Cueing Accross - A Mental Fault

[checkSide]

We have all been there. You pick your line. Carefully take up your stance. Feather. Then at the crucial moment, your brain visualises the shot incorrectly and you attempt to steer the ball into the pocket, horribly coming accross the shot, and missing the pot completely!!

This happens to me on certain specific shots, time and time again.

I have realised this is a mental fault, as shots with exactly the same angle on different parts of the table are no problem.

What techniques have people developed to cue straight in those situations where all your instinct is trying to come accross the shot??

[Terry Davidson]

Checkside:

It's been my experience that most instances of 'cueing across the cueball' are actually caused by a faulty backswing. I know you think it's a mental thing, but as I say I've seen it time and time again during my video analysis and that includes my own.

If that happens to be your problem, and believe me it's very common, try slowing your backswing down to where it's rediculously slow but where you have absolutely positive control of it (do this in solitary practice). Eventually the backswing will be straight and you will start moving a little faster and get to a normal backswing pace, although for most players their backswing is too fast.

The rule is the backswing should be at the fastest pace where you can still positively control it. For most players that is quite slow. Check out Mark Selby for an example

Terry

[checkSide]

Thanks as usual Terry!

[C-J]

We have all been there. You pick your line. Carefully take up your stance. Feather. Then at the crucial moment, your brain visualises the shot incorrectly and you attempt to steer the ball into the pocket, horribly coming accross the shot, and missing the pot completely!!

This happens to me on certain specific shots, time and time again.

I have realised this is a mental fault, as shots with exactly the same angle on different parts of the table are no problem.

What techniques have people developed to cue straight in those situations where all your instinct is trying to come accross the shot??

The basis of this problem starts when you go down.If you take your eye of the exact spot on the objectball to early and look at the white or the line you think the white has to take you're in trouble.

When you go down keep your eyes on the objectball and don't make any(sub)consious line-changes at this point.Coordinate this very carefully and take your time to let it become very clear.Soon you will automatically start coordinating your mastereye(if you have one) with this and the urge should disappear.

[bkpaul]

Cueing across the ball is a stance problem rather than a mental problem... unless you are referring to a partial cueitis situation where your cue stops then carries on forward not on the original line.

Of course if you are stood too close or too far away this can affect the follow through of the cue but the usual problem is the foot placement.

I have known many people have this problem and I have known very simple answers, like someone wearing higher soled trainers than usual, different (tighter clothes) can also have an affect.

All at the end of the day though relates to the same thing, stance.

The only time I have known this differ is the bridge and in particular on power shots, if the bridge is not solid it can move and as such you do not hit the cue ball where you intended.

The reasoning of the stance is:

If its a fraction out (left or right) then you are changing the angle of attack (or striking).

This is the same to a degree as setting out from the Port of Liverpool and being 1 degree out when heading for lets say Boston (USA), not only will you not arrive at Boston but in all probability you will miss the USA entirely.

So on short shots (very short) you may get away with being slightly out but on long shots this will be magnified many fold and you will miss badly.

god I do go on!.

[bkpaul]

Sorry Terry posted at the same time....

Are you saying a faster cue action can often cause latteral movement of the backswing?

I have tested that theory and found it more likey that the body moves before the ball is struck, this can be proved by using (don't laugh here) a conker on a piece of string.

place the string in your grip and let it dangle (2 inch or so) below the cue (obviously attached to the conker) then play your shot, if there is latteral movement the conker won't hit the cue but if there isn't then it will. This will also give a good indication of if you are moving your body latterally or vertically.

God I haven't done that test in a while.... things we do as kids eh

[poolqjunkie]

Yes, I do this sometimes, especially when I am not confident with the pot.
Other than all the valuable advice that have been given, I want to add that I have tried to stop doing this by not looking at the pocket when I am down on the shot.
I absolutely do not look at the pocket, and focus my eye sight 100% on my object ball, and I force myself to stay down until I hear the ball drops or hit a cushion.
Another thing I do now, is to practice those shots many times by myself until I can make them consistently. They may look "wrong" to you at first but if you keep practice making them, they will look "right" and you then know you have mastered one more shot in your bag.
Hope this helps.

[Terry Davidson]

bkpaul:

Not the quick backswing itself, however a quick backswing facilitates body movement when then makes the cue come back off-straight. In turn, the brain recognizes this although the player may not know it and when the more dynamic delivery starts the brain tries to correct that and over-compensates due to the higher speed.

I love the conker idea! Not only will it tell you if you have lateral movement in either the backswing or delivery, but also if the conker hits your cue on the backswing or during the rear pause then the backswing has been much too fast.

I use a digital video camera placed right behind and level with the butt of the cue and record about 5 medium-paced shots. Then I review that on my computer and with video analysis software I can draw a straight vertical line on the video and watch the cue action (both backswing and delivery) to see if the butt of the cue stays on line. It's a little more high tech than the conker and it also doesn't really show me the speed of the backswing unless I count the frames to get the duration.

