Working On My Grip

Pidge

Pidge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It's been causing me some issues of late. I woke up one day and had pain in my wrist so I took a week and a half off playing and when I came to pick up a cue again I couldn't hit the ball clean with my regular grip. Weird, eh? It was like I forgot how to hold a cue.

Any how... I called on the help of one of the best players I have ever had the pleasure to play against and he suggested I tried how he grips the cue...with the middle 2 fingers. It felt uncomfortable, I felt like I couldn't apply enough spin... But I was instantly hitting the ball clean, going straight through the white and creating as much spin as I was before. So I ended up sticking at it and it has worked very very well thus far. I was instantly back to my best as far as cueing the white accurately goes.

A little bit about the grip...

The cue is held between the middle, ring finger and the thumb on the pads below the big knuckles. The index and pinky fingers are just along for the ride and add nothing to the grip. In fact I started by cueing in practice making the 'rock hand symbol' and hitting the white like this. As I pull back the pressure is on the middle finger mostly but both fingers remain wrapped round the cue. The pinky and index both detach from the cue and as I follow through the pinky comes into contact with the cue but the index remains away from the cue.

This won't be for everyone. If you have the chin on the cue and have the elbow fixed and don't drop it the cue will raise the head up and cause all kinds of problems so stay away if this is you. I, on the other hand lower the elbow on the way back to compensate and keep the cue level, always have done, always will. So, if you cue like me or don't get the chin on the cue and you're having issues with the grip then give this a try, you never know, it may help you as much as it has me. :-)
 
Is there daylight between your hand and the cue at the top of the cue?
 
Pidge said:
It's been causing me some issues of late. I woke up one day and had pain in my wrist so I took a week and a half off
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:yikes::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:

Killer intro. LOL. :D
 
That's the grip I've been using for years, but I switch back and forth. With the two middle finger grip I have more accuracy and consistency as far as shot making is concerned, but I don't get action on the CB as easily. I then switch back to my index finger and thumb,way more action without any effort, but I lose accuracy. I think it has something to do with getting more deflection(squirt) with the loser, more wristy thumb and index finger grip. It's been plaguing me for years.
 
Sev said:
:yikes::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:

Killer intro. LOL. :D
Click to expand...
We've all been there, watching re-run after re-run of Charlies Angel's, several boxes of kleenex later and you wake up with a sore wrist. Oh, just me? I kid... I promise :-)
 
I'm glad you found a quick solution.

I think Fran Crimi posted a short time ago that she is using a grip much like that, but I think her pinkie finger is loosely on the cue throughout the stroke.

I don't specifically recall but I sort of remember something about her not wanting to look dainty with it sticking out. Maybe that was someone else.

Anyway, I'm glad you found a quick solution.

Best 2 You & All,
Rick
 
ENGLISH! said:
I'm glad you found a quick solution.

I think Fran Crimi posted a short time ago that she is using a grip much like that, but I think her pinkie finger is loosely on the cue throughout the stroke.

I don't specifically recall but I sort of remember something about her not wanting to look dainty with it sticking out. Maybe that was someone else.

Anyway, I'm glad you found a quick solution.

Best 2 You & All,
Rick
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Yeah I've heard of Fran using a back of the hand grip before but didn't know exactly how she uses it. Ekkes also uses a grip very similar if I recall. Not to mention Ronnie O'Sullivan. I'm starting to think Fran, Ekkes and Ronnie are onto something :-)
 
Nice post, I have never gone into this much detail about my grip. Maybe that's why I'm still a banger :)
 
I switched to that grip a couple years ago because it allowed me to pull back and follow through without the cue impacting other parts of my hand as it did when I grasped with my index and middle fingers. For me it smoothed my stroke out. Good luck with it, Steve
 
I recently switched to the exact grip you described. The only difference is my grip seems much lighter. So much so that the cue slips through my hand to the butt cap once my hand stops moving at the end of my follow through, when the index and pinky completely release.

I was having problems with wrist twisting and found that it mostly had to do with my index finger being too tightly wrapped around the cue. The tension it created on my backswing was making my hand twist in as I pulled the cue back.

Anyway, I've been playing one of the better local players around here lately and basically just copied his grip. He's not a great player but he cues through the ball so pure and straight...
 
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Pidge said:
The cue is held between the middle, ring finger and the thumb on the pads below the big knuckles. The index and pinky fingers are just along for the ride and add nothing to the grip.
Click to expand...

This pretty much describes how the right hand should hold a golf club except in golf, the thumb also is just along for the ride, so I imagine you will find quite a few people that use this part of the grip. Detaching the index finger and pinky probably is done so keep them from tightening on the cue during the stroke. Tightening of the index finger is probably the problem in most cases.
 
I feel like I'm holding the cue with just the thumb and middle finger, but I guess there's contact with the ring finger as well. The index and pinky finger, well, if they were removable, I'd take them off when I play.

My grip is very loose and relaxed until I start missing and then I tense up. Funny, because in videos of myself I look like I'm gripping the cue a lot harder, but that's not the truth. On most shots I can feel the cue slide a bit along the inside of my middle finger. That's pretty loose.
 
Pidge said:
The cue is held between the middle, ring finger and the thumb on the pads below the big knuckles. The index and pinky fingers are just along for the ride and add nothing to the grip. In fact I started by cueing in practice making the 'rock hand symbol' and hitting the white like this. As I pull back the pressure is on the middle finger mostly but both fingers remain wrapped round the cue. The pinky and index both detach from the cue and as I follow through the pinky comes into contact with the cue but the index remains away from the cue.
Click to expand...

That's my grip! Woo!
 
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