The three most important aspects to a billiards stance are your head and eyes, your grip, and your stability. You must properly position your head so that you can most accurately aim, you must use a grip that allows a fluid but steady cue stick motion, and you need to position your body so that it is still and stable reducing the amount of accidental motion that can throw off your shot.
The proper billiard stance begins with your head. Position your head behind the shot and shape the rest of your body and the cue stick to the shot. Hold the cue stick low to the table so that when you bend down your grip and the cue stick can come up to meet your body and your head. Being able to correctly sight your shot is important so position your head as low as possible so the shot is almost at eye level.
Your grip on the cue stick, or bridge, is also a very important part of your stance. There are many different ways to hold the cue stick including open bridges and closed bridges. An open bridge is one where you make a sort of V with your thumb while your hand is flat on the table and hold the cue stick on top of your thumb and forefinger. A closed bridge is one where you hold the cue stick on top of your thumb and under your forefinger. Both types of bridges have advantages, the open bridge allowing maximum movement and the closed bridge allowing maximum stability.
For straight shots, aim the cue stick horizontally behind your shot with your bridge hand a little below the half way point of the cue stick. Use the cue stick’s weight to help guide the final position of your bridge hand when you take your shot. Keep the cue stick parallel to your body and the table, do not hold it straight out from your body or against your body.
Once your have lined up your shot and gotten into the proper stance make sure your head, eyes, elbow, bridge, and cue, are all lined up. Having a properly aligned stance will allow you to deliver a smooth and relaxed stroke with your non bridge arm. The forearm of your striking arm should also be aligned with the shot and the cue stick and not turned inward or outward.
