Accelerate or constant cue delivery speed?

[Izzyfcuk]

Actually it is also due to the "model" that in these few weeks that i question about cue length.

Generally in UK/western 58 inch seems the ideal and for asian 57 inch is the ideal

After adjustment of my address position in a comfortable feathering and delivery posture, i found that i have at times a good 5 inch sticking out from the grip hand which leads to me realising that hey i could actually have a cue that's only 55 inch and cueing consistently and wondering is that why so many ppl a stuck at a certain playing level cos they were using a cue that is not right for them?

So im considering a 55 inch cue now. btw im 171cm tall.

[Terry Davidson]

izzy:

Cue length depends on the length of arms on the player and between 5ft6" and 6ft they don't vary that much.

What does vary and effect the length of the cue is how much a player bends his bridge arm. I believe a straighter bridge arm is better as it encourages the grip arm shoulder to come more into line behind the cue and helps to get the elbow up over the cue too. It also allows that grip arm shoulder to stay still in space and gets the player into a more comfortable and consistent backswing and delivery.

At 171cm you are 5ft7" which is not really that short. If you have 4" of butt hanging out the back of your grip hand then you must be bending your bridge arm at probably at least a 30degree angle (or have very short arms).

Before you get your cue cut down to 55" or buy a new cue at 55" try experimenting with straightening out your bridge arm to where there is less that a 10degree bend in it or almost no bend at all. You can even experiment with 'thrusting' it straight out as per Joe Davis (who was your height by the way). Thrusting it straight out will have the beneficial side effect of locking the grip arm shoulder in place up and directly behind your head.

After a lot of experimentation I have found I pot much more consistently with the bridge arm almost straight out but not strongly 'thrust' out as I find that a little uncomfortable at my age, and the primary aim is to maintain comfort in the set-up.

Terry

[alcotty321]

i had lessons off a bloke called craig harrison , he measured backswing from 1 to 5 1 beeing little back swing 5 being full , , ive always used this 1 for shots where these not much to do with the cueball and 5 for big screw shots ect beacuse you get more acceleratoin through the ball , next time hit a shot at 6 o`clock cue ing back 2 inch from the ball , then repeat the shot at 6-7 inch at the same speed you`ll see the white react alot more beacuse the cue had more room the speed up

[damienlch]

I have kind of summarised below on what Doc and Terry had posted earlier in this thread. Both are obviously very knowledgeable and most generous when sharing their expertise, to which I am grateful for.

Hope I am getting this right. Please do correct me if you think otherwise.

1. After the rear pause, apply a smooth accelerating speed when following through, i.e. do not go from 0 to 100 mph else there is a tendency to snatch or grip at the cue.

2. Use a constant pushing force when following through, i.e. apply that same smooth accelerating speed for most shots, except very soft shots when you obviously cannot do that.

3. Alter the length of the backswing to apply more or less power rather than changing the speed of acceleration.

In other words, apply SPA to your game: Smooth acceleration after rear pause, Push through with a constant force and Alter length of backswing to apply more or less power.

[Terry Davidson]

You have it right except you have mixed them up chronologically.

Rule1 should be the slow and smooth backswing
Rule2 length of backswing proportional to power required
Rule3 steady acceleration until after cueball is struck

So your acronym should be SLPSA, Slow/Smooth, Length for Power, Steady Acceleration

Terry

[finabb]

Terry
If you ever move to Buckinghamshire in the UK you can definitely coach me, lots of good replies and tips.

[damienlch]

SLPSA... got it... thx!!

i usually don't consciously consider the length of my backswing and the force i'm pushing through... they get sort of lumped together when i play my shots and in doing so, i may at times be applying too much backswing when playing soft shots or more often in the case of power shots, hitting the cueball forcefully with insufficient backswing... the result? missed pots and failed positioning.

hit some balls today and having this SLPSA awareness helps...

by applying the correct amount of backswing and smooth acceleration, i need not hit the cueball that hard to achieve the desired effect and that in turn, makes potting and positioning easier, if there is such a thing as easy in this game...

snooker techniques seem easy enough just by reading about it but the application is blood, toil and tears if you're not a natural...

it's heartening to see members in this forum being so forthcoming when sharing their knowledge and opinions... keep em coming!!

