Pinky on or off during stroke.

Does your pinky help grip the cue

  • Pinky touches the whole time

    Votes: 8 44.4%
  • Pinky off in back stroke but helps grip in forward stroke

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Pinky is never touching.

    Votes: 9 50.0%

  • Total voters
    18
Johnny Ervolino had the best pinky out stroke. Like he was holding a martini glass.
Check out pics of Willie Hoppe and Jack Schaeffer Jr. Not only was the pinky not touching, but neither was the ring finger, and sometimes not even the middle finger. Grips were different back then.
 
I think... one of the biggest mistakes instructors -- and self-imagined instructors -- make is believing that one size fits all.

So much depends on your individual body, what feels comfortable, how much time you have to play, and what your aspirations are that spouting absolutes is insanity. Personally, I would stay away from anyone who tried to tell you there was only one way, or a right way, to make an omelette.

Lou Figueroa
 
Whatever works for you. I watched two young guys playing nine ball several times, and the one, stood up pretty high,wore glasses, so probably had to adapt to looking past the rims, he also had a really weird pump stroke like Efren, with a dramatic pause at the end. Almost never missed a ball. The other guy was a real tall kid, you could tell he was the tallest kid even in grade school. really long arms and a wide torso. He played with a 60 inch cue and still had his whole hand wrapped around the butt!!! He held the butt with his fingers and thumb along the sides straight out, and the end of the butt was up against the palm of his hand.. He had a beautiful soft stroke that moved the ball like magic. He also almost never missed a ball. I am sure that if they had the resources to play and practice full time, both of them could have won matches on the pro tour.
 
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