Stroke problem

K

KingJerryO

Registered
The other day i decided to analyze my stroke with a video camera (Yikes). I know i am not an instructor and that i cant recognize problems like an instructor would. Having said that, there are some problems in my stroke that i have uncovered. First, I have always used my chest as a guide (kind of like a snooker player). This has lead to some problems. I cant follow through very much because when my back hand hits my chest it stops forward motion. Plus when my hand hits my chest it throws the tip of the cue slightly to the left.(I'm right handed) Second my wrist tilts inward to put the cue against my chest. I decided the only way to fix this would be to move the cue away from my chest. Unfortunately, this makes everything feel out of whack and the cue seems wobbly during back and forth motion. Right now im very frustrated and confused as to what to do. I want to move the cue away from my chest to allow for a cleaner follow through but im not used to it and it feels like i have no control as compared to using my chest as a guide. Any suggestions are appreciated.
 
Where are you located? Maybe Scott or myself wil be in your area soon.

SPF=randyg
 
Louisiana

I know that ultimately there is nothing better than spending personal time with a qualified instructor such as yourself. And in the future I will most likely get some personal instruction from you or scott (I hear yall are two of the best:) Currently, I just cant afford it. I'm not saying that you are too expensive. I just don't have any extra cash right now. But, I will definately be calling in the future. Does anyone have any tips in the meantime until I can get to one of these guys.
 
Order their DVD. If you can't have them there, get the basic information you need to work on your own.

Steve
 
Thanks

I'm definately going to buy there dvd. Thanks for the tip. But in the mean time does anyone have any suggestions that directly addresses my particular problem? Thanks
 
Thanks

Thanks Joe. I'm going to get golf tees tomorrow. I appreciate the advice and I will report my progress with the drill back to you asap.
 
KingJerryO said:
I'm definately going to buy there dvd. Thanks for the tip. But in the mean time does anyone have any suggestions that directly addresses my particular problem? Thanks
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You must understand that the change you made to your stroke didn't help you. If the natural finish position for your grip hand is in your chest, that is where it should end up every time. By moving your arm out away from your body, you may be doing more harm than good. Your natural finish position will give you all the follow-through you need.

Work on getting everything on the shooting plane. If you are cocking or twisting your wrist, you aren't helping your cause. It is not necessary, and only adds another variable to your stroke that can take away from your consistency.

Steve
 
let me elaborate

because my cue is in direct contact with my chest, when my hand hits the back of my chest it only allows for maybe a half inch of follow through. This is when contact is made with the cueball when my rear forearm is pointing straight down. There is only about an inch between that point and when my fist hits my chest. Plus when that back hand hits my chest it cocks out to the right which throws my tip to the left. I'm sure that part is of little consequence because contact has already been made but it still makes for an unclean follow through. Now I tried moving my rear hand back, but this feels awkward mostly because contact is now not being made when my rear arm is ninety degrees to the floor. my attempted fix is not to move my cue away from my body, but to move my rear elbow down (it was way up there) where my cue is no longer in contact with my chest. I hope this description helps you to diagnose me a little bit better. Thanks for all the help. Its really appreciated.
 
KingJerryO said:
because my cue is in direct contact with my chest, when my hand hits the back of my chest it only allows for maybe a half inch of follow through. This is when contact is made with the cueball when my rear forearm is pointing straight down. There is only about an inch between that point and when my fist hits my chest. Plus when that back hand hits my chest it cocks out to the right which throws my tip to the left. I'm sure that part is of little consequence because contact has already been made but it still makes for an unclean follow through. Now I tried moving my rear hand back, but this feels awkward mostly because contact is now not being made when my rear arm is ninety degrees to the floor. my attempted fix is not to move my cue away from my body, but to move my rear elbow down (it was way up there) where my cue is no longer in contact with my chest. I hope this description helps you to diagnose me a little bit better. Thanks for all the help. Its really appreciated.
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I like the lowering the elbow a little and can see that helping. Might wanna try that moving the hand back a little again, a tiny bit an inch or less (I know I don't enjoy it either) and maybe with that inch make your bridge a tad bit longer. Most people have been taught to learn with a short bridge but I don't subscribe to that belief, I believe the bridge length is about being able to see the shot best from a certain distance and about being able to feel the shot. Little longer bridge helps some to see it and feel it better?
 
response

Thanks for the input Neil. I'm not big actually im 24 and in pretty decent shape. I'm partially trying to self diagnose myself with the instructors input. I actually think that i was raising my rear elbow too high too allow the cue to glide along the side of my chest. If you can picture a pendulum, as the elbow comes higher, the point at which the fist points down at ninety degrees is closing. This allows for less distance between the 90 degree point and the fist hitting the chest. (I'm not an instructor im just making an educated guess here) I guess im trying to fire ideas at you so you can understand what im thinking about my stroke.
 
