The Dominant Eye
Everybody thinks you need to put your cue under your dominant eye or
under your chin. But where does Keith McCready and Earl Strickland fit
in then? If this were the case, I guess they might need to give back
their world championships. Neither Keith nor Earl hold their cues
underneath their “dominant eye." Keith and Earl, of course, are not the
only players who hold their cue in a place other than their “dominant
eye," or chin. The dominant eye is only good for the length of your
arm. After that length, both eyes must work together to give you true
precision in aiming.
Hit the Ball and Then Follow Through
If you hit the ball, it’s gone. What good is follow-through going to
do? The ball has already left the tip of your cue. What would a
baseball batter do if he hit the ball mid-swing, and THEN finished his
swing. What would he have? A bunt, right? How about a golfer: if a
golfer hits the ball, and then he decides to finish his swing and
follow through… What would this be? Well, it’d just be a chip shot. The
same principals that apply to both of these sports must, also, then
apply to Billiards. A follow through is a two-part action when you hit
something and THEN follow through. This is, of course, opposed to the
correct method: a one-part action of hitting the
ball!
You’ve Got To Hold Your Cue Six Inches From the Balance Point!
The problem with this is that the idea of a standard balance point came
from a book that was established in 1954 based on Willie Mosconi.
Willie Mosconi was only 5’4" and had only 26" arms, and it goes without
saying – these are likely not the dimensions of the average player. And
what about players like Jim Rempe and David Howard who hold their cues
either at the back of the wrap or the back of the cue? With the varying
length of their wingspan, the position in which they grip their cues
also vary. I see guys that are about 6’4" trying to hold their cues up
closer to the wrap, but they eliminate their needed stroking room!
The Longer the Bridge or Heavier the Cue!
People think if they need to turn or twist their back end of the cue
while striking, however, this is ridiculous because the cue is only in
contact with the cue ball for 1/1000th of a second. What effect then
does the extra movement accomplish? Are you breaking balls for dough or
for show? If a heavier cue is the answer, why not have a 50 lbs break
cue? It would break better, right? And if a longer cue is better why
not make it 50 feet long? Based on the premise that you want to get the
heaviest cue with the longest bridge, your new cue would be great with
such a combination.
Transferring Spin
Putting right spin on a ball before it contacts another ball will not
truly spin another that it contacts because of the simple fact that was
stated above: The balls are only in contact for 1/1000th of a second. A
good experiment for this is putting two striped balls on the table (say
a 10 and a 13), turn the stripes exactly the same direction, and put
extreme right or left on the ball that you’re hitting. If the other
ball takes the spin, then the other ball should take off spinning
opposite just as fast as you put the spin on the other. However, in a
real-life circumstance it turns out it’ll shoot just as straight. The
contact surface between two balls is only about the size of the tip of
an ink pen not a particularly large surface to transfer spin with, is
it?
Swing your cue until it feels right, THEN hit the cue ball
Another big mistake that players make is swinging their cue until it
“feels right." That is as preposterous as aiming at a target while wave
your gun until you feel it’s time pull the trigger. This would never
let your eye lock on the target, because you are in motion. When you
move, your eyes keep gathering information so you can make a decision,
but if you keep swinging until “it feels right" how will your eyes
focus at the target to hit object ball correctly?
The Cue Never Misses – It’s so good you can’t believe it!
The funniest thing I have ever heard is that one’s “cue never misses,
because it’s so good you wouldn’t believe it!" I have personally laid
the cue on the table, backed up, and stood and watched the cue and it
has never made a shot by itself. I have actually said get it, shoot it,
and despite this, it just doesn’t seem to do a thing on its own. People
really believe the cue is what plays the game for them. A good cue is
ONLY a good cue, and will only go as far as the player’s skill will
take them.
Jerry Powers is a veteran in his industry with over 20 years of
manufacturing experience. His website and cues can be viewed at
www.jericocues.net, or you can check out Jerry's articles at the Budget
Billiards pool cues and billiards
newsletter.
» left by paul,(nipper) from middlesex, u.k. (3 years 14 days ago.)
its a lot of common sense to me, but for balance point, i agree with gripping 6 Respond to this comment
Was this article helpful to you? Leave a Public Comment or
Question:
This Article has been viewed 718
times.
Article added to SearchWarp.com on Saturday, November 19, 2005 View other articles written by Jerry Powers(44)
If you found this article interesting, you may want to check out:
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
