Should your Chin be on the Stick, or what's comfortable for you?

marek said:
Look at Carlo Biado who is the reigning world 9b champion - he puts his chin down on the cue for longer straight shots but the bigger the angle of the shot is the more upright stance Carlo uses. You can use both and still be the best ;)
Click to expand...

If you look at this video you'll see generally taller stances. Not as tall as the real old time masters but taller than most pool and snooker by far.

In the old days all the masters also played Caroms Balkline, 3Cushion. Standing tall gives you better perspective of the angles. Coming down on the cue gives you better perspective of tip placement and precision aim on the OB. Generally speaking the hit on the OB in 3C isn't as critical in most cases as in pocket games. Of course there's many exceptions. Get low on those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyw2PqRovL8
 
Should your Chin be on the Stick, or what's comfortable for you?

Personally, I prefer to not use unnecessarry friction that can cause blisters.
That's why mine is several inches highr than my cue's shaft that's underneath.
 
I suspect you are currently doing what is comfortable for you now, but still asking the question.

First, it is important to remember that any change takes discipline and time to dial in; it could actually get worse before it gets better.
The "dial in" can be aim, being consistent, and comfort as well, after all you are using different muscles. Develop the muscle / muscle memory and the comfort will come.

Personally, I sight down my cue somewhat like I do a rifle (except for middle alignment); therefore, I tend to be low on the cue but never so low that my chin would require me to change my position or stroke for different shots.
I would recommend finding the lowest position that will accommodate your (straight) stroke on all shots and dial it in.

One of the hardest thing to do is to shoot like it matters even when it doesn't matter; practice like it matters... Stance, stroke etc... time on a table can get limited due to life, attempt to take advantage of that time.
 
LeftyIke said:
... Should you put your Chin down on your Cue, or do what is comfortable for you?
Click to expand...
I think "what is comfortable" is frequently the wrong thing to do if you want to develop good pool fundamentals. I had one beginner student who found it comfortable and natural to put her feet one directly in front of the other. That didn't work well for sending the cue ball in the intended direction. Similarly, many players have never developed a solid bridge -- think 30-year veterans of league play who are still APA 4s -- because it is just not comfortable to make their bridge hands do what really needs to be done.

So, forget for the time being about "comfortable."

What are the advantages? I think the two main advantages are that you know on every shot whether your stroke was straight or not, and your head is always in the same position relative to the cue stick. I think the result is much better accuracy in sending the cue ball -- and consequently the object ball -- where you want.

As for not wanting the friction on your chin mentioned above.... Several top snooker players have appeared in videos of tournament matches with bandaids (plasters) on their chins. They are willing to suffer discomfort for what they consider to be an important fundamental in their mechanics. Ronnie O'Sullivan is one of those chin-scrapers.

If you only play bar pool for beers or in league or maybe with friends and relatives in your basement, then go for comfort. If you get too good you will be a bother to those you play with.
 
3kushn said:
If you look at this video you'll see generally taller stances. Not as tall as the real old time masters but taller than most pool and snooker by far.

In the old days all the masters also played Caroms Balkline, 3Cushion. Standing tall gives you better perspective of the angles. Coming down on the cue gives you better perspective of tip placement and precision aim on the OB. Generally speaking the hit on the OB in 3C isn't as critical in most cases as in pocket games. Of course there's many exceptions. Get low on those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyw2PqRovL8
Click to expand...

Yes exactly ;) Thats what I tried to imply with my reply to OP - there are pros and cons to both high and low stances and you can play amazing with both ;) And I threw in Carlo Biado who perfectly combines both depending what type of shot he is facing :)
 
TX Poolnut said:
I was genuinely suprised at how easy and comfortable it is to go all the way down to chin rest on the cue once I stopped putting a foot forward and instead stood square to the line of the shot and just bent forwsrd. It took a little getting used to but it changed my game for the better. Aiming consistency improved for me quite dramatically. Left-handed aiming became consistently better as well.
Click to expand...

