screwing back

[147harry]

i really struggle to screw the ball back.....i have seen some videos on youtube and done exactly what he says but it still dosent seem to work.

maybe i am not hitting it hard enough or low enough....can some one please tell where i may be going wrong

[Terry Davidson]

Keep the grip very loose, do a long and very slow backswing and where most people go wrong is HIT THE BOTTOM OF THE CUEBALL.



I know it sounds like common sense but most people just THINK they are hitting the bottom of the cueball when they are actually not.



Lower your bridge, DO NO RAISE THE BUTT OF THE CUE.



And the MOST IMPORTANT THING...punch or drive your grip hand allthe way through until it hits your chest



Terry
__________________
Originally posted at Http://www.thesnookergym.com/forums

[cue1]

Hello 147harry

Assuming your object ball is within two feet of the cueball, hitting the cueball anywhere below centre should generate some back spin (how much backspin is generated depends on a number of factors like the state of the balls, the state of the cloth, the amount of acceleration of your cue, the extent of follow-through...).

The most important things you should focus on (one at a time of course until you've mastered this type of shot) are:

- Delivering your cue in a straight line (even if you're gonna miss the pot).
- Keeping your cue as parallel to the bed of the table as you possibly can.
- Actually hitting the cueball where you have already aimed your cue tip.
- Keeping a firm & a perfectly still bridge hand.
- Keeping a perfectly still head until at least your object has either disappeared into the pocket or you've missed the pot!
- Last but not least, don't hit "hard" just follow through until your back hand hits your chest, accelerating all the way from the end of the back swing until your tip has actually gone past the cueball.

Just go through the above steps one at a time & hopefully you'll develop the feel of a good screwback in no time

Good luck & I hope that helps... :snooker:

[snookerfan91]

Agreed, follow what above says

[jonplayer]

Yea, good advice there. Your tip will play a part if it is hard and rubbish. Butyou should still get some back spin even then. The most common thing is for people to aim the tip low on the white then jab through and actually hitting centre ball. The softer you can play the screw the better.

[Malachi-b]

a good piece of advice i was given is pretend the white ball is not there and carry on following through even when you hit the white just keep on following through. and dont be scared of the white ball it wont jump if you follow through

[matoski]

During the delivery of the shot, hold the cue lighter, not hard. On the medium and long distance shots try not to press the shaft with your chin too much.

[RGCirencester]

What i do is forget everything essentially. You are not trying to pot the ball, or get position. Pretend the white and object ball doesn't exist and concentrate on delivering the cue straight and bringing the grip hand to the chest.
Everything else should be automatic assuming your on the line of aim.

[147harry]

thanks for the replies guys...i will defiently put all of this into practice tomorow

[Terry Davidson]

Also, go to - thesnookergym.com - and join the Bronze section (it's free) and on there Nic Barrow has an audio/visual webinar on 'How to Screw Like a Pro' and this will help you I'm sure.

All the points made here are good ones and all are correct. I've found with my students that not hitting the bottom of the cueball and also not following through to the chest, accelerating all the way, are the 2 most common faults. But right behind them is trying to use too much power (let the cue do the work), tightening the grip too much because you are applying power plus all of this leads to head movement on the shot and the cue goes up and to the left withe the movement.

Try this exercise. Place the pink on spot, cueball about 18in behind it and off-straight so when you screw back the cueball is going towards the green pocket. Mark where the cueball is spotted with a light chalk mark.

Now address the cueball at the bottom, less than one tip width off the cloth and feather normally. Stop the cue at the cueball (called the 'front pause') and CLOSE YOUR EYES, take the shot and see where your cueball ended up. Try it a few more times, always remembering to focus on your right hand and bring it back slow, rear pause, deliver through to the chest and above all else keep your upper body still throughout the shot.

Don't do it a lot of times though as the club manager will not like the chalk marks and lines you'll put in the cloth.

Terry

[RocketRoy1983]

Your not following through enough most probably. Try it...youll quite enjoy the results

[BryanLimSg]

ermm i have no problem screwing back for half table shots but i'hve got an experience fren of mine who told me my cueing is a impact(punchy) therefore when i do long distance screw shot roughly around 60 inch distance from the cue ball and object ball. the most i can screw back is roughly only 40 inchs and when my fren does the exact same shot, his cue ball would usually stop for a split second before it starts to screw back and he can screw back for more than 60 inch's for the exact same shot that i did.
can anyone tell me hw i stop a punchy or an impact cueing???

[Billy_udd]

Shot that takes a lot of practise 2 play well, however u should master basic screw in an hour. All the advice above is excellent. Firstly practise the shot (no pot involved) with object ball 8 - 12 inches away, don't b scared of the White golfing ( it won't), loose ish grip, head still, staight cueing action and stay relaxed, follow through the White n pull back r the keys 2 sucess. Hit the object ball fat in the face! Your trying 2 cause the White 2 skid (slide) into the object ball. If to softly it may run on or stop dead (stun) or it comes back an inch, few inches, foot, etc at different speeds played. this should get your confidence up, but it is hard to master precise screw. Then the more distance between White n object ball the more (skid/slide) firmer draw u willl need, to get a reaction ! Also the firmer u now need to play the shot, u may naturally move, so more importance keeping head still and a straight arm. Happy practising !
Ps strong low bridge hand and keep the cue butt low.

[Billy_udd]

Punching the ball is exactly that, punching the cue through the White and not following through smoothly to get maximum backwards rotation (slide) on the White as it leaves the cue, so the ball picks up natural roll (rotation) further down the table, or in this case loosing it's draw faster than it should. No expert but sounds like ur stabbing at the ball a bit, relax the body especially ur cueing arm, keep it straight and gently but firm way follow through the cue ball 4 to 6 inches and pull back in a more relaxed way. Might b good idea to record yourself and analyse it !

[jonplayer]

a good piece of advice i was given is pretend the white ball is not there and carry on following through even when you hit the white just keep on following through. and dont be scared of the white ball it wont jump if you follow through

Building on this advice, I remember being told to imagine the white ball being like a tennis ball that I was trying to punch a hole all the way through, that really helped me get through the cue ball.