Changing aim while feathering

[beepee]

Hello hello,

I think I have devolved a bad habit.

When I am cuing the ball and if I think that I'm not going to pot the ball (when I intend to), I will just play side spin to try and correct my aim. Often I will miss the object ball and tweak the shot a little.

Like I mentioned, I think it's a bad habit and I wish to overcome this.

What's the best solution to overcome this ??

[ccfook2123]

stand up, and walk in the shot, again

[beepee]

Thought so, so it's a bad habit and I shouldn't do it any more yeah ??

[ccfook2123]

your stance, bridge hand, grip, chest, eyes, nose should be in the line of aim once you get down to the shoot....
so, yes, you must get up and walk in again.......

[bongo]

Hello hello,

I think I have devolved a bad habit.

When I am cuing the ball and if I think that I'm not going to pot the ball (when I intend to), I will just play side spin to try and correct my aim. Often I will miss the object ball and tweak the shot a little.

Like I mentioned, I think it's a bad habit and I wish to overcome this.

What's the best solution to overcome this ??

You need to have the discipline to stand up and walk back into the shot. Obviously you don't want to keep doing it and most players change their aim by a fraction when down on the shot anyway because it is just natural. However, if you feel uncomfortable and know you are going to miss, stand back up and walk into the shot again. I would say this is one of the easier problems to sort out.

bongo

[Terry Davidson]

bp:

Here is an exercise developed by Frank Adamson and told to be by Nic Barrow.

Get on a table by yourself and set up any long straight shot. I would recommend blue spot with cueball on baulk cushion(I MEANT BAULKLINE HERE...SORRY).

Walk into the shot, get down BUT DO NO FEATHER AT ALL, JUST HAVE THE CUE IN THE ADDRESS POSITION AGAINST THE CUEBALL (or 1/8" from cueball).

Now slowly do your final backswing and take the pot. You will soon find out that the best line of aim is worked out when standing behind the shot and if you drop straight down and don't move you will pot many more balls.

Try it, it will work. I have an I'm seriously thinking of doing away with the feathering as my long potting is much more accurate without it. (Yes, I notice myself making micro-adjustments during feathering just like Bongo says and just like a lot of players do).

Terry

[ccfook2123]

hi terry
i almost open a new thread regarding this.....
i thought only me, i can pot a lot better without feathering......
but i think feathering is really good to do, so any method to overcome this?

[Terry Davidson]

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out myself whether to feather or not.

I will say my long potting is a lot better with no feathers and for some reason I seem to punch through the cueball better. By the way there are a lot of very good players who don't feather or only do one or two short feathers.

I don't know why my long potting is better but here is what I suspect (and anyone can disagree with this theory).

When you feather you stop the cue at the cueball and therefore your 'practice warm-up' for the shot is to decelerate the cue at the cueball, which is really bad, especially for long potting.

Some coaches say feathering prepares you for the rhythm of the shot so I think it's a ablancing act between the two and players should experiment with both to see what suits them.

Personally, I've always feathered and trying to play without them thrown off the natural rhythm I've developed over the years. But what blows my mind is that my potting is much more consistent with either no feathers or a couple of very short feathers and I think this is solely because I will drive that cue through better, accelerating through the cueball which is what I want to do consistently.

I think every player is going to have to make up his own mind. Terry Griffiths is probably swearing at me right now

Terry

[Strickimicki]

Hi all, especially Terry.

Terry I've been wanting to get hold of you over the last couple of weeks, but have never managed to be online at the same time you have. It all has something to do with what you've mentioned here, maybe a bit different though.

Here is my querey/problem.

I've been playing really well over the last 6 weeks, for my standard at least. But about 20 days ago it got really hot here, 35°C and more so I never played any snooker during this period of 10 days (Our club has no air-conditioning, room temp around 40°C when it's hot out).

Well I think that when I address the cueball, everything is in place. But if I start to feather, and switch my eyes from object to cue ball, I'm losing the point of aim. If I just take for granted that I'm right and take the shot then I'm quite the potting maschine. My problem is, I'm sure I should check my cueing of the cueball before I take the shot. This which causes me to miss the easiest of pots, making me leave the table frustrated.

So what to do, take for granted that I'm right and live with out come. Or check my cueing of the white, which makes my postitional play a little less sure?

Thanks,

Brian

[Terry Davidson]

stricki:

Eye rhythm is a personal thing and every player has to develop his own rhythm. What I don't understand regarding your problem is why it effects anything at all because you should not be moving your upper body at all during the feathering, backswing and delivery, no matter where your eyes are.

I can only conclude you must be somehow changing your cue's line of aim during the eye shift back to the cueball.

If this is so then I would recommend you lock your eyes on the object ball at the front pause after you feather (during feathering your eyes should move back and forth between the OB and CB). At the front pause lock the eyes on the cueball then do your slow backswing, pause and then deliver the cue keeping your eyes on the object ball throughout backswing, rear pause and delivery. DON'T ALLOW THE UPPER BODY TO MOVE FROM THE TIME YOUR BRIDGE HAND HITS THE TABLE UNTIL AFTER YOU COMPLETE THE DELIVERY AND YOUR GRIP HAND IS AGAINST YOUR CHEST.

This should solve your problem.

Terry

[Strickimicki]

That could be it,

I've not thought about that! I am probably moving a little to readjust my line from what my eyes are telling me is wrong!

The simplest things maybe have been getting in my way for sometime!

Thanks Terry I'll have a go A.S.A.P, and I'll let you know the results!


Bri.

[Terry Davidson]

This is why I believe the front pause is absolutely vital. It overcomes any 'micro-adjustments' you've made during the feathering. If you are young then I would recommend at the front pause you check your line of aim for the last time, focus your eyes back on the spot on the cueball you intend to hit and then either during the slow backswing or at the rear pause shift and lock your eyes on the object ball.

If you're over 40 then I would recommend shifting and locking the eyes on the object ball at the end of the front pause after you've checked the cueball one last time during the front pause. This is purely a function of your eye's ability to change focus. Over 40 it takes a bit longer and if you happen to be one of those players who shift the eyes up at the start of the delivery as some pros do it just won't give you sufficient time to REALLY focus on the object ball.

By the way, almost every player I've ever seen does make these micro-adjustments but the only way to see them is to video and then watch frame-by-frame with a reference point behind the head. The only ways to overcome this is to either have a good front pause or else don't feather at all. Either way I think you'll find your long potting will improve.

Terry