Striking the Cue Ball

[checkSide]

I'd love to hear people's opinions on the actual strike of the cue ball. What you are trying to do from the moment of the final pause to the "pose" after the cue has stopped moving.

I think I am one of these people that actually swings the cue through the ball. However I am very inconsistent, and am wondering if this is the reason why. I don't actually feel I have full control of the cue through the strike.

I have experimented recently with actually pushing the cue through very slowly. It doesn't become a push shot, but I feel I have a bit more control. This method becomes much harder when you are trying to play shots with pace, or stuns and screws. I feel if you are pushing the cue rather than swinging it, you need a longer back swing to generate the same same power or action. This then brings on its own problems.

I guess this issue is related to timing as well.

I know a lot has been written about accelerating through the cue ball, being smooth etc.

However I would like to hear how people would describe their own strike.

Do you "push" the cue through? Or do you "swing" the cue as you would a bat or golf club, keeping as much control as possible? If you feel you push the cue through, how do you play faster paced shots without the pushing becoming a swing?

Perhaps you have your own unique method?? Or perhaps I am just over-analysing and talking rubbish!!

What do you all think??

Cheers

[poolqjunkie]

When i am hitting the balls good, i feel that the cue is doing all the follow through for me. My grip is loose and yet sensitive. I usually just think of opening and closing my elbow and to hit the cue ball at the exact spot I want to. When i am hitting the balls good, my tip stays on the ball for a long time and I dont have to hit the ball with dead force. Dont know how else to explain it.

[Monsoon]

Holding on to the cue ball is where the power comes from. Best practice routine for this is to pot half ball brown with a strike action then a push action (stun, screw and follow through) and see the different results. I believe if you have a striking action rather than a pushing action your mind thinks there is not enough power when there is. Just takes time for you to alter and "believe". Try and conciously feel the tip on the cue ball when you play the shot - hard to describe. An extreme example was Alex Higgins who hardly played any backswing at all but lots of follow through - check Mark Allen cue action he is another and Marco Fu. Holding onto the cue ball is the trick. Its like anything though timing is everything and some days your head and arm don't communicate as one!

[Strickimicki]

Holding on to the cue ball is where the power comes from. Best practice routine for this is to pot half ball brown with a strike action then a push action (stun, screw and follow through) and see the different results. I believe if you have a striking action rather than a pushing action your mind thinks there is not enough power when there is. Just takes time for you to alter and "believe". Try and conciously feel the tip on the cue ball when you play the shot - hard to describe. An extreme example was Alex Higgins who hardly played any backswing at all but lots of follow through - check Mark Allen cue action he is another and Marco Fu. Holding onto the cue ball is the trick. Its like anything though timing is everything and some days your head and arm don't communicate as one!

I like how you described this, it's nearly poetic!

Doing it's the hard thing though

[Monsoon]

Do it on the table and it is poetic!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep practicing.

[varion2001]

i think its quite important to start moving the cue slowly after the final pause, if you move it too fast at the beginning, you have no chance to accelerate through the cueball.

[checkSide]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

The pushing action is what I should be aiming for right???

Monsoon you are correct that I sometimes feel I won't get enough power with a pushing action, which is probably why I try to actually "hit" the ball. I think this also leads to a kind of snatch, as I am just shooting the cue forward from the final pause without any sense of acceleration or control.
I really think this is why I struggle, but there is so little written about this moment in the cue action, and it's probably the most important part!

[noel]

To me, the measure of a good cue/tip is the feel when striking, the feedback...
Accelerating through the cueball with a contact like a purposeful striking of one of those old-fashioned wooden kitchen matches.
Very satisfying!

I practiced with and played five frames with a friend on Saturday afternoon.
I had a lot of opportunity to perfect my re-spotting of the balls and counting the score...
64... 65... 72... etc.
(If one is to be whitewashed who better than by a former WC?)

The real benefit was studying. He would draw his cue back very slowly, pause,
exhale like a marksman as he accelerated through the cueball.
I hadn't noticed before, but he would follow-through twice the length of his drawback... TWICE.


I_________________O.............I________________


I tried it. It worked. Yes!


=o)

Noel

[checkSide]

So keep the backswing short and follow through loads eh Noel!? lol

[noel]

So keep the backswing short and follow through loads eh Noel!? lol

Yes, Sir... well, it did work for me!
Make sure you practice with N checkSide!

BACKSWING F O L L O W T H R O U G H


=o)

Noel

[checkSide]

Cheers matey, I'll give it a go.

[Strickimicki]

Noel dare I ask if you play with Cliff Thorburn? I mean you living over in Canada, there is not a lot of World Champions that come in question!

If so, could you tell the gentleman, he is still missed!

I wish I was that lucky, being able to play against any pro on a regular basis would be great!

All the best,

Brian

[noel]

If so, could you tell the gentleman, he is still missed!

Brian... I will definitely tell him and I know he'd be happy to hear that.
Cliff is a great guy... and you are so right, he truly is a Gentleman.



=o)

Noel

[Monsoon]

Checkside,

The push is the action you require. The others are correct. Controlled follow through is essential. Next time when practicing try "feeling the weight" of the cue ball on the tip.

Hard to explain but feeling the cue ball as long as possible as you accelarate works for me!!

Keep practicing - trial and error works

[brettski]

I'll try this I had a feeling my backswing was too long and my follow through too short as I was getting virtually no spin on the ball, thanks for the pointers guys