[BryanSG1992]

i would like to ask how do i accelerate through the ball when its a soft shot and when playing a soft screw shot.i always tends to decelerate instead of accelerating
i tried shortening my backswing but i still can accelerate through the white properly any tips on it??i have no problem accelerating on medium and powerful shots.

thanks.

Bryan

[Terry Davidson]

There are 2 methods you can use. One is very good discipline and should be done all the time and the other is a little 'trick' which I think works well.

In fact there are some shots where you cannot drive your hand all the way through to your chest, however you should do this consistently on ALL shots no matter how much power you are or are not applying (with the exception of when the 2 balls are very close together).

Now, for the little 'trick' which I cannot take credit for as it was explained to me by Wayne Griffiths. When the cueball and object ball are close together or else you are playing off the cushion always shorten your bridge (as is natural) but also bring your grip hand way up the butt until it is FORWARD OF VERTICAL and then you can punch the grip hand through to your chest. This will complete the shot correctly and you will find you will pot those shots much more consistently, especially those off the cushion.

It will give you less follow-through so don't expect your normal power on the shot but with most of these type of shots I would hope you are not trying to do anything exotic with the cueball for position

Terry

[BryanSG1992]

Hi thanks Terry but what u meant by forward off vertical?

[Terry Davidson]

Bryan:

It is really very simple. When you have a hand-on-the-table shot and are in the address position with the tip of your cue 2mm from the cueball, your grip arm elbow should be up as far as it can comfortably go and your grip arm forearm should be hanging straight down (VERTICAL) and be directly over the arch of your foot on the straight leg. There should be 10"-12" (25cm to 30cm) of shaft between the 'V' of your bridge and the tip of the cue.

When playing off the cushion or when the two balls are close together most players will normally shorten the length of shaft from 'V' to tip AND move their grip hand up the butt of the cue a corresponding amount (called 'CHOKING UP') on the cue. This will keep the grip forearm vertical again.

What I'm saying is you should CHOKE UP on the butt of the cue a couple of inches more so the grip forearm is IN FRONT of the normal vertical position or in other words move it further up the butt of the cue and closer to your chest.

Then when you take the shot you still 'drive' the grip hand through to your chest as per normal (but with less distance between grip hand and chest you will have less follow-through) and you will complete the shot as you normally do. Doing this leads to much better accuracy and consistency when playing off the cushion (or close to it) and also when the cueball and object ball are close together.

Of course if the 2 balls are very close together then most players will raise the butt of the cue and their body to shorten the follow through and they will also 'choke up' on the cue similar to a swerve or masse shot.

Terry

[BryanSG1992]

im just practicing in holding the white which im not really good in

[ace man]

I also have a problem not accelerating smooth enough. Not totally jerky, but definitely not smooth enough.
The problem seems to get more severe as I try to slow the back swing. Yes, I get more control with slower back swing, pot more balls, but there's also more tension unfortunately resulting in relatively pathetic cue power. Cannot quite get used to it yet (slow back swing).
If I try quick feathers and totally loose grip, then I get very smooth effortless action, however, the cue is wobbling around too much resulting in unwanted side very often. During my pool days (almost 10 years) I used quick feathers, no pause, no chest, no chin to solve too much tension, and it sort of worked. Now that I started with snooker (4 or 5 months time ) and with 4 contact points I'm not sure what to do except spend million hours at the table practicing. I find it very hard to be smooth with my new stroke.

[Terry Davidson]

ace man:

You've figured it out but have given up too soon! The slow backswing coupled with the very loose grip is the correct way to go.

Just make sure your grip is not too loose though as that must be where you are losing control of the cue.

Try this exercise...first of all the grip should only be between the upper inside of the forefinger and thumb for starters. Always initiate your backswing and delivery with only the forefinger.

Now, do this slowly on the table without any balls and with your eyes CLOSED. Place all your concentration on what your right forefinger is doing during the backswing and delivery. If you do it slowly enough you will be able to sense when it goes sideways and you will be able to correct the grip and quickly develop a grip which is the perfect strength for you and will allow you to positively control the cue but also have no tension in the arm and wrist.

Terry