The "V" grip, searching for a better explanation

duckie said:
This is a simple drawing showing the pivot points from the down to the grip and the pivot point where the cue stick rest on your bridge hand.

Just imagine moving the grip forward or back on the cue stick to get and idea of the changes in angle that occurs in the pivot points.

What seldom is talked about is the distance from the bridge hand to the grip hand. There is a certain distance that works for me. If can keep this distance the same no matter where I'm having to hold the cue with my bridge and grip, the shots go in.

Where I'm holding the cues means that on some shots I can have my bridge hand closer to the OB and as such, I grip closer to the balance point and on some shots, my bridge hand is further away from the OB and as such, I grip close to the end of the butt, but in both cases, I try to keep the distance between my bridge and and grip the same.
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I teach this and explain this in my book and DVD also.
 
lfigueroa said:
During a lull at the US One Pocket Open, Bob Jewett and I were discussing old pool books and I asked him what book he thought would be the first instructional book on American pool. He thought about it for a while and said that it might very well be "Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards" otherwise known as "the red book." Here are two photos, one from Mosconi's red book, that seems to illustrate a V-grip, and the other, from his later "blue book" that seems to show dropping your elbow.

Also, I visited NOLA lately and while I was there I talked to a lot of folks down there in the pool rooms over the course of two days.

Just sayin'.

Lou Figueroa
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But did he discuss the V grip in his book?
 
bbb said:
joeyA
go back and look at these photos in an earlier post please
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=3599731&postcount=14
if you look at the second photo of shane and definitely of bustamonte
there is no separation of the index finger from the middle finger
would you say that those pictures (especially bustamonte) are "V GRIPS"??
all opinions welcome for learning
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Perhaps Lee Brett is the one who should be answering these questions. The first photo does not look like a V Grip to me. The second one seems to be the V Grip.

I think that some people do separate the index finger and the middle finger, relaxing the grip but I am not an exper on the V grip.

Sorry..
 
i have seen lee play and i had my eyes glued on his grip and i did not notice any separation in his fingers. What is really noticeable is his follow through and he has a very nice perfect looking stroke.
 
Ghosst said:
Between the thumb and index finger an inverse "V" is formed. 4 examples.
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Thanks for sharing. I've had coaches and everyone single one of them has a different approach for holding the cue. You'd think it would be as objective as holding a tennis racquet or golf club; it's simply not. Buying the dvd may give you an advantage if you're a new player; for old hands, it's going to be a challange to transition. Good luck.
 
champ2107 said:
i think a more recent look at his grip is on his video trailor and yoy can get a good look at here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCl3gtp2FUY
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At 11:36 of this video, you may see a separation of the index finger and the middle finger. Personally, I believe that Coach Lee's V Grip's "secret" is the relaxation of the grip at the end of the stroke rather than a tightening of the grip hand but I could be mistaken. I've tried the elbow drop consciously and currently it is not working for me. I think that paying attention to your grip is just another way to help train yourself to not grip the cue too tightly.

In addition to all of this, Coach Lee's V Grip and elbow drop allows the wrist to stay more rigid if I am not mistaken. Anyone care to make comment on this?

thanks,
JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
...Coach Lee's V Grip and elbow drop allows the wrist to stay more rigid if I am not mistaken. Anyone care to make comment on this?
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Looks like the opposite to me - dropping the elbow seems to force the grip hand to bend more at the finish. The v-grip is effective for me without the elbow drop.

pj
chgo
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
Looks like the opposite to me - dropping the elbow seems to force the grip hand to bend more at the finish. The v-grip is effective for me without the elbow drop.

pj
chgo
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The V grip is fine even without the elbow drop.

I believe Coach Lee talks about the wrist being more rigid or not flexing as much with the V Grip on his video but I could be mistaken.
 
"Perhaps Lee Brett is the one who should be answering these questions."

Agree with this. Lee may get more customers (me) if made some effort here to explain this one item.
 
Hector3cushion said:
"Perhaps Lee Brett is the one who should be answering these questions."

Agree with this. Lee may get more customers (me) if made some effort here to explain this one item.
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Not speaking for Coach Lee but he may not want to give out all of the information that is on the DVD for free.

I agree with you though that he should clear up some of the questions posed on THIS item.
 
HKCY said:
Thanks for sharing. I've had coaches and everyone single one of them has a different approach for holding the cue. You'd think it would be as objective as holding a tennis racquet or golf club; it's simply not. Buying the dvd may give you an advantage if you're a new player; for old hands, it's going to be a challange to transition. Good luck.
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Holding a tennis racquet or golf club is not objective either, and you will encounter coaches teaching different variations - same as pool.

With any of these, or I'm sure other sports as well, as long as you can put you grip in an anatomically and kinetically correct position the rest will follow. One person's preference or ideal may not work for everyone.

Scott
 
JoeyA said:
The V grip is fine even without the elbow drop.

I believe Coach Lee talks about the wrist being more rigid or not flexing as much with the V Grip on his video but I could be mistaken.
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I've only watched it 2/3 of the way through so far, but I don't think the V at the top of the grip itself is going to restrict sideways or even forward/backward movement or "snapping". It was more the notion of extending the forefinger and thumb slightly at address that provided a sort of forward cocking of the wrist (ala SVB) that can help restrict excess movement. That and keeping the grip loose throughout and extending through can help keep everything in line and eliminate pinching, flinching, etc.

Scott
 
scottjen26 said:
I've only watched it 2/3 of the way through so far, but I don't think the V at the top of the grip itself is going to restrict sideways or even forward/backward movement or "snapping". It was more the notion of extending the forefinger and thumb slightly at address that provided a sort of forward cocking of the wrist (ala SVB) that can help restrict excess movement. That and keeping the grip loose throughout and extending through can help keep everything in line and eliminate pinching, flinching, etc.

Scott
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I agree, it is not the V at the top of the V Grip that Coach Lee recommends that prevents the wrist from flexing. In fact, I agree with the rest of your post as well.
 
CJ Wiley's grip seems to be a good example of a cocked-forward wrist with some separation between index and middle fingers.
 
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