What is the correct shooting stance?

bankshotbo

bankshotbo

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Silver Member
This may have been discussed ad nauseum but I could not find any other posts about it.

What is the correct stance, or position you use when shooting?

Over the years my stance and where I hold the cue has changed. I used to have a more upright stance (not straight up) with my cue a good distance from my chin where I had a more complete view of the table. Over the last ten years my stance has changed where I hold the cue with my chin actually touching the cue. I feel I sight the CB and OB much better with less chance of error. I have heard however that the "proper" shooting stance is with cue lower and the head in a more upright position.

What do you guys think or use? Does the lower stance help or hinder?

I added a few clips showing a couple of my idols using the more upright stance so you know what I am talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k06-M12lQWE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRKw56oAA-E&feature=related

Even Efren uses the head more off the cue stance... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK8LkTDFkPM&feature=fvst


They are not standing erect but not as hunched over as some.

Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
 
I don't think there is a "correct" stance. People are different sizes and shapes and some things just don't work for everyone. I was always told not to bed my knees and to just bend over at the waist. For years I did this and was never really happy with the results. I then out of frustration started bending my knees to lower my upper body, maybe only 3" or so, but it instantly helped my stroke.
 
Don't get married to one correct stance

bankshotbo said:
This may have been discussed ad nauseum but I could not find any other posts about it.

What is the correct stance, or position you use when shooting?

Over the years my stance and where I hold the cue has changed. I used to have a more upright stance (not straight up) with my cue a good distance from my chin where I had a more complete view of the table. Over the last ten years my stance has changed where I hold the cue with my chin actually touching the cue. I feel I sight the CB and OB much better with less chance of error. I have heard however that the "proper" shooting stance is with cue lower and the head in a more upright position.

What do you guys think or use? Does the lower stance help or hinder?

I added a few clips showing a couple of my idols using the more upright stance so you know what I am talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k06-M12lQWE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRKw56oAA-E&feature=related

Even Efren uses the head more off the cue stance... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK8LkTDFkPM&feature=fvst


They are not standing erect but not as hunched over as some.

Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
Click to expand...


There are many stances that work very well and almost any consistent stance can work. Matter of fact, before anyone is much of a pool player they will have to learn how to make many less than perfect stances work. First and foremost a stance has to be comfortable for the individual. It might be slightly awkward at first but if it stays uncomfortable after using it for a few weeks try making changes.

A stance should incorporate as many anchor points as possible and they should balance each other. The chin, either the center or the side of the jaw, makes an excellent third or fourth anchor point. I rarely get that low anymore but I once routinely slid the cue stick on the side of my jaw when shooting long tough shots.

Plenty of video on youtube and other places about stance, pool, snooker, and other cue sports. Of course a lot of video that isn't specifically about stance that you can still examine the stance of great shooters in. Reminds me, although there has been much written about stance by great players bear in mind that their body dimensions may be far different than yours in both height and girth. What is right for them may be totally wrong for you. While general "truths" are worth giving careful consideration some of the very best players used different stances for different shots even when they could have used only one.

A personal thing of mine, I strongly disagree with a locked knee being more stable than an unlocked knee. Many sports at some time in their history favored locking one joint or another. Cue sports are the only ones I know of that still endorse locking a joint for stability. Lock both knees and have someone push you gently. Unlock both and try again. The exact same is true of locked elbows and we simply don't have an ability to truly lock our shoulders.

I once read quite a bit concerning sports medicine, not so much for myself but because there was comparatively little written about horses and I was training and conditioning horses. Almost unavoidably I learned a lot about human sports medicine trying to figure out what could cross over. Much that we do in pool doesn't coincide with what is good practice for other physical activities. Somehow I suspect that what are correct practices to best succeed in other activities may well be best for pool too.

The above is just a long winded way of saying read, watch video, consider what works for others, but ultimately you are a unique individual and you will have to find the things that work and don't work for you.

Hu
 
It really should be stances and not stance. There is not one stance used in pool but a variety of stances.

I'll use shooting behind the back as an example. That stance is not the same as shooting a shot that easily reached.

Another example is when you must use a bridge or shoot one handed as I do on some shots.

But, these different stances that have to be used do have one base component in common.

That base component in common is having your body in a position to freely move your stroke arm to put the CB where you want.

