Pool Stance: 7 Easy Steps to a Proper Stance for Playing Pool

Quick answer: A good pool stance starts behind the shot. Stand on the line from the cue ball to the object ball and the pocket. Line your back heel up with that line, then step in with your front foot, about shoulder width apart. Bend at the waist and bring your chin right over the cue. Stay balanced, put a little more weight on your back heel, and keep still so only your stroke arm moves.

Your stance is where every shot starts. If your body is not lined up, your aim and your stroke have to fight to fix it. I have played pool for over 50 years, and I believe that lining your body up right on the shot accounts for 90% of your accuracy. If you line up right and make it a habit, you will make most of your balls.

What Is a Pool Stance?

Your pool stance is how you stand and set your body when you shoot. It covers where your feet go, where your weight goes, how far you bend, and where your head is over the cue. A good pool stance does three jobs:

• It lines you up with the shot.
• It keeps you balanced and planted.
• It keeps your body still, so all that moves is your stroke arm.

I have changed my own stance over the years. Back in the mid 90s, I studied some training videos by Bert Kennister. There was a nice review on the fundamentals, and I changed my stance after studying it. After practicing every day for several months, I quickly became a 700 plus shooter and a contender in local leagues and tournaments.

Pool Stance: 7 Easy Steps

These steps are for a right handed player. If you are left handed, do the same thing on the other side. Your right foot becomes your front foot, and your left heel lines up with the shot.

Step 1: Stand Behind the Shot

Before you get down, stand behind the cue ball and look at the shot. See the line from the cue ball through the object ball and into the pocket. Do not slide in from the side. Walk into your shot already seeing how to make it.

Step 2: Line Your Back Heel Up With the Shot

I line my right heel up with the shot. That is my back foot, the one farthest from the table. This puts me right in line with the cue ball and the object ball, and it puts my chin right over the cue. Some players use their front foot to line up instead. Choose whichever way feels best for you.

Step 3: Step In With Your Front Foot

Step your front foot forward and out to the side. For a right handed player, that is the left foot. Your feet should be spread out in a way that feels comfortable, about shoulder width apart. Set your feet as you line up on the cue ball. Some players call this addressing the ball.

Step 4: Get Balanced and Planted

You must be balanced and planted, so the only part of your body that moves is your stroke arm. I put a little more weight on my right heel. The extra weight on the back helps keep my head down during my stroke. Your front knee can bend a little so you feel steady.

Step 5: Bend at the Waist and Get Your Chin Over the Cue

Bend at the waist and bring your head down. Make sure your chin is right over the cue shaft. Many great players almost have their chin touching the cue. Get low enough to look straight down the cue, but not so low that you feel stiff.

Step 6: Set Your Bridge and Grip

Put your bridge hand on the table and hold the cue lightly with your back hand. When the tip is near the cue ball, your back forearm should hang straight down. Try to keep the cue as level as you can. Learn more on our pool bridge hand page and our how to hold a pool cue page.

Step 7: Stay Still and Stay Down

Keep your head down and your body still while you stroke. Do not stand up early, and do not step forward on your follow through. Stay down until the ball is in the pocket.

Once your stance is set, the next steps are your aim and your stroke. See our how to aim in pool page and our how to shoot pool page for the full shot, step by step.

Pool Stance Feet: Where Do Your Feet Go?

Your feet are the base of your pool stance. Here is the simple way to set them:

• Back foot: the right foot for right handed players. Line the heel up with the shot.
• Front foot: the left foot for right handed players. Put it forward and out to the side.
• Width: about shoulder width apart, or what feels comfortable and steady.
• Weight: balanced, with a little more weight on the back heel.

If your feet are too close together, you will wobble. If they are too far apart, you will feel stiff and may not get your head over the cue. Move them a little at a time until you feel planted.

Pool Stance Alignment: Step Into Your Shot

A common problem is sliding from shot to shot sideways. When you get down on the shot from the side, your body is often not lined up.

