Stance Advice for Very Tall Player

Lyle89

Lyle89

New member
Hello, I'm seeking more advice on my stance/alignment.
I made a post in the Main Forum and was advised to post here as well.

I'm 6 foot 8 and use a 6" extension full time
The longer I'm down on the shot the more uncomfortable I become.

Sometimes my grip hand clips my right leg on the way back. I have played with a wider stance more recently with a straighter back leg but I end up putting more weight on my left leg and my knee feels it.

When I try a more open stance it seems that I put more weight on my right leg which results in the same thing.

I've also tried shifting my waist/hips out away from the cue for more clearance which also starts to jack my lower back up.

Any input is very greatly appreciated thank you.
 

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I think you may be accommodating a cue that's too short for you, even with a 6 inch extension. Everything you said that you tried makes sense. Right now, your weight distribution is too far forward with too much emphasis on your right side. The correct adjustment to that would be for you to move your entire body to the right, allowing your back foot to stand on the line of the shot so you can lean more left and back. You should be able to choose how much you bend your knees in order for you to not put a strain on a stiff leg. However, I think you are not able to make these adjustments because your cue is too short for you.
 
FranCrimi said:
I think you may be accommodating a cue that's too short for you, even with a 6 inch extension. Everything you said that you tried makes sense. Right now, your weight distribution is too far forward with too much emphasis on your right side. The correct adjustment to that would be for you to move your entire body to the right, allowing your back foot to stand on the line of the shot so you can lean more left and back. You should be able to choose how much you bend your knees in order for you to not put a strain on a stiff leg. However, I think you are not able to make these adjustments because your cue is too short for you.
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Thanks for the reply I appreciate it.

I do have another mid shaft extension that I can add to the mix which would put 4 more inches. It does add some more weight though I believe my cue is already around 22oz.

I'll experiment with it today and see how it feels.

I was trying a more square open stance and a shorter stroke yesterday for about 5 hours, which felt okay on my lower back. Can still kinda feel it in my right knee though.
 
Have you tried being more upright like adam wheeler said he does?
Rather than your chin almost on the cue?
I am not an instructor
 
bbb said:
Have you tried being more upright like adam wheeler said he does?
Rather than your chin almost on the cue?
I am not an instructor
Click to expand...
I have tried that before in the past.
It did alleviate knee pain and the heart palpitations I was getting at the time from bending over.
But I felt like my shot-making declined.
I'm not knocking the higher stance there are definitely players who can shoot great that way but personally I had a hard time seeing the lines.
I am shooting a little bit higher over the cue though currently maybe by 4 or 5 more inches higher.
 
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Lyle89 said:
I have tried that before in the past.
It did alleviate knee pain and the heart palpitations I was getting at the time from bending over.
But I felt like my shot-making declined.
I'm not knocking the higher stance there are definitely players who can shoot great that way but personally I had a hard time seeing the lines.
I am shooting a little bit higher over the cue though currently maybe by 4 or 5 more inches higher.
Click to expand...
i am not an instructor but i would imagine it could take alittle time to be comfortable with a new perspective of the shot
so a hopefully temporary decline would not be permanent
jmho
 
bbb said:
i am not an instructor but i would imagine it could take alittle time to be comfortable with a new perspective of the shot
so a hopefully temporary decline would not be permanent
jmho
Click to expand...
Yeah that's a good point, If I can't find a way to make things work lower it might be worth revisiting in the future with a new mindset.
 
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Lyle89 said:
Thanks for the reply I appreciate it.

I do have another mid shaft extension that I can add to the mix which would put 4 more inches. It does add some more weight though I believe my cue is already around 22oz.

I'll experiment with it today and see how it feels.

I was trying a more square open stance and a shorter stroke yesterday for about 5 hours, which felt okay on my lower back. Can still kinda feel it in my right knee though.
Click to expand...
It's hard to tell from a few photos but I do think you need to stand farther back, which means a longer cue. That would alleviate two issues: One: Being off balance and putting too much stress on your knees, and Two: Allow you to get into a better alignment position where you have a freer arm swing.
 
