technique change - very rewarding (sometimes..)

[marek]

Hi people!
I would like to share one thing I found out recently. /ccboard/images/graemlins/wink.gif As I have been struggling with my technique in past few weeks(ONCE AGAIN) /ccboard/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I decided to study videos of great players to find out what they do the same way I do and mainly what they do different way. I have chosen Neils Feijen as my point of reference because he is of the same height and similar body build as me. Surprisingly I have found one strange thing I havent noticed before (maybe I noticed this but I havent paid my attention to it) /ccboard/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/shocked.gif: the elbow of his back arm was much higher than mine - his elbow was at the same line as his front arm, maybe even bit higher. So I went straight to the pool hall and tried that technique - after some 20 minutes of fine tuning my stroke was like perfectly oiled machine potting anything visible no matter the angle or distance!!! /ccboard/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif If it was theoretically possible to pot the ball it just went in!!! /ccboard/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/cool.gif This went on for half an hour but then my shoulder started to hurt and the stroke was getting worse a bit. /ccboard/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I made this technique change about 5 days ago and it seems that it really works for me! /ccboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif The only trouble is that shoulder /ccboard/images/graemlins/mad.gif - I am not used to that elbow angle yet so I can practice for about 90 minutes without any problems then it starts to hurt. /ccboard/images/graemlins/frown.gif But some work-out should do the trick!!! /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif
This pool-players nirvana is something I wish every poolplayer could experience at least once in his/her life as practicing is so fulfilling for me right now! /ccboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[nhp]

If a change in your technique works for more than 3 days, stick with it.

[marek]

Hi!
I know that when you make a change in your technique it will quite often work for a while no matter how BAD that change is! On the other hand this one seems to work really good + its from one of the best players in the world... /ccboard/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[SPetty]

I don't understand this "higher elbow" thing. How do you make your elbow higher? If your cue was level at the time of impact before, and your forearm was 90 degrees from the cue at the time of impact before, what changed? How can you make your elbow higher and still maintain the solid 90 degree forearm/level cue mechanics?

What else changed with the raising of the elbow?

[SpiderMan]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote SPetty:</font><hr> I don't understand this "higher elbow" thing. How do you make your elbow higher? If your cue was level at the time of impact before, and your forearm was 90 degrees from the cue at the time of impact before, what changed? How can you make your elbow higher and still maintain the solid 90 degree forearm/level cue mechanics?
<hr /></blockquote>
Other things being the same, your body would have to be lower. Imagine the forearm and grip hand not moving as your upper body gets lower. Your elbow is still in the same place, but it is now "higher" with respect to your body.

SpiderMan

[SPetty]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote SpiderMan:</font><hr> Other things being the same, your body would have to be lower. <hr /></blockquote>Ah, I see what you're saying. So it's possible other people would make the same change that marek did, but call it "getting down lower over the cue" rather than "raising my elbow". Interesting! /ccboard/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[SpiderMan]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote SPetty:</font><hr> <blockquote><font class="small">Quote SpiderMan:</font><hr> Other things being the same, your body would have to be lower. <hr /></blockquote>Ah, I see what you're saying. So it's possible other people would make the same change that marek did, but call it "getting down lower over the cue" rather than "raising my elbow". Interesting! /ccboard/images/graemlins/smile.gif <hr /></blockquote>

If that's really what he did. If you watch very tall people who are very low over the cue, often their arm appears like a "hairpin" bend with the elbow 'way up.

SpiderMan

[Kevin_in_Japan]

Neils Fiejen has a lot to offer on technique... one post on AZBilliards talked about him doing Kinister drills 8hrs per day on a table till the felt was worn out. Solid work ethic, strong fundamental skills. I don't think I could handle the cue being under the right side of my face though, as he does.

Living in Japan, I get to watch Sky Sports snooker. Today was Marco Fu against Mark Williams. I loved the way Marco sighted the shot, moved into his crouch, slowing down down down as he came to final position to cue, body perfectly still throughout the shot. Even temperament. Eyeballs never darted from the contact point once sighted, never ever looked object ball to pocket once down. THAT WAS IT, he had his line to shoot the cueball on.

One fun thing to do is imitate a great player, how they go about their business... you can learn a lot from that. Try on acting classes in your next open shooting session, Earl, Steve Davis, Niels Fiejen, Marco Fu, Efren, Buddy, whoever seems to fit best your style. It can take you up-tempo and no longer thinking about details but just moving to your rhythm and executing like you know you can.

[marek]

It seems that I created some confusion here so I will make myself clear: I really have risen my elbow up, I havent got lower over the cue. I watched the result of this change in the mirror today and I will tell you what happened: my elbow got closer to my body by rising up(probably has something to do with my muscle build) which means that it got perfectly in line with shoulder and wrist in my case. As Phil Capelle says: "One change leads to another one". Thats what happened.
Oh I almost forgot!!! By rising the elbow I had to shorten my grip on the cue...

[NYSlimButFlabby]

One thing I've been guilty of is a "lazy" elbow, where I allow it to point into my body slightly -- totally screwing up my alignment. Is it possible that raising your elbow has actually straightened it? I'd shoot into a mirror with old and new stances and see if this is the case. It may be the raising of the elbow was only a way to trick yourself into aligning elbow with wrist, shoulder, chin. This of course is merely speculation.

EDIT: I need to learn to read. You basically said in the previous post what I said. Personally, I consciously move my elbow away from my body to get in alignment. Good luck.

[marek]

Yes, we both said the same thing... /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[theinel]

I've noticed this technique in other players but never gave it much thought. I've been struggling with my game a bit lately too so I just spent 20 minutes in front of a mirror testing this out.

I've always tried to keep things low and level so in my normal stance my upper arm runs parallel to the floor with my lower arm hanging perpendicular and I am as low as I can get. It took me a couple of minutes just to force myself to adjust things so that I could raise my elbow at all. I tried moving my grip hand forward slightly and elevating the rear end of the cue slightly which both worked but weren't very comfortable. Moving the position of my shoulder by moving it up and forward turned out to be the solution.

I haven't hit balls in this position yet but it did feel good and allowed me to see clearly that my cue, hand, wrist, lower arm, and upper arm were all in line. After I give it a test drive on a table I'll report my results.