Wrist & Grip Position for Straight Pool Shooting

[@danjury5603]

Worked on stopping from turning wrist and shoulder tilling out for two years This is the first video that helped me fix problem

[@keithkruger7270]

Bob, I'm in agreement with you on this. I spent a lot of time earlier this year really focused on my fundamentals. Checking my alignment, stepping properly into the line of the shot, body position and bringing the cue down on the same line and stroke. The best analogy that works for me when I help other people is the Newtons Cradle (the little physics toy with the 5 hanging metal balls swinging back and forth). I want my stroke to be like watching those balls swing. Let gravity guide the stroke, the cue hangs fairly loosely in the fingers with as neutral a wrist as you can provide. If you let gravity power the stroke, the stroke will be straight.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

So often when I'm shooting well thats exactly what it feels like. Like gravity pulls the cue stick down and forward and I'm just along for the ride.

[@doubledragonasmr4853]

I just implemented this wrist adjustment to my recent practice session and play session. It has been a game changer for me and my shots were just consistent flying in. Built amazing confidence in delivering my shots straight. Thank you for making a video discussing something I have seen from some pro players I have been watching recently. It has helped me tremendously!

[@lazarorosenberg7795]

Thank you SOO MUCH fot making these 2 videos. This 2nd one waz my ahah moment when you explained about thi knuckles.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Thank you! Stay tuned, more to come.

[@9livespool]

Good stuff. Broke it down nicely.

[@phil2768]

Yep, i hang my hand down like it is on a piece of string with loose grip. The only times I don't do this is when I'm too tense (usually trying to hit harder) and I have caught myself holding the cue too tight and my wrist is bent with knuckles facing more down than to the side - when I do this (i play snooker which require much more accuracy), especially on longer shots, I tend to miss more.

[@andygundersen6616]

Well…. I have to say that the changes I made after my lesson with you are slowly, but surely getting into my coconut. At first, it seemed like I was set up way to the right of the target line. And, then moving my grip hand away from my body made it seem like the cue was aimed to the left.🤪 It took a lot of practice, and patience to understand this new concept. But, I am settling into it, and getting better and better with the changes made. Per the wrist position….. I tried so many different things to get rid of the “tip left” syndrome. I’ve finally gotten used to the sensation of having the wrist kind of coming up at the end of the follow through. I will tell you, and maybe you can share this with new students, the biggest adjustments are mental. Accepting that the aiming point is not where it once was has been a huge hurdle.

[@tomsorlie4197]

Good post as always. Try this. If you're left handed. Turn your left hand 180 degrees ( facing away from the direction of the shot ). Grip the cue and feather as if you're preparing to shoot. Note you now must hold the cue in your finger tips only or feathering is impossible. Your stroke is very very short. The palm is not engaged at all. The cue is being supported gently by the first two fingers tips and thumb. Doing so will have you wanting to slightly turn your wrist and not have the wrist/elbow aligned over the cue. Cueing will be very difficult with any shoulder drop. Stay with me here. The cue will not track straight. You must re-align your wrist/elbow right over the cue with minimal finger pressure to fix this. Feels completely foreign. Now turn your wrist back to the normal position. What you'll find - 1. It feels so much better 2. You can now track the cue straight with little effort 3. You're grip is much much lighter. 4. Your wrist/elbow align perfectly over the cue. Cueing is so smooth. Now hit some slow speed short shots with natural follow through. You will feel balanced. Work at getting this balance with all your shots. Your game stands to improve tremendously.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Good advice. It takes some getting used to as described but soon feels normal.

[@logic368]

Well, you’re right. Joshua’s arm and hand position looks so perfect it’s almost ugly it’s so simple!!

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Got that right. And then his backstroke and follow-through are so short and compact. I don't understand it fully....yet.

[@randallgibson8619]

@@ShortstopOnPooltake an hour of practice and just use short strokes like that. It’s amazing how much more accurate you can shoot with a short stroke. I started noticing it a few months back and utilizing it into my game. Now if I could get the power they do in such a short snapping stroke like that lol

[@logic368]

@@ShortstopOnPool haha it kinda defies physics, right? I tried it out and almost got tendinitis because you have to generate so much speed with often 2-3 inches of stroke!

[@gordonvanderveer4394]

100% agree, great stuff! I’ve also been working on this for a long time and have come to the same conclusion.

