Pieces Of Eight - Tip Of The Week

Number: 60 Jim Tellier July 2012

TOPIC: The Grip

CATEGORY: Beginner/Intermediate

INTRODUCTION:

Do you ever think about how you grip your cue? If not, this article is for YOU! If you do, then maybe this will prod you to think about it on a more regular basis!

TECHNIQUE:

When you focus on your stroke, and get to feel comfortable with the mechanical aspects of what should be happening with your cue stick, one thing that you might notice is that how you grip the cue can dramatically affect your stroke. As you visualize the pendulum swing of the forearm moving the cue in a straight line towards the cue ball, think about what your hand is doing. If you have a tight, firm grip of all fingers holding onto the butt of the cue for dear life, your wrist will have to be the flexible linkage between your arm and the stick. Its a very un-natural motion for the human body! So what happens when you grip the cue tightly is this: as you move forward, the pendulum swing, coupled with the tight grip, results in the stick being propelled on an arc, which will bottom out, then move upwards as your stroke advances forwards. Think you did a center-ball hit? Hmm maybenot. Now, think about holding the cue as lightly as possible, between the thumb and two fingers. Hold the cue with the fingertips just a tiny bit below the horizontal centerline of the butt. Oh, and try to hold the cue at a point just a few inches behind the natural balance point of the cue (for most shots). Hit a few balls using this very light grip. Dont get carried away with power shots just yet. Feel the cue as you hit the ball. Try some draw and stop shots. Vary the lightness of the grip as needed, if you feel that you need to get a little harder hit. But the general idea is, the lighter the grip, the more you will be able to feel the hit, and get tuned in to being able to control that cue ball.

This is a difficult thing to teach anyone, especially on paper! But experiment with it and you will find, at the very least, that it helps to be aware of your grip, no matter what it is!

ARRRR!!!! J