What's the best way to hold and aim a pool cue?

Question

I know how to tackle most of the shots, but it's putting it into practice that I can't do.

I know exactly where I should hit the target ball, and know where the cue should hit the cue ball. But I'm just not getting the cue aim correct, so that when I hit the ball, my aim is way off.

What is the best way to hold the cue and to aim it? Do I lower myself to the height of the cue and look down the cue in that way? Do I look at the target ball first?

Any advice on this would be appreciated - I'm determined to end my losing streak soon!

Answer 1

Ideally, you want the cue stick to move in a straight line all the way from the end of your backstroke to the end of your follow through.  The easiest way to do this is align your shoulder, elbow, and wrist in a vertical plane perpendicular to the table and concentrate on just moving your elbow since it only has one freedom of movement.  This will obviously make your cue tip move up and down a little bit, but if you line up where you want to hit the cue ball, this shouldn't be a problem.  Make sure the cue stick moves along your line of aim.  Where your head is doesn't matter so much, but your dominant eye should ideally be in line with your cue stick.  You'll have to find a method that works best for you, but what is often taught is to look at the cue ball when you're doing your practice strokes and shift your eyes to the object ball for the final stroke.

Answer 2

it depends how you want to hit the ball