When Joe Davis played Snooker, he did so in a style not adopted by even 1% of players today.
When Joe went through with the shot, he dropped his elbow. The fact that he did this causes problems to those trying to copy him.
To avoid his back hand hitting his chest at the time the cue-ball was struck, Joe stood sideways on.
He was able to do this because he was left-eyed and so could get his body over to the side and his hand underneath his chest.
Consequently, he was able to send the cue through in a straight line, but take it from me, most people will have a lot of trouble trying to emulate Joe.
In fact, I have known people give up entirely because they could not manage the same action that Joe was advocating.
Today, more people tend to play in a way which comes naturally to them. If they do not drop their elbow, what method do they use? This is the one I have evolved myself.
To make sure the length of your bridge is constant, mark the cue (1) at the point where it rests over the bridge at the address position - when the tip of the cue is not quite in contact with the cue-ball. The distance from the mark to the top of the cue will be about 12 inches (30 cm).
On the last back swing (2) the tip of the cue should be some four to five inches (10-12.5 cms) away from the cue-ball, as the mark on the cue shows clearly.
At the finish of the stroke (3), the cue will have gone well through the cue-ball. If the back hand is five to six inches (12.5-15 cms) from the chest when
the waggles (or preliminary addresses) start, a player can complete the shot and get well through the cue-ball before the back hand hits the chest.
How-can we ensure that the cue will not lift at the back? The key lies in the grip. You must ease the back fingers as the cue goes backwards.
