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**nrage** · 18 April 2011, 02:38 PM

Your stance actually looks fine to me. Nice and low, cue almost level (on side on shots). Your back has a slight curve, but that may just be your general body shape, mine curves the opposite way due to a back condition I had during my teens.

I noticed on the first two videos, of your old stance, that there was a slight gap between the thumb/finger webbing and the cue, you want to get rid of that if possible, without gripping the cue any harder. Your grip appears nice and loose but just to check, can you hold the cue with your normal grip and using the other hand slide the cue around in the grip? You should be able to, this is how loose it wants to be, without any gaps like that near the webbing.

As you mentioned, you are dropping the elbow too soon. The length of drop is ok, but it must come after contact, and you realistically only 'need' it when playing with a lot of power and really driving the cue through. On video 1, new stance, the screw shots looked correct in terms of elbow drop, it was only when you moved on to top spin shots where you dropped at all, and early on occasion.

On both later videos I notice that your grip hand is not hitting your chest, and does drop down a touch on delivery. To deal with this, set up normally but without a white and play a shot in slow motion. Concentrate on keeping the cue on a level plane and pushing it right through (without any elbow drop) as far forward as possible. Does your hand hit your chest? If not, while keeping the cue level, add some elbow drop until it does. Memorize this chest contact position and how it feels, repeat the slow motion shot and aim to hit the same chest position, repeat this slowly adding speed, until you can hit this position all the time. This is the cue action you want. Once you have that in mind, add a white, but just play it up the table and back, slowly at first and then with more speed/power until you're confident you're driving the hand to the chest and keeping the cue level. Use a side on video to double check things.

One last thing, on some shots I saw sideways movement on the grip hand. This may occur before, during, or after contact and may explain some of the unexpected results you have been getting. I had the exact same problem. To diagnose get a camera, film yourself from the front, line up the camera so it sees the pocket, object ball, white ball, cue, and finally the other pocket all in a line and use these as a reference point.

Upload the video onto the computer and use avidemux to modify it - if needed, and kinovea to analyze it. Both are FREE. The latter will allow you to play it back in slow motion, this is the key, it is only in slow motion frame-by-frame that you will really see what the hand is doing.

**mosconiac** · 18 April 2011, 02:48 PM

Thank you for the very informative post. I'll try your suggestions...and planned to film a front view too, but my camera battery died unexpectedly. That perspective would have been very informative as you noted. I'll check out the software you suggested.

I fear that I will be battling elbow movement (drop & sideways) for a long time. I hope your suggestion of slow motion practice might build the muscle memory necessary to kill it.

**Inoffthered** · 19 April 2011, 12:13 AM

Mosconiac, your stance is fine ( from side on view ). You cue ok. You might want to develop a 'front pause' ( up to you at this point as a correct technique is not as important on an American billiards table as a tournament standard snooker table ).

After feathering with a few strokes, you'll want to hold the cue tip at the cueball ( very briefly ) in what would contribute towards the front pause ( I'm sure this is where many ppl on here will correct me, but this works for myself ).

AS you are doing this your eyes have come back to the white. Just as you begin to bring your cue back on the final backswing, switch your eyes to the point of contact on the object ball and keep focusing on that spot all the way through until you strike the cueball.

I would not be overly concerned with your elbow dropping on your stroke ( as a fellow elbow dropper, as long as your cue is going thru straight, that's what matters ). You will develop a 'drive' as prescribed by Del Hill.

Your elbow coming out the way you say would be down to your grip. As long as you are driving the cue in a straight line through the cueball and not putting unintentional side ( English ), you will be fine. A leftie snooker player here called Jimmy White always cued from right to left ( sometimes overly so ), but never cued right across. You may want to look up some old vids of his matches in the 80's, 90's etc to see what I mean.

Keep up the good work. As long as the balls are going in, and the cueball is controlled as you like, continuing to clear the table at each visit, that's all that really matters.

**the priest** · 19 April 2011, 09:00 PM

Just wrote a long detailed post regarding where you differ from a good snooker player then the connection broke and i lost it dont you hate that.
Anyway ill try again.
Plus points are once you are down in the square stance you look great. You also have a nice pause at the back for a pool player.
Where i think you go wrong is befoe and after you get down and strike.
First off putting the chalk on the rail, try to get out of this
a) because it takes you off the line of the shot when you could focus longer
b) because you are 6' 4 imagine that fluid in your inner ear rocking about every time you stoop sway dip and rise before a shot.
No need just put it in your pocket or buy one of those pouches. Remember its a game of poise and balance.

Good snooker players assess the shot at least a pace back from where you do and then walk in to the shot right foot first.
Given your height i would imagine this is doubly important for you to do in order to get a look down the line.

Ok as i said down on the shot you look good.. that is until you strike the white, at which point you jump up as if the table has electrocuted you

Keep your head and everything else down and still until the object ball hits the pocket or the cush.. then keep down a little longer for the cameras

This helps with acuracy but also gives your brain vital feedback for memorising which angles are right and which ones are wrong.

The chicken wing is caused by trying to generate a lot of power from a relatively short backswing.. if you want to hit the ball hard and generate effortless spin just pull the cue back almost to the v of your bridge and then keeping your head still accelerate smoothly through to the exact spot on the white you wish to hit.

Good luck in your quest mate i would suggest you watch a snooker player called john higgins on youtube playing and putting all i have said into practice.

**mosconiac** · 19 April 2011, 09:10 PM

Thank you all for the insightful & constructive comments. You've given me so much to think about & work on.

If anyone else wants to chime in, I'm willing to listen to more instruction.

**mosconiac** · 19 April 2011, 09:33 PM

I reviewed the videos again, priest, & I had originally glossed over the fact that I was "jumping up on the shot" (as we call it in pool). As soon as the cue struck the cueball, my head was rising. Terrible!

I'll assess the shot another pace back as you suggest as well.

The comments related to pausing are especially welcome, inoffthered. I've floated in & out of using pauses at the cueball & at the rear of the backswing. I notice an immediate improvement when I use them, but tend to forget about it. I'll make a concious effort to employ them again and always.

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