Why and How to Prevent ELBOW DROP During Your Stroke

dr_dave

dr_dave

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FYI, I just posted a new video that discusses and demonstrates the different types of pool strokes, focusing on elbow drop caused by shoulder and upper-arm motion. Both advantages and disadvantages of elbow drop are discussed. Advice and techniques are also offered for those hoping to eliminate elbow drop from their stroke. Check it out:


Contents:
0:00 - Intro
0:46 - Stroke Types
1:49 - Advantages and Disadvantages
3:00 - How to Eliminate
---- 3:44 - air strokes
---- 6:12 - focus on mechanics
---- 7:13 - use a wall
7:53 - Wrap Up

As always, I look forward to your feedback, comments, questions, complaints, and requests.

Enjoy!
 
I’ve never given a thought to elbow drop. I watched Kim Davenport stroke and decided I’d build a stroke similar to his. He was the best player around when I was coming up. Took me a very long time to build my stroke on old slow cloth. It’s a long slow road for the average player, good stuff in this video.
 
If your shoulder drop lets the cue go straight, you'll have more power and there is nothing wrong with that. Some might miss hard shots and the probable reason is that the upper arm did not stay close to the body. Tuck your upper arm in for hard shots. Exercises for triceps muscles will help your pool strokes.
 
Fatboy said:
I’ve never given a thought to elbow drop. I watched Kim Davenport stroke and decided I’d build a stroke similar to his. He was the best player around when I was coming up. Took me a very long time to build my stroke on old slow cloth. It’s a long slow road for the average player,
Click to expand...

As I point out in the video, any technique can be mastered with enough practice and experience.

Fatboy said:
good stuff in this video.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 
Bobkitty said:
If your shoulder drop lets the cue go straight, you'll have more power and there is nothing wrong with that. Some might miss hard shots and the probable reason is that the upper arm did not stay close to the body. Tuck your upper arm in for hard shots.
Click to expand...

"Lock and load."
 
dr_dave said:
As I point out in the video, any technique can be mastered with enough practice and experience.



Thanks.
Click to expand...
That exactly how I did it, only because that all there was back in the mid 80’s when I decided to play full time.

I wish I had the resources that are available now-thanks to you and people like yourself.

Those resources would have made me a stronger player faster for sure. But talent is so important too. That’s something I wasn’t blessed with.

Fatboy Approved as always!💪

Your work and contribution to pool for all these years is absolutely tremendous.

Best
Fatboy 💪😃
 
Bobkitty said:
If your shoulder drop lets the cue go straight, you'll have more power and there is nothing wrong with that. Some might miss hard shots and the probable reason is that the upper arm did not stay close to the body. Tuck your upper arm in for hard shots. Exercises for triceps muscles will help your pool strokes.
Click to expand...
Why tricep exercises? Because you feel the backstroke can be better controlled?
 
Good stuff, Dr. Dave. Very timely for me. I've been working on exactly this the last week, trying to exorcise the demons of the chicken-winged elbow drop. I've made the most progress in shot accuracy in the last week than I ever have just by being super-focused on not dropping my elbow. It's not quite unthinkingly automatic yet, as I still have to remind myself *every* *single* *shot* to keep my elbow up, but at least I'm remembering it each shot. (Low-level player, APA SL5/Fargo 368)
 
Fatboy said:
That exactly how I did it, only because that all there was back in the mid 80’s when I decided to play full time.

I wish I had the resources that are available now-thanks to you and people like yourself.

Those resources would have made me a stronger player faster for sure. But talent is so important too. That’s something I wasn’t blessed with.

Fatboy Approved as always!💪

Your work and contribution to pool for all these years is absolutely tremendous.

Best
Fatboy 💪😃
Click to expand...

Thanks Fayboy! I really appreciate your supportive feedback. When I know people appreciate my stuff, it helps make me want to do even more!

Best regards,
Dave
 
dquarasr said:
Good stuff, Dr. Dave. Very timely for me. I've been working on exactly this the last week, trying to exorcise the demons of the chicken-winged elbow drop. I've made the most progress in shot accuracy in the last week than I ever have just by being super-focused on not dropping my elbow. It's not quite unthinkingly automatic yet, as I still have to remind myself *every* *single* *shot* to keep my elbow up, but at least I'm remembering it each shot. (Low-level player, APA SL5/Fargo 368)
Click to expand...

I hope some of the techniques in the video help you accelerate this process.
 
Saturated Fats said:
My stroke always improves when I concentrate on not dropping the elbow, but it's never been natural. Seems like a lot of good advice in your video.
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It certainly didn't come naturally to me either. It is definitely more natural for most people to drop the elbow. But "natural" isn't always "more effective." The golf stroke is a good example of this also.


Saturated Fats said:
It reminded me of a training approach invented by Tom Simpson years ago and still available. Here's a link that explains his method. Can you comment on this approach?

https://www.pooldawg.com/stroke-groover
Click to expand...

Honestly, I don't like the stroke groover because it is a little awkward to set up exactly right, and the strap interferes with the muscles in the arm. I like the methods in my video much better; and in my experience, the students learn faster with these "less intrusive" techniques.

But thank you for making me remember Tom Simpson today. Tom and I talked a lot over the years, and we both learned a lot from each other. I miss him. RIP Tom!
 
I find the true pendulum stroke very difficult to hit high english. Only because the cue tip is going down as the hand is going up. The tip almost always hits the table after the OB is gone. Seems to me to get the straight through stroke, the upper arm must come down. The old practice stroke into a bottle through to the end would not work.
Watch this:
 
Bobkitty said:
I find the true pendulum stroke very difficult to hit high english. Only because the cue tip is going down as the hand is going up. The tip almost always hits the table after the OB is gone. Seems to me to get the straight through stroke, the upper arm must come down.
Click to expand...

The CB is long gone before the tip starts going down; and with an above center hit, the tip should not come very close to the table with a pendulum-stroke follow shot. The tip drops some during the follow through (after the CB is gone), but not that much.
 
dr_dave said:
The CB is long gone before the tip starts going down; and with an above center hit, the tip should not come very close to the table with a pendulum-stroke follow shot. The tip drops some during the follow through (after the CB is gone), but not that much.
Click to expand...
Your knowledge and ability are much higher than mine so I stand corrected. I have to have the upper arm and shoulder drop as the video shows. I wonder what game he was playing with the CB smaller than the OBs? Doesn't matter, I like the stroke. He HAS to have upper arm action in his stroke.
 
Bobkitty said:
Another video for high english. He has upper arm movement and shoulder drop.
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... not much. He is certainly not exaggerating the shoulder or elbow motion during the follow through like some players do. On any power shot like this, it is certainly natural to drop the elbow after the hit. However, elbow drop is not required to get significant power. Check out the force follow shots here, where there is very little (if any) elbow drop:


Also check out the power draw shots here. There is no elbow drop on those either. You can tell by how the tip finishes on the table with the cue lifting off the bridge (during the follow through, after the hit):


Enjoy!
 
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