So, there is no one correct shooting stance. Some stances that must be used at times on certain shots are not as comfortable as on other shots. On some, there is even no way to get your head over your cue.

I actually practice shooting from some really weird stances just to see how it feels. To see if I still can make the shot and 9 times out of ten I do.
 
Couldn't have said it better........

cleary said:
I don't think there is a "correct" stance. People are different sizes and shapes and some things just don't work for everyone. I was always told not to bed my knees and to just bend over at the waist. For years I did this and was never really happy with the results. I then out of frustration started bending my knees to lower my upper body, maybe only 3" or so, but it instantly helped my stroke.
Click to expand...

You couldn't have said it better. Many tables are at different heights. By bending at the knees your upper body is staying at the same position.

Bending the knees really helps when you have a table with an unlevel floor.

Tall, heavy,short or skinny, we all just have to get there in the stance the way our body will get there.

Great reply........
 
bankshotbo said:
This may have been discussed ad nauseum but I could not find any other posts about it.

What is the correct stance, or position you use when shooting?

Over the years my stance and where I hold the cue has changed. I used to have a more upright stance (not straight up) with my cue a good distance from my chin where I had a more complete view of the table. Over the last ten years my stance has changed where I hold the cue with my chin actually touching the cue. I feel I sight the CB and OB much better with less chance of error. I have heard however that the "proper" shooting stance is with cue lower and the head in a more upright position.

What do you guys think or use? Does the lower stance help or hinder?

I added a few clips showing a couple of my idols using the more upright stance so you know what I am talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k06-M12lQWE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRKw56oAA-E&feature=related

Even Efren uses the head more off the cue stance... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK8LkTDFkPM&feature=fvst


They are not standing erect but not as hunched over as some.

Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
Click to expand...


Keep your vision centered (head square to the shot line). Keep your chin in-line with the shot line. You will automatically fall into the proper stance for you. Don't be surprised to find your left foot setting off more to the left side (if right handed).......more like a snooker stance. Somewhere between 45 deg and 60 deg.

You may also notice that the cue may not be under your chin, thats because your eye/s are guiding the cue on a path to hit the contact point on the object ball. Do not force the cue under the chin. go with what you are seeing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpbNlnS9GFk

Oh, and give Geno a call. :-)

John
 
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A thousand opinions, a hundred stances, but the snooker stance will cover all eventualities better than any single other. It forces you to shoot straight.

My advice as a non American: rip up your text books, snap your DVDs, reprogram your instructors and start again, with solid snooker fundamentals and straight shooting.
 
Someone ask me "why can I play like a pro for a few hours, then have mental lapses and start making mistakes?" My answer surprised him...I said "the problem is all in your perception of the cue ball, because it's always changing....we can make the cue ball look smaller by standing further away, or make it look larger by standing closer... we want to be the same distance to give us the "illusion" that the distance is the same...once we have established our distance now we are able to do something that is REALLY IMPORTANT.....we can see the distance relationship between the cue ball and the object ball, and the lower our eyes, the closer the two balls will appear...the higher our eyes the farther the object ball will appear.....the key is to find the distance relationship YOU PREFER and try to make EVERY shot fit this perception.....so, as a rule the closer the cue ball is to the object ball the higher you stand...as the distance increases you're eyes should lower to create the same visual "illusion". And creating this illusion consciously makes all the shots appear to be the same....this leads to uncanny consistency
 
All very good and respectful replies, thanks to everyone.

I like to think I know what I am doing seeing how I have been playing since the 70s, but as I have come to understand there is always room to improve.

I will try and incorporate some days of practice where I work on my stance. I think I have a decent idea of what to do after reading these responses.

Snooker stance... I play some snooker on the real snooker tables so I will try and use a snooker stance next week on a pool table when I am back home in Copenhagen.

