Unintended Wrist Movement (Twist - Bend - Flex)

[Bavafongoul]

Maybe I am compensating for a bum arm/shoulder that just doesn't move any longer without experiencing pain but in any event, my wrist during my pool stroke
some days seems to exhibit case of the yips and typically when it counts the most in a match. I seem to bend or twist my cue when I had no intention nor desire to
hit the shot that way......and obviously I am missing the shot or why bother even composing this thread. I've looked for a simple, lightweight wrist band or brace to
wear during practice or even a match. I know what I'd like it to look like but it doesn't exist. I want the brace to limit my wrist hinge so that it remains perpendicular
to the table (180 degrees) and can only move to & fro to help avoid any unintentional twisting or bending movement with my shooting hand's wrist.

I've searched the Internet, othaepedic stores, sporting goods stores, baseball and tennis shops, and basically have run out of places to look. Everything I located was
way too large or heavy, bulky, too restrictive or cumbersome. I would thought by now such a wrist brace would exist but apparently not. Has anyone seen a wrist brace
that seemed suitable for pool playing other than the stuff made years ago that no longer is available? I'm referring to items that are still being made and available.

Thanks,

Matt B.

 

[SilverCue]

I've looked for a simple, lightweight wrist band or brace to
wear during practice or even a match. I know what I'd like it to look like but it doesn't exist. I want the brace to limit my wrist hinge so that it remains perpendicular
to the table (180 degrees) and can only move to & fro to help avoid any unintentional twisting or bending movement with my shooting hand's wrist.

Thanks,

Matt B.

You might like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00267SFNO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, if you get it, try wearing it different ways.
I got it for carpal tunnel and originally wore it with the holes on oposet sides if the hand.
Then I rotated it and I worked much better.

 

[Dan White]

Have you considered trying a simple Ace bandage just to see if your idea of preventing the wrist movement actually works?

 

[peppersauce]

...............

 

[Bavafongoul]

Silvercue....thanks but that one in the link you provided seems real cumbersome and it also covers your hand which is used for griping the cue. That's more of an injury type brace than what I have in mind.

Dan White.....tried the ace bandage wrist support (not the rolled bandage) and it could might work if it had u grooves cut in the tops to allow for a wrist hinge during the pool stroke. It would also benefit if it also had a firm or rigid top portion where it lays on the top of your hand that would prevent any bending of the wrist, especially with the u grooves for the pool stroke hinge.

The Mika glove came the closest to being what seemed like a lightweight wrist brace but that's not available in the USA. I tried getting it from an overseas firm but they never responded to my messages. I wonder if it is worth designing the darn thing and maybe turn an idea into a product. Anyway, I thought it was worth a shot and maybe someone will reply about some new brace most of us haven't heard about......I hope so.

Matt B.

 

[peppersauce]

.............

 

[Bavafongoul]

peppersauce.....you're my leader of the pack guy........thanks.....I found a glove in Germany called "Straight Shot" but it costs a lot more
plus the cost of international shipping. That glove was a clone of the Pro Shot Glove. Thanks to peppersauce, I just purchased the real thing
and at some point, I might take a stab at designing a wrist support and find out what it might cost to make some prototypes to experiment with.

Matt B.

 

[tonythetiger583]

Maybe I am compensating for a bum arm/shoulder that just doesn't move any longer without experiencing pain but in any event, my wrist during my pool stroke
some days seems to exhibit case of the yips and typically when it counts the most in a match. I seem to bend or twist my cue when I had no intention nor desire to
hit the shot that way......and obviously I am missing the shot or why bother even composing this thread. I've looked for a simple, lightweight wrist band or brace to
wear during practice or even a match. I know what I'd like it to look like but it doesn't exist. I want the brace to limit my wrist hinge so that it remains perpendicular
to the table (180 degrees) and can only move to & fro to help avoid any unintentional twisting or bending movement with my shooting hand's wrist.

I've searched the Internet, othaepedic stores, sporting goods stores, baseball and tennis shops, and basically have run out of places to look. Everything I located was
way too large or heavy, bulky, too restrictive or cumbersome. I would thought by now such a wrist brace would exist but apparently not. Has anyone seen a wrist brace
that seemed suitable for pool playing other than the stuff made years ago that no longer is available? I'm referring to items that are still being made and available.

Thanks,

Matt B.

If you support the cue in your grip hand on your middle finger, and point both your pinkie and index finger straight down (like the rocker metal hand gesture), it naturally keeps your wrist from moving. I noticed it from watching John Schmidt. It's not a completely ideal grip, but after using it for a while, and going back to a more conventional grip, I find my wrist is more still than before.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

If you support the cue in your grip hand on your middle finger, and point both your pinkie and index finger straight down (like the rocker metal hand gesture), it naturally keeps your wrist from moving. I noticed it from watching John Schmidt. It's not a completely ideal grip, but after using it for a while, and going back to a more conventional grip, I find my wrist is more still than before.

Another possibility is to lock your wrist by cocking it forward, like many players do. It locks all wrist movement, not just sideways movement, so if you like some wrist in your stroke this might not be for you.

pj
chgo

 

[DTL]

..............

