Tips on keeping elbow straight

M

mnShooter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I tend to tuck my elbow in towards my body which causes my tip to have a right to left path through the cueball. It also causes my wrist to be curled away from my body. When I hit the cueball with center it actually puts a little left spin on the cueball. I also have an easier time using left english than right.

I would like to fix this. Any tips on how keep your elbow straight and not tucked in or out?
 
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I'm no expert, but it sounds like your arm is very tense. You need to loosen up a bit. Your forearm should hang down like a pendulum.
 
Yeah good idea. If everything below the arm is hanging then there is no way it can be tucked in or out.
 
No expert either

But for what it's worth, you might want to check your body alignment. Maybe you're crowding the cueball and need to re-align. Joe Tucker has some information on pulling left or right when you're shooting. Of course you probably have to buy one of his products. I forget which one though.

http://www.joetucker.net/start.html
 
mnShooter said:
I tend to tuck my elbow in towards my body which causes my tip to have a right to left path through the cueball. It also causes my wrist to be curled away from my body. When I hit the cueball with center it actually puts a little left spin on the cueball. I also have an easier time using left english than right.

I would like to fix this. Any tips on how keep your elbow straight and not tucked in or out?
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It's going to be very difficult to diagnose the problem in a billiard-forum. It's kinda like going to WebMD for medical advice. Sooner or later, you should consult with an expert, in person.

In my opinion, many mechanical flaws (such as the one you describe) can be associated with a poor preshot-routine. The shooter settles in the wrong spot, subconsciously they're aware of this but consciously make the decision to proceed with the shot anyway. As a result, there is a subconscious desire to make the correction which causes the arm to pivot inward/outward. The reason why I believe this is so has to do with the fact that most players will not have ANY mechanical flaws when they shoot the cue-ball directly into a pocket.

The remedy: The key is practice but try to simplify things a bit. Start by hitting the cue-ball into the pocket, as described above. The only thing you should focus on is the feel of the hit. Your cue should hit the cue-ball full and there should be minimal vibration (common when you hit off-center). Continue doing this for a few shots and then throw a few balls on the table. For now, just hit the cue-ball into the object-balls and don't think about pocketing; think only about hitting the cue-ball center. Once you feel you've done this a few times, try to make a few shots. If you feel you're going off-center again, go back to step-2 and just focus on the feel.

In the end, you're going to have to address why it is you're not centered when you shoot. Many times, it's because people don't step into the shot properly. Other times, it's because they're just aiming at the wrong point on the ball. You want to 'feel centered'. That should always be your theme.


I know this sounds rudamentary but honestly, the key to perfection is to solidify your fundamentals. Fundamentals are inherently rudamentary.
 
I agree with Jude.
If u don't have practice balls at your Billiard Hall, then use a typical stripe ball. Ensure before u contact the stripe ball with your cue, that u place it in such a way that the u can see what kind of spin was imparted on the stripped ball (Preferably I normally place the stripe vertically). This will allow u to make corrections effectively without much disappointment.

I hope that helps.

Best Regards.
 
Yeah I definitely crowd the cue. I guess the reason I do this is because I can see the shot line better when my body is more square with the shot. Maybe I should contact mr Brieseth and see if he can help me out.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you keep your elbow straight it is going to be extremely difficult to shoot. I suggest bending it. imo
 
Try doing practice strokes, perhaps into a bottle neck to work on tip placement at the same time, on your bathroom sink facing perpendicularly into the mirror.

You should be able to see your upper arm in the mirror and you can visually verify that it stays aligned while reinforcing this alignment into your muscle memory with the practice strokes.

You could also use a wall to learn how to "feel" when your stroke is on plane; stand with your shooting shoulder, elbow, and knuckles all touching a wall and practice stroke that way. If all three points; shoulder, elbow, and hand; are touching the wall, then you're prefectly aligned.

-Andrew
 
Jude...Excellent advice. I would add the following.

To keep the elbow "straight" through the stroke, he should START with it "straight" as defined by the forearm being EXACTLY perpendicular to the floor to begin with...or stated another way...the forearm being EXACTLY vertical.

Then...mechanically...if he STARTS that way and then finishes so that the top of the "base" thumb knuckle ends up at the base of the right pectoral muscle...then...assuming that the body is alligned correctly in the first place...guarantees that the elbow has not been "thrown out" (or in) during the stroke.

Another often described method is running a line...chalk or some even use stretched out dental floss...to indicate the exact path the shaft should take on the follow through. If, at the end of the stroke, the shaft is exactly above that line, then the elbow cannot have been thrown out.

One more refinement. He will need someone to watch this but IMHO and according great teachers and learned by watching great players. The angle formed by the forearm and the upper arm should be EXACTLY 90 degrees at the moment of tip-to-all contact. If the angle is greater or less than 90 degrees...all SORTS of bad things can happen...like loss of power with too great an angle and an inhibited follow thru and a tendency to throw out the elbow or get into the dreaded "tuck and roll" thing with the wrist if the angle is too small.

But I have found that finishing as described above...thumb to pec... (a tip given me by a world champion) works GREAT.

Regards,
Jim
 
Wait a sec, mnShooter wants to correct a mechanical flaw, not how he hits the cue ball. That's two different things.

There are many players out there that can hit the ball straight with all the quirks in their stroke. mnShooter wants to straighten out his stroke.

mnShooter, you should go to someone who can correct this flaw, and it won't be just any teacher, either. I would suggest someone that can teach you the mechanicals of shooting. Some kind of Pool School would be ideal, but you may get lucky and find an individual teacher (like Fran Crimi or Dawn Hopkins) to help you out. :)

After a few lessons on this same mechanical note, it took me about 9 months of refraining from going to the pool hall so I could work on my new stroke with a video cam in my basement.

It takes time and patience and commitment, but you can do it. I did.

Barbara
 
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Yes I can hit the cueball straight. I can do the bottle, stroke down the rail, and even run racks with my crooked stroke. But I have no idea if I am aligned correctly or where my back arm is when I get down on the shot.

I have already attended pool school but this is something he did not cover. The only stance analysis done was from the side. There was nothing in the course about alignment or about where the shoulder, elbow, arm and hand should be in relation to the head. Except for the fact that the forearm should be perpendicular to the floor when it's about to contact the cueball.

Barbara-Any instructor's you would recommend in the midwest. I could probably see Scott Lee, Jerry Brieseth or Mark Wilson.
 
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go to the bathroom,

put your bridgehand on the sink, look in the mirror, and do the movement slowly untill u can SEE its straight. do this about an hour or two a day.

in about a month, u should have this problem anymore.

ps im not joking, i had the same problem, i did this at home as OFTEN as possible, its costless, and it DOES work :)

greats, from a perfectly new straight shoulder/arm player
 
mnShooter said:
Barbara-Any instructor's you would recommend in the midwest. I could probably see Scott Lee, Jerry Brieseth or Mark Wilson.
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I know Scott and I know he videotapes his lessons. I have never taken a lesson from Scott, but there are many members on this board who have, and they have given their feedback in many posts. I haven't had the privilege of meeting Mark or Jerry. But I can't think that discussing any of your concerns with these instructors could be a waste of your time, or theirs, before you obligate yourself to a lesson.

Dawn Hopkins was a God send to me in correcting my mechanics. I owe my stroke to her and the finer tunings and even more to Fran Crimi. This was just for my mechanics. RandyG's Pool School was also a great help in understanding the things that I do and why/need to do them. Randy has a roving Cue Tech Pool School and if it's in your area, you should check it out.

Take care and take aim,

Barbara
 
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