Where to grip the cue ?

feldz23

feldz23

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It was pointed out that I was gripping my cue too far back near the butt end of the wrap when playing at leagues. What affect would this have on my stroke / game ? I've not been playing that great lately, and need some advice. I started to grip the cue further up on the wrap but I am not seeing any improvement yet.
 
where you grip the cue on the butt is different for everyone, depending on your arm span.

1st - put your bridge hand around the cue like 10" to 12" from the tip
2nd - hold the butt of your cue with your stroking hand
3rd - get down on a shot
4th - look back at you stroking arm, the arm should be at a 90 degree angle.

this is easier if done in front of a mirror

if your stroking arm is already extended in resting position, you are not gonna have any room for a stroke.

if your arm is forward more lets say 60 Degrees you may run out of cue to stroke back when comes time to stroke the shot

hope this helps
Steve

back-hand-when-the-tip-is-with.jpg
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feldz23 said:
It was pointed out that I was gripping my cue too far back near the butt end of the wrap when playing at leagues. What affect would this have on my stroke / game ? I've not been playing that great lately, and need some advice. I started to grip the cue further up on the wrap but I am not seeing any improvement yet.
Click to expand...

Depends on the cue.

In his book Mosconi says 3-6" behind the balance point.

I have forward weighted cues (19+" from butt) and rear weighted cues (17" from butt). Generally speaking, I like forward weighted cues better and they are my preferred choice.

However, my Scruggs sneaky petes are rear weighted and I love playing with them (and grip them towards the rear).

So, depends on the cue and it's balance point to a certain degree. Beyond that it's how far you need to reach for the shot.
 
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your grip changes with the length of the shot. You just want your hand/arm to be at 90 deg to the cue when the tip is at contact with the CB. So the farther you got to reach the farther back on the cue your going to hold.

Once you go so far that you have to drop the elbow to reach for the shot, you should start to think about using the bridge.
 
I'm going to go along with the 'Ghost' on this one, but would add this. Don't frett over it too much.
If you are an ordinary sized human being your grip hand will pretty much fall into place naturally. It allways does, sometimes. :wink:
 
feldz23...As has been detailed, put your bridge hand down on the table where you like it. Put your tip ON the CB. Hold your cue where your grip hand falls directly underneath your elbow. You will play with this bridge length and grip position 90% of all shots.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

feldz23 said:
It was pointed out that I was gripping my cue too far back near the butt end of the wrap when playing at leagues. What affect would this have on my stroke / game ? I've not been playing that great lately, and need some advice. I started to grip the cue further up on the wrap but I am not seeing any improvement yet.
Click to expand...
 
You can play real good with your grip hand any place on the cue.
You can play extremely well with your cradle hand at 90 degrees.
Listen to Scott, he knows....SPF=randyg
 
Too Far

Like the other folks here said, 90 degrees when the tip is on the cue ball.

If your hand is too far forward you can't deliver a good follow through stroke due to lack of wrist movement. If you try to force the follow through, you risk having your cue come up off the shot.
 
ne14tennis...The problem is not lack of wrist movement. Improper grip position (ahead or behind perpendicular) makes it likely that you will not strike the CB EXACTLY where you think you're aiming. The size of the contact between the tip and CB is VERY small...3mm or 1/8" (size of the red circle on red circle CB). It's easy to miss something that small, by that much (high, low, right or left)...especially since it's invisible! Missing by that tiny amount can have dramatic effects on both ball pocketing and position play, particularly when unintended sidespin is put on the CB.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

ne14tennis said:
Like the other folks here said, 90 degrees when the tip is on the cue ball.

If your hand is too far forward you can't deliver a good follow through stroke due to lack of wrist movement. If you try to force the follow through, you risk having your cue come up off the shot.
Click to expand...
 
WoodyJ said:
Depends on the cue.

In his book Mosconi says 3-6" behind the balance point.

I have forward weighted cues (19+" from butt) and rear weighted cues (17" from butt). Generally speaking, I like forward weighted cues better and they are my preferred choice.

However, my Scruggs sneaky petes are rear weighted and I love playing with them (and grip them towards the rear).

