Piston Stroke Info?

Thanks GG =)

I had stumbled across the title of that thread when I put Piston Stroke into the forum search and had dismissed it thinking it was going to be nothing but the pendulum folks bashing the piston strokers and the piston strokers reciprocating. Looks like there is some actual technical theory in there. Time to dig in.

Will check out the videos tonight.
 
greyghost said:
YES YOU DO..........you can't drop the elbow without contracting other muscles besides the bicep. Its a more involved motion. Even tho those motions are not supposed to be happening till after tip contact w/cb as a whole you HAVE to use more muscles period.

Mainly the tricep/back and shoulder muscles

-Grey Ghost-
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Ok then! Well I can tell you that the only muscle I consciously contract on my forward stroke is the bicep. Any other movement (which I don't notice) is driven by the bicep and momentum, not the other way around.
 
The Renfro said:
Are there any instructors that actually teach the piston stroke? Or even a video analysis of the physiology and advanced timing required to pull one off consistently as opposed to the classic pendulum? Am not starting a debate in what stroke is better just looking for examples and reference points close to how I have hit the balls for 20+ years. I have no interest in changing to the pendulum since the ball paths for tip offset would have to be relearned.
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What are you looking to learn? You say you've been using a piston stroke for 20+ years, so you don't need to be taught how to do it. Are you just hoping to identify small flaws? If so, I would recommend a snooker coach, but I'd have no idea how to find one in the US.

-Andrew
 
luckwouldhaveit said:
Ok then! Well I can tell you that the only muscle I consciously contract on my forward stroke is the bicep. Any other movement (which I don't notice) is driven by the bicep and momentum, not the other way around.
Click to expand...

thats sounds much better to me.......and "shows evidence" that your most likely performing the piston correctly without actually seeing you, you described how the correct basic feeling IMOP

-Grey Ghost-
 
Andrew Manning said:
What are you looking to learn? You say you've been using a piston stroke for 20+ years, so you don't need to be taught how to do it. Are you just hoping to identify small flaws? If so, I would recommend a snooker coach, but I'd have no idea how to find one in the US.

-Andrew
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Thanks for the interest and feedback from everyone BTW!

I am looking for some concrete benchmarks to identify flaws, create a new preshot routine, and to generally keep any slumps I go thru from getting too deep or lasting too long. Basically the fundamentals for the pendulum are widely known and taught and can be found everywhere. The piston is still open to discussion because you can do so many things slightly different and use so many different muscle groups as power sources.

I started playing when I was 10 and I wasn't tall enough to use the pendulum so I learned to extend the hand down the line like I was fencing. I played every day after school for quite awhile until the pool room across from my dad's garage went under.

I started to actually learn the game when I turned 19 and ran into a good friend of Eddie Taylor's who took an interest in my game and gave lessons at the pool room where I had a job. Neither he nor anyone else ever tried to change my stroking habits so I continued to use the piston. My high runs are 8 games of 8ball (barbox), 7 games of 9ball (8-over), 88 and out with 3 reds missing on a 10' snooker (friggin kept hiding myself from getting on the black) and 78 at straight pool (9footer) even tho I have never played it and only practiced it maybe a dozen times or so starting with a break shot.

I recently played in a big tournament for the first time in 15 years and I totally freaked... Never used to have panic attacks playing anyone or anywhere but apparently now I do. I didn't pick up a cue for a week after I got back and the other night when I decided to play my brain had done a total wipe on how to play as a defense mechanism LOL. No stance, No Aim, No stroke :scratchhead::scratchhead:..... Not even an inkling of my old pre-shot routine. I figured this time I would try and document what fundamentals and actual steps I use in an effort to keep from losing "me" again.
 
For those who are users of the piston stroke or have knowledge of it, does the elbow collapse on the back stroke? This would keep the cue perfectly straight and level through the shots entirelty, making it a true piston like motion, would it not? If one keeps the elbow pinned at the backswing but drops the elbow some after contact on the follow through, I would think that to pretty much a pendelum stroke, or a J stroke.
 
greyghost said:
thats sounds much better to me.......and "shows evidence" that your most likely performing the piston correctly without actually seeing you, you described how the correct basic feeling IMOP

-Grey Ghost-
Click to expand...

I'm thinking if his elbow is pinned during the back swing but has some elbow drop after contact from pure momentum that he would have more of a J stroke?
 
randyg said:
I like to set my pendulum stroke to still be accelerating at the time of contact.
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Randy,

This is actually very uncommon. Now, some people might actually slow down (decelerate) into the CB. This is generally not a good thing to do.

What's more common with the pendulum stroke is having the speed constant (not accelerating or decelerating) at tip impact.

For more info on this topic, including a through video analysis, see:

Regards,
Dave
 
dr_dave said:
Randy,

This is actually very uncommon. Now, some people might actually slow down (decelerate) into the CB. This is generally not a good thing to do.

What's more common with the pendulum stroke is having the speed constant (not accelerating or decelerating) at tip impact.

For more info on this topic, including a through video analysis, see:

Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...

From the descriptions, I have a piston stroke.

Also agree with Dave about the more constant speed of the pendulum stroke. That's a bigger selling point to me than being easily repeatable.
 
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