Jabbing on some shots

[Slingboppa]

Hi, does anyone have any advise on how to stop jabbing the cue on shots. I seem to have this problem every so often but usually its worse when the balls are closer together. Any advise would be much appreciated.

[CoachGavin]

Jabbing on some shots

try loosening your grip and make sure you finish with the grip at your chest. players who jab usually tighten the grip on delivery which stops the cue going forward.

[Slingboppa]

try loosening your grip and make sure you finish with the grip at your chest. players who jab usually tighten the grip on delivery which stops the cue going forward.

Thanks for the advice.

[thelongbomber]

Because of hand/eye coordination and muscle memory, you are likely to jab on some types of shots - I still do this even today when the cue ball is near the cushion. Shots you are comfortable with, you are less likely to cue poorly, whereas shots you aren't comfortable with (for a variety of reasons), you are more likely to jab at. The jabbing comes from not being sure if the shot will be executed the way you want to.

So whats the solution? Figure out what kind of shots you are likely to jab at - will usually coincide with how comfortable you feel - and then work on cue delivery on the practice table. Some pointers to look at: they are likely certain angles and cuts - full, half, 3/4 etc.

[Slingboppa]

Because of hand/eye coordination and muscle memory, you are likely to jab on some types of shots - I still do this even today when the cue ball is near the cushion. Shots you are comfortable with, you are less likely to cue poorly, whereas shots you aren't comfortable with (for a variety of reasons), you are more likely to jab at. The jabbing comes from not being sure if the shot will be executed the way you want to.

So whats the solution? Figure out what kind of shots you are likely to jab at - will usually coincide with how comfortable you feel - and then work on cue delivery on the practice table. Some pointers to look at: they are likely certain angles and cuts - full, half, 3/4 etc.

Thanks for the pointers, you are right I start jabbing at the more uncomfortable shots so I will have a good at re-creating these type of shots out on the practice table, cheers.

[vmax4steve]

Thanks for the advice.

Remember to thank him again when your hand goes to your chest on a shot where the balls are close together and you end up fouling the cue ball after it contacts the object ball.

Come on Gavin you can do better than that surely, he said it mainly happens when the balls are close together so how in heaven is following through to the chest going to help him.

My twopenneth would be when the balls are close together, play with a short backswing and follow through without closing the grip hand on the stroke.

[Byrom]

If the balls are really close - like a few inches I would shorten the back swing shorten up the cue maybe and raise the butt of the cue to strike down more and I think it helps somehow if keep your eyes on the object ball.

If the balls are say further apart no need to raise the butt - but do what is suggested above by v-max and keep your eyes on the object ball rather than the white as this will help you strike a tad through the ball more smoothly hopefully

[thelongbomber]

Hi, does anyone have any advise on how to stop jabbing the cue on shots. I seem to have this problem every so often but usually its worse when the balls are closer together. Any advise would be much appreciated.

I didn't see the bit about balls being close together. That's quite a bit tricker in some cases as you need to make sure you don't foul or double hit the white. When the balls are close and there is a cut (half, 3/4, or 1/4), it's actually quite unlikely that you are going to double hit the white. So focus on a clean and straight follow through of your cue. But you need to practice this on the table and experiment with what you can get away with and then remember that for match play.

[CoachGavin]

Jabbing on some shots

sorry. i didn't think he was talking specifically about straight screw shots with the balls a few inches apart and so that's why i said push through to the chest. In that case shortening up on the butt might be a good idea. Just remember if the balls are close together the shot will become more jabby the closer they are so you have to do the best you can just as the pros do.

[CoachGavin]

Jabbing on some shots

keep the grip lose throughout though.

[Slingboppa]

Thanks everyone for all the advice, its been a great help, now I need to try and put all your pointers into practice

[tomlimcj]

r u jabbing on shots that u are trying to screw or stun shot distances? I used to jab on those shots, den I corrected myself. that is to shorten the backswing and play a firm stroke without overaccelerating through. u will have a tendency to have the cue in the way but only if u play an almost straight screw or stun...otherwise, shudnt be an issue.

[Slingboppa]

r u jabbing on shots that u are trying to screw or stun shot distances? I used to jab on those shots, den I corrected myself. that is to shorten the backswing and play a firm stroke without overaccelerating through. u will have a tendency to have the cue in the way but only if u play an almost straight screw or stun...otherwise, shudnt be an issue.

Yes it seems I am mostly jabbing on screw shots where the CB and OB are quite close together and also also of other shots when the balls are close together. I am trying to train my mind to play through the cue ball and I have tried shortening my backswing, loosening my grip etc and it seems to be getting better. Still more practice needed but thanks for all the advise everyone.

[Master Blaster]

Don't forget to pause before engaging. If you do jab, at least you'll do it well. A good jab shot is no bad thing if the balls are very very close. You can still screw back 3-6ft with a good jab when the balls are only 1" apart. Bruce Lee could knock a man over with a 1" punch. Again, it's about getting through the cue ball, even at close distance, avoiding the double touch. The grip should never change I thought Nic?

[tomlimcj]

I tend not to open my grip on softer shots... slight deviation will cause my cue to move off centre. but that's just me. don't tighten grip, but not too loose either..