Like any other ball sport, billiards requires that a player use their feet correctly. Can you imagine Roger Federer, a right-handed tennis player, going for a backhand winner with his left foot in front of his right foot? It just wouldn’t happen. Correct foot placement is crucial to proper execution in a game like tennis. The same applies to golf, basketball, bowling and certainly billiards.

So what is the correct placement of the feet when playing billiards? Well, surely most of you have read user manuals depicting the correct placement. And more than likely you’ve noted that there are differing opinions. One thing for certain, all teachers will agree that your stance needs to be solid and balanced. But more importantly, I want to tell you something about how your feet alignment can affect your accuracy when playing the shot. Let me explain…

Just like our tennis player example, no matter how good you are at hitting the ball, or how good your eye-hand coordination is, if you are not correctly aligned with the shot, the ball will not go where you intend. In billiards, it is simply not good enough to have the fundamentals of a good stance and then not pay attention to how your feet are aligned in relation to the shot. And the most important foot in this regard is the back foot. For a right-handed player, this is your right foot.

Once you have surveyed the table and calculated the angle of the shot (see Ingredient #2), you absolutely must get the center of your right foot in line with the path you wish to send the cue ball on. That means, look at the object ball and then look down and make sure that center of your right foot is in a direct line with the shot, and then, and then only, fall down naturally into your stance.

Once you are inline with the shot, step the left foot out and ahead of the right foot. Both feet should be shoulder width apart for balance. You should feel completely rooted, like a tree with your weight coming slightly forward. As you do this, you should also naturally shift the majority of your weight to the front leg, which will then automatically move your hip away from your cue arm. The position of the front foot is nowhere near as important as the back foot. Depending on your body type this positioning can vary dramatically. But the back foot needs to be properly aligned.

Why? Because as soon as your back foot is aligned correctly with the shot your entire body will be also. Once your body is correctly aligned, the mechanics of the shot delivery take over, and for any decent player, it is relatively easy to play the shot even with eyes closed.

As a modern snooker player, I tend to face the shot (see fig.1), therefore, both of my feet point in the same direction as the line of the shot, whereas most pool players tend to point the right foot out and only parallel the left foot with the line of the cue stick. (see fig.2)

 

Both of these stances work very well. You will notice that either way, the center of the right foot stays in line with the shot. The only difference is that one stance may be more comfortable for you.

My personal stance has my left foot slightly ahead of the right, with the right toe half way up of the left foot.

In traditional pool, a player will turn the right foot out and have the left much more in front and spread more. This is also typical of the old fashion snooker stance of the legendary Joe Davis.

In both stances, your left knee should be slightly bent, and depending on your height, you may choose to slightly bend the right leg as well. Be careful not to lean back, however, because this could tend to make you jump up on the shot. What we want from our stance is to be able to send the cue forward effortlessly. Having your weight forward will make it easier.

(c) 2007 The Billiards Training Company