So, depends on the cue and it's balance point to a certain degree. Beyond that it's how far you need to reach for the shot.
Click to expand...

So you are saying that the cue determines where the player should grip it? If a 6' 2" player borrowed a cue from a 5' 4" player, would both of them need to grip it in the same place based on the balance point?
What if you had the balance point of your cue changed? Would you need to change where your grip hand goes?

I'm not sure I understand how the balance point determines grip position.

Steve
 
if your bridge hand is 7 inches or so from cb backhand should be the same past the balance point ,diff shots call 4 diff bridge lengths adjust 10 inches from cb 10 behind balance point good luck Peteypooldude
 
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standard cue .standard height check out Gallary instruction on grip came from Dallas West bridge hand to cb, backhand from balance point is going 2b close unless u order a forward weighted cue just sayin
 
Part of your problem may be taht you are adapting your grip position to your cue. This is a reason that players will have a cue made to their specifications. They want the cue to fit them. That also presents a probelm because players will ask for a cue to be made a certain way and when they get it the weight is off or the balance point is off. That is why many cues are resold. It was not what the buyer expected when ordered.

Listen to the others about where to set your bridge, and grip hand. Take those measurements as a starting point. Now go to a dealer and try a lot of cues. There will be one that feels good. It has the right diameter shaft, butt thickness and the balance point will be in the right place for you to have the right elements of a good stroke. Now you make a choice, buy it or have one made to it. If you are lucky it will also have the right sound, or feel when it hits the CB.
 
peteypooldude...No offense, but Dallas West, although an outstanding player, is not known as an instructor. He is also "old school", and played mostly 14.1, where you can get away with the descriptions like he and Mosconi made. Not so with today's games, where you sometimes have to let your stroke out.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

peteypooldude said:
standard cue .standard height check out Gallary instruction on grip came from Dallas West bridge hand to cb, backhand from balance point is going 2b close unless u order a forward weighted cue just sayin
Click to expand...
 
feldz23, If you have not been seeing any improvement, since moving your grip up on the cue, your back swing is most likely longer, and there is a tendency for most players to pull the butt of the cue into the body a little as they get close to the end of their back swing. Concentrate on keeping the back swing straight and you may notice a big difference. Once you make a change like you did, it will take a while for it to feel natural, when you do it but no longer think about it, then you have it. It is all abut making balls and cue ball control, do what ever helps you accomplish that.

It is my belief that a lot of people start gripping the butt farther back subconsciously, to shorten the back swing and eliminate the pulling in to the body. I am not 100% sure this is a bad thing.
 
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The balance point of a cue doesn t have to effect the placement of your grip-in no way!(unless your butt isn t about 20 kg :grin-square:)
Just act how Randy, Scott and Ghost have described you and pay attention when *contacting* the CB to have the *famous* 90 percent angle :-)

happy new year,

Ingo
 
I wasnt trying 2 lean them to old school ,but if u r using a long bridge (and i do)and its 12 inches long ur back hand moves back with it ,DW may have addresed at 5 or 7 and thats old school I completely agree,no room 4 stroke,but it works as far as balance goes on a long loose bridge,i didnt want 2 step on anyones toes .just my take on it Happy New Year
peteypooldode
 
In the picture below, (Shane..) notice two things.. where the tip of the cue is.... and that his grip/cradle hand/forearm is 90 degrees to the cue. (not the elbow)

This is thought, by most, to be the best form, and what GG, Scott, Randy and the others have been talking about.

Don't worry about where you grip the cue, as long as, when the tip is at the CB, your grip/cradle hand is like you see below..

shanevanboening1197566965.jpg
 
Ponytail said:
In the picture below, (Shane..) notice two things.. where the tip of the cue is.... and that his grip/cradle hand/forearm is 90 degrees to the cue. (not the elbow)

This is thought, by most, to be the best form, and what GG, Scott, Randy and the others have been talking about.

Don't worry about where you grip the cue, as long as, when the tip is at the CB, your grip/cradle hand is like you see below..

shanevanboening1197566965.jpg
Click to expand...


Thank you. This is a "picture perfect" SET position.

Steve
 
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