Training for a backstroke pause

JC

JC

Coos Cues
I apologize if I'm the only person in the world who doesn't know this. However I have never heard this and learned it by accident. If you're struggling to feel comfortable with an extended pause in your backstroke but really want to make the change try adding weight to your cue. Add 3-4 oz and then give it a go. The added mass makes the pause seem much more natural as your muscles have something to work against. Once you train yourself then you can go back to whatever weight cue you desire. Try it, it really works.

JC
 
PGHteacher said:
How did you add the weight? heavier weight bolt or other?
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I found this out by accident. It's definitely butt weight that does it. I had a break cue made that was 22 1/2 oz and screwed a playing shaft onto it mostly just to mess around and hit some balls. I play with an 18 oz cue. Instantly I noticed what I described and almost couldn't believe it as I've been struggling to incorporate this change in my stroke for over a year now. It really works to make that pause feel natural to your muscles and slowing the change of direction and acceleration. Not sure if I will end up using a heavier cue now or what happens next.

JC
 
Why is a deliberate and pronounced backstroke pause important?
 
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Pause

I have never had a pause in my final backstroke, and really don't care too. To me, that would be like coitus interruptus ... lol I like my final stroke to be one fluid motion even though it reverses direction.

Another problem with it, by pausing at the backstroke, it gives your brain time to think, and that is just when I don't want to think...
 
Snapshot9 said:
I have never had a pause in my final backstroke, and really don't care too. To me, that would be like coitus interruptus ... lol I like my final stroke to be one fluid motion even though it reverses direction.

Another problem with it, by pausing at the backstroke, it gives your brain time to think, and that is just when I don't want to think...
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A momentary pause is good for me - it maintains consistency, triggers a final sharpening of focus and gives my arm's muscle memory time to remember what to do.

pj
chgo
 
Neil said:
What worked for me was just to make your final pull back real slow. Like you are drawing an arrow.
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I shot a lot of archery when I was a kid, so that made sense to me when I read it. I went down to the table and gave it a try. It is the single best tip I've ever read.

All at once, I seem to have a stroke rather than a poke. More balls are dropping in and I have the best draw ever on the CB, hitting low on the ball but not miscuing or golfing the ball. I've been reading here about that short pause on the backstroke. I thought I was pausing long enough, but it turns out I wasn't pausing at all. I was actually rushing the forward stroke. By slowing down and drawing the cue back like that, I can really feel the difference.

Funny, because I used to be a fly fishing guide and fly casting instructor. Rushing the forward cast without pausing at the end of the backcast is the single biggest problem I had to correct. There are some other reasons why this is necessary with a fly rod (allowing the line to straighten and load the rod), but the general principal seems the same.

In fly casting, a great backcast is considered to be more important than the forward cast. It loads the rod, but it also allows the muscles that are driving the backcast to relax and not impede the forward stroke.

I have to spend some time with this to see if tonight's results will be repeated with consistency, but I can already start to feel what a real follow through is all about.
 
Sloppy Pockets said:
I shot a lot of archery when I was a kid, so that made sense to me when I read it. I went down to the table and gave it a try. It is the single best tip I've ever read.

All at once, I seem to have a stroke rather than a poke. More balls are dropping in and I have the best draw ever on the CB, hitting low on the ball but not miscuing or golfing the ball. I've been reading here about that short pause on the backstroke. I thought I was pausing long enough, but it turns out I wasn't pausing at all. I was actually rushing the forward stroke. By slowing down and drawing the cue back like that, I can really feel the difference.

Funny, because I used to be a fly fishing guide and fly casting instructor. Rushing the forward cast without pausing at the end of the backcast is the single biggest problem I had to correct. There are some other reasons why this is necessary with a fly rod (allowing the line to straighten and load the rod), but the general principal seems the same.

In fly casting, a great backcast is considered to be more important than the forward cast. It loads the rod, but it also allows the muscles that are driving the backcast to relax and not impede the forward stroke.