Most problems with cueing across the cueball start at the backswing and most players below the regular century break mark will have too fast a backswing which they are not controlling. Those without a rear pause will also have body movement for certain from the rapid change in direction of the cue as it has to be stopped and started in the opposite direction too fast. Those without a rear pause should at least have a very slow backswing

Terry

[poolqjunkie]

Hi Terry,
I am very curious about he video analysis and woudl like to ask you a couple questions if you dont mind.
Do the pros on TV really have a very straight back swing and delivery?
What are the biggest difference when you perform the video analysis between a top amateur and a pro? Does the pro really deliver the cue much straighter?
Thank you.

[Terry Davidson]

poolqjunkie:

Your answers are...yes, most pros have a straight backswing and delivery but there are exceptions of course. For instance if you watch Joe Swail he cues across the ball to the left consistently so he has obviously compensated for that.

Most amateurs below the century break level do not deliver (or backswing) the cue straight although they think they do and in fact I've had a student who swore up and down he was delivering the cue straight but his problem was aiming. When I showed him the video of himself he was amazed that he couldn't even pull the cue back straight.

However, once that amateur slowed his backswing down all of a sudden he started potting more long balls (and it was all of a sudden too). A slow and deliberate backswing with no body movement is one of the few things a student can do where he sees immediate improvement

Terry

[bkpaul]

Cheers for the info Terry, unfortunately I was a poor child and oh yes camcorders weren't invented (ok so now you all know I am old!!).

I must get round to filming my action as to be honest I have never done it, I did have a 20 year layoff from the game which probably explains why...

Now I have very poor eyesight and cueitis which I could cure if I really wanted to but I much prefer to watch the game these days hence being a ref I guess.

What I have never understood technically is the pause and the relationship between the pause and the speed when rationalized to the follow through and even more so when you play soft shots and conversley power shots.

There seems to me to be no relationship especially in the latter case, when I used to play at my best, regular 100+ I had 2 differing albeit related actions for soft/medium shots as opposed to strong/power shots.

The question I am asking here is in your opinion should the two types of shot be different as described or should they be constant.

In my case the pause on the softer shots was probably 1/10th to 2/10th's longer than it was for a power shot although the backswing remained the same speed, only the follow through differed obviously to generate the power.

[poolqjunkie]

So, a player can be shooting the ball from the brown spot up table and down in a straight line but not having a straight back swing--he may be compensating without knowing that he is?

For a regular 100 breaker, who is not a pro, in your experience, do they have more fundamental problems in terms of technique as compared to a pro?

[Terry Davidson]

bkpaul:

I would say is the different length rear pauses don't matter whatsoever and are most likely something to do with what's developed as your natural rhythm.

The only purpose of the backswing is to get the cue to the delivery position. The purpose of the rear pause is to disconnect the backswing from the delivery and also to stop any abrupt motion change in the cue (in addition some say so the player can 'gather' his concentration but my feeling is if he hasn't decided before the rear pause on what he's going to do, then he's screwed).

Also, the rear pause makes the acceleration on the delivery less abrupt and smoother as the correct delivery is to build up the speed slowly (like a car accelerating from stopped) but a lot of players try and accelerate too quickly and that also leads to body movement and an off-straight delivery.

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

Yes, if a player consistently delivers the cue off-straight and stays down and gets the proper feedback he will eventually compensate for that in his aiming. Shooting the spots is not the greatest idea to check for straight cueing (see Frank Callan's explanation in his book).

There are 7 things which a por has to do well and that most amateurs under the 75-break level or so don't do well. The are:

1. Get down to the line of aim straight with no sideways head movement.
2. Loose grip
3. Absolutely no body movement throughout from feathering to end of delivery
4. Slow backswing
5. Rear pause
6. Build acceleration on the delivery slow to fast
7. Stay down and still with no body movement and cue extended at the end of the shot and follow object ball with eyes only, do not move head (but Steve Davis says leave your eyes where the cueball WAS)

Do those 7 things consistently and gets lots of practice and have the motivation to succeed and you will reach the consistent century-break level.

Terry

[bkpaul]

Cheers Terry that has given me some food for thought, think I might pop into the club tomorrow and test a few things out.... I dislike not knowing answers especially ones to questions that are 20+ years old!.

In reference your "gather his concentration" comment whenever I am coaching I always say if your stood looking at the shot and get down before you have decided on:

1. What ball you are going to play.
2. How you are going to play it
3. Where the object ball (s) will finish
4. Where the cue ball will finish

Pack up and go home!.

Bottom line always play the shot in your head (and be happy/confident) in your choice and your ability to make it happen exactly as planned.

Once you are down on the shot NEVER change any part of the shot you have created in your head, if you do... get up and start again!.

If you forget the above just remember, every shot in snooker (or pool or billiards etc) is always played twice....

Once mentally & Once physically