Standing leg

[cazmac1]

When I visited Del he said to me that your standing leg or straight leg should be on the line of aim or some part of that leg IE: could be the heal of the foot the arch or the toe.


My question to all coaches on the forum is what is your view about where the leg should be in relationship to the line and are there any players who have the leg outside or inside the line????

All so how stiff should the back leg be very stiff locked tight or somewhere in between

[nrage]

When I visited Del he said to me that your standing leg or straight leg should be on the line of aim or some part of that leg IE: could be the heal of the foot the arch or the toe.


My question to all coaches on the forum is what is your view about where the leg should be in relationship to the line and are there any players who have the leg outside or inside the line????

All so how stiff should the back leg be very stiff locked tight or somewhere in between

I'm no coach but I've always been told that any part of the foot on the line will do, and that it should be comfortable. Ricky Walden has a slightly bent leg, but most others have a straight leg.. some look to be quite solidly locked straight but others look straight but relaxed. I think as long as it's stable and comfortable - job done.

I've trained myself to place my foot on the line of aim, toe pointing down the line of aim. But, recently I've found that angling the toe outward is slightly more comfortable and gives me a better (more consistently correct) arm/chest/cue position.

[hotpot]

The straighter the foot the closer the body is to the cue arm and too close can cause problems , there again if your foot is too side on it may cause problems with the cue contacting the chest .

I think incorrect placing of the back leg / foot may be one of the reasons or causes of bad / straight cueing .

[tornado taylor]

When I was a kid I was always told to play with the line of aim going through the foot with the feet at 45 degree angle. Since then I think the trend has changed slightly to more square on. I have tried both inside and outside with more of a twist on the hips.. Either one seemed to work but found on the inside of the line the standing leg felt more under pressure. My natural walk in is to walk in with the hip and leg and slightly twist the backside over to the left with the weight transfered to the left slightly. Works for me but like all things everyone is different. As to how rigid the leg is.. Mine is not to the extent you can feel it.. Straight but relaxed if that makes sense.

[Terry Davidson]

cazmac1:

The position and configuration of the straight leg is important and should conform to some basic principles. First of all, when teaching a new student I have them with the arch (or laces) of the right foot on the line of aim and directly underneath the grip hand when in the address position. I also have them point their toes outward a bit as that takes the strain off the knee joint and also helps with twisting the hips which will give a little more distance between the fron of the grip hand and chest.

One important point which I see player not doing correct is the straight leg should be angled back slightly and not vertical. By this I mean the foot should be slightly ahead of the hip joint for better stability (but not too much as then you would be leaning too far back).

As nrage says, any part of the foot is fine although the heel is getting to the point where that straight leg might be too much slanted forward and that is not the best way to go.

Just remember, if you swing the hips over to the left by bending the left leg (assuming a right-hander here) and if your right foot is directly under the grip hand in the address position and the butt of the cue is a good 2" from the trousers on the hips then you should be fine, just make sure you're comfortable.

REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, TRY AND KEEP IT THE SAME ALL THE TIME even if it ain't ideal textbook technique

Terry

[cazmac1]

Thanks every one for your answers.

[cazmac1]

Ok I been practising putting the leg down and I have found a surprise secondary effect that I was even looking for. I never been one for the cue rubbing the chest but I have found that as I step into the shot and put my heal on the line as I go down on the shot the cue comes across and make nice solid contact with the chest. I have never would have looked to play this way but have found that I'm cuing very well and it gives me a sense of confidence. Chest contact is one of Del hills dummies and I think I will be working this aspect of my game in the new year.