INSTRUCTION BY EWA LAURANCE
STROKIN’ IT!
We all have different styles when playing the game that may depend on a myriad of things. And, that’s okay. There’s no perfect cookie-cutter stance, stroke or setup that you must adhere to. Some of us were self-taught from the very beginning, feel comfortable with our stroke and don’t want to make any major changes. Some started at a very early age, and by not being able to reach the table, developed some unorthodox traits. I’ve seen dozens of styles that work, both by amateurs and pros. But, one thing that you may want to pay attention to is giving yourself the best chance to deliver the follow-through correctly by verifying where you hold the cue with your shooting hand.
My best advice to you is to think of the shooting arm as if it were a pendulum. You want the forearm to be close to straight up and down when you’re at address. Then, bring the arm back a distance that will mirror the follow-through needed to deliver the shot you’re faced with. In other words, if it’s just a little tap, or a very slow shot, you only need to bring the arm back slightly. If a power stroke is needed, then you would need more of a takeback.
Holding the cue too far forward can result in dropping the elbow at delivery, or resulting in the not-so-popular “chicken wing” or grabbing the cue too tightly during the follow-through. Too far back and it may cause you to lose accuracy of the shot.
The forearm is close to perpendicular to the cue (1). This way, you can comfortably move the cue back the length needed to set up for the shot, (2) and also be in the perfect position to follow-through to complete the stroke (3).
Making this slight change can have a huge impact on your stroke and shot making accuracy.
