Tight Grip and standing after hitting

[gerbisto]

Hello everyone,

I am your average player trying to improve my game. I feel and have been also told that my biggest defects are:

1. Tight grip
2. Raising my head immediately when I hit the cue ball

When I constantly remind myself not to do it, I don't and play much much better but after the first frame I forget and start doing it again.

Its like I am trying to reprogram a 30 year old computer!

Can anyone give me some advice on how to permanently solve this defect?

Cheers

Gerbisto

[Freddie Ng]

To correct from these mistakes, you can view through some past thread about grip and stance. If you have time you can view "snooker pro tips" video on youtube. They give you a better picture.
Take some time and remind yourself of your mistake everytime when you are going for a shot. Don't rush and pressure yourself when you're playing.
Relax and enjoy the game.
Only you yourself can make this right and try to practise the correct technique more often. Slowly it will automatically programme in your mind.

Hope this help.
Cheers

[gerbisto]

Thanks Freddie

I agree it will be a very slow process to unlearn what I've learnt and that only I can solve this problem

What happens is that after 1 frame I stop reminding myself.

I watched Steve Davis' and Terry Griffith's videos on coaching but always seem to revert to bad habits

[Freddie Ng]

Maybe you can have your playing buddies to remind you or find some ways to make sure you don't do it that often. Maybe you cant try write it at your bridge hand or take a break after a frame(to start all over again).
I used to have thise habit where I just walk to the table and take the shot straight away without checking and thinking of my next shot. After alot of hard parctise and watching a lot of pro playing, I start to remind myself to play like them and slowly get rid of that habit.
You need to have 100% concentration, patient and hardwork.

Cheers.

[gerbisto]

Thanks Freddie very sound advice, I once told my mate to hit me everytime I did it but he didn't

[Freddie Ng]

You are most welcome mate..
You can reward him, maybe this will work

[Wayne G]

Gerbisto,

I've had the same problem in the past. Try this - video tape yourself playing with your mate. When you play it back and watch yourself- it will really sink in what you're doing wrong. Knowing that you're jumping up, cueing badly, elbow one way or the other, wrist twisted, stance bad, etc., etc. is one thing. Seeing it on tape is another. Hope this is of some help.

Wayne G.

[abhi147]

as a practice routine try the following

1- Go up and down the spots and while you are cueing make sure all your concentration is on your grip and post shot forcing yourself to not lift your head. Forget where the cue ball is going for now.

2- Play 50 simple shots a day ( like straight blue in center ) and during this hold the cue with your thumb and finger only and concentrate

This will help you remember and rectify your mistakes

[StevieB13147]

Gerbisto,
You sound like you have most of the mechanical components already.
All of the above is good advice and good ideas.
You seem to already know what your problem is.
So your big target is to focus yourself more consistently on the good habits that you already know you can do.
Stay aware of what you are doing and give every shot your all.
It sounds like it is all down to your own strength of mind to eliminate this issue.

As Wayne G says - Get yourself on Video/DVD asap and have a good look at it.
You may be amazed at how quickly you can get on top of basic flaws when viewed with your own eye.

Good Luck
But above all you are going to need self

[gerbisto]

Thanks to everyone.

I have actually filmed myself 3 weeks ago for 1 frame but since there was the camera I never rose on the shot!

Another thing that goes against me is pool because it makes me really sloppy in that I can still pot when rising on the shot.

Another defect although I am not sure if it is a defect is that I don't make my front foot parallel to the cue but say 20 degrees away from it but I feel more comfortable that way.

I really think I am going to do something on my bridge so I remember, a ring maybe!

[gerbisto]

I also liked the advice of the 50 simple shots a day, pity I dont have a table or enough time.

One of the best players of Malta every day hits the cue ball from the brown spot towards the black spot and back 50 times a day to ensure a straight line cueing

[Freddie Ng]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP7XO...om=PL&index=29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lsqkKuIP7M

Hope this helps..

[gerbisto]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP7XO...om=PL&index=29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lsqkKuIP7M

Hope this helps..

The 2nd vid is perfect

[Freddie Ng]

Yeah.. That's what most people practice to get straight cueing

[Terry Davidson]

I have had the same problem and believe me it takes a lot of concentration to keep everything still on the shot after you've been playing a number of years with body movement. I used to be able to get away with it, much like Alex Higgins, when I was younger and it was happening after I hit the cueball.



But over the years it creeps up in your cue delivery and you are also anticipating the movment.



One good exercise Nic Barrow had me try was to continuously run the colours, going from the black back to the yellow. On each shot I had to stay down and tell Nic by how much (in mm) the object ball missed the aiming point on the pocket.



So for instance, with yellow through to pink they are all centre-pocket and I would have to say 'R5' or 'L10' for right or left by so many millimeters. For black of course the aiming point is not centre-pocket but the inside of the side cushion knuckle but I still had to tell Nic how much to either side I was on that shot.



This is an exercise you can do yourself by mentally saying the result. You can also do this with the line-up as there is usually an easy shot with that exercise. I've found this really helped me to stay down and it formed a good habit over a little time



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