Elbow drops on follow through

[Anthony762]

Hi when I cue everthink is perfect then as I hit the ball my elbow drops!
my cue arm is vertical when my tip is touching the white so I do that is not the problem can someone help me please.

[bongo]

Anthony:

The elbow should drop! It can give you more acceleration through the cue ball leading to a better strike. The grip hand should follow through to the chest.

As long as you are not dropping your whole hand and having a follow through of the cue that is out of control and unnatural, you're doing the right thing.

bongo

[RocketRoy1983]

The only part of your ENTIRE body that should move is your forearm up to your elbow. That includes on the follow through. Ensure you stay still until the ball is in the pocket.

[Anthony762]

will this stop my elbow dropping and I notice when I watch myself that if I keep my upper arm tensed that it does not happen but I can't keep doing it all the time it get tiering.
I noticed this when I'm cueing near the cushion my cue hits the rail.

[RocketRoy1983]

will this stop my elbow dropping and I notice when I watch myself that if I keep my upper arm tensed that it does not happen but I can't keep doing it all the time it get tiering.
I noticed this when I'm cueing near the cushion my cue hits the rail.

Its hard for me to understand exactly whats happening without seeing your game but no part of your arm should be tense thats for sure. Try relaxing around the table. Having said that ensure your grip isnt too light as it may hit the cushion as you state. The best way to gauge your grip is to put your cue on the table then simply pick it up. Thats the kind of strenght of grip you need. Hope this helps.

[CTquick147]

Anthony:

The elbow should drop! It can give you more acceleration through the cue ball leading to a better strike. The grip hand should follow through to the chest.

As long as you are not dropping your whole hand and having a follow through of the cue that is out of control and unnatural, you're doing the right thing.

bongo

This sounds right to me. I would add only that the elbow and NOT the shoulder should be dropping. Unless your Alex Higgins, this probably won't help, or as Jimmy White says, "a shoulder shot is a shoddy shot".

I'd also like to say that younger players should be careful about info they get from this sight in terms of fundamentals, most of the people on this site are amateurs, and learning from the pros is the road to excellence. Watch as much as pro snooker as you can, find a coach ( if not a pro then someone who can at least claim some 147s), read the great books on the game, I'd suggest "How I play snooker" by Joe Davis, Snooker Masterclass by Jimmy White( you'll find stuff in this one that's not shown in any other book I've read, and I've read a lot of snooker books) Classic Snooker by Ray Reardon, and Snooker Skills by Cliff Thorburn. And of course, practice like mad.

Good luck.

[Anthony762]

Thanks I will do that I have Stephen Rowlings as my coach only when I have the money.
I have watched the steve davis video " The champions way" and I think it's really helpfull he shows a good way of using the ghost ball technique and some other very good things.

[bongo]

RocketRoy1983:

What is wrong with dropping the elbow on the follow through?

I agree with shots such as soft stuns and 'breakbuilding around the black' shots do not need the elbow to drop. On deep screws and power shots what's wrong with slightly dropping the elbow on delivery to ensure smooth acceleration and not a jabby action that can lead to jerkiness?

bongo

[SebastianZ]

RocketRoy1983:

What is wrong with dropping the elbow on the follow through?

I agree with shots such as soft stuns and 'breakbuilding around the black' shots do not need the elbow to drop. On deep screws and power shots what's wrong with slightly dropping the elbow on delivery to ensure smooth acceleration and not a jabby action that can lead to jerkiness?

bongo

AGREED!!!
I know the traditional approach is that you should not drop your elbow. but if you look at ronnie o'sullivan's cue action, he drops his elbow on almost every shot, it generates more follow through and the cue action does look better. steve davis was once trying to learn that cue action as far as I know.

[bongo]

'Looking better' doesn't really matter. What does matter is how good your cue action actually is. The looks of it is irrelevent.

[Andy911]

Re elbow dropping

The elbow must drop toward the back end of the follow through and the wrist must brake in order to keep the cue horizontal and maintain cue alignment
right to the end of the stroke.
The pendulam action or pump action should END during the follow through and both the wrist and elbow change position especially on power cueing.
Watch the pro's as they use power in there shots .
Try moving the cue through in a controlled manner maintianing the horizontal
and vertical plane of the cue
Do it without a cue ball in slow motion on the baulk line and watch the cue go through
both maintaining the horizontal and vertical plane of the cue
Takes a great deal of incorperating into your game but well worth
doing in the end.
Keep the legs and the rest of the body still head down bridge arm still and cue hold relaxed and maintain balance this should help.

Regards Andy

BTW In a way its like maintaining the horizontal position of the knuckles
on the back arm throughout the follow through

[CoachGavin]

This is the classic coaching arguement. One school of thought says that the elbow should drop and ronnie uses this to great effect. Davis has indeed copied this and if you watch him now you can see him drop his elbow especially on long pots etc. Watch him face on in the early 80's and his elbow stays up after the shot while now you would not see his elbow at all.

The older method that many pros still use means striking the chest with the grip hand and not dropping the elbow. This means that less areas of the body move BUT there is a tendency not to go through the white properly.

At the end of the day both methods have been used by world champions and if a method works for you then stick to it. Personally I would recommend dropping the elbow as I think it creates a smoother stroke.

[RocketRoy1983]

Bongo and CoachGavin: I suppose there are two different ways my method is how I play and show in coaching. Bongo I appreciate that the elbow may not be able to remain completely still and may have to "drop" on certain shots although on the whole, i feel it better to try to keep it as firm as possible.

[SebastianZ]

This is the classic coaching arguement. One school of thought says that the elbow should drop and ronnie uses this to great effect. Davis has indeed copied this and if you watch him now you can see him drop his elbow especially on long pots etc. Watch him face on in the early 80's and his elbow stays up after the shot while now you would not see his elbow at all.

The older method that many pros still use means striking the chest with the grip hand and not dropping the elbow. This means that less areas of the body move BUT there is a tendency not to go through the white properly.

At the end of the day both methods have been used by world champions and if a method works for you then stick to it. Personally I would recommend dropping the elbow as I think it creates a smoother stroke.

PERFECT ANSWER!

[nam1977]

I initialy thought Anthony762 was mixing his snooker with WWE styley lol!

Quick question, how do you drop your elbow without moving your shoulders? Surely if the elbow drops its because your shoulder moves down, isn't that the body physics (used to be a fitness consultant/gym instructor)?
Sorry to question this, as it is said the shoulder shouldn't move during a shot.