Experiment with your grip to remove the unbalanced mass and forces of the hand
I have been taking a strong look at my fundamentals lately, and was wondering how others approach their stance. I have always just gotten into a comfortable stance that seems to be in line with the shot, with no real specifics besides that. What key factors do you look for when finding your stance, and how might those affect your stroke?
I have been drilling a lot lately, and have found that I have a tendency to steer my cue to the right, causing unwanted spin. It seems as though it is coming from a combination of my outside fingers pushing the butt of the cue towards my body, and my elbow moving in towards my body, however, I can't help but feel like it is something in my stance that makes my arm want to move in towards my body. Any thoughts?
mantis99:
You didn't yet post a video link (that I can see, anyway). But, in the meantime, you received a lot of great information here. Eye dominance is a biggie when it comes to subconscious steering of the cue. I think enough ground was covered with the posts you've received thus far on this topic (especially from Mike -- Mikjary) that I wouldn't even attempt to add to something that is probably as complete as it can be.
However, another thing to focus on is something you hinted on (bolded above), and not many players have the foresight, analytic skills, or intelligence to understand the physics behind it.
The human hand and wrist is of asymmetric construction, and possibly the worst design (mechanical engineering-wise) that can be used to hold and drive a cylindrical instrument forward. First, the hand -- as you've surmised -- has four fingers on one side of the cue, and one (the thumb) on the other side. Ignoring the fact that each finger is stronger or weaker than the others, if we compare the fingers to the thumb, and if a finger equals a "1" in terms of strength, then the thumb equals a "2" in terms of strength. (This is greatly simplified, of course -- the pinkie is much weaker than the index or middle fingers.) So we have a power of "4" on one side of the cue, and a power of "2" on the other. Or, instead of "power" we can also say "mass." In either case, you have double of something on one side of the cue -- the fingers side. Plus, take into consideration that the flexion side of the fingers (the natural direction the fingers take when closing into a fist) is facing inwards towards the cue's surface (towards your body), but the flexion side of the thumb faces backwards towards the butt of the cue. So we have the instance where the forces of the hand are unbalanced and facing in multiple directions, not in a single direction as would be the case with a human-engineered cradle or "clamp."
Let's also take into consideration the wrist -- it's designed to flex most optimally towards and away from your palm (towards and away from your body, if you were in your shooting stance holding the cue). The wrist's natural and optimum method of flexion is not in the direction that you're swinging the cue, which is the same motion as if you were waving your hand "hello."
With these simplistic analyses of the unbalanced construction of the human hand and wrist, it is no wonder that we have a problem with consistent swinging of the cue accurately.
So, one has to adapt a method of grip that attempts to balance these unbalanced forces. One way is to lessen the number of fingers contacting the cue. Many instructors advocate (and many world-class players use) a two-fingered grip -- two fingers + the thumb. (Two good examples are Dennis Orcullo and Ronnie Alcano.) The forces on either side of the cue are more or less balanced -- two fingers just about equals the strength and mass of the thumb. Plus, the tendency to "grab" the cue at any point in the stroke is lessened. (When the human hand is in its natural "fist" state, it's natural for the fingers to clamp closed -- the force of "4" on one side of the cue overpowers the thumb, driving the butt of the cue inwards towards your body.)
Another method, used in snooker, is to use a rear-fingered grip. That is, if you look at the design of your hand, you'll see that you have the "pincers" (the index finger + the thumb), and the "cradle" (the middle, ring, and pinkie). By resting the cue in the "cradle" (those three fingers curled under the cue, supporting it from underneath) and leaving the "pincer" fingers (index + thumb) pointing downwards, you remove the unbalanced forces on the side if the cue. Plus, when you deliver the cue forward with a nice relaxed cradle, you'll see the forward fingers (index, thumb, and possibly even the middle finger) open-up and outwards away from the cue, sort of like a sabot on a bullet. (This, by the way, is the same motion that happens when you throw a dart, but in reverse -- when you hold a dart in front of your face, ready to throw it at the dartboard in front of you, your thumb and index [and possibly middle] fingers are contacting the sides of the dart, and the rear fingers of your hand -- the ring and pinkie -- open up and outwards away from the dart as you throw it. Same idea -- a sabot.)
You might want to experiment with your grip in this manner, to find a grip that allows you to deliver the cue straight through, all the way to the Finish position (using SPF terminology) with no steering, unbalanced mass/forces, or obstacles (e.g. pads on your fingers or palm) getting in the way and thus pushing the cue to one side.
I hope this is helpful!
-Sean
