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The Mechanics of Playing Pool
by BCA Certified Instructor Chris O'Donnell
Stroking the Cue - A Two-Part Motion with Rhythm
Copyright 2003-2010 Chris O'Donnell All Rights Reserved
It's no secret that a good stroke is the key to playing great pool. Even if all your other fundamentals are perfect, your performance will suffer without a good stroke. A smooth, rhythmic stroke makes the cue feel like an extension of your arm, letting you translate mental images of success into positive results on the table.
The pool stroke has two distinct, alternating parts. There is a back swing and a forward swing, in that order. The back swing is powered by the triceps located in the back of your upper arm. The forward swing is powered by the biceps located in the front.
The back swing should have a slow, smooth take away. The speed of the forward swing should be your best approximation of the stroke speed required to make the intended shot and roll the cue ball into position for the next shot.
Each shot should begin with two or three practice strokes that mimic the desired stroke speed. Each practice stroke should have the same tempo ( i.e. take the same length of time to complete) and have the same rhythm (i.e. a slower back swing and a quicker forward swing, before then coming to a stop).
A good pool stroke has three key positions: The SET, the PAUSE and the FINISH. Your ability to maintain good timing and rhythm as you move from one position to another will largely determine the quality of your stroke and, consequently, your level of play. Understanding of the overall stroking process helps to identify the cause of your mistakes and correct them quickly.
1. THE SET - Once in your stance with the cue on the target line and the cue tip within a half inch of the intended stroking location on the cue ball, you are in THE SET POSITION. Each practice stroke begins and ends in this position. Before stopping the cue in the Set position, you may wish to take a few warm-up strokes, both to loosen up your arm and to zero in on the length and speed of stroke required for the shot.
THE SET POSITION - Cue tip at a complete stop within
half inch of cue ball at end of each practice stroke
Once you bring the cue tip into the Set position, take two (or three) more practice strokes with the same exact speed, then take the shot. Don't take too many practice strokes. It's difficult to keep a steady rhythm. If things still don't look or feel right after five or six practice strokes, stand up for a moment, then you can begin again with a better idea of what is required for the shot.
Again, begin and end each practice stroke with the cue tip at A DEAD STOP in the Set position. A rolling stop simply will not get the job done. This requires a conscious effort to stop stroking just long enough to allow the biceps to begin to relax before starting the next back swing. With as few as two practice strokes, the biceps develop enough muscle memory to get fooled into relaxing again on the shot stroke just before the cue tip contacts the cue ball, promoting a smooth stroke that accelerates evenly into the cue ball.
In addition, a few good sets afford you the opportunity to verify the accuracy of your alignment and cueing while the cue is at rest very close to the impact position. When you see that the cue tip is in the correct cueing location, and the cue aligned with the target, two or three sets in a row, you can take the shot with a high level of confidence they will be correct at impact. If you are not seeing a consistent picture from set to set, you know you have some work to do on your fundamentals.
2. THE PAUSE - This is a very slight hesitation at the end of the back swing as the stroke transitions into the forward swing. It is not a "stop" in the sense that you have to consciously do anything to make it happen. Simply allow the cue to fully complete the back swing before starting forward, much like a pendulum getting all the way to one side before it starts swinging back in the other direction. This allows one set of muscles to stop working before the other begins, which avoids any overlap in the working of the two.
The Pause - On a full stroke, back
swing brings ferrule to front of bridge
3. THE FINISH - When you are ready to take the shot, take the same back swing, then begin the forward swing just like it's another practice stroke. Once the forward swing is well underway, smoothly accelerate (speed up) the forward swing, sending the cue tip surging into the cue ball and following through well beyond, at least the length of the back swing. Then freeze. THIS IS THE FINISH POSITION. Staying down in this position and watching the entire shot until the balls come to rest will help you recognize the cause and effect of your mistakes.
The Finish - Follow through beyond
cue ball at least the length of the
back swing, then freeze
The timing of your stroke is the glue that holds everthing else together. Many good players fail to appreciate the fact that good fundamentals, including good targeting and aiming, can be completely undermined by a poorly-timed stroke. One way to improve the timing of your stroke is to take pendulum-like practice strokes. Before taking any practice strokes, pull the cue tip back half the distance of the back swing you intend to take. Then, adjust the location of your grip on the cue so your forearm is pointing straight down (vertical). Then, move the cue back to the Set position and begin your practice strokes. This ensures that your grip will be in the upswing portion of the pendulum motion when the cue tip hits the cue ball, which helps to make a smooth follow through.
Forearm and grip act like a pendulum swinging
from fixed elbow, point straight down halfway
between Set and Pause positions
The most common deviations in stroking the cue are simple timing errors. I have already alluded to some errors in the forward swing, including (1) early deceleration i.e. hitting and quitting before completing the follow through, (2) punching or poking the cue ball by accelerating too early in the forward swing, and (3) failing to stop the cue in the Set position. There are also several common back swing errors that I refer to as the "short stroke," the "lazy back swing" and the "long pause."
The short stroke occurs when you take two or three well-timed, full-length practice strokes, then cut the back swing in half on the actual shot stroke, starting the forward swing early. The lazy back swing is a slow, dragged-out back swing on the shot stroke that decelerates into the Pause position. The long pause has a normal back swing that comes a complete stop in the Pause position (often a full count or more) before starting the forward swing.
Any of these mistakes can destroy the rhythm of your stroke. The result is usually a jerky, downward, stabbing-type motion with the cue tip striking the cue ball lower than, and off to one side of, the intended cueing location. This can cause deflection or "squirt" which shoves the cue ball off its intended line. It can also cause unintended sidespin (english) which (1) makes the cue ball veer off line in the direction of the spin, and (2) causes gear effect i.e. transfers the opposite english to the object ball, throwing it off its intended line to the pocket.
Disrupting your stroke with timing errors can also make you jump up during the shot stroke. You may think that jumping up caused you to stroke poorly, although it is often the other way around, jumping upon sensing a stroking error. No matter how good your other fundamentals may be, a poorly-timed stroke can cause a lot of missed shots. Good rhythm, on the other hand, can make up for fundamentals that are less than perfect.
Again, it's easy to achieve a rhythmic stroke. Just make sure the back swing is slower (about half the speed) than the forward swing, and that each practice stroke is evenly timed, beginning and ending at a complete stop in the Set position. If you're having trouble with it, try counting off (to yourself) each time you stop the cue in the Set position on the last two or three practice strokes, saying "through" on the hit. This helps you to stroke the cue ball on the same exact count, and reminds you to follow through on the shot.
Keep in mind that this isn't the only way to stroke a pool cue with some rhythm. Many players, including some top professionals, make what I consider stroking errors quite intentionally and manage to play extremely well. For example, many players don't like to stop in the Set when stroking and manage to keep good rhythm with a stroking style some call "the classic." The short stroke and the long pause, when refined through practice, are called "the poke" and "the hesitation" respectively. The lazy back swing, when intended, is called "the drawstring."
While there are other names for these idiosycratic stroking styles, these particular labels are from hall of fame billiards author Robert Byrnes, who points out that "there are professionals in every sport with peculiar styles. Talent, years of heavy practice, and a fanatic will to win can compensate for any number of flaws in technique."
Good luck!
