In one of my posts, I mentioned that I had a corn in my stroking hand, and I was told off that I had to take basic lessons because I was holding my cue too tight, it said. I attribute that perspective to ignorance due to the peculiarity of the Pinoy stroke. This thread awakened my ignoring that arrogant post.
I hold my cue loosely with two fingers. Sometimes, at the delivery of the stroke, the handle of the cue glides through my hand like what Rickw described. In some rare occurrences, I grip my cue tightly all the way, especially in long distance shots where the white is rested on the rail. Many times, my holding the cue stick turns to a grip upon impact, depending on how I want the cue ball to react. That is why I have that corn on my stroking palm.
While it is true that a beginner can be censured for having a wrong (unorthodox) grip, nobody can tell a skillful pool player off that he has the wrong grip due to the fact that players can adapt to bad habits. I guess nobody in the world is certain to beat Rodolfo Luat in a race to 7 game of 9-Ball - despite his weird grip.
Let me take the liberty to address arrogant, self-adoring posts. (Too tempting... lol). Pool is a game for broad-minded people because there are very many different ways to go about the game correctly. Come to Manila and see for yourself the many non-mechanical (non-robotic) correct ways the game is played - from the stance, to the choice of shot, and to reading the table. Correct, because they actually work with running out the table consistently.
Narrow-mindedness in this Forum only speaks well of how inferior one's game is.
