07. How to Grip the Cue - Straight Cueing in Snooker
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- How you grip the snooker cue governs how well you deliver the cue. It is significant in helping you to deliver the cue in a straight line and hit the cue ball correctly thus improving the quality of your timing. Barry Stark, Senior World Snooker Coach, Snooker tutorial. #cueball #snookercoach #snookercoaching #worldsnooker #billiards
It is really nice of you that you sacrifice your time to answer my questions,thank you. You are the best teacher for grip and stroke i ever met
It's my pleasure
Lol. Plenty of experince
Awesome information, love your videos. Straight forward and easy to understand info for any level of players
well, this video marks the end of my see-saw problem... thank you Mr. Barry, its really helpful...
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hi barry ive started using this grip over the last 2 days, i must say ive really struggled with my game b4 but since i started using this grip im very impressed with it and im starting 2 feel the benefits from it, theres still lots of hard work 2 be done but this is a big step 4 me.
Nicholas. That is great to hear, well done.
Wonderful ! this tutorial was particularly very helpful for me , I used to hold the cue with a full grip and I always felt that something is wrong , thank you sir
My pleasure Ilyass, glad you found it heplful. Please keep working at it.
I have been experimenting with my grip for the last 6 months and ended up doing exactly what is being shown here. It works the best for me and it's easy to see why. The cue is securely connected to the hand when gripping in this way effectively giving much more control. Anytime I move away from securely gripping the cue in the V part of my hand my accuracy drops precipitously.
john. When a player comes to me with a problem in his game its a fair bet that the grip is involved somewhere along the line. The front "V" really does help with control. Well done.
Hello Sir , Hope you are fine. Love from Pakistan for you. First of all thanks for this channel it is a very good initiative to help out ameture game lovers who are working on their techniques to improve . i have a question for you , i am playing snooker from last 10 years and now i found that how i hold the cue is not TEXT book . i hold and deliver cue like Mark Allen (only 2 or 3 fingers touching the cue on delivery). i tried to change but due to long time negative muscle memory i failed in tis regard . should i try it to change or just practice with my style . Please make a video potting balls near cushion not touching the cushion. i am waiting for kind advice Thanks again
one of the best video on cue holding !! thx Barry
Mritunjay. Players who have a problem with their game often find that giving some attention to their grip can have massive benefits.
Dead Barry
I am playing 3 cushion Carom for ages. Worked a lot the last 10 years to become better. My main goal was to get a good Stroke. Tool trainings by one of the best in Austria. Took hundrets of Videos,nothing Really helped. No one could tell me how to hold my cue,or even sayed someting wrong
But then i found your clips about the grip!!! And that helped imediately. It made „klick “. I am so grateful about that. It is so much more fun to play Now. I still have to work on my stance,because one of your videos also teached me,that i am left eye dominant. My position but was as if i would be righteye dominant...i still could not work out a method how to go ,of aproach,to the ball.
Anyway
THANK YOU SO MUCH BARRY
Maybe i come visit you for some training Hours sometimes
Georg. I am a great admirer of Carom players, their knowledge of angles and judgement of pace is phenomenal at the top level. I am glad that my videos on the grip have been helping in your progress.
Hi Barry
you have shared a lot of videos instructing nuances of game. will you share a complete video on behaviour of snooker cloth in detail. effect of nap on different kind of shots and the consideration with which player has to take the shot.
Finally some REAL grip advice.
i know the basic idea of grip but i dont get it, do you open the ring shaped by thumb and forfinger as you pull the cue all the way back, or the ring has to remain as the same size as in address position , or does the size of the ring becomes bigger as you pull back the cue.
the other question i have is:
as you deliver the cue, to stop the cue force, how many finger has to take the force of cue cue. i was told to relax ring and thumb and only take the cue force with the last 3 fingers, but this shows me jerk in the cue. but i can see most pro players thumb and forfingers are relaxed and after the cue is delivered the thumb and forfinger loos open
can you please make an advanced grip video or if possible please exaplin in detail. tnx
Basic. Very difficult to explain in words alone, my videos cover the grip I recommend in detail. It should be remembered however that everyone does similar things in slightly different ways. What suits one does not always suit everyone.
