what could be the problem?

[davidwu]

Hi everyone,
here is the issue. I cannot hit the cue ball straight, for example when I sent the cue ball up to the top cushion, the cue ball always ended up on the right side of the tip as it returned. Also I always miss shots in the same way, e.g hitting the left side of the pocket if I try to pot the ball into the pockets on the right side of the table or vice versa. Don't know that make sense to you guys?

I'm not sure what is the problem there. maybe the grip. I try to have a loose grip but there are different types of loose grip. a)grip with only forefinger and thumb, b)use all the fingers but grip really loose. the first one seem to work better, however I found out that how tight I grip with the forefinger and thumb would affect the results. so I cannot produce consistence as I was not sure how tight I should grip because they all seem to have own advantages.

If I grip tighter, I will strike straight but it is hard to control the shot, especially the light shot. also it is very difficult to produce cue power.

Would you please help me on this, I did not make any improvement over that last couple of months and am on the verge of quiting!

[Belloz22]

One thing i learnt was that if you are consistently missing shots to the same side of the pocket, i.e. also under cutting, over cutting, etc.... then compemsate..... for example, if you always undercut, try sighting to pot the ball to the far jaw of the pocket, or even to slightly overcut the pocket

[bongo]

davidwu:

You must be putting accidental side on the cue-ball. It is difficult to say exactly what the problem might be unless somebody watches you play. Since you say this is happening consistently, it could be that you are not addressing the cue-ball in the centre; with your brain sighting slightly to the right as centre ball. Try to see the line of the shot and get your right foot (left foot for left handed) on the line and walk into the shot slowly. Take extra care on addressing the centre of the cue-ball - what your brain automatically sees as centre of the cue-ball may in fact not be centre.

[nrage]

Get a camera and film long blues. Set the camera up over the target pocket, and zoom in as much as possible so you have the red at the bottom of the shot, and can see above your head to where your elbow is. Play 20 long blues, then load the video onto the computer and play it back in slow motion. Do the same thing with the camera directly behind. I suspect you have the same problem that I do, on the shot my grip hand moves toward my body, and then back out again. It only happens for a fraction of a fraction of a second, but it happens just prior to the tip striking the white and this shoves the white off the line of aim resulting in a miss to the same side, all the time.

Over compensating does work, but if/when you start striking the ball correctly again you'll find you miss to the other side. So, I'd recommend filming yourself first. If there is absolutely no apparently movement, then start looking at your aim. 99% of problems are cueing related, not aiming related.

The most common aiming problem is that ppl aim at the center of the pocket as they see it from the angle they are on, whereas you actually want to aim at the center of the available path to the pocket. Typically this aiming problem means hitting the near jaw a lot.

[circle]

The problem most probably originates from unintentional side spin. However, i would not advocate over-compensating - as this will create it's own set of problems in the future - so therefore you need to address the root cause of the problem. I think you could start off my making sure that you walk into every shot, and that you do not twist or realign your body when down on the shot. Also, do you pause at the cue ball before you begin your final backswing? - because this is the last chance for the player to check that they are hitting the cue ball exactly where they intend to

[davidwu]

I did everything that are recommended. So what I believe that caused the problem is my hand will tighten after strike. And I probably over-do this move. Because when I use a tight grip there is little space for the palm to squeeze and hence better accuracy than with the loose grip.

[davidwu]

Side is what caused the miss but sighting is not what caused the side. I believe it is somewhere in the cue action, suspected to be the grip that is messing around

[davidwu]

I would like to do that, but I have no video camera

[Terry Davidson]

Without having a video camera I can only recommend one solution. As you feel this problem is in your grip (and it likely is since head movement is the most common cause of unintentional side and grip is the second most common cause).

So, concentrating on getting the grip right (nrage...this is for you too). The grip should be loose enough so the butt of the cue will slide easily through it when in the address position (I know I've already said this many times and you both know it by heart), but here is where the majority of players (including myself until just very recently) always screw it up.

The secret can be found in what you are doing with the grip when you start to move the cue back and forth when feathering. To get the cue moving most players will tighten the grip a bit to get a better hold on the cue so it moves back and forth easily. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

As the great Joe Davis said so many years ago and every decent coach has said since then THE CUE SHOULD JUST LAY ON THE BED OF THE 4 FINGERS (Joe's statement) or if you use a 1 finger, 2 finger, middle 2 fingers (Ronnie) or back 3 fingers again THE CUE SHOULD JUST LAY ON THE BED OF THE FINGERS with the thumb just holding the cue in place and applying NO pressure.

You all know that by heart BUT here is where I suspect a lot of players go wrong...when you start feathers ENSURE YOU ARE STILL JUST HOLDING THE CUE IN THE BED OF THE FINGERS AND NOT TIGHTENING THE HOLD A BIT IN ORDER TO GET THE CUE MOVING. Be sure to maintain the loose grip throughout the feathers, on the front pause and on the backswing and rear pause and then AGAIN on the delivery.

You do not have to increase the hold or grip on the butt of the cue to move it. as long as you don't have it very tight against your chin and/or chest (if you do have it tight against the chin and/or chest, loosen it off a bit).