Thanks guys, knowledge is power.
 
hmm dere

cookie man said:
Someone ask me "why can I play like a pro for a few hours, then have mental lapses and start making mistakes?" My answer surprised him...I said "the problem is all in your perception of the cue ball, because it's always changing....we can make the cue ball look smaller by standing further away, or make it look larger by standing closer... we want to be the same distance to give us the "illusion" that the distance is the same...once we have established our distance now we are able to do something that is REALLY IMPORTANT.....we can see the distance relationship between the cue ball and the object ball, and the lower our eyes, the closer the two balls will appear...the higher our eyes the farther the object ball will appear.....the key is to find the distance relationship YOU PREFER and try to make EVERY shot fit this perception.....so, as a rule the closer the cue ball is to the object ball the higher you stand...as the distance increases you're eyes should lower to create the same visual "illusion". And creating this illusion consciously makes all the shots appear to be the same....this leads to uncanny consistency
Click to expand...


Just read your post and I still don't know what you said. However, I think you said something important. How about starting a thread about position and perception? I think this deserves to not be buried in the middle of another thread.

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
Just read your post and I still don't know what you said. However, I think you said something important. How about starting a thread about position and perception? I think this deserves to not be buried in the middle of another thread.

Hu
Click to expand...

Yes, that's a quote by another famous pro player who uses an aiming system.
 
TheThaiger said:
A thousand opinions, a hundred stances, but the snooker stance will cover all eventualities better than any single other. It forces you to shoot straight.

My advice as a non American: rip up your text books, snap your DVDs, reprogram your instructors and start again, with solid snooker fundamentals and straight shooting.
Click to expand...

Can you give a link that details the proper snooker stance?
 
ShootingArts said:
Just read your post and I still don't know what you said. However, I think you said something important. How about starting a thread about position and perception? I think this deserves to not be buried in the middle of another thread.

Hu
Click to expand...

Credit to C J Wiley. it was on his facebook page, pretty interesting stuff.
 
more interested in his idea for establishing distances

JoeyA said:
Yes, that's a quote by another famous pro player who uses an aiming system.
Click to expand...

Joey,

I'm interested in his idea of using the cue ball perceived size to establish the distance his eyes are behind the cue ball. I think that is an often overlooked factor in set-up. Since we can't get directly on the line of sight to aim a pool cue parallex is always an issue. There has been a tremendous amount of talk about locating our eyes on one axis, some discussion of the second axis but little mention of the third axis. While it isn't quite as critical as the first or even the second it is still important. Positioning our eyes the same distance behind the cue ball whenever possible would take one more variable out of our game.

Hu
 
My favorite stance :wink:
 

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Slh said:
don't believe who says a snooker stance is hard to use in pool or is not effective.
Click to expand...

Ok, but I would caution against adapting to it in later life. I strongly advocate snooker fundamentals for beginners though, mainly because it forces you to cue straight.

I see so many good players who cannot cue properly it's depressing.
 
ShootingArts said:
Joey,

I'm interested in his idea of using the cue ball perceived size to establish the distance his eyes are behind the cue ball. I think that is an often overlooked factor in set-up. Since we can't get directly on the line of sight to aim a pool cue parallex is always an issue. There has been a tremendous amount of talk about locating our eyes on one axis, some discussion of the second axis but little mention of the third axis. While it isn't quite as critical as the first or even the second it is still important. Positioning our eyes the same distance behind the cue ball whenever possible would take one more variable out of our game.

Hu
Click to expand...

I like CJ's perspective and am experimenting with it now. It makes sense. I've always heard that on shots where the object ball is close to the cue ball, you should be more erect but I always thought it was because you could simply see the object ball better. Obtaining a similar perspective on every shot makes sense. Now if I can find my favorite perspective. :)
 
If this is still difficult to understand it will help to exaggerate the experience ...try shooting a shot that is 7 or 8 feet away and notice how close your chin is to your cue....then shoot a shot that is only 7 or 8 inches away...notice how your chin raised when the ball was closer....this is you naturally doing what I'm saying.....the trick is to know how this illusion works and how to use it to your advantage instead of your detriment ..... this is one of those well kept "secrets" of the game....I've had a few people "steal" this and I would recommend you do the same.....you have my permission;-)
 
I personally think it's advantageous to practice looking over the top of the cue ball to a point exactly BETWEEN the cue ball and object ball....make yourself do this on shots varying in distance AND EACH TIME you look at that spot through the top of the cue ball notice WHERE YOUR HEAD POSITION IS.....this will give you a guaranteed pool epiphany ....and if not I'll refund you....wait a minute, this is free...oh well, just donate a sawbuck to your favorite charity for me ;-)



These are both from C J Wiley. Giving you something to think about.
 
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