So you would suggest tightening or tensing up your hand as you finish your follow through? This is contradicting what I have previously learned (to keep your hand relaxed the entire stroke) so I would like to know what you think of this. Also does it change when you make a draw shot because I saw another person say it helps to stay relaxed for draw shots. Thank you very much
cd 914. Tension will invariably cause errors in most players game, however it is inevitable that there is slight tightening of the grip as the fingers re-furl back on to the cue, this is particularly true with the power screw shot, players need to learn what suits their game best.
Barry Stark Snooker Coach thanks for the reply
@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach with the slight righting of grip is this just for 2nd and 3rd fingers? Not the last finger also?
Thank you Shihan
Hmm...Think I've been see sawing for years! Very helpful thank you Barry .
sundowner. Keeping the cue parallel helps a lot of players.
@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Thanks Barry .
Barry?
do you put pressure on that " flashy part " although my cue is touching there, and i cannot see any air or gap through . but when i play harder i feel like my cue moves alittle bit
i know forfinger and thumb should be locked, but do you have to put pressure with the cue to that " flashy part " ?
ARTgamer. If you are doing this correctly as you take the cue back using a little wrist in the action there will be a little increase in the pressure of this area. Be careful here though too much can inhibit smooth cueing.
Barry Stark Snooker Coach
Wow I think I found the problem finally after watching this video many many times
When I am In address position the cue is not touching the palm of me hand and after the delivery it does touch
I can see that when you are in address position ur palm is touching the cue
Can you please reply me Barry if I am right ? Thank you heaps
Fantastic .. it helps me a lot ..Thanks for uploading this video
Hi
If you do a very long backswing should the thumb and forefinger still be in touch with each other?
Like a ring shape
Or they would be locked at all the time ?
Tnx
Thank you. Hope you’re doing well
Hi Master, I meet Kyren tonight in Shanghai and discuss further on the grip. Definitely existing, he also mentioned that he feels the cue when swing back by RING fingers. And he said that you really help him a lot.
Zhang Ken. Glad you met Kyren, He is a smashing lad and a very good snooker player.
do you closer all 5 fingers after the shot?
your thumb and forfinger looks relaxed, as most top pros the same
can you show if you only close the last 3 fingers and keep the thumb and forfinger relaxed?
Relax. Everyone is different, some will relax the front of the hand as they play the shot, others will keep a relatively firm hold on the cue in this area.
Just wanted to mention that should the for finger straighten itself like the other 3 fingers or should it be round shape and in locked with thumb ( specially when doing a long backswing )
Tnx
Hi Barry I have to say great video, so Is it true that judd trump and Neil robertson use this kind if grip for the use of timing and more flick of the wrist for more power
Papi. The nearest to it is Neil Robertson bet certainly they are both very close to it.
Hallo Mr. Stark, with how much force should the index finger and thumb enclose the cue. My experience is that both fingers apply just enough force so that the cue does not 'fall'. The motto should be that the cue does the work. So any additional force on the cue would be detrimental. What do you think about this?
Thomas. Generally I agree with you, you should allow the cue to do the work, however this really is an individual thing, you find what works for you as a player. Without mentioning any names I can certainly recall a few top players that grip the cue very firmly at the front.
Hi Barry, I notice that when you stroke, your body is very close to the cue. Is your chest actually touching or rubbing against the side of the cue when you take your stroke?
Rajie. My cue is definitely touching the chest, playing snooker without the cue touching the chest demands a lot of your cueing technique and in my opinion makes the game more difficult than it needs to be, it is already a very difficult game, why make it harder.?
A very proper production.