As an example, I had a student here capable of running tons but having a tight grip. So to demonstrate this to him I gave him my 360 cue and had him try and hit the cueball up and down the table for 4 lengths. HE COULDN'T HIT THE CUEBALL!!! When I got him to loosen the grip right down until he couldn't 'grab' the cue in order to move it (I had him using his fingertips in the end) he was able to hit the cueball 4 lengths with accuracy.

This idea of having the cue just laying in the bed of the fingers is not new and has been known for years, but I see too many players who feel they MUST tighten the hold on the cue in order to move it during feathering and the final backswing. You next practice session concentrate on not gripping the cue or holding it tighter during the feathers and final backswing and you'll be amazed at the results.

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

By the way, in addition to my comments above, we all know by now the delivery should be like an airplane taking off (Nic Barrow's statement) in that it should start out slow and built up speed until take-off (or striking the cueball and BEYOND).

Here is where keeping the grip loose is VITAL. Too many players will start to tighten the grip on the cue at the start of the delivery in order to get the cue to accelerate and this is just not necessary. If you maintain the loose grip at the start of the delivery you must start the acceleration slowly as otherwise your grip hand will slip up the cue.

If you do maintain the loose grip and your grip hand slides up the butt a bit THIS IS NOT A SIGNAL TO TIGHTEN THE GRIP...this is a signal that you are starting the higher acceleration too quickly.

Terry

[davidwu]

By the way, in addition to my comments above, we all know by now the delivery should be like an airplane taking off (Nic Barrow's statement) in that it should start out slow and built up speed until take-off (or striking the cueball and BEYOND).

Here is where keeping the grip loose is VITAL. Too many players will start to tighten the grip on the cue at the start of the delivery in order to get the cue to accelerate and this is just not necessary. If you maintain the loose grip at the start of the delivery you must start the acceleration slowly as otherwise your grip hand will slip up the cue.

If you do maintain the loose grip and your grip hand slides up the butt a bit THIS IS NOT A SIGNAL TO TIGHTEN THE GRIP...this is a signal that you are starting the higher acceleration too quickly.

Terry

thanks Terry, I understand the theory of loose grip and it does provide more cue power. However like I mentioned, use a loose grip somehow produce side and it is hard to get loose grip right. there are many ways of producing loose grip, each of them seem to help me with certain problems yet create new problems.
I will try the loose grip on my next practice session and will let you know what I think and how it feels.

[Terry Davidson]

davidwu:

I obviously cannot explain the correct grip here in this format such that the average player will understand it. Grip the cue just as if you were going to beat someone over the head with it. That is the correct CONFIGURATION of the grip but a lot more loose and with the thumb pointed straight down to the floor. The butt lays in the bed of the 4 fingers (or1, 2, or 3 - whatever you use) and the thumb just holds it there but without exerting any pressure.

I wish I could explain it clear enough so you can understand. Obviously you are tightening the grip too early in the stroke and that is pulling the butt off-line. Likely you are curling the fingers around the butt and the wrist is turning into your body a bit.

How do I explain it any clearer? You must NOT tighten the grip on the cue BY ANY AMOUNT WHATSOEVER until the time of the strike of the cueball. A longer backswing will allow you to get more power but if you do not do this then you will be tightening the grip too early in order to get the positive power you need but that is the wrong way to go

Terry

[Deepscrew]

Just want to say thanks Terry! The grip tips you have given work for me brilliantly. Cueing much better almost straight away by just resting the cue in my hand rather than gripping it....fells like the cue might slip through my hand to start with but cue properly and it's perfect. Much beteee contact with the ball on touch shots too. Just brilliant.

Thanks!

[vish]

Terry; your analysis is great [-] i do believe i am guilty of this flaw and though i realized it time to time, i tend to get back to the old habit of holding the cue tighter and not allowing the cue to rest on the fingers [-] will try the mantra and come back on this[-] cheerio; Vish

[Terry Davidson]

With virtually 100% of my students (and also myself, which I am actually embarrassed about) players THINK they are holding the cue loose and they are when the cue is still and in the address position usually the cue is just laying in the bed of the fingers once I tell them to loosen it up.

However, either when they start the backswing or else when they do the rear pause and then start the delivery they start tightening the grip since they feel this is necessary in order to get the cue moving at sufficient speed. THIS IS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY WRONG!!!

The grip hand should not tighten at all until the cueball is struck as otherwise the butt of the cue (in most cases) will be taken off-line and the amount of this taken off-line will depend on how much the grip tightens and the wrist turns. Now, across the fulcrum of the 'V', if the butt moves let's say just 2mm then the tip will move perhaps .25mm because there will be around 10" past the 'V' whereas from the butt to the 'V' the length will be around 4ft or so.

Of course the off-set of the tip can be reduced by using a shorter bridge but a player shouldn't try to minimize it this way. The correct way is to not tighten the grip until the cueball has been struck and this is a HARD thing to learn as it goes against the natural inclination to tighten that grip before the cueball is struck since the mind knows there will be resistance from the cueball.

Using a longer backswing and maintaining a loose grip to time of strike is the way to get increased power, not gripping the cue tighter before impact.

Terry