How it works
A good stance does four jobs. It keeps you still, so only your arm moves. It leaves room for your arm to swing past your body. It puts your eyes over the cue, so you see the line you aim along. And it feels relaxed enough to repeat on every shot.
Think of a tripod: both feet and your bridge hand. Your weight is spread evenly over the feet, with a little leaning onto the bridge hand. How wide you stand and how low you bend depends on your height and taste. There’s no single correct stance, but there are clear limits.
The arm is the reason for the stance. Your upper arm stays still, and your forearm hangs straight down from the elbow and swings like a pendulum. Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand should sit in one vertical plane above the shot line.
Step by step
Right-handed; mirror it if you’re left-handed.
- 1
Stand behind the cue ball, facing along the shot line, cue in your right hand at your side.
- 2
Step into the line with your right foot, so the line passes close to your right foot.
- 3
Turn your body about 45° to the right.
- 4
Step forward with your left foot, about a stride, slightly to the left of the line.
- 5
Bend forward from the hips, put your bridge hand down, and lower your chin towards the cue.
- 6
Check: forearm hanging straight down, head still and level, cue under your chin or under your dominant eye.
Common mistakes
Side-saddle
Both feet on the shot line. Your hip is in the way, so the arm swings around your body.
Facing the shot square-on
The elbow sticks out and the stroke turns into a push.
Grip hand too far forward
The hand is well ahead of the elbow, which cramps the backswing and makes the stroke pushy.
Head tilted or moving
A tilted head distorts the line; standing up early ruins the shot.
Practice this
Exercise · Level 1
Mirror check
Set up facing a mirror or film yourself from the front. Is the cue under your chin and your forearm vertical?
Exercise · Level 1
Freeze at the finish
After each practice stroke, hold still for two seconds. If you can’t, the stance is not stable enough.
Check yourself: hold your stance for 10 slow practice strokes and film it from the front. Your head and shoulders don’t move, and your forearm is vertical when the tip is at the cue ball. Then you’re ready for the next lesson.
Variations: higher for power shots and the break, lower for precise aiming. For long reaches you may lift a leg onto the table rail, but one foot must stay on the floor (WPA rule 3.4).