 

[Bavafongoul]

I realize each and every one of us grip the pool cue in a personal way that suits our hand size, and grip strength pressure.......there's no right or wrong way to grip a pool cue
if you stroke the cue ball consistently the same way using whatever grip/stroke that suits your fancy. Nonetheless, the best professional athletes develop unexpected ailments
with their swing like golfers and baseball players, those pros use training aids to fix the problem......might be hitting off a tee or swinging one-handed or a weighted club. Anyone
ever experience the totally unexpected onset of the dreaded shanks during a round of golf? I think practicing with teaching aid helps your game when there's something you
need to try fixing........keep in mind the twisting/bending problem I'm referring to is not a consistent problem because if it happened all the time, I could turn that into a plus. It's the
inconsistency of the problem.....just pops up at the worst time in a match........I mean do it on the 2 or 3 ball in a 10 ball match....not the 8 or 9 ball when you'e positioned to win.

Matt B.

 

[skip100]

I have the dreaded wrist twist through impact, and after a few weeks of not playing much and stroke deterioration I put in a long practice session yesterday.

After some experimentation this fix worked for me: feel like your hand is opening up on the way back, and then closing again at impact. A few thoughts on this.
- A totally soft wrist doesn't work for me as it just leads to even more twisting.
- A totally tense wrist is likewise no good unless you have a robotic stroke.
- The "open"/"close" motion is intuitive, discrete, and non-technical. Like a good swing thought in golf, it's easy to forget about the rest of your stroke and focus on this one idea that doesn't bring any negative or technical thoughts into play.
- You want to be loose during the stroke but precise during the hit. This seems to achieve that for me
- The open/close feeling works well when you start from a good wrist position, which I bet most of us who struggle with this do. If you start with a weird wrist position it's probably going to be less successful.

After doing this I made an entire rack's worth of full table straight in shots on a tournament diamond... should have kept going but I was scared to break the streak

One consequence of this is that I started missing some shots I usually throw in the pocket, some of them quite badly. I learned to play putting outside English on everything and usually accomplish that with last-minute wrist movements.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Thanks for your post.......the slight wrist curl still haunts me on long shots that need to be hit really firm.

It's gotten a lot better since surgery #4 to my shoulder this past February.......I actually have hope now.



Matt B.

 

[Wedge]

Mezz USA

You can order the Pro Shot Glove from Mexx USA.

http://mezzcues.us/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=154

Wedge

*I also use the Pro Shot Glove for practicing with my Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol. I and a lot of other shooters have a tendency to turn our wrist to the left in anticipation of recoil during the shot which causes us to miss the bulls eye low to the left. The glove also helps with that.

 

[slach]

I was testing a new feature for QMD (www.cue-md.com) that shows the 'roll' of the cue stick during your stroke. I was a bit surprised that almost all of the good shooters I tried it on have the 'open/close' cue roll in their stroke, though without lateral movement of the cue. I'm not sure if the roll is a good thing to do, but most do it. Maybe some instructors will chime in.

I have the dreaded wrist twist through impact, and after a few weeks of not playing much and stroke deterioration I put in a long practice session yesterday.

After some experimentation this fix worked for me: feel like your hand is opening up on the way back, and then closing again at impact. A few thoughts on this.
- A totally soft wrist doesn't work for me as it just leads to even more twisting.
- A totally tense wrist is likewise no good unless you have a robotic stroke.
- The "open"/"close" motion is intuitive, discrete, and non-technical. Like a good swing thought in golf, it's easy to forget about the rest of your stroke and focus on this one idea that doesn't bring any negative or technical thoughts into play.
- You want to be loose during the stroke but precise during the hit. This seems to achieve that for me
- The open/close feeling works well when you start from a good wrist position, which I bet most of us who struggle with this do. If you start with a weird wrist position it's probably going to be less successful.

After doing this I made an entire rack's worth of full table straight in shots on a tournament diamond... should have kept going but I was scared to break the streak

One consequence of this is that I started missing some shots I usually throw in the pocket, some of them quite badly. I learned to play putting outside English on everything and usually accomplish that with last-minute wrist movements.

 

[kntbeach]

I used to have this same problem. I used a bowling wrist support band/glove while practicing and it worked wonders.

 

[Skippy27]

I realize each and every one of us grip the pool cue in a personal way that suits our hand size, and grip strength pressure.......there's no right or wrong way to grip a pool cue....

Matt B.

Oh there most certainly is and just because some pro is able to overcome some major flaw in their grip or stroke and still play at a very high level doesn't make it ok for someone to try to imitate it.

You can probably list every flaw in a stroke there is that players should avoid but then find at least one pro that does just that.

Tight grip and fast stroke are what cause me to turn my wrist. I know this and work to avoid it on shots I am going to be stroking hard by keeping my hand loose with a light grip.

 

[FranCrimi]

Try KT Tape. Great stuff, lightweight but with enough firmness to help. You can stretch it to whatever tension you need.