Good morning, Barry, the limit of tossing down the ball is the cloth?
hi
faizan from Pakistan
my highest break is 92 but last couple of months I get problem with my grip. someone mentioned me while I was playing that my elbow is falling down on right too much.
and that thing stuck in my mind and cause too much damages till now. feeling so depressed
help me out please
To be a snooker player you have to develop a thick skin, by that I mean ignore well meant but naive advice or criticism. It does not matter how you achieve it but the only thing that matters is delivering that cue consistently in a straight line. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint and to a large extent will dictate where the elbow goes. The elbow is a hinge joint and will only work in one plane, get the wrist working in harmony with the elbow joint and you can deliver the cue in that straight line despite the fact the elbow may fall to the right. (as you put it)
barry when you say to get the wrist working in harmony with the elbow do you mean to turn the wrist as you're stroking to compensate for the lateral movement of the elbow?
I have a couple of questiions, they are when you show how to hold the grip, you say you hold the cue with the thumb and the pointer and then about the 3rd finger but you are using the 4th finger. I do not understand that. And also after getting ready to hit the shot, on to which part of the object ball you have to hit? Do you hit to the middle or to the side? Nobody mentions about that. Do you think that you can let me know. I know that you are a good teacher. Thank you very much.
Super. There is obviously some confusion here about which of the rear fingers are used. All the fingers are used in one capacity or another but the emphasis is on the third finger ( the ring finger next to the little finger) when the hand closes back onto the cue. I have shown on video which part of the object ball to hit, please have a look at them, they will help. In the mean time the part of the object ball to hit is the point that is furthest away from the pocket . To find that point imagine a straight line drawn from the pocket through the object ball.
Good morning Barry, I live in Brazil, thank you for giving tips on you tube channel.
I have a doubt.
When I hit the ball directly on the table doing the stroke at the bottom of the ball, it works very well, but if I do the same tacad now with the white ball reaching another ball the ball jumps.
Please, can you explain?
Paulo. I'm sure there is something lost in translation, but I'm afraid I don't quite understand the question, can you try again please.
Hi Barry. I'd like to know what kind of glasses you use that allow you to see both close up and at a distance. I use progressives during the day. However, they don't work at the pool table.
Rick. My normal glasses are also progressives but these are no good for snooker. I believe you need a single lens that allows you to see from nought to about 18 feet. The optimum part of the lens also needs to be raised because you are generally looking through the upper part of the lens. I can do no better than to tell you to get in touch with Chris Cheshire of Snookerspecs.com. Chris is an optician and a very good snooker player who specialises in them, believe me he knows what he is talking about.
Thank you Barry!
Hi Barry, thank you for your video, I have a question about Ronnie's grip for a long time, everybody says he is holding the cue with his middle finger, but i found that when he swing back the cue, his middle finger released and his cue did not moved down, so which part he is holding the cue? or which parts are his ring? really appreciated!
Certainly Ronnie doesn't concentrate on the front of the hand like a few of the other top players but he does place emphasis on the 'V' that fleshy area of the hand between thumb and fore finger. He has minimal unfurling of the fingers on most shots ( he has grooved his action from an early age) but certainly unfurls them more when he plays a power shot. What is seen by spectators and what Ronnie feels are often two different things but it is fair to say his middle finger has a more significant role in his action than most other top players.
Helpful ✨
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Barry, where have you captured where to hold the cue?
This is really helpful! Much thanks!
SuBi. Great that it helps you.
love your videos. Does snooker style differ from American pool? I am a new player. thank you.
Hello Barry! First, i want to say thank you for this awesome channel. I have a problem time by time. When I play a lot, I have pain in the second joint of my right thumb. (Inner side). At the end of the shot (especially long deep screw/follow through) I'm using strong grip. But without it, I can't pot, or I can't gain so much spin. What should I do? Do u think the problem is with my cue? (sometimes i feel it too light, (16.5 Oz!) and I'm afraid I can't control it, without strong grip. Thank you for your answer!
