Tips On My Game

[tommy_boi]

No coincidence fella... you are right in your thinking...you need to have the contact on the chest contact very light, not pulling tight into the chest.

Sounds like you have found the main problem right there.

Keep it loose...

Had another game tonight and played really bad, couldn't hardly pot nothing, so thought i would go against everything i have said on here and instead of passing the cue lightly past my chest i made more contact with the cue with my chest and i started to pot again, so i am kinda confused, it looked like passing the cue lightly past my chest worked before, but now it seems making good contact with my cue with my chest is the better way, it seemed when my chest had good contact with my cue that i was able to cue straighter and it also felt like i was, advice on this complicated matter appreciated?.

[tommy_boi]

No coincidence fella... you are right in your thinking...you need to have the contact on the chest contact very light, not pulling tight into the chest.

Sounds like you have found the main problem right there.

Keep it loose...

Had another game tonight and played really bad, couldn't hardly pot nothing, so thought i would go against everything i have said on here and instead of passing the cue lightly past my chest i made more contact with the cue with my chest and i started to pot again, so i am kinda confused, it looked like passing the cue lightly past my chest worked before, but now it seems making good contact with my cue with my chest is the better way, it seemed when my chest had good contact with my cue that i was able to cue straighter and it also felt like i was, advice on this complicated matter appreciated?.

[Giggity1984]

Steve Davs won 6 world titles with his cue and chest not touching. Its down to how you are comfortable. In a league match, don't think about technique, think position only. I recently started doing this and you worry a lot less about the tough shots and they start going in more. Youtube "Ronnies cue school" pot with the elbow and forget everything else and let your natural ability take control In competition, Think Position. Not technique!! Good Luck!!!

[tommy_boi]

Just watched the video and something he said caught my attention, he said to make sure you hit every shot with the elbow, it is the best way to make sure you get a straight consistent shot every single time, is this something i could be doing wrong, i thought there was no other possible way of hitting a ball, surely you have to use your elbow when you take a shot, i'm confused?.

[Terry Davidson]

tommy:

What he means there is some people will use the shoulder muscle to drive the cue (Ronnie is the best example of this) and it's visible when you see a player dropping the elbow prematurely. Except for Ronnie who must have learned to play this way as a kid, the rest of us (including Steve Davis) should use the elbow only until after the cueball has been struck and then near the end of the delivery the elbow will drop (on a shot with a little power) and this is a sign the shoulder muscle has come into play but well after the strike of the cueball, which is as it should be.

Another point on the cue brushing the chest. That is what I teach however there is disagreement amongst coaches on this point as Del Hill teaches the 4 points of contact but even he does not say to pull the cue tightly into the chest or push the chest down tightly to the cue.

However there is another point which just might be troubling you and the discussion of the taper of the cue brought this to mind. I don't think the taper has much effect with contact on the chest BUT there is another spot where the taper may effect the line of the cue during delivery. This is the bridge. The web between forefinger and thumb on a lot of people produces what is called by Nic Barrow the 'thumb pillow'. This is a bump in the skin caused by squeezing together the forefinger and thumb on a normal bridge and if a player does not turn his hand slight to the right (for a right-hander) the shaft of the cue could be tight agaist the thumb pillow and as the cue goes through the thickening taper of the cue will push the shaft to the right.

Ensure you are cueing away from the thumb pillow

Terry