I have to spend some time with this to see if tonight's results will be repeated with consistency, but I can already start to feel what a real follow through is all about.
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Nicely choosen words- good explained from your point of view sir :)

Anyway- it s not about how long this pause at the end is. The first important advantage is, that by pulling your cue back *slower* you won t rush. This already will increase the accouracy. The pause itself can be shorter, longer...., medium- it s individual for everyone.
Here it is just all about a smooth transition from back to forward motion. For me personally it was one of the best adviced i became in my pool-life. Heard about it from 2 guys in the 80 s-- one was given by the great Jerry Briesath :-)

The additional positive effects are, that you can work here also wonderful on your eye-pattern and your all around pre-shot-routines.

lg
ingo
 
Whether you know it or not...or believe it or not...we all stop our cue three times on every shot...at the cb, at the end of the backswing, and at the end of the forward stroke. The timing of the stops may or may not be momentary, but they are there nonetheless. My personal pause at the end of my backswing is about a quarter second long. Allison Fisher's is about one second, and Buddy Hall's is about 3-4 seconds (very long). Different strokes for different folks...but we all stop the cue.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Scott...No offense, but you could learn a lot about what a stroke is. It is not, however, "one fluid motion". It is two fluid motions...one backwards, and one forwards. It requires a stop of some timing, in order to change direction smoothly, and accelerate the forward stroke. Even Robert Byrne, who coined the "one fluid motion" phrase, admitted to Randyg that his definition was incorrect, and that it was indeed two smooth motions! Your idea of the pause on the backswing being a detriment to the brain is also outdated. It goes against 'quiet eye' quantitative research, and what neurologists and opthamologists say about how the eyes work most efficiently with the brain, and how the brain works with the bicep. You could be correct, if the pause was extremely long (like Buddy Hall's), but it seems to work okay for some players. Mine is quite brief, but an extremely smooth transition.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Snapshot9 said:
I have never had a pause in my final backstroke, and really don't care too. To me, that would be like coitus interruptus ... lol I like my final stroke to be one fluid motion even though it reverses direction.

Another problem with it, by pausing at the backstroke, it gives your brain time to think, and that is just when I don't want to think...
Click to expand...
 
JC...I have to disagree that adding 3-4 oz. to your cue is necessary, or advantageous, for a pause at the end of the backswing. Outside of perhaps Earl (and I'm not sure he has weight added to the back end of his cue either), no pro players add weight to their cue, to effect this transition from a backswing to the forward stroke. That said, if it works for you, go ahead and do it. The extended pause is more related to the eye pattern than anything else.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JC said:
I apologize if I'm the only person in the world who doesn't know this. However I have never heard this and learned it by accident. If you're struggling to feel comfortable with an extended pause in your backstroke but really want to make the change try adding weight to your cue. Add 3-4 oz and then give it a go. The added mass makes the pause seem much more natural as your muscles have something to work against. Once you train yourself then you can go back to whatever weight cue you desire. Try it, it really works.

JC
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I'm pretty sure Mr. Lee has it right. If I could remember my high school calculus I think it can be proved there is at least a brief interval of no motion at the change of direction.

One advantage to a pause I've found is it seems to make it more difficult to decelerate on the through stroke. If you are at a stop at the back and start the through swing slowly it becomes very natural to accelerate through the ball. My pause is not very long. John Morra is a guy with a pronounced pause.
 
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I just started pausing in the backstroke about a year or so ago. I tried it years ago and hated it but, didn't give it enough time so I tried it again, stuck with it and love it. I could pocket balls great but I was lacking on my speed, either to far or too less on the next ball. I started the longer pause and now my speed is right on plus, when I pull the trigger, my eyes are on the object ball. I was told by Rufus (DR9ball, BCA Instructor) that my eyes would follow the ball path as I pulled the trigger which wasn't good. Anyway, I will always have the longer pause in my backstroke now. :D
 
Scott Lee said:
Whether you know it or not...or believe it or not...we all stop our cue three times on every shot...at the cb, at the end of the backswing, and at the end of the forward stroke. The timing of the stops may or may not be momentary, but they are there nonetheless. My personal pause at the end of my backswing is about a quarter second long. Allison Fisher's is about one second, and Buddy Hall's is about 3-4 seconds (very long). Different strokes for different folks...but we all stop the cue.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Scott, do you feel it is beneficial to increase the length of the pause? Is there anything wrong with having a very brief, or momentary pause?
Thanks for taking time to post.
 
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