Bence. I believe tension in any part if the game is not a particularly good thing. If it is causing pain in any area especially the grip I feel that is wrong. However, we have to consider the cause and it is possible that the cue is a little light. I don't believe this can be the only cause though and I would play close attention to the formation of the grip. Please have a look at my video on the grip and see if you can make any adjustment there. Please remember though if you do change anything in the grip area it is quite natural to experience a little tension at the onset. It will be different and strange to start with, please be patient.
Barry. First of all thanks for your videos I watched most of them and try to implement it into my game.
I have a quick question on the grip.
Does the cue apply pressure on back 3 fingers? I mean do back 3 fingers hold the butt from falling down on they just in contact without supporting the butt?
empower. Try making a circle with the thumb and first finger, this for most players today (not all) is the main stay of the grip. As the cue is moved backwards the remaining three fingers support the cue and always remain in contact with it.
Dear Barry. I wish you all good things in the world and hope that you are well again and healthy.
I wonder if you have ever given some thoughts about the stroke in 3 cushion carom. I am sure you have..
Do you want to share them with me? Can you help me any further? I have my grip now. I am doing it the way you are teaching it.
But i am still experimenting. For example,some practice hours i sure do the Ring with my Index Finger and thoumb,but extreme light and concentrate more on the midlefinger and thomb Ring which stays constant while alowing the front of the hand,the indexfinger ring to open as i finish the forward movement. Also i experiment in initiating a fast forward movement from the elbow and not using the "trigger". But in all this,the grip stays the same,you couldn’t tell from the outside. with the difference that i pass the chest.and for that I have to open the front of the hand. When I stroke exactly like you say the follow through is shorter,which also feels good. I haven’t made up my mind how to stroke. But I should,I recon. Any ideas?
Georg. 3 cushion carom is not a game that I have played, but I have watched it at a very high level, just like anything that happens in cue sports I get intrigued by the way players deliver the cue. I stand to be corrected by anyone who plays the game but from what I saw the players try to play the shots very gently allowing spin to do the work for them rather than power. Most players follow through with the shot a lot allowing them to generate the spin, to do this they invariably go past the chest which in turn necessitates them opening the front of the hand. I believe opening the front of the hand as you go past the chest will be helpful with this game. Good luck.
Thank you very much,that helps
Nice cue, to me it looked like a John Parris cue. Do you like it? I think he's one of the best cue makers out there and I'd love to get his cue one day. Could you recommend his cues? Greetings from Finland, I really like your channel.
Yes my cue was made by John Parris he makes a good product and is in high demand, glad you like the channel.
Showing off a bit before the end there Barry!! :-)
popitastic. I suppose we all love that boost to our ego.
Dear Coach Barry, great video!
Grip has always been a problem to me, my hands are a little fleshy and grippy so i feel like minimal furl is good for me. when i do this though, i cannot but develop some tension pressing the cue onto my bridge hand(little pressure) during the back swing(pressure gradually develops as i swing the cue back, and it doesnt seem to bother me but i wanna make sure) is that good or bad ? i feel like if i channel the tension inline with the shot i can save some power on my delivery and thus have better cue action. by the way: I have seen O'Sullivian's cue slightly bending sometimes in his back swing which i feel is the same tension im facing, but he's the best and know's what he's doing! Thank you
Yasser Some players do have a little tension in certain areas whilst they are playing. One very good professional who I have done a little work with has a very firm grip which also leads to pressure on the bridge hand for him. I am encouraging him to relax more and allow the cue to do more work rather than his muscles. You do say that the pressure doesn't seem to bother you but I wonder if this would be true as the competition got bigger and the competitors got better. The old maxim of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it applies" but I would certainly make the effort to relax a little more.