Here is a true story from our online lessons. A few years back my son played in the Junior BCA Nationals in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One evening during practice, he played a challenge match with Jeanette Lee, the pro player. She won, and then she gave him some advice. She told him he played pretty good, but he needed to work on stepping into his shot. He was sliding from shot to shot sideways, and sometimes his body was not lined up right. My son told her that was exactly what his dad kept telling him.

So step into every shot. Stand behind it, line your back heel up, then step in with your front foot. For more on this, see our online billiards tips lesson on the stance.

Watch: How to Stand in Pool

In this short video from our Pool Skool channel, I show how I step up to the shot, aim at the ball, get my legs lined up, and get myself in position. Then I set my bridge. You will also see the open bridge and the tripod bridge.

Proper Pool Stance for Left Handed Players

A left handed pool stance is the same stance, just flipped. Your left foot is the back foot, so you line up your left heel with the shot. Your right foot goes forward and out to the side. Your right hand makes the bridge, and your left hand holds the cue.

Is There One Right Pool Stance?

No. I do not think there is one exact way for every person. People are tall, short, big, and small. You have to stand where you are comfortable and balanced, and hold your cue level.

If you are tall, you may need to spread your feet a little wider or bend more at the waist to get your chin down over the cue. If you are shorter, you may stand a little more upright. Either way, the goals stay the same: lined up, balanced, and still.

You may also hear about a snooker stance. Snooker players often get very low, with the chin almost on the cue. Many pool players stand a little higher. Try both and use the one that lets you see the shot and stay still.

The big secret is to stand the same way on every shot. Chalk your cue, stand the same, hold the cue the same, and line up the same way every time. That is how your game becomes steady. Read more on our pre shot routine page.

5 Common Pool Stance Mistakes

• Sliding in from the side. Stand behind the shot and step in on the line.
• Feet not lined up. Line your back heel up with the shot before you get down.
• Head too high or off to the side. Get your chin right over the cue.
• Too much weight on the front foot. Stay balanced, with a little more weight on the back heel.
• Moving on the shot. Do not stand up early or step forward on your follow through. Only your stroke arm moves.

A Simple Pool Stance Drill

Line some balls up along the head rail or the foot rail. Shoot each one straight into the pocket at the other end of the table. On every shot, get your body and stance right, look straight down the cue to the ball and into the pocket, follow straight through, and keep your head down until the ball is in the pocket. Keep at it until you can pocket 100 balls in a row. You can find this drill on our pool school page.

Learn the Fundamentals Free

A good stance is the first step. Our free 7 part pool fundamentals course covers the stance, bridge, grip, and stroke, one lesson at a time by email. Sign up on our free pool lessons page.

When you are ready to win more games, our book 8 Ball Winning Strategies shows you how to plan your run and play smart 8 ball. Learn more on our 8 Ball Winning Strategies page.

Pool Stance FAQ

What is the proper stance for playing pool?

A proper pool stance is one where you are lined up with the shot, balanced, and still. Line your back heel up with the shot, step your front foot forward about shoulder width apart, bend at the waist, and get your chin right over the cue. Only your stroke arm should move.

Where should your feet be in pool?

If you are right handed, your right foot is the back foot and your left foot is the front foot. I line my right heel up with the shot. The front foot goes forward and out to the side, about shoulder width apart. Left handed players do the opposite.

Which foot goes forward in a pool stance?

The foot on the same side as your bridge hand goes forward. For a right handed player, that is the left foot. For a left handed player, it is the right foot.

Where do you put your weight in a pool stance?

You want to be balanced and planted. I put a little more weight on my back heel. The extra weight on the back helps keep my head down during the stroke.

How low should you get in a pool stance?

Bend at the waist and bring your chin down over the cue. Many great players almost have their chin touching the cue. Get as low as you can while you still feel steady and can see the shot.

Is there one right pool stance for everyone?

No. People are built different. Stand where you are comfortable and balanced, and hold the cue level. What matters most is that you stand the same way on every shot.