I second that.:thumbup:
 
Okay, I played around with this "chin on cue" thing a little while ago on the home table and this is the conclusion I have come to as far as my shooting style is concerned:

The only way I could touch my chin to the cue stick is if I elevated (jacked up) it to about a 40-degree angle...give or take. I already knew this about my method of stroking...I keep my cue stick as level to the playing surface as I can to keep unwanted spin off the cue ball. So low is my grip hand that I many times scrape the rail with my knuckles on my practice strokes causing me to have to lift the butt a tad higher.

So with that, and with my physical limitations (back/neck), I can 100% say for sure that I am never going to shoot with my chin touching the cue. In fact, my chin is about 5" from the cue, maybe 4" on a day when I am feeling more limber than usual.

Maniac
 
Looks like Mosconi got pretty far down in his younger days.


320A7928-5447-48AB-B991-9F99EC07AD72.jpeg
 
ChrisinNC said:
To add another variable, for players who play pool with glasses like myself, on a table length shot, it's virtually impossible to get your chin/head down right on the cue and still be able to see both the object ball down the table and the cue ball, without having to bob your head up and down.
Click to expand...

Well, that really depends on your head position. I see players whose faces are pointing at the floor with just their eyes up, and people whose faces point straight forward. If you can develop the straight forward orientation, then you will be able to see both balls on a much higher percentage of shots. I've tried, and its not very comfortable for me.

KMRUNOUT
 
KMRUNOUT said:
Well, that really depends on your head position. I see players whose faces are pointing at the floor with just their eyes up, and people whose faces point straight forward. If you can develop the straight forward orientation, then you will be able to see both balls on a much higher percentage of shots. I've tried, and its not very comfortable for me.

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...

Not comfortable for me either. I just cannot crane my neck back far enough to get my eyes looking through the sweet spot of my glasses lenses. Years ago I had a pair of those freakishly tall billiard glasses and they worked great. But I had to take a few years off when life got in the way and my eyes changed to the point where those glasses were no longer usable.

When my insurance will cover a new pair of glasses next February, I am going to take my prescription and get some more glasses made specifically for playing pool....like the Decot Hy-Wyds or something similar. http://sportglasses.com/

Maniac
 
Maniac said:
Not comfortable for me either. I just cannot crane my neck back far enough to get my eyes looking through the sweet spot of my glasses lenses. Years ago I had a pair of those freakishly tall billiard glasses and they worked great. But I had to take a few years off when life got in the way and my eyes changed to the point where those glasses were no longer usable.



When my insurance will cover a new pair of glasses next February, I am going to take my prescription and get some more glasses made specifically for playing pool....like the Decot Hy-Wyds or something similar. http://sportglasses.com/



Maniac
Click to expand...



I find it works far better to look very straight up if you keep your back very flat. It's a rather athletic pose. Some won't have the flexibility or belly clearance to do this. But if you can keep your back flat, I'd give that a try.

KMRUNOUT


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
Does anyone know why 100% of the 3 cushion players around the world DON'T use an open hand bridge?

"I" know why, just curious what pool players opinions are on this subject.
 
mr3cushion said:
Does anyone know why 100% of the 3 cushion players around the world DON'T use an open hand bridge?

"I" know why, just curious what pool players opinions are on this subject.
Click to expand...
My first guess would be that 3-C players regularly apply such massive amounts of english to the ball, which I think would be harder to do with an open bridge, particularly considering a significantly heavier ball is used in 3-C.
 
mr3cushion said:
Does anyone know why 100% of the 3 cushion players around the world DON'T use an open hand bridge?

"I" know why, just curious what pool players opinions are on this subject.
Click to expand...

I'm old school. I use a closed bridge on every shot that the table layout will allow me to.
 
mr3cushion said:
Does anyone know why 100% of the 3 cushion players around the world DON'T use an open hand bridge?

"I" know why, just curious what pool players opinions are on this subject.
Click to expand...

I think a closed bridge gives you cue ball accuracy....
...even Joe Davis recommended it for “power screw” shots.
 
I have a beard and i personally go down so low that there is a "V" in my beard after my shot. If not touching my chin, damn near close to it. I feel like i have the best vantage point of where my shot/stick is aiming, imo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top