How it works
The grip hand holds the cue, it doesn’t steer it. A tight grip tenses your wrist and forearm, so the cue wanders off line and you tend to slow down at contact. A light grip lets the cue swing through the ball on its own line.
Let your arm hang loosely at your side: your fingers curl naturally into a small cradle. That cradle is your grip. The cue rests on the first two fingers, the thumb keeps it from falling, and the ring and little finger touch lightly or not at all. Your thumb points roughly down, and the wrist hangs straight, neither cocked in nor out.
Where you hold the cue depends on your arm length. Find the cue’s balance point by balancing it on one finger. Most players hold a hand’s width or more behind it. Taller players hold further back.
Step by step
- 1
Balance the cue on one finger to find its balance point.
- 2
Let your arm hang and lay the cue into your curled fingers, a hand’s width or so behind the balance point.
- 3
Hold it with thumb and first two fingers; let the other fingers rest loosely.
- 4
Check for a little daylight between the cue and the web of your thumb.
- 5
In your stance, check that your forearm hangs straight down when the tip is near the cue ball. If it doesn’t, move your grip hand.
Common mistakes
Death grip
Squeezing with the whole hand. The wrist locks and the stroke gets jerky.
Thumb on top
Locks the wrist the same way.
Cocked wrist
Wrist bent in or out. It can work for experts, but it’s harder to keep straight.
Grip hand too far forward
Ahead of the elbow, so the cue lifts on the backswing.
Re-gripping during the stroke
Tightening at contact. The grip at the end should feel as loose as at the start.
Practice this
Exercise · Level 1
Hold it like a bird
Take practice strokes so loosely you could almost drop the cue, then pocket easy straight shots that way.
Exercise · Level 1
Grip position test
Play the same medium straight shot with your hand 5 cm further forward and 5 cm further back. Notice where the stroke feels smoothest.
Check yourself: after 10 straight-in shots, your grip hand hasn’t tightened (no white knuckles), and the cue tip finishes straight along the line, not pulled to the side. Then you’re ready for the next lesson.
Adjustments: move the hand a little forward for soft touch shots and further back for power shots and the break. Keep your forearm close to vertical at contact by moving your bridge and feet with it.