The high stance

9BallPaul

9BallPaul

Banned
Nearly all the payers I lionized as a kid played with an erect stance. Fats, Andy Hudson, Billy Stroud, many others.

Today's pro players seem to all get their cues directly under their chin whiskers -- men and women.

I've got an affliction loosely known as monocular vision -- can't triangulate with both eyes. For me, it's much better to play with an erect stance than to attempt back-breaking form and what is, for me, inferior vision.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? Dominant eye comes into this, I know, but I think I'm versed on that.
 
I have been thinking about this lately. I play about six inches above my cue. When I started I was chin on cue, but over time I have adjusted to what is most comfortable for me. The guy who taught me rubs his chin on his cue, that is where I got it from.

My decision as of late is, if Mosconi can run 500+ standing up and Lassiter can play as well as he did, there has to be something to it. I really believe it is a personal choice as to what feels most comfortable for you.

Watch Corey Deuel play. He plays up very high, a foot or more off the cue. I don't think there is anything wrong with it.
 
you have to take into account that most of those old school players like lassiter and fats played one pocket and straight pool - games where you have to see the pack clearly b/c a lot of times you're going to try to run into those clusters of balls. also, in both those games, you tend to be closer to the ball you're shooting, so being super low to the cue wasn't as necessary. Now, with rotation games being more dominant, you tend to have to make shots from further away, where being lower to the cue helps. that being said, i think it comes down to personal style more than anything. jersey red played as low to the cue as you could get, and he was from the golden era of one pocket. corey d plays more upright, and his best games are rotation games... different strokes for different folks.
 
Today's pro players seem to all get their cues directly under their chin whiskers -- men and women.
Click to expand...

I don't know what part of North America you live in but I try not to play pool
against women with chin whiskers.
 
Glad you brought this up! The past few weeks I've been playing with a more erect stance. I'm finding I can see the angles and aim better. I think it's because I'm left eye dominant yet when I'm in my low stance my right eye is sighted down the cue. More erect stance, my left eye is doing the work. Idk, so far I like it.
 
One of our local League Players stands almost straight up when he shoots and is consistently in the top (3) at the end of the season. He also plays in the BCA and does exceptionally well year after year.

I have tried it and actually shoot fairly good in the upright position, but my back gives me less pain when I am down low on the cue.
 
This is good i have a friend that use to play snooker for years chin on the cue law . Now that he plays pool he and has gotten older ( the eyesite is not like it use to be ) He move his chin up 6' off the cue and pockets balls a whole lot better . Now he told just the other day i move my head during my stroke to 6' above my cue , But i dont feei i'm moving, hmm I feel it works a lot better then been on top of your cue .
 
Standing up helps me too I've got 20/15 vision and when I get down over my cue things start to blur.If I stand back from the table I have a very good ideal of where I need to park the cue ball for the next shot.Kinda goes back to your pre-shot routine I guess.
 
My height above cue varies with the distance between the cue ball and the object ball. The shorter that distance the more upright my stance. I have a very hard time with those shots where the cue ball and object ball are just a few inches or less apart.

Dave Nelson
 
I used to experiment up off the cue then chin on the cue, and niether was perfect, but both had strong points. Then I read a snooker book and they were teaching to have anchor points.....your bridge hand, then your chin on the cue, then the cue against your chest, then your cue hand. I use all these except the chin....I found a few inches up off is where my eyes focus best.

G.
 
Advantages of higher stance........

9BallPaul said:
Nearly all the payers I lionized as a kid played with an erect stance. Fats, Andy Hudson, Billy Stroud, many others.

Today's pro players seem to all get their cues directly under their chin whiskers -- men and women.

I've got an affliction loosely known as monocular vision -- can't triangulate with both eyes. For me, it's much better to play with an erect stance than to attempt back-breaking form and what is, for me, inferior vision.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? Dominant eye comes into this, I know, but I think I'm versed on that.
Click to expand...

Hi there,

There are some distinct advantages of being up higher. In your preshot routine you can see the angle of the shot pretty good. In fact you can see it Perfectly. If you draw a line from your eyes to the object ball when you are standing up straight in the preshot, this is your line of sight. By staying up higher you stay in this line of sight, in fact you see exactly what you did in the preshot if you stay one this line.

When you go lower you go under this line of sight. Especially on the close shots that Dave Nelson was talking about. You need to stay higher to keep yourself from going crosseyed. Stay on the line of sight and these shots become amazingly much easier.

Plus, when you are up higher it is easier to naturally keep the eyes in the dominant position and adjust your side to side vision. Once you get down all the way you better be where you want to be. It's real tough to adjust when your way down low. Have a great day Geno.......
 
Sports evolve. Techniques in most sports are not the same today as they were 50 years ago.

Look at the Top 10 Pool players today (forget about snooker players) and see what they are doing. I would say all 10 have their chin on or damm close to the cue. That tells you something

Haven't seen a true top player with an erect stance for many a year. Mike Massey was one of the last.

No doubt you can still shoot well with an erect stance but the top pros obviously think you can shoot that bit better down on the cue.

Yes there are certain shots where the balls are very close together where you adjust your stance, i consider that a specialty stance.
 
Dave Nelson said:
My height above cue varies with the distance between the cue ball and the object ball. The shorter that distance the more upright my stance. I have a very hard time with those shots where the cue ball and object ball are just a few inches or less apart.

Dave Nelson
Click to expand...

TAP-TAP-TAP
What a great insight
randyg
 
The players of the past played more upright because they were playing straight pool most of the time. The distance between the cue-ball and the object-ball wasn't that great, if they were playing the game properly. The pockets they were shooting at were also larger.

Today the game is nine-ball or ten-ball. When you come to the table you are usually facing longer more difficult shots. Being down lower on your cue helps you sight the shot more clearly. It's kinda like shooting a rifle. If the target is closer, you can easily hit it, mabe even shoot from the hip. If the target is a great distance away, you're going to get in the prone position and look through the sites to give yourself a better chance to hit your target.

The pockets are also smaller today.

I play with my chin just above my cue. I know it works.

__________________________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com
 
pooladdiction said:
Glad you brought this up! The past few weeks I've been playing with a more erect stance. I'm finding I can see the angles and aim better. I think it's because I'm left eye dominant yet when I'm in my low stance my right eye is sighted down the cue. More erect stance, my left eye is doing the work. Idk, so far I like it.
Click to expand...
Yes the taller you stand the better you see the angle. There's always a trade off in life and this one is loosing or at least altering perspective of your tip placement on the CB. With practice placement can be learned but realize this as you make the change.
 
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