How to hold a pool cue and aim: stance, bridge, grip and a straight stroke

TUREFF• •0

Most beginner misses in pool have nothing to do with aiming. They come from a stance that wobbles, a bridge that moves, or a stroke that swings off line. Get the basics right and the balls start going in more often, with less effort. These fundamentals apply to pool and snooker alike, with small differences in style.

Stance

Your stance is the platform for everything else.

Stand behind the shot and look along the line from cue ball to object ball.
Step in so your dominant-side foot is on or close to the line of the shot.
Place your other foot forward and to the side, roughly shoulder width apart, so you feel balanced.
Bend from the hips and bring your chin down towards the cue. How low you go is personal, but lower usually helps you see the line.
Keep your weight evenly spread and stay still during the shot.

A quick test: if someone gently pushed your shoulder, you should not wobble.

The bridge

The bridge is your front hand, which guides the cue.

Open bridge: hand flat on the cloth, fingers spread, thumb pressed against the base of the index finger to make a V. The cue slides in the groove. Easy for beginners and common in snooker.
Closed bridge: the index finger loops over the cue to hold it in place. Gives more control on firm shots and is common in pool.
Rail bridge: when the cue ball is near the cushion, rest your hand on the rail and guide the cue with your fingers.

Keep the bridge hand firm and planted. A bridge length of roughly 15 to 25 centimetres from the cue ball suits many shots; shorter for delicate ones.

Grip

Hold the back of the cue loosely, with your thumb and first two or three fingers. Grip too tightly and you steer the cue. Your hand should be roughly below your elbow when the tip reaches the cue ball, so your forearm hangs close to vertical.

The stroke

A good stroke is a pendulum: only your forearm moves, swinging from the elbow.

Address: settle with the tip just behind the cue ball, aimed where you intend to hit it.
Practice strokes: a few smooth back-and-forth feathers to check your line.
Pause: a brief stop at the end of the backswing helps stop you rushing.
Deliver: accelerate smoothly through the ball.
Follow through: let the cue keep travelling straight. Stay down until the object ball is on its way.

Keep your head and shoulders still. Jumping up to watch the ball is one of the commonest causes of a miss.

Sighting and aiming

Eye pattern: during practice strokes, look between cue ball and object ball; on the final stroke most players look at the object ball.
The ghost ball: picture a ball touching the object ball on the exact opposite side from the pocket. Aim the centre of the cue ball at the centre of that imaginary ball.
Line up standing: pick your line before you get down, not after.

Drills that help

Straight-in shots: set the cue ball and object ball in line with a pocket. If the cue ball wanders sideways after contact, your stroke is not straight.
Cushion to cushion: hit the cue ball up and down the table over the spots and see if it comes straight back to your tip.
The bottle or ring drill: stroke through a small gap such as the neck of an empty bottle to train a straight cue action.
Short sessions, often: twenty focused minutes beat two hours of random games.

What helped you most when you were learning to play straight? Share your tips and questions in the comments below.