trying out ronnie's grip

[jonnylovessn8ker]

i experimented with ronnie's grip (or at least a pseudo-ronnie grip)

rather than holding the cue with the second and middle finger, i hold the cue with the middle and forth finger.

initially, it felt awkward in that im not used to it. but significantly, i noticed that my wrist is locked, so the V points straight to the ground.

the cue action doesnt feel smooth yet, because im not used to it, but the cue firmly delivers without a single wobble. it comes out perfectly straight and solid.

i've tried practicing with this grip. the locked wrist enables my arm swing to be easier than before.

the good news now is i can generate more backspin and forward spin than usual. the cue ball is harder to control. but the real trouble now is deliver power.

am i doing ronnie's grip wrong?
any suggestions?

[CoachGavin]

As far I am aware you sound like you are playing your shots from the back of your hand which is unorthodox. To me it looks like ronnie plays his shots from the 2nd finger and only when the cue has gone through with the shot does the grip move to the back of the hand - if it didnt you would find that the cue would lift off the bridge and the cue would not stay parallel. Just be careful because you are not a clone of ronnie and what works for him might not work for you - As long as the cue goes through straight and you get the required spins you should be okay.

[jonnylovessn8ker]

im trying to do a few things
- find a way to naturally lock my wrist.
- smaller cue action and higher spin, for the sake of efficiency.
- a firm follow-through; i 've been practicing, and noticed my cue wobbles. this can be felt at the grip and can be evidently seen. im guessing its because my grip isnt tight enough.

this psuedo ronnie grip helped. but it doesnt feel natural ....yet.

[Terry Davidson]

One point...and Gavin is correct too by the way.

But you said your 'grip is not tight enough' and that is exactly the wrong thing to do. You MUST keep the grip as loose as possible.

Also, Ronnie grips with his middle 2 fingers when in the address position and only when he follows through does the grip switch to the last 3 fingers. The fourth finger should be only lightly touching the cue in the address position and during the backswing.

I would highly recommend you stop gripping the cue with the fourth finger as it will lead you down a bad path and will cause more wobble in your cue, especially during the backswing.

Terry

[CoachGavin]

Thanks Terry. Its good to see us coaches agreeing. I agree with your point too !

[RocketRoy1983]

I would advise you to seek advice from your club pro. Also comfort is of paramount importance so do whatever is comfortable for YOU.

[Terry Davidson]

An experiment you can try when you're practicing by yourself. Try gripping the cue in the Jimmy White style with just your forefinger, but not tight and have the thumb lightly resting on the side of the forefing and the other 3 fingers just barely touching the cue.

Make sure in the address position the cue butt is very lightly touching the back of your palm and as you start your backswing the back of the palm should rise off the cue and the cue should push the back 3 fingers out of the way (don't lift them off the cue like Hendry used to do in his early days, just let the cue push them out of the way but maintaining light contact with the cue).

On your delivery the butt of the cue should 'slam' (not really but I can't think of another description) into the back of the palm and your back 3 fingers should grip the cue at the END of the delivery when your hand hits the chest.

With this cue action you should cue accurately and it will also encourage that wrist lock you seem concerned about., Forward and back movement of the wrist is OK but must be closely coordinated so that there is absolutely no lateral or sideways movement in the wrist either during the backswing or delivery.

This grip might be better for you (or anyone) as it encourages the drive of the grip hand through to the chest and is also a very comfortable grip and unless you tighten the thumb it's very hard to grip the cue too tight.

Terry

[brendan147]

- a firm follow-through; i 've been practicing, and noticed my cue wobbles. this can be felt at the grip and can be evidently seen. im guessing its because my grip isnt tight enough.

this psuedo ronnie grip helped. but it doesnt feel natural ....yet.

IMHO, cue delivery wobbles because of 2 reasons:-

1) Wrong grip; or
2) Wrong cueing harm action during the final thrust...

If you have your grip right...then you might want to re-check problem no.2... as you said here..."wobbles"....and also you might wanna check your stance as well...is it rock solid?

Your most natural feeling grip is the best grip for you, anyway....

[dave waller]

pick the cue up as if your going to hit someone over the head, and that is your grip, and of course the further you draw the cue back the back of the hand must open up or you will chock the cue. and concentrate on whats in front of you and not behind you.

[lee brett]

the index finger and your thumb control the cue the other 3 fingers is for your power.

tthe index finger and the thumb create the V

[poolqjunkie]

the index finger and your thumb control the cue the other 3 fingers is for your power.

tthe index finger and the thumb create the V

Hi Lee,
I read that Ronnie uses his middle two fingers for grip, what is your thought on that?
Do you keep the V in constant contact with the cue during the whole stroke? How about at the end, do you release the grip and let the V sort of lose contact with the cue?
Thank you.

[jonnylovessn8ker]

Hi Lee,
I read that Ronnie uses his middle two fingers for grip, what is your thought on that?
Do you keep the V in constant contact with the cue during the whole stroke? How about at the end, do you release the grip and let the V sort of lose contact with the cue?
Thank you.

for me, my experiment showed that the V was always in contact with the cue, with no daylight at all. for some reason, it helps locking my wrist. so looking down when i feathering, the cue looks very straight and solid.
but yes. it is unorthadox

[poolqjunkie]

for me, my experiment showed that the V was always in contact with the cue, with no daylight at all. for some reason, it helps locking my wrist. so looking down when i feathering, the cue looks very straight and solid.
but yes. it is unorthadox

I think Ronnie's V sees some day light at the end of his follw through, when he released his cue.

But that is just what I saw on TV, not sure if it is really so...

[vmax4steve]

You could try cocking your wrist like Steve Davis in order to lock it, worked O.K. for him, works O.K. for Ken Doherty and Mark Allen.

[lee brett]

Hi Lee,
I read that Ronnie uses his middle two fingers for grip, what is your thought on that?
Do you keep the V in constant contact with the cue during the whole stroke? How about at the end, do you release the grip and let the V sort of lose contact with the cue?
Thank you.

yes, at the end of the follow through you let the cue get through the cueball, and the index finger will be loose and go with the cue.