Thumb Straight Down

couldnthinkof01

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tinman holds it with what looks like his thumb and his pointer finger. Like a crab. Thumb straight down. He does alright for himself.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Hand hold, or Thumb
Position is simple if your young, have no physical impairments, or abnormalities.

If you are not text book normal, or up in years, arthritic, or abnormal from war, work, or old age.

Your not text book and have to improvise, adapt, and overcome.
 

Wolven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I guess I am in the minority here. my thumb rather than straight down instead it's 45 degrees away from that point. helps me with the grip and sort of creates a slot for me to go straight regarding backhand and forward stroke.
My thumb is slightly pointing towards my body too. The middle finger is the key finger for me.
However, I can hold the cue in more traditional way, it sort of depends on the shot and the day.
But, I probably need an operation on my wrist, ohh and the elbow too.
 
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kollegedave

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ive heard from 2 well known instructors (one book , one youtube vid) that you should have your thumb pointing straight down in the grip.
Since humans have somewhat chimpanzee hands with the hands naturally turning inward, straight down causes a bit of a stretch.(about 30 degrees)
When I try this I can shoot straight but it takes some getting used to because I can feel the hand stretched.
Any one else have any experience with this ?
Who thinks its completely unnecessary?
Thx in advance.
Oh and one instructor was snooker , the other pool.
If you go to a major tournament with a lot of world class players, many of the players will have their thumbs straight down. Of the players that do not have their thumbs straight down, the next most common position for it is for the thumb to be straight down, but with a bend at the first knuckle. I think these two grips make-up the lion's share of pool grips for world-class players.

Sure, you will find some that have a different grip but play fantastic--Justin Bergman. However, many great players have their thumbs down.

I would argue that your grip is not how you choose to hold the cue. Your grip is the position your hand naturally takes after you go through your own process to get down on the shot. If you want to "naturally" change your grip, change how you get down on the ball. Lee Brett's book has some interesting instruction on this issue. This video covers similar territory--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FQ3E0Oo8yw.

I hope this helps.

kollegedave
 
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SmoothStroke

Swim for the win.
Silver Member
Lightly tape your pinky and ring finger together and play a little, trying to pay zero attention
to the taped fingers, just play. Don't hack, play normal nice smooth strokes and power up a few.

After 10 minutes or so take notice of the amount of pressure you apply and what feels good
as you close your hand, including the thumb and taped fingers position.
Look at your grip, hold the cue in front of you about belt to chest high, bridge hand is high, not off to the side.
Drop body and cue straight down with fingers in position, rinse and repeat on every shot.
Look at your grip...After some practice it becomes second nature.

It's difficult to death grip with the fingers taped, pressure in minimal.
It shoud take less than 30 minutes to know what's right for you.
You can also tape 3 fingers , usually not necessary.
It's hard to explain, easier to show .
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
I knew a player who used to worry about his thumb while playing pool for $$$$$.
He ended with his thumb pointing at two o'clock....
..'cause he was hitchhiking home after he lost all his money...and his vehicle.



I tried pointing the thumb straight down. Had to force it since I use my hands and arms a lot and natural muscle tension curls everything. Didn't work for me.

After a few decade layoff I came back to pool. With all of the new information out there I decided I would learn to play pool "right" this time instead of by the seat of my pants as I learned the first time. I truly believe that was the worst mistake I ever made in pool.

People shouldn't try to fix what ain't broke! I know that, I knew that then, but I ignored what I knew and paid a high price.

Hu
 

TheBasics

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Howdy All;

Just checked, mine points almost straight down, only slightly towards my hip.
Fits snugly in the web of my hand resting on the last joint of my thumb and
on my ring finger. Front 2 fingers only just touch bottom of the cue and the
little finger had it's flexor tendon severed back in '70. I've learned to 'tuck it
in' with the ring finger due to trying to strike a nail with a hammer with the
pinky stuck straight out. 9 out of 9 times the pinky will contact the surface
first. painful? yupper!

hank
 

Quesports

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thumbs up, thumbs down, toes pointing one way or another.. Holy cow it is getting complicated.

Too much to think about will cause more problems than it solves IMO.
Good overall fundamentals is the ticket, without that not much else matters...
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you want the correct grip, although gosh knows players can personalize it, just handshake with the cue butt.

Back of your palm faces the wall, your knuckles point at the floor & your fingers & thumb spread slightly apart.

Just shake hands when your grasp the butt & for heavens sake, never use a white knuckles grip even breaking.
 

Kjackxon

Member
This is a good discussion, and I’ve learned from some great comments. I’m in the belief that good cue ball control and position equals more runouts - Period.
My focus will be on eliminating mistakes that can end the run. After awhile mechanics have to translate into feel.
Practice? Who needs “practice?” 🕞🫵
 

Kjackxon

Member
Before I commit to any billiard stroke - I survey the table, and look at various lines and angles. The least of my concern is the position of a specific body part. Everyone has a process or method for aiming. This process is performed after the position, target, and intended CB path has been determined.
Everything after is automatic - the outcome will give you good feedback if you trust the process. Whether the thumb is wrapped or left hanging down; focus on a steady stroke through the shot. Just as in golf - hit the little ball before the BIG BALL!
Update - I’ve broken through a few rough periods where I focused more on my opponent than on what was on the table. I was more interested in getting off than staying on the table. I literally had to tell the voice in my head “Shut the *%@$” up and immediately noticed that my thumb had re-positioned itself and altered my stroke. Instead of a crisp responsive stroke I was jabbing and misdirecting shots. Immediately I setup a 3/4 ball layout and focused on keeping my elbow and wrist straight. What a confidence boost! More importantly I learned that it was acceptable to back off a shot that you’re not ready to hit - I firmly believe that a pre-shot routine is critical and it will get you through the rough.
 

sammylane12

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The only thing that is always true is that nothing is always the case.

Supination and probation of the wrist change the cock


Angle; and therefore, the direction of ye olde thumb.
The wrist is on probation? Ben Hogan called it "supination and pronation", you should too.
 

Zerksies

Well-known member
The grip hand is something that I feel is quite often overlooked, Most of the information I've ever gotten on the grip is to keep it loose with enough space to keep a piece of chalk in there.

What i do is
The thumb and first two are holding the cue with the third as a supporting finger and the pinky off the cue. The tips of my fingers are within the groove of my thumb. Depending on the shot is how things differ. If i am trying to shoot for precision I stiffen my fingers so they don't move. But if I am shooting for action on the ball a i need more flex in my fingers.

It's one of them things that has a lot of variables and i feel should have quite a few chapters in a book.
 

Tennesseejoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Video your stroke from behind. Use a Rempe cue ball (or similar) and chalk your tip to mark where you are hitting the cue ball. Aim for dead center. Record shooting 10, 5 foot straight in shots using the same stroke. Compare where you are contacting the cue ball with the horizontal movement of the back of the cue stick. Now based on that info correct the arm, wrist, elbow, grip, etc. to develop a straight stroke at various speeds. I have found that a loose grip has greatly improved my fundamentals.
 
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