The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-02

What billiard player has not had II
drummed into him by somebody at the
start. TITS all In the wrist? We hear
1t from this man and that bcnt on teach-
ing us the fine points Of the game. Good
easy supple wrist motion Is the most
important thing In an effective stroke.
according to a large number Of billiard
lovers.
A little knot Of amateur and profess
whercfores OF a good billiard stroke last
week. Most OF the talk was about the
wrist. Thomas Gallagher. Veteran Tom,
who has seen them all from the time the
game first became prominent In this
country, finally declared his ideas.
Better with stiR Wrist.
"Do you remember the late Jahe
Schaefer's side arm stroke?' began Gal
lagher. with his arm bent out from his
body this way he would execute az pref
thy as any man that ever lived with an
Easy swinging motion 80 smooth that II
might he said to have been patterned
after a pendulum. Then YOU recall Jake
broke his wrist. when he finally got
rid of the splints he had practically no
wrist at all. 1t was stiN. There might
as well have been no joint there. Yet
Jake did the best playing OF his career
after that.
1.-THE forearm In the thing" continued
Gallagher. That where the secret OF a
good stroke lies. Why. Frank Ives used
TO hold the butt Of his cue 80 tightly
that you'd think his life depended on
IL. He had no wrist motion TO speak OF
except what had to come along naturally
with his regular forearm swing. Ives
,.,,tl <tr{,,o I. hltiarA hail hartler than
any other man that ever lived. Playing
the nine cushion bank-that shot
three times around the table-he could
make the ball travel almost an extra
length OF tho table. nearly far enough
to lake eleven cushions. And he would
make IT seem easy.
DAILY Believes In wrist.
"a great many players try to develop
a loose hold on their cue. Maurice
Daily has that delicate sort of stroke
down better than anybody else I ever
saw. He can do some wonderful things
with IL and is a believer in the employ
ment OF a good dea OF wrist. Here
is one Thin I will say OF Frank Ives.
though. Of "a man who gripped the cue
tightly l never say him make a mis-
cue. Think OF that-not one miscue--
and I saw him play dozens OF times. !
l never neAIu VI IlS lhNiie " '''>N
either. That fellow never would loosen
his hold on the cue OF allow his wrist
to swing loosely except on the closest
sort Of nursing billiards.
'"To illustrate how unimportant the
wrist is. take the case OF Armless
George II. sutton. He hasn't any wrist
at all, and yet his stroke Is as pretty
and effective as you would want TO see.
He can play any game well-balk line
three cushions, pocket billiards or cush-
ion carroms. The whole motive OF a
stroke is to make the cue tip connect
with the cue ball in the desired way.
sutton makes 1t do that without any
wrists
Morris n. Brown. the Brooklyn anna
teur, has "A stroke that Is widely differ
ent from that OF amy other player
around New York. In fddling before a
shot he repeatedly dips his cue tir
to the cloth, regardless Of whether IN,
stroke is to be a draw. with the cue
ball hit low, or a follow. with 1t hit high
On certain occasions 1t Is impossible &c
tell Just how he is going to play a sho'
until after h has struck the cue ball
There is no way to know whether he II
going to hit the ball high or whether N
will hit 1t low. In the warmup III
aims at one part Of the ball. but in th'
delivery OF the bow he actually strikes
another part.
Can't Tell where lie Will hit.
; Browns arm is bent sharply at thu
+, elbow for ~ good many OF the notion
preliminary to or during a stroke. TIL
was noticed particularly in his mattel
. with Francis s. Appleby last Tuesda!
night for the championship OF tho ANA
! teur Billiard Club of New York. Afe
the game he was asked how he eve
:. happened 10 acquire that peculiar man
e ner Of delivery.
II played the violin for a long tim
before I took UP billiards." he said. "an,
suppose that has something to do witt
IL. l also play the banjo. mandolin an
guitar. and I may have combined ii
. those motions into the one for billiards.
Edward w. Gardner. the national m
!, teur balk line champion, and j. Ferdinan'
Poggenburg, former champion. sat SID
, by side watching Brown game wit
: young Appleby. Several times they com
mentcd that Browns stroke was tight
, and "bound up" He seemed to gras
> the cue too firmly. according to thei
/, WAY Of reckoning. Both these men nav
loose. FREE and easy strokes in compar'
. son. However. Brown Is able to hit
billiard ball just as lightly as eithei
r despite his immense size and strength
He is able to lift "a full size billiard tabl
I q thing that not one man out OF a thou
$ sand can do.
brown Has "NiOlin
Watching Browns stroke closely re
4 minds one OF the violin player. II
r stands sideways for the shot and tn
= direction OF his cue is across his bod
n rather than straight out and away fror
= 1t. When he dips the cue low IN IN