I am not sure why a "big" person would have only a one inch stroke. I am a little above average size 6' 3" 425lbs and don't have a problem. I guess I would have to see a video to fully understand what Neil is talking about. I see the OP has said he is not very large so it may be a moot point.
 
Correct! I've had a couple of "hefty" students who had the problem of their bulk getting in the way of the stroke. A more squared up stance was needed for them.

To the OP, if you can give us a video of you shooting, taken from the side so we can see your full stroke, you might get some more valuable feedback.

Steve
 
I agree that stance can be an issue. The cue has to get through somehow. I tried it at a poolhall today in TN and can see that if someone was very large they would have to adjust their stance to get around their experienced middle :) Guess I got lucky and my stance worked for me.
 
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KingJerryO...It doesn't matter if you only followthrough 1/2 inch...as long as your bicep and forearm meet and close (which is what happens when your grip hand hits your chest). This is completely normal in a pendulum swing. It's not how far you followthrough...it's how well you FINISH your stroke, with a relaxed bicep, and a relaxed grip.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com



KingJerryO said:
because my cue is in direct contact with my chest, when my hand hits the back of my chest it only allows for maybe a half inch of follow through. This is when contact is made with the cueball when my rear forearm is pointing straight down. There is only about an inch between that point and when my fist hits my chest. Plus when that back hand hits my chest it cocks out to the right which throws my tip to the left. I'm sure that part is of little consequence because contact has already been made but it still makes for an unclean follow through. Now I tried moving my rear hand back, but this feels awkward mostly because contact is now not being made when my rear arm is ninety degrees to the floor. my attempted fix is not to move my cue away from my body, but to move my rear elbow down (it was way up there) where my cue is no longer in contact with my chest. I hope this description helps you to diagnose me a little bit better. Thanks for all the help. Its really appreciated.
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Thanks

Thanks for all of the great input so far. I'm working on getting a video posted. Scott I sort of agree. That is how i justified my 1/2 - 1 inch follow through for so long. But, to me it seems that power stroke shots are more labored when there isnt a good bit of follow through. For example power draw, follow, breaking etc.. It seems that when I lower the cue just a tad and no longer use my chest as a guide that follow through is substantially increased and these types of power shots have become less labored. Of course, my main problem, changing stroke style has left my cue feeling wobbly on the back and forth. (I guess its sort of like I took the training wheels off of my stroke) I have been working a little bit with Joe T's (golf tee)drill and it seems that I usually miss to the right of the pocket from the shooters perspective. Thanks for all the help guys. I'll keep you all updated on progress.
 
KingJerryO...Power strokes are no different than any other stroke. There is no necessity for more followthrough, and it doesn't give you any more action (thinking it does is simply a misunderstanding of what makes the stroke work). If you want more draw, etc., you need to relax your bicep and grip, and swing your forearm more quickly. Try this...stand upright with your arm hanging straight down. Swing your grip hand to your shoulder, without involving the shoulder joint at all, as fast as you can (you can't do this if you flex your bicep). Swing it like you're trying to slug yourself. You have to have relaxed muscles to do this. This kind of swing is what's responsible for easy power strokes...and imo, a good break too.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

KingJerryO said:
Thanks for all of the great input so far. I'm working on getting a video posted. Scott I sort of agree. That is how i justified my 1/2 - 1 inch follow through for so long. But, to me it seems that power stroke shots are more labored when there isnt a good bit of follow through. For example power draw, follow, breaking etc.. It seems that when I lower the cue just a tad and no longer use my chest as a guide that follow through is substantially increased and these types of power shots have become less labored. Of course, my main problem, changing stroke style has left my cue feeling wobbly on the back and forth. (I guess its sort of like I took the training wheels off of my stroke) I have been working a little bit with Joe T's (golf tee)drill and it seems that I usually miss to the right of the pocket from the shooters perspective. Thanks for all the help guys. I'll keep you all updated on progress.
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