A Straight Stroke - Viking Cues Tip of the Week with Mike Roque, Author of "Build Your Game"

A Straight Stroke

“…concentrate on keeping your backswing on the stroking line.”

-Max Eberle

A STRAIGHT STROKE is the foundation for practically all pool shots. You could set up on the cue ball precisely and take perfect aim, but if you can’t bring the cue stick through the line perfectly, you’ll miss a lot.

All top players at some point work on developing a straight stroke. Start by setting the cue ball on the spot and shooting the cue ball into a corner pocket. Observe whether your stroke finishes directly over the center of the spot. Practice this until you can do it every time.

If you veer off the spot, there’s a problem. You have a stroke mechanics problem or your alignment is out of whack. Do the same drill pocketing an object ball, increasing the distance until you can be dead accurate on long, straight–in shots. Be slow and deliberate and focus on keeping your backswing and forward stroke on the vertical axis, veering neither left nor right.

At home, you could place an empty soda bottle on a table with your cue tip at the mouth. Take your warm up strokes in and out of the bottle and let your final stroke go without touching the bottle. Aim for fifty consecutive strokes.

Do this with your eyes closed and your ball pocketing skills will improve dramatically!

A great (and fun) example from our friends at Billiards and Darts Direct.

Develop a straight stroke.

With it, you can make any shot.

Love our Tip of the Week with Mike Roque, you can purchase your own copy of his book "Build Your Game" at the BEBOB Publishing Website at http://bebobpublishing.com/