[@zanethind]

I'm glad you talked about this because it's not talked about enough and recently I have been experimenting with this myself. Glad you covered this Bob

[@danny_5283]

Excellent video on a very overlooked topic! I believer John Schmidt mentioned this in one of his interviews. Thank you

[@RoobieRhoo]

Totally. I've been working on this fundamental for a while. Our pool stroke is like a pendulum. We should position our body in our stance, so our arm becomes a pendulum on the shot line. A loose grip cannot be overstated. It allows the butt of the cue to rise in our hand on the forward stroke. The pendulum motion naturally causes the cue tip to move toward the felt adding finesse to our stroke and action on the cue ball. I play so much better, pot many more balls, consistently make banks and kick shots, and get the cue ball to behave when my stroke is unencumbered and straight with a loose grip. It's amazing how much action and accuracy we can get with a smooth stroke when we do not stroke hard, and we allow the stick to do all the work and the cue tip time to actually put spin on the ball. Keep our muscles out of it and swing the pendulum. For some reason probably to do with alignment, it helps immensely when my forward leg steps into the shot parallel to the shot line pulling my hips and shoulders into alignment so my shoulder is behind my head. Both are directly over the stick with a straight wrist. Bending at the knee on the shot line helps keep that alignment and adds balance, as well. All those shots we practice fall into place. I still see players with bent wrists, flailing arms, and all sorts of misalignment including their shoulder way outside their head and stick. Some people can still pot balls, but I doubt they will get much better than they already are. Taking it to the next level requires better fundamentals and lots of practice and feel for the shot. While I'm rambling, it's also important to find the center of the cue ball and a stance that puts you there every time.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

I just can't say it any better.

[@RoobieRhoo]

@@ShortstopOnPool Thanks for saying so, but don't leave out the fact you're spreading the word on KZbin. :)

[@stevemiller1159]

Thanks for your videos Bob, I have a problem I'm working on eliminating, I have a slight wrist twist/tightening my grip when shooting. One thing that can show how straight you are moving your cue stick is to observe where the tip ends up, it should be exactly in line with the shot when you're shooting center ball on the CB. You can shoot a cue ball off the spot and verify your tip is staying directly over the spot. Performing the Steve Davis drill (shooting CB to the far end rail with 3 rails of power) observe where the tip lands to see how straight you're cueing when just shooting the CB.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Yes, sort of. You can train your tip to go perfectly straight by perfecting a defect or twist. As long as your timing is perfect you will shoot straight. So tip finish is only an indicator. You need to look at wrist/grip/elbow position at address, back of back stroke and finish to see if everything is straight. Naturally straight takes no effort and consistent. A twisty straight falls apart under pressure. One indicator is tape a piece of cardboard horizontally across your shaft near the tip. It should take horizontal throughout the stroke delivery. Or some people put masking tape on their shaft and draw a straight line. The line should stay on top of your shaft throughout the delivery.

[@Faxie83]

Prestroking while standing up, just before walking and dropping down into the shot, helps with having a straight and loose grip. You can see lots of pros do that too, and it's also something you can see in lots of other games like tennis or golf.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

You bet! Watch them pre-stroking. They are also setting their grip location, then orienting the grip to the shot line as the cue comes down.

[@georgevaughn1884]

Great info as always. This improved my timing, especially on the follow and draw shots, a great deal. Would call this a "revelatory video". Thanks again, and to quote you, "YDKWYDK"

[@ronsirard]

Thanks for teaching me this a few weeks ago!

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Absolutely! It's been a game changer for me too.

[@markhillyer721]

Neutral joint alignment , keep the muscles out of it. You can see that a lot with the older players. Rempe. Mizerak, Hall.

[@naonao76]

Hi Bob. Thanks for the video. Can you please do another supplement video on how to align your whole body correctly DURING SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES (i.e., "elevated over a ball", "jumping", "breaking with power", "massé-ing")?

[@ShortstopOnPool]

I will put it on the list

[@donh1537]

I'm gonna try using 2 middle fingers for grip, thanks for sharing.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

I've been doing this for a couple weeks now. Pretty weird after 40 years of all fingers on. I have no doubt I can cue straighter and my wrist stays over the cue through follow-through. Almost feels normal now. The "weird" feeling only lasts a short while, then the "new" becomes the new normal. Let me know how it goes.

[@donh1537]

@ShortstopOnPool Hi! So this is what I think I have figured out for myself (with your video help).... first, after trying the middle two fingers, irealized I already (mostly) do that Lol....I was paying more attention to back wrist and I realized I was turning it inward on some shots and outward on others (bad)...(what I'm currently doing) grip- middle finger pad at 7 o'clock position on cue, pushing cue upward against base of knuckle of index finger (about 1 oclock) and side of thumb pressed against cue at (about 9 o'clock).... so three contact points, and everything else is kind of loose....when I'm getting down, I concentrate on middle finger pad at 7 o'clock, getting this consistent will force me into same wrist orientation every time (I think). I'm gonna try this for a while, it seems to be helping with my accuracy and consistency.

[@intercrew99]

Wow, by coincidence I have changed my wrist orientation like this video on the past. I got mixed results (I consider myself a straight shooter so maybe my results weren't as big as the rest of the guys in the comment section) so I went back to my old form. I'll have to give it a try again and stick with it longer and see if there's any improvement

[@ShortstopOnPool]

With a change in wrist position you have to make sure the elbow is still over the cue and the wrist remains over the cue during follow-through. When those things are all working the straight stroke should become much more effortless.

