Tall people and stance

Zhero

Zhero

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So how would tall people play pool properly? If I straighten my bridge arm then the cue is too short because I must grab the very very end of the cue in order to have a long bridge, my backhand is awkwardly placed in front of my chest, and I can't follow through without dropping my upper arm, one way to avoid this is to have a shorter bridge which I hate. Another way would be bending my bridge arm to give myself enough space for my backhand to slide through with comfort, but I think that a bent bridge arm will also cause inaccuracies. Who are some of the tall professionals and what method did they use to overcome this?
 
I was coaching Danny Olsen in Vegas, and he is very tall. I fixed his stance and ironed out his problems that being tall causes.
 
I'm 6' 2" tall and use more of a snooker stance (about 60*). I cant keep my right leg straight because it really hurts in the back part of the knee. Like I'm pulling some sort of muscle.

So both my right leg and left legs are bent to lower my body down into the shooting position. Its a comfortable stance.

Lee, ordered your DVD a few days ago, should get it today. I'm tired of folks getting in my yard.:thumbup:

John
 
lee brett said:
I was coaching Danny Olsen in Vegas, and he is very tall. I fixed his stance and ironed out his problems that being tall causes.
Click to expand...

Do you recommend trying to get as low as possible in the stance? I'm 6'4 with long arms and always trying to figure out the best stance possible.
 
Zhero said:
So how would tall people play pool properly? If I straighten my bridge arm then the cue is too short because I must grab the very very end of the cue in order to have a long bridge, my backhand is awkwardly placed in front of my chest, and I can't follow through without dropping my upper arm, one way to avoid this is to have a shorter bridge which I hate. Another way would be bending my bridge arm to give myself enough space for my backhand to slide through with comfort, but I think that a bent bridge arm will also cause inaccuracies. Who are some of the tall professionals and what method did they use to overcome this?
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with bending your bridge arm. Snooker players do it all the time and they are pretty accurate. Plus it gets rid of a bit of unneeded tension in your bridge arm. My bridge arm used to get a bit sore after long sessions. With the bend it doesn't ever get sore.
 
I find a lot of taller people do have an issue standing correctly. I am 6'6" and I can keep my stroking arm at a 90 degree angle while stroking through properly. Its really a matter of correctly positioning your feet and hips so that everything works fluidly.

I have a couple videos out there you can reference... Check on youtube...or even adamwheeler.com
 
I'm 6-3 and have been tweaking my stance for years. I probably will be tweaking it for more years, lol.

Anyway one thing I did that helped me was methodically try all different feet position, and make notes if one worked better than another. I got to where I had a very comfortable stance, and then I worked my way backwards from the stance to the standing position, so that when I approach a shot, I would know how to immediately fall into that stance.

I then had a back injury a few years later and had to find a new stance that protects my back. I'm still working on this one...

Regarding cues, I play with a 59" cue with a 3C rubber grip. I can grip it at the very end of the butt cap and it won't fall out of my hands.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I then had a back injury a few years later and had to find a new stance that protects my back. I'm still working on this one...
Click to expand...

You may want to find an Alexander Technique teacher and see what he/she can do for you. I've had a lot of back problems in the past and it's helped tremendously. My teacher and I even went to a nearby bar so she could watch me play and tweak my stance.
 
Zhero said:
So how would tall people play pool properly? If I straighten my bridge arm then the cue is too short because I must grab the very very end of the cue in order to have a long bridge, my backhand is awkwardly placed in front of my chest, and I can't follow through without dropping my upper arm, one way to avoid this is to have a shorter bridge which I hate. Another way would be bending my bridge arm to give myself enough space for my backhand to slide through with comfort, but I think that a bent bridge arm will also cause inaccuracies. Who are some of the tall professionals and what method did they use to overcome this?
Click to expand...

I'm 6'6'' and prefer 58 or 57'', I'd be very interested in seeing a pic of you adressing the shot.
When your in the pause position, where is your grip hand in relation to your elbow? With your grip hand directly below your elbow thats the six o'clock positon, are you forward or rearward?
 
I'm about 6'4",and I also bend my bridge arm! I get down on my shaft,chin too shaft on most shots,I don't think there is a problem with bending the elbow,I also play with a few other tall players,one is an OPEN class player,the other is a retired PRO.They're both taller than me!They play with standard length cues,and bent bridge arms.I play a slightly longer cue,and when I got it,it just made me feel right at the table.
 
Last edited:
A taller player would probably be better off with a longer than 60" cue. I'd recommend a custom cue with an extension about 7 inches that screws into the butt cap for every shot.

Also, a wider stance would probably help your game.

theeviltwin69 said:
I'm about 6'4",and I also bend my bridge arm! I get down on my shaft,chin too shaft on most shots,I don't think there is a problem with bending the elbow,I also play with a few other tall players,one is an OPEN class player,the other is a retired PRO.They're both taller than me!They play with standard length cues,and bent bridge arms.I play a slightly longer cue,and when I got it,it just made me feel right at the table.
Click to expand...
 
I'm 6'5, and I have 90 degrees on my back arm, a short bridge which I find offers better control for me. I don't believe there is a "perfect" stance that fits everyone, because what is perfect for you may suck eggs for me. To me its like practicing with the same cue you shoot with, the more you use it the same way, the more comfortable you are with it, the better you will shoot. Your stance is your balance and your stroke, so find what you are most comfortable with, use it often and get good with it..and don't concern yourself with how leprechauns shoot pool.
 
Get a longer cue!
Shoot how it feels comfortable to you.
Otherwise get an intructor to watch you and you will never regret it.
It is hard for me to understand how others can diagnose a problem without watching you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top