FranCrimi said:
It's hard to tell from a few photos but I do think you need to stand farther back, which means a longer cue. That would alleviate two issues: One: Being off balance and putting too much stress on your knees, and Two: Allow you to get into a better alignment position where you have a freer arm swing.
Click to expand...
I did try using a 6" plus a 4" extension together today and I did like the feel of it, but it's 4 pieces the cue can kinda wobbles at times.
I was thinking about trying to get another cue with maybe with a single 8" extension. But overall it did feel natural, might have to use another one of my lighter cues for certain shots though because with both those extensions my cues probably around 25oz.

Do ya think it's normal for me to be having a very long bridge when using that as well? I feel like a longer bridge allows for more room for variables and error.
 
Lyle89 said:
I did try using a 6" plus a 4" extension together today and I did like the feel of it, but it's 4 pieces the cue can kinda wobbles at times.
I was thinking about trying to get another cue with maybe with a single 8" extension. But overall it did feel natural, might have to use another one of my lighter cues for certain shots though because with both those extensions my cues probably around 25oz.

Do ya think it's normal for me to be having a very long bridge when using that as well? I feel like a longer bridge allows for more room for variables and error.
Click to expand...
It depends. How long of a bridge length are you talking about and how long was it before? Also, I've been doing some thinking about your situation and I think you may have to combine standing a bit farther back with standing a bit higher so you don't have to stand too far back.
 
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FranCrimi said:
It depends. How long of a bridge length are you talking about and how long was it before? Also, I've been doing some thinking about your situation and I think you may have to combine standing a bit farther back with standing a bit higher so you don't have to stand too far back.
Click to expand...
It looks like its around 10 or more inches at times, I'm going to measure it when I get to the pool hall.
My bridge before was probably 7 to 8, I guess I can have a long bridge with a shorter back stroke too.

I have been trying to stand a bit higher, which does feel more stable but a little foreign to me.
It's a little frustrating to me cause it feels like a lot of moving parts, I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible to rule out as much variable as I can.

I never realized how much my stance and instability was contributing to movement down on the shot.

Also I just ordered a 9" extension to try out rather than 2 separate extensions combined.
 
Lyle89 said:
It looks like its around 10 or more inches at times, I'm going to measure it when I get to the pool hall.
My bridge before was probably 7 to 8, I guess I can have a long bridge with a shorter back stroke too.

I have been trying to stand a bit higher, which does feel more stable but a little foreign to me.
It's a little frustrating to me cause it feels like a lot of moving parts, I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible to rule out as much variable as I can.

I never realized how much my stance and instability was contributing to movement down on the shot.

Also I just ordered a 9" extension to try out rather than 2 separate extensions combined.
Click to expand...
Hang in there and don't feel discouraged. You're just testing things out right now. You can go back to standing low if you shoot better that way. But if you're alignment is right, you should feel a slight lean back which again will put you a little farther back. 10 inches isn't bad for a bridge length. That's actually very common for players who stand low.
 
FranCrimi said:
Hang in there and don't feel discouraged. You're just testing things out right now. You can go back to standing low if you shoot better that way. But if you're alignment is right, you should feel a slight lean back which again will put you a little farther back. 10 inches isn't bad for a bridge length. That's actually very common for players who stand low.
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Thanks I appreciate that, you're right I can always go back to things I need to keep that in mind.
I have been adjusting to the higher stance a bit and seeing the lines better than initially.

I did get my 9" extension (which is lighter than I expected) and I intend to take more photos of the adjusted stance to see how it looks.
I'm gonna try to get shots from in front, to the side and behind.
 
sparkle84 said:
Take a look at Ruslan. He's almost that tall. Doesn't seem to use an overly long cue either.
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Thanks,
Yeah I've watched videos of Ruslan. He is tall, I'll revisit some of his matches again though.
I'm 4+ inches taller than him I believe. I wanna say he uses like a 3 inch extension or something like that kinda like Jung-Lin Chang and Dennis Grabe.
 
Lyle89 said:
Thanks,
Yeah I've watched videos of Ruslan. He is tall, I'll revisit some of his matches again though.
I'm 4+ inches taller than him I believe. I wanna say he uses like a 3 inch extension or something like that kinda like Jung-Lin Chang and Dennis Grabe.
Click to expand...

hi there, you might appreciate this vid- bob discusses stance, amongst other items:
 
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