Turning wrist inwards during stroke. Need advice.

Get an ace bandage and a couple of popsicle sticks. Cut the sticks in half and place 3 halves an inch apart on the outside of your wrist and wrap the gauze tape around the sticks. You won’t be bending your wrist and it will remain straight. Learn to use your wrist hinge for your stroke and you won’t be bending nor twisting your wrist any longer. You can substitute even a credit card for the popsicle sticks. Wrap the gauze tight enuf so the sticks are held firmly in place but not too tight.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Get an ace bandage and a couple of popsicle sticks. Cut the sticks in half and place 3 halves an inch apart on the outside of your wrist and wrap the gauze tape around the sticks.
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I have done something similar to this except I used a section of a paint stir stick and an Ace wrap around style wrist support.

Worked briefly this morning with the Ace support and the metal insert from an old carpal tunnel type wrist brace my wife found. Same concept but the metal insert is contoured to fit the palm so it seems to help restrict inward wrist movement a bit faster than my stir stick method.
 
g0ds gReeN said:
You could always just start your grip/stroke with your wrist turned in? I see some very good kats in my local leagues that shoot well with a turned in wrist, former teammate of mine is a 7 and grips that way. Heck, I've seen some pros shoot like that.
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I had this problem when I was using the classic thumb down grip.

I changed my grip to knuckles down (essentially wrist already flexed) and it got rid of the curved tip path that results from flexing the wrist while stroking forward.

You may need to get used to feeling the cue’s weight on your pinky finger, though. With this grip it might feel strange to unfurl the fingers at the back of the stroke.

Experiment and let us know which of the many great suggestions provided here end up working for you.
 
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lfigueroa said:
Didn't know you could buy those.
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I believe that Sharivari has the "Diamond Slicers" on his table. I think a single ruler-like strip of thin plastic with the tenths marked on it would do the same job. Put it between the diamonds you want to slice. I think you would learn to slice faster on your own that way.

But I agree wtih @Badpenguin -- a ten-minute toy.
 
Renegade4006 said:
I am right handed but left eye dominant. I shoot right handed.

I am having a problem with turning my right wrist inward during my stroke. I thought I was getting this under control but over the last few weeks I find myself doing it again.
....
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I suspect that the root cause is your head alignment which puts your stick alignment off, with the tip to the left of center (or to the left of where you want to be). The wrist does what it has to in order to get the stick back to where it has to be on the stroke. Do a video from straight along the stick.
 
dquarasr said:
I had this problem when I was using the classic thumb down grip.

I changed my grip to knuckles down (essentially wrist already flexed) and it got rid of the curved tip path that results from flexing the wrist while stroking forward.

You may need to get used to feeling the cue’s weight on your pinky finger, though. With this grip it might feel strange to unfurl the fingers at the back of the stroke.

Experiment and let us know which of the many great suggestions provided here end up working for you.
Click to expand...
I was able to find a brace today at Walmart (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mueller-...1?classType=REGULAR&athbdg=L1103&from=/search).

Practiced a bit tonight with it. It provides good support and keeps my wrist stable. Also it is not heavy or thick in the palm area so it does not interfere with the butt of the cue.

In practicing with the brace I noticed that I am almost always go to a light "forefinger-middle finger-thumb" grip, and every now and then I will add the third finger and pinky finger, but very lightly and with the pinky pointed to the rear and not curled under the butt.

I feel this is a good step forward but I would like to experiment with some of the other grip styles that have been suggested.

As Bob mentioned I need to get some video.

Lots of work left to do but I get to practice and play pool while doing it!!!
 
I do that at times when I get too lazy or fooling around with friends, but when I notice it impacting my match play, I tense up my muscles just a little bit more in my grip. It not only helps my wrist from moving, it seems to help on slower shots from going out of control.
 
Renegade4006 said:
I was able to find a brace today at Walmart (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mueller-...1?classType=REGULAR&athbdg=L1103&from=/search).

Practiced a bit tonight with it. It provides good support and keeps my wrist stable. Also it is not heavy or thick in the palm area so it does not interfere with the butt of the cue.