Great Videos thanks Barry. Been playing for 30 years and had a few ton plus breaks but always experimenting. Getting down to the nitty gritty of the Grip, what part of the hand / fingers / forearm, actually "triggers" the very "first" movement to move the cue backwards, and subsequently at the end of the backswing what triggers the drive forward of the cue ? It appears on the video that you use the fleshy "V" for both is this correct ? As I sometimes feel that while having a pre-dominantly light hold with this "V" I can keep a straighter cue action by concentrating on moving my forearm in a straight line and letting my hand ease to accommodate keeping the cue parallel to the table. Any thoughts would be appreciated thank you.
Gianfranco. I believe the trigger to move the cue backwards is the first finger, the cue should then be in contact with the fleshy 'V' and the third finger, together they provide the initial forward momentum or trigger. However not every player does this and it would be wrong to dictate and say that that is how it must be done. It is not for every player to use this method and my motto is, if their method is not broken, don't try to fix it.
Hi Barry thanks for answering so soon, much appreciated, I think I may have been a bit confusing in my question when I said" It appears on the video that you use the fleshy "V" for both is this correct ?" I was not asking if the technique was correct, I was asking if that was how it "felt" for you "personally", that you draw it back with the "V" and start the forward stroke with the "V", I was just looking to add a final thought into my own Pre-shot routine to put a focus point for my grip in the full stroke. Thanks again.
Barry -what practice exercise would you recommend to improve your timing as this is critical to getting good reaction without hitting the cue ball hard
Thanks
Mike
Mike. I would start by trying to screw the ball back from fairly close range, concentrating on relaxing to feel the ball as you hit it, stay still after you have played the shot and measure your follow through. Do this a few times trying to get some consistency with the amount of follow through. when you hit the cue ball, get through it and hang on to it, you will feel the difference when you do it right. One last point is to listen to the sound as the two balls collide, you will also hear the difference when you do it right.
Barry Stark Snooker Coach
Thanks Barry - will give it a go
Mike
Hi Barry, love your channel! My grip is the one part of my game that I seem to struggle loads with and can not find anything that seems to work consistently for me. I play more US pool than snooker and used to hold the cue very loosely, like a young Ronnie. I found that even though I could get through the ball I lacked feel and control that I want.
With the grip that you teach, are you holding the cue firmly enough to keep it in the fleshy v at address or are you just holding it naturally with a closed hand and then allowing it to come into the v tighter on the backswing? Also, on your follow through do you keep the v closed on the cue or do you allow the front of the hand to open a little bit as you come to the chest?
Michael. Good question. I personally hold the cue just firm enough to keep it in the fleshy "V" and allow, rather than force, it to become slightly tighter on the back swing. The follow through depends on the shot being played, on some shots I will keep the front of the hand closed, on others this will become more relaxed. May I suggest that this is where you need to experiment a little to find out what suits you. Please remember we are all slightly different, what suits me may not suit you, good luck.
Barry Stark. Thank you for your reply. Would I then be correct in saying that the hold at address is fairly relaxed with the tension in the "V" coming from the backswing, and then the grip pressure remaining even throughout the stroke as to give some element of "letting the cue do the work?"
Michael. Yes, its all about feel and letting the cue do the work.
Hi sir does it make a differance which way you grip the cue wether the flat side is facing up or down?
hamed. Not in the slightest, it is purely a matter of personal preference.
Hi Barry. I've heard that its good if you can point your thumb straight down. I've been trying that lately. I'm starting with what I'm going to call my chimpanzee wrists because human wrists are naturally bent inward like a chimps. I find that if I can rotate them slightly so its straight down its probably only about 30 degrees from inwards to straight even though it feels like a lot more. I like it in the sense that the wrist feels straight and everything feels more locked in. The problem is it doesn't feel comfortable yet because the wrist feels stretched. Would you recommend that I continue with the stretched feeling until it feels normal? Thanks in advance - Gordon MacLellan Toronto,Canada
Gordon. Whenever you make any change to your game, however small, it always feels like the change is massive. I like the idea that the wrist feels straight but not the phrase that everything feels more locked in, also stretched. This implies to me that there is tension something that I personally like a player to dispel. Granted there is likely to be a degree of tension because of the change but please try to eliminate this asap. I also like to see a small amount of wrist in the action but trying to keep everything in the same plain, inversion can cause problems for some players. Give it a fair try and good luck.
