[Sjohn]

My question is about how to hold your cue stick and the angle you should be directing the stick while applying left or right english. So if you are hitting
right english, do you keep your stick at the position like you would do to hit it center and shift your positioning hand more to the right and hit? (when hitting it it looks like you are hitting the cue ball at a slant /)
Or do you just pretend your hitting center and just shift to the right (meaning you moved your hitting hand and your positioning hand to the right) and hit right english? (so looking at the cue ball, you are hitting directly at the right side of the cue ball straight |)
I'm not sure which way is the proper way to strike it?

Thanks,
John :-D

[ Edited by Sjohn on 2007/6/21 12:58 ]

[ Edited by Sjohn on 2007/6/21 12:59 ]

[Pelican]

True english is done the way you describe secondly. Your first example is known as "backhand" english.

Pel

[ Edited by Pelican on 2007/6/21 20:43 ]

[Sjohn]

Thanks for the quick reply.
What is the benefits for the backhand english?
or is preference?

[ Edited by Sjohn on 2007/6/29 19:34 ]

[ Edited by Sjohn on 2007/6/29 19:34 ]

[9BallroadPro]

You have a longer stroke and swipe across the ball, it's much more complicated that this however.

[whitey]

Hi,

There really is no "correct" way, as different players (great ones
included) use both styles. And, one very famous instructor
used and taught "parallel", then converted to "backhand" many
years later after learning the technique from another pro.

The advantage of the "backhand" english style, is that it can be
used to compensate for the "deflection" in the cue stick, which
causes the cue ball to "squirt" off the stroking line when the
cue ball is hit on either side of center.

Since every cue stick has a different amount of deflection, there
is a point called the "pivot point" that must be found for each
cue. It is typically about 8 or 9 inches for most of the cues I
have used. So assuming the stick has a 9 inch pivot point, if
when you are aiming, you hold your bridge hand 9 inches
from the end of the tip. Then after you get your aim straight
as you would hit the cue ball in the center, you pivot the stick
keeping your bridge hand glued to the table, only moving the
butt (back) of the cue. Pivot the back hand to the left, and the
tip will now start pointing to the right of center of the cue, etc.

It is a very useful technique. BUT, there is another effect called
swerve that causes the cue ball to curve to the same side as
english is being applied, which the backhand technique does
not compensate for. And the faster the cue ball is moving
the less swerve there will be, so it takes a little experimentation
to learn about english, distance, and speed, and how they work
together. And all of this is just related to the cue ball.

I hope I did not overload you with information, or confuse you.

[ Edited by whitey on 2007/8/29 20:39 ]

[wornoutshoes]

in my expeience, your second description is the correct one. the more convex shape of the tip, the more your range of english before you miscue (that clanking sound that makes you shiver and griund your teeth, sounds like knocking your cue on the side of a table)