I know you're supposed to stay loose during the stroke but every time I stroke the cue ball, I feel my bicep is tightening which is what is making my forearm go forward. Instead of stroking the cue ball it feels like I am pushing the cue ball which is really affecting my follow through. I see the pros on youtube have like a snap in their stroke. Is it all forearm, or wrist action?
Where does the stroke come from?
- Thread starter AHWOSU86
- Start date
no its all cuestick........meaning the cuestick is doing the work.........and i'm not referring to the quality of the cuestick.
You need a fluid delivery thats consistently accelerating starting from standstill at 0 speed and building up to top end needed at contact.
your pushing b/c your steering the shot with your hand.......mostly by not finishing and probably also by an overtight grip
light grip is a must
with any light grip you must control the movements of the cue so the smooth acceleration is important.
fluid motions not jerkey ones are a key to the control.......
think about that and compare your typical motions with what i just described.
Its no wrist snap or fancy motion.........its the lack of US getting in the way of the cue's ability to do work.
-Grey Ghost-
You need a fluid delivery thats consistently accelerating starting from standstill at 0 speed and building up to top end needed at contact.
your pushing b/c your steering the shot with your hand.......mostly by not finishing and probably also by an overtight grip
light grip is a must
with any light grip you must control the movements of the cue so the smooth acceleration is important.
fluid motions not jerkey ones are a key to the control.......
think about that and compare your typical motions with what i just described.
Its no wrist snap or fancy motion.........its the lack of US getting in the way of the cue's ability to do work.
-Grey Ghost-
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It sounds like you have no power. Here is a simple drill that will let you work on your stroke timing and other fundamentals. Place the cue ball on the head spot (center of the headstring) and shoot it straight over the foot spot. (No object ball is on the table.) You should be able to get the cue ball to come back over the head spot where it started. As you achieve this result, you will need to develop a good bridge and a straight stroke, so you should notice those two facets of your fundamentals during your practice. Firm bridge, straight stroke. When you feel you have made good progress with that, increase the speed so that you hit the far (end) cushion a second time. Can you do that and keep the cue ball near the center of the table? The next step is to increase the speed to hit the near cushion a second time, always keeping the cue ball near the spots. The final level is to hit the far cushion three times. You may not be able to get there immediately, but work on this drill for a while at the start of each practice session to see how straight (and powerfully) you can bring the stick through.
Wrist action is a complication and is not needed for any practical shot. If it develops naturally and does not interfere with your consistency, OK, but there is no point to work on it at the beginning.
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That drill sounds great. I hope I can remember it when I get back to a table!
(All these wonderful drills and suggestions that we get here are so good, it's sometimes difficult to remember what to remember by the time I get to the pool room. It sure must be nice to have a table at home, and to be able to go straight to it after reading some of the great stuff here!)
AHWOSU86...Acquire "Play Better Pool; Vol. 1, Mastering the Fundamentals", by Randy Goettlicher & Scott Lee. This will very clearly show you how you can develop a smooth stroke, whether at a slow speed, or a high speed. As greyghost mentioned, a very loose grip is all that's required, for a deliberate pendulum swing. Let the cue do the work. We do not "hit the ball and followthrough"!...we FINISH our stroke (which results in 'followthrough'). There is no requirement, in any pool stroke, to followthrough a specific distance. It's all based on your build, and how your arm works with your body.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Is this similar to hitting down the center of the table and the cue ball returning to the center of your stick (tip) if you stay down after the shot?
malidave...Yes it is. Bob is advocating learning to do this at different stroke speeds, which is imperative. You have to learn how to accurately stroke the CB, at any speed, without changing things drastically (like grip pressure, length of backswing, etc.). This exercise, which we call mother drill 4, is also about learning where to position the cue, for the straight line that your brain perceives.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
I find that placing a cube of chalk edgewise (45 degrees) on top of the middle diamond on the foot rail provides a precise aiming spot for this exercise.
Man, what a great thread.
The triceps pull the cue back and the biceps pull the cue forward.
I'm guilty also as the OP has described.
The Ghost, Randy and Scott have cleared up an issue I have had for a long time.
Now all I have to do is consciously practice the moves until my sub-conscious does it automatically. Luckily, I have a table at home.
Randy or Scott, please provide the link that offers your DVD set.
Thanks Guys
John - St. Louis
The triceps pull the cue back and the biceps pull the cue forward.
I'm guilty also as the OP has described.
The Ghost, Randy and Scott have cleared up an issue I have had for a long time.
Now all I have to do is consciously practice the moves until my sub-conscious does it automatically. Luckily, I have a table at home.
Randy or Scott, please provide the link that offers your DVD set.
Thanks Guys
John - St. Louis
You can set up and stroke across the table over the baulk line.
No Ball
You will be able see if your cue is running straight above the line or if the tip is moving around.
When you can do this smoothly, progress to shooting the cue ball along the baulk line and returning to your cue tip.
This is a far tougher exercise because it may introduce new problems:
Inability to identify the centre of the cue ball
Inability to hit the centre of the cue ball
Inability send the cue through the vertical axis of the ball.
Any of these problems will send the cue ball off on an angle on the rebound.
Snooker players call it "hitting across the cue ball".
Solutions
Visual feedback before striking the cue ball:
Joe Tucker's Third Eye gizmo
A mirror set up at the end of the table.
A friend standing in front or behind you telling you if you are properly aligned.
Feeback
You can video yourself: back, front, and side; sometimes the only way to prove that the player isn't doing what he thinks he is doing.
When you have mastered the side to side return to the cue tip, you can progress to Bob Jewett's exercise down the centre of the table.
Be advised that the foregoing is only theory I have heard. Can't execute worth a damn
No Ball
You will be able see if your cue is running straight above the line or if the tip is moving around.
When you can do this smoothly, progress to shooting the cue ball along the baulk line and returning to your cue tip.
This is a far tougher exercise because it may introduce new problems:
Inability to identify the centre of the cue ball
Inability to hit the centre of the cue ball
Inability send the cue through the vertical axis of the ball.
Any of these problems will send the cue ball off on an angle on the rebound.
Snooker players call it "hitting across the cue ball".
Solutions
Visual feedback before striking the cue ball:
Joe Tucker's Third Eye gizmo
A mirror set up at the end of the table.
A friend standing in front or behind you telling you if you are properly aligned.
Feeback
You can video yourself: back, front, and side; sometimes the only way to prove that the player isn't doing what he thinks he is doing.
When you have mastered the side to side return to the cue tip, you can progress to Bob Jewett's exercise down the centre of the table.
Be advised that the foregoing is only theory I have heard. Can't execute worth a damn
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You may want to video your stroke and play it back in slow motion. You might be surprised at what is actually happening. It's extremely difficult to hold your upper arm still until after you are half way through your stroke, and then let it go. It requires some incredible timing that few of us have.
I had a student tell me he absolutely remained still until after the cue ball was already rolling. With video, he immediately saw that he was raising up on every shot at the very beginning of his forward stroke. We aren't always doing what we think we are doing.
Steve