In practicing with the brace I noticed that I am almost always go to a light "forefinger-middle finger-thumb" grip, and every now and then I will add the third finger and pinky finger, but very lightly and with the pinky pointed to the rear and not curled under the butt.

I feel this is a good step forward but I would like to experiment with some of the other grip styles that have been suggested.

As Bob mentioned I need to get some video.

Lots of work left to do but I get to practice and play pool while doing it!!!
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Instead of a big bulky brace, you might want to try something smaller and much lighter.
My son is about to earn his JuJitsu Black Belt. He took a wrist brace they sell at his Dojo.

He cut off the extra stuff and made me a brace. It works great and is very lightweight. On
occasion, I use the wrist wrap and insert underneath a small strip of corrugated cardboard
I shaped. My friend and I actually submitted a patent last year on a very similar design and
hopefully some day we will see it come to fruition. It is based upon a simple wrist wrap that
can use different size inserts slightly curved to conform to you wrist shape more comfortably.

I’d post photos but my partner in crime told me not to do that until our patent gets approved,
presuming it will be at some point. Typical wrist braces are large & bulky to wear playing pool.
 
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To see how much you are rolling your cue, you can put a piece of blue painters tape on your ferrule (e.g. cut a small piece of tape into a little triangle/arrow). When you get down on the shot, twirl the cue until the tape is directly on top. After you hit a shot, freeze your follow through, and before getting up check to see if the tape is still on top. With the tape alone, I was able to correct a twist in my stroke. Now, I have to find a cure for twirling my cue looking for the tape that isn't there anymore. :)
 
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I don’t think it really comes down to a question of how much, or how badly, you roll bend your wrist.
Any twisting is bad because it interferes with delivering the cue straight & penetrating through the CB.

So the challenge is to stop twisting entirely rather than confirm how much you are screwing up.
It was an excellent tip to mark your ferrule but that doesn’t prevent you from twisting your wrist.

What it does is tell you when it happens and how bad but like I wrote, you really want is to stop it
entirely. If you use your wrist hinge for stroking, twisting should stop but it requires lots of practice.
 
Not a fan of a "brace" device......Sure it will stop the twist.....however...it does not cure the cause of the twist wich is improper grip/stance/posture.

With a brace you may be able to force yourself to remove the twist and then force the repeat without the brace for a while....but when it comes down to the key shot (most likely a power shot) that "natural" twist is going to return as under pressure you tend to do what is natural.

Personally I think for Earl....I suspect the twist comes on a power shot and is after contact........and really more of a necessity as his follow through is longer and the cue must clear the forearm......so there is a (for him natural) twist.

I made a device that I can put on my tip and play shots....It lets me know if there as any hint of a twist on follow through. I have to correct my grip/stance/posture to make it stay straight/level..... instead of it stopping me from twisting.

cue2.jpg


The top two with wings let you know if the wings are tipping to one side or the other....the bottom two with the points on top help if you use stick aiming and/or dial in a measured amounts of "tips of english".

From time to time I will put on the bottom one and play racks as the points on top will also let me know if I am twisting....The wings versions are just more pronounced.

NOTE: Not for sale...............I don't need any slack from the F'stick express.....AZ Mafia Gestapo contingent.....Y'all associtated with that group can keep those F'stick comments shoved right up your ass.

I am just pointing out something I do that is not a "brace" device and that I think in the long run will (like Bob's post #28) will help you in addressing and correcting the actual problem....not just mask it until the worst possible time in a match.

I'm just a fool that wants to play some pool....😉
 
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
When it hurts quit.
If it hurts when you do that.....don't do that.
Three different sources with Dr Polka fit in there somewhere. The old army Dr. He got me back into battle quick. Football 🏈 high school.
 
I wore a knee brace to keep my knee from dislocation. Previous the brace, he taped it. After the game he cut to remove with a single edge razor blade. A pleasure to watch. Especially when no red line followed. 🤷‍♂️
 
If you're interested in if and how much you're twisting your cue during a shot you can check out the QMD4 Digital Stroke Trainer/Analyzer. Here's just one of the charts the software provides, it also has a whole lot more covering just about every aspect of your stroke.

QMD4 Back View.jpg
 
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