "staggers" mean?

Thanks,

pj
chgo

 

[FranCrimi]

I think my tip is just too far from the cue ball most of the time. I'm too farsighted now.
So, on pendulum, I actually hit the ball lower than intended.

That's a possibility. Good observation. Try starting with the tip closer to the cue ball.

Also, you could be aiming lower than you should on topspin shots and when you drop your arm, you come up higher on the ball.

Also, make sure you test yourself for twisting issues as well. That will change the position of the tip at the ball and it's not always right or left. It often affects how high or low the tip hits the ball.

 

[ENGLISH!]

That's a possibility. Good observation. Try starting with the tip closer to the cue ball.

Also, you could be aiming lower than you should on topspin shots and when you drop your arm, you come up higher on the ball.

Also, make sure you test yourself for twisting issues as well. That will change the position of the tip at the ball and it's not always right or left. It often affects how high or low the tip hits the ball.

Hi Fran,

Regarding the statement that I put in bold.

Do you see that a lot, the 'rocking' of the cue with those that attempt to employ a 'pendulum' stroke?

I do... & see it with both novices & also with rather accomplished players.

I was just wondering, as I know you've seen & studied many more than I have.

Best Wishes.

 

[FranCrimi]

Hi Fran,

Regarding the statement that I put in bold.

Do you see that a lot, the 'rocking' of the cue with those that attempt to employ a 'pendulum' stroke?

I do... & see it with both novices & also with rather accomplished players.

I was just wondering, as I know you've seen & studied many more than I have.

Best Wishes.

Hi Rick,

Yes, I do --- with players who like to grab and release the cue with their grip hand. If you're going to use a rigid elbow stroke, then your grip hand has to basically do nothing on the cue, or you will change the angle of attack in mid stroke.

 

[JoeyInCali]

Thanks Fran.
I have no twist.
But, the locked elbow does require to get really close to the cue ball.
I shoot more accurately with straight follow through but can't power draw .

 

[ENGLISH!]

Hi Rick,

Yes, I do --- with players who like to grab and release the cue with their grip hand. If you're going to use a rigid elbow stroke, then your grip hand has to basically do nothing on the cue, or you will change the angle of attack in mid stroke.

Thanks Fran.

I just today posted in another thread that the connection to the cue is almost always neglected in conversations regarding the different strokes & they must match up with the intended stroke or 'havok' can occur.

Thanks Again & You Stay Well.

 

[skipbales]

I tend to take instruction very literally and found with the pendulum stroke I was overdoing it a little. Watching, even the instructors of the pendulum stroke, it is quite difficult to finish "on the felt" with a high action draw shot. Even the instructors end up off the table unless they add a secondary motion to go to the felt. The pendulum action isn't really all that drastic at point of impact. As Bob Jewett said you can deliver just as high a hit as any other stroke and the cue ball doesn't care where the stick is going next, it is in contact so briefly it doesn't matter. You might be focusing too much on trying to finish on the table. A good pendulum swing at the top of the cue ball with a 4-6 inch follow through may not get all the way to the felt but is still a great swing.

I don't say this as an instructor, I say it as a student who tried too hard and overdid the pendulum action trying to always finish on the table. The instructors of the pendulum stroke have since told me on a very high action shot I may not actually bottom out and that is ok.