Thank you for response. I will work on keeping it straight AND relaxed. Another thing I neglected to mention was that with the thumb more vertical its easier to focus on the ring finger as a trigger because that second finger is also more vertical. Thanks again. You are doing great work. I am actually a pool player but I find your instructions to be most valuable.
Barry. Does that means i have to focus on tightening the forefingers or be it firm. Having a match this sunday thanks
Daniel. Be firm without being tight and just let it happen naturally.
Wise words thanks Barry
Hi Barry, first of all thanks for the great tutorials. I was born with forward rolled shoulders, it´s noticetable especially when I´m standing without a shirt. For example when I swing my hands in a circle, my hands twist a bit to the outside. I was thinking may this affect my cueing? For example my hand twisting to outside direction from my body when cueing due to condition on my shoulders and causing unwanted sidespin. I´ve really struggled at times to get the cue go straight, and even though tutorials like this and practice have helped it a bit, I still get unwanted results. Do you think this could be the main reason? Pardon my poor english, hope you understood.
Cheers from Finland.
naasbi69. This is a difficult one to answer without seeing you play but one thing I do know is that the grip and wrist is well able to rectify any shortcomings in the anatomy of the shoulders. Please study my video on the grip, please pay particular notice to it and please remember , there is only one thing that has got hold of that cue, there is only one thing delivers that cue, get the grip right and the game starts to get easier. It will never be easy, just easier. Good luck.
Thank you Barry. I´ll keep on studying.
Hi sir greeting from Singapore. I ve been quite disturbed by the friction between my clothes and cue whenever I am delivering the cue. What should i do with it?
Ce. I would have to see the cue before I could offer any realistic advice but it could be that there is varnish on the cue. I have said many times on video, I hate the stuff on a snooker cue. Manufacturers put it on the cheaper cues to make them look nice but good cue makers tend to use an oil not varnish. Varnish on the butt of the cue is okay and some players prefer it but very few have it on the shaft of the cue.
Barry Stark Snooker Coach. Thank you for your reply!
Good one
Thank you! Cheers!
Hey Barry it's me again. love the videos really need help with one thing I haven't seen any videos cover from anyone. I play with my chin on my cue but sometimes when I hit the ball my cue smacks me in the chin . how do I avoid this please help.
Theo. This is a difficult one without seeing you play, I can only think of tension somewhere in the action, try to keep the cue parallel throughout the shot but without tension.
is there any way I can message you possibly send you a vid of my cue action and for tips etc? I'd really like to learn as much as I can from you I'm a charter new zealand pool player so we have English tables similar to snooker tables so what you teach can really help my game cueing wise.
Theo. We are looking at this possibility to include it in the future.
Barry Stark Snooker Coach
Hey Barry I was just wondering if this is possible yet . Thankyou
Your stance is very beautiful
kenkoong. As long as it is consistent and stable.
4:46 Great shot!
B. Thanks, I try.
hi barry great video i am a english pool player, just a question when im in my back swing my forefinger and thumb loose grip. please could you help me out or tell me why thanks
Shane. This should not happen really and there are possible problems that without seeing you play are difficult to determine. May I suggest however that it may be the butt of your cue is too thick for the length of your fingers. I often come across this and indeed I also have to be very careful about how thick my cue butt is because I too have short and fat fingers.
please make a video to help me with this
Nicccceeeeee Infooooooo 💯💯💯💯😁😁😁😁👨🏾💻👨🏾💻👨🏾💻👨🏾💻
Danilo. Many thanks.
thanks a lot
Oh,sorry...Dear Barry. (not what i wrote down there in my letter.) that was the writing program...
Georg. Don't worry its okay.
3:31