[@wayneburba9457]

I’m in my 70’s , played bar room pool with house sticks . Now playing better players and find the grip and alignment playing on 9’ tables mean a lot. Not like golf. I see a lot of pros aim right or left of center on last in straight shots. Also wonder about the snooker screw shot?

[@StefanWeber-xv2dn]

Alignment is as well stroke technique a very sensitive topic! I studied hundreds of players over the years also many world class players and I didn't saw two of them doing exactly the same! Do you know the YT-clips from Austrian female player Jasmin Ouschan about alignment Bob? Also not bad!!

[@seiyulyu4854]

This is so interesting! I think I'm guilty of the same mistake, I feel like the cue handle gets "inside" a little bit and I can't deliver the cue forward with confidence. The tip to make sure your knuckles are lined up with the cue seems like a really good heuristic to use to ensure you're wrist is in the ideal position above the cue. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@billseymour2109]

Dang, now I need to figure out how to setup my phone to take video so I can see where mine is. I believe I do it correctly, but don't know for sure, so I might be moving it into the wrong position occasionally, causing those misses that shouldn't be misses...

[@Lanten77]

Hi Bob, are you advocating that there SHOULD be a little space between the cue and the webbing of the thumb and index finger, in order to have a loose grip and straight wrist to forearm? I'm asking because I often hear that it causes problems to have any space in the thumb / index finger webbing. Thank you, if you could please clarify...

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Yes. You need that space to provide room on the follow-through when the knuckles end up pointed up, but the cue still is pointed at the table. No space there often leads to gripping to tightly, clenching, which twist the wrist during delivery. Without space you could do a loose grip but your forefinger would then have to release to provide that room for follow-through. I make sure the cue is supported by my middle and ring fingers. They stay in contact throughout. Thats what ensure a loose grip even if you sometimes don't have a space at the webbing.

[@Lanten77]

@@ShortstopOnPool Wow, thanks for the quick reply! You must live on the West Coast or be up really late practicing!

[@SISTEM1976]

Just two words...mighty x...means the first thing is to work and do that drill until we perfect the straight shot which then also follows the white into the hole...that's it. And now how your fist posture turns out before and after is not important...the result is important. Play around a bit with the posture and swing and eventually the result is there.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

If I had a dime for every Mighty X shot I've made I would be RICH! But I have to correct you. The wrist/grip DOES matter - THAT is the only way to CONSISTENT results. Results through hard work due to a defective cue delivery is nowhere near as good as results that come easily due to a naturally straight cue delivery. Then, as I pointed out in the video, you don't have to work hard to cue straight, which frees up your mental process to think above strategy, position and other things, making you a much better player.

[@SISTEM1976]

Thanks for your reply first. Regarding the procedure, of course the wrist procedure is important, it is very important because it affects the result at the end...but what I wanted to mention is that we do not all have the same technique, nor can we have it because we are not all the same, but if you find yourself in a technique that follows good results, it doesn't matter what that technique looks like, as long as it gives a good result. You search until you find. But we are not all the same in the speed of learning from mistakes and spotting them, thus correcting and adapting... you need to have some active brain cells open...😄

[@zanethind]

Bib are you using the Tiger P3 or the Carlo Biado cue?

[@ShortstopOnPool]

Predator with 314 shaft. I talk about my cues here. Used the prototype in this video for awhile but the P3 is working better for me at the moment. kzbin.infoh-mrgGs_T3k

[@zanethind]

@@ShortstopOnPool 👍

[@Danks-vz5xz]

Just hit the ball straight, nothing too complicated.

[@ShortstopOnPool]

LOL

[@brianmack6285]

Just these last two weeks I've been watching the better players in my local league from behind and trying to catalog their forearm, wrist, etc position. These are people with Fargo ratings 550+. And they're all over the place ! One guy (620) holds his cue cradled in his fingers, wrist noticably bent and to the outside of the cue. But the cue is, and remains, aligned wrt the rest of his body during his stroke. So are they all working around an imperfect alignment and have learned to do so well ? Or is it another personal preference thing, with some latitude in the alignment ? I wonder what a person who studies the kinematics of the human body would say. Might it be worth using some sort of wrist support, that allows flexture fore/aft but holds the wrist stiffly side/side, as a training aide for the rest of us mere mortals to investigate this ?

[@ShortstopOnPool]

With enough training anything works. Even sidearm works because, though the arm is angled, the grip hand stays in the same plane as it rotates. IMO, the salient point is that when the arm hangs down naturally from the elbow - THAT defines the shooting plane and takes no effort to maintain. Then its just a matter of getting the wrist and grip aligned under the elbow. Then when the forearm swings it can't do anything BUT go straight.