Ultimate Argument: Pendulum vs Piston Stroke

Joe Davis advocated touching the cue at three points: his chest, his tie and his chin. A lot of snooker pros seem to have taken his advice. Contact with the chest can have some major advantages.

Yes, for snooker a more square stance is correct. For pool, a more open sideways stance is ideal.

The snooker stance offers more accuracy than the pool stance however the snooker stance is not good for the power shots that pool requires.
 
Yes, for snooker a more square stance is correct. For pool, a more open sideways stance is ideal.

The snooker stance offers more accuracy than the pool stance however the snooker stance is not good for the power shots that pool requires.
Have you watched the power shots of the top snooker players?

Can you give any specific position on a pool table where your proposed stance is needed?
 
Have you watched the power shots of the top snooker players?

Can you give any specific position on a pool table where your proposed stance is needed?
I'm with you here Bob. I've seen some CRAZY power strokes delivered from some very "squarish" stances. I've seen 10ft, power-draw shots by a lot of the top snooker players. That stance doesn't seem to hinder power at all.
 
I suppose my question then would be: does the snooker stance work just fine on power shots for the itty bitty little balls they use in snooker but maybe not so good for our big heavy balls for pool?

Lou Figueroa
don’t go there
 
I suppose my question then would be: does the snooker stance work just fine on power shots for the itty bitty little balls they use in snooker but maybe not so good for our big heavy balls for pool?

Lou Figueroa
don’t go there
Good point Lou. Those itty-bitty(2&1/16") balls don't weigh much for sure.
 
I suppose my question then would be: does the snooker stance work just fine on power shots for the itty bitty little balls they use in snooker but maybe not so good for our big heavy balls for pool?

Lou Figueroa
don’t go there
Allison Fisher and Chris Melting are proof it works.
Dave Hemmah has no problem moving the cueballl with the Allison stance as well.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO6sVTPA8y8
i havent watched the whole video
but here are power draws ( more than 10 -15 feet of draw starting with 8 feet away on some shots )
with most players having the cue on their chest and chin close to the cue
many pendulum and some piston strokes.
sometimes it seems to my eye same player on different shots used one or the other
whats the point of this post
THEY BOTH WORK !!!!!!!!!!:thumbup:
 
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Allison Fisher and Chris Melting are proof it works.
Dave Hemmah has no problem moving the cueballl with the Allison stance as well.


I don’t believe I’ve seen AF shoot many power shots but I could be wrong.

And I’m not sure that CM, whom I watched in the 14.1 Challenge at the DCC this year, has a traditional snooker stance. It is also worth noting that he has a pretty crazy grip that adds a ton of action to his stroke.

Lou Figueroa
 
Have you watched the power shots of the top snooker players?

Can you give any specific position on a pool table where your proposed stance is needed?

Yes, I've watched snooker power shots. I actually just watched a compilation of power snooker shots 2 minutes ago to become familiar.

Power shots come up in snooker but they are less common than in pool. In snooker, the balls are lighter and the cloth is faster so not as much power is required. Additionally, unlike pool, snooker has longer shots, with brutal pockets that require extreme accuracy.

This is why the snooker stance is setup more for accuracy than power. When power shots do come up in snooker, the body over the cue is very restrictive on the stroke and makes it difficult to execute without excess body movement.

In pool, power is a bigger factor and accuracy is less important than snooker. The sideways stance reflects that with additional clearance for the back arm. Pool and snooker are two different games and likewise have different ideal fundamentals.

The opening break in pool is the most obvious example of a shot where a snooker stance would be tough to use to deliver a powerful stroke.
 
Yes, for snooker a more square stance is correct. For pool, a more open sideways stance is ideal.

The snooker stance offers more accuracy than the pool stance however the snooker stance is not good for the power shots that pool requires.

Joe Davis, who Bob Jewett just mentioned to you, used the ‘boxer’ stance.
 
I don’t believe I’ve seen AF shoot many power shots but I could be wrong.

And I’m not sure that CM, whom I watched in the 14.1 Challenge at the DCC this year, has a traditional snooker stance. It is also worth noting that he has a pretty crazy grip that adds a ton of action to his stroke.

Lou Figueroa
https://youtu.be/vKD7EdzMjAM?t=99
Feet close together.
Cue under chin and inside chest.
Looks like left eye dominant even.
 
https://youtu.be/vKD7EdzMjAM?t=99
Feet close together.
Cue under chin and inside chest.
Looks like left eye dominant even.

Are you watching the same video as me lol? Chris Melling shoots from the side of his body which is a pool stance (not snooker).

Regardless, just because someone is successful shooting a certain way does not mean it's ideal. Almost every pro has some type of a flaw in their fundamentals. All that means is that they had to work harder to achieve their skill level.

The better your fundamentals, the quicker you will reach a professional level of play. Professional play can still be reached without perfect fundamentals but it takes longer to achieve.
 
Are you watching the same video as me lol? Chris Melling shoots from the side of his body which is a pool stance (not snooker).

Regardless, just because someone is successful shooting a certain way does not mean it's ideal. Almost every pro has some type of a flaw in their fundamentals. All that means is that they had to work harder to achieve their skill level.

The better your fundamentals, the quicker you will reach a professional level of play. Professional play can still be reached without perfect fundamentals but it takes longer to achieve.

Here it is:
 

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I don’t believe I’ve seen AF shoot many power shots but I could be wrong. ...
I recall one shot in particular when she was very nearly straight in on a ball along the side cushion. Whack! and the cue ball drifted straight over to the other side rail. No body movement and the object ball went straight in the center.

But if a player is shooting power shots every third shot, he needs to work on his position play.;)
 
https://youtu.be/BY6GURL8c04?t=255
You think all snooker players are dead square ?
Melling definitely has the cue inside his chest .

Place rear foot on the line, front foot steps forward and outside .

I am talking about an ideal snooker stance vs an ideal pool stance. I'm not saying all snooker players do things the same way. Same goes for pool.

To analyze Chris Melling's footing, I've attached two screen shots. One from a Chris' match and the other from the snooker setup video you linked above.

In the snooker setup video, the right foot is over the shot line and the toe is pointing in the direction of the shot.

In Chris's stance, his right foot is inside the shot line with his toe pointing more perpendicular to the shot line. Turning the right foot opens up the hips and provides a lot of clearance for the right arm to swing.
 

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Yes, I've watched snooker power shots. I actually just watched a compilation of power snooker shots 2 minutes ago to become familiar.

Power shots come up in snooker but they are less common than in pool. In snooker, the balls are lighter and the cloth is faster so not as much power is required. Additionally, unlike pool, snooker has longer shots, with brutal pockets that require extreme accuracy.

This is why the snooker stance is setup more for accuracy than power. When power shots do come up in snooker, the body over the cue is very restrictive on the stroke and makes it difficult to execute without excess body movement.

In pool, power is a bigger factor and accuracy is less important than snooker. The sideways stance reflects that with additional clearance for the back arm. Pool and snooker are two different games and likewise have different ideal fundamentals.

The opening break in pool is the most obvious example of a shot where a snooker stance would be tough to use to deliver a powerful stroke.
Strachan No.10 cloth is not as fast as 860. I've played on it and its very nice stuff. All wool and directional but not as fast.
 
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