Alignment/Dominant Eye Question...

[C-J]

don't pay to much attention to the sightning continiously because this will take away your concentration from where it should be;cueing slow and straight.
What has helped me particularly is to build in acceleration in the final delivery.

[Strickimicki]

Hi All,

I would like to go back to the post from Cantpotforshíte (Nice name btw).
Have you ever tried to explain to people what the problem is? I've tried and they look at me as if I need counseling, as in slightly disturbed, Shrink, kind of way. It gets very frustrating being able to pot nearly anything on the table to not being able to pot the easiest of sitters. The lads I play against ask me what I'm doing and shake their heads, but explaining just makes them smirk.

What to do? Stick with my dominant eye above the cue? Or go back to central cueing? Last night I couldn't-pot-for-sh-te so went back to central cueing and bobs your Uncle in they went. But this swapping and changing ain't gonna help in the long run!

Answers? I'm stuck!

All I know, is that when I go down to the ball and I SEE(that's the hard to explain bit) what I need to see, then I feel great, I pot everything and get the position more or less that I played. So is this inconsistency coming from not getting down right? Not being able to concentrate at that time? False info, from weaker eye? I'm sure that if movement comes into my game, it's because on the follow through I'm subconsciously trying to level out the wrong sighting to start off with.

I also thought I'm a special case! LOL (well not really, more like tears)

Bry.

P.S Terry, have you any clues? Besides the filming of myself, which I will try to do shortly!

[Terry Davidson]

stricki:

If we look at the basic problem, and analyse it, for some reason you deliver the cue straight on long pots but don't on easy sitters. You own analysis has determined it's because your cue isn't under your preferred eye consistently.

I've always had concern over players who insist they miss pots because they are not cueing under their preferred eye and here is my reasoning on this one.

From the time I was 14 my stronger eye was my right eye and I played for over 40 years (on and off) using my right eye but cueing fairly central on my chin and with the cue centre chin. (I know this because I used to have an open-grained ash cue and if I didn't shave the bottom of my chin well I would pull out a chin hair - now THAT precipitates a lot of movement on the shot).

When I moved to the United States around age 53 or so I had my eyes checked (wasn't playing snooker at the time) and was told I was developing cataracts so over the next 5 years I had the lense replacement surgery. However, contrary to my request the surgeon made my left eye the perfect one and my right eye a little near-sighted for reading.

So when I came back to snooker in late 2005 my left eye was now my sharper eye and the eye I was aiming with. However, I was still cueing centre chin and although I had problems, they were not due to the eyesight or aiming, rather they were due to a really lousy technique where I had lots of movement on the shot, both during the backswing and the delivery.

Right now I am in the process of conquering that and when I get the movement stopped completely I pot EVERYTHING I go for, no matter how difficult. As an example, every morning I line up 13 balls across the blue spot with the outside balls being about 6" from the middle bag. Cue ball in hand and on a good day I will pot all 13 in about 17 or 18 attempts.

This might not sound fantastic but remember those outside balls are going to a closed top pocket and I have to be within 1/4' accuracy to pot them at pace. Oh, I forgot to mention I also screw the cueball back to the baulk line so I'm NOT hitting these balls at dead weight.

The whole point of the above is I believe I've proven to myself that it's not vision or aiming that is the problem, it's very small movements on the shot that cause misses.

So, in your case I would definitely video myself and very carefully check for any movement at all, especially on the easy shots. Ensure you are staying down and still after the shot is completed and not getting up quickly because it's an easy shot or you've missed it.

Secondly, how about improving your vision in whichever of your eyes is weaker and getting it up to the standard of your preferred eye?

Lastly, pot a long blue in the corner from the baulkline (straight in) and stay down with the chin on the cue. Close one eye (either one) and look along the line of aim of the cue and then close the opposite eye and repeat looking down the line of the cue. With one of your eyes the cue will appear to be bang on aim to the top pocket and with the other it will appear to be a little off aim.

If you get the same result with both eyes then you are lucky and you don't have a preferred eye and should cue centre chin. Either way, I still recommend cueing centre chin no matter what the preferred eye is since your brain will automatically work things out

Terry

[Strickimicki]

Hi All again,

Terry, the missing of the sitters, only happens when I can't seem to get into the position where I can determine the spot I should be hitting the objectball in order to pot it! This can happen in a break where I've got to 50+ or with an easy opener. With long potting it's the same, I get down and everything is in place I see what I need to hit and in they go. So real problems with long or short on a good day aren't there. I don't always miss the easy sitters and I didn't want to imply so, the problem is inconsistency!


Long blues, balkline - blue spot - top pocket with follow through, potting both white and blue. 15 out of twenty two says I cue fairly straight I would say! So what's the problem?

[Terry Davidson]

stricki:

If the video doesn't show you what you do different then I think the only other solution is go to a really good coach as I can't tell you without seeing you in action I'm afraid.

You must be doing something different in you technique when you are failing to pot some balls if you are able to pot both blue and cueball 15 out of 21 times. My record is only slightly better than yours (19 out of 21 attempts) and I have no problems like yours.

I doubt if the problem is eye alignment or even body alignment. It's either on shots you consider easy you change your preparation due to a lack of concentration or else sometime you may be moving slightly on some shots.

You problem will probably take a lot of analysis by someone who knows what to look for. I'd suggest, if you can afford it and can travel, Nic Barrow in Milton Keynes, Wayne Griffiths in south Wales, Del Hill (I'm not sure where the snooker farm is) or any other coach who is decent at technique and possibly the mental aspects of your game

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

Although you have the English flag I see you're in Munich so I guess going to a British coach would be a bit of a trip.

There must be some decent coaches in Germany. I understand Chris Henry is based there (not sure which city) and did coach that Brazilian chap who made the final of the world's against Alfie this year.

Terry

[Strickimicki]

I was thinking about going home this year to see my parents anyway. So if & when I get over, I'll have to book my coach for that period. It shouldn't be a big problem really.

I was considering going to Nic, or the snooker farm! Nic seems to know his stuff and has had lots of good opinions about him written here!

The Snooker Farm, well it's all in one place and I can go fishing as well! LOL

Thanks Terry,

You've been a great help!