Comfortable and Natural vs Textbook

[Giggity1984]

Hi guys,


I am on the absolute verge of tearing my hair out and screaming.

Due to excessive 'tinkering' with my stance/grip/bridge arm (in fact EVERY part of my technique) I recently hit a point of not being comfortable on ANY shot, and practically missing every ball that I was presented with. lol.

So recently, I started not giving a flying fc** about where my feet were placed, whether I had the perfect 4 point connection, whether my wrist and cue arm were in line, whether I had had a firm bridge(and all the other great pieces of advice from people on here.) etc etc etc.

After a while I started potting balls and feeling good again. But, my obssessive side is creeping back, and I've noticed that my comfortable and natural technique is completely unorthodox. In the mirror I look like Ray Reardon/Jamie Cope.

My Question.....

I often see Terry say on here that comfort is important, but how important?! Is it a case that a player should stand comfortably(and potentially, completely unnorthodoxly) or is it a balance?!

I have read loads of great threads on technique on this forum and would appreciate any input!!

Thanks Chaps/Chappetes!

[Zidane_87]

Hi Giggity

Excellent question mate....... tbh im exactly the same, ive been so since ive taken the sport more seriously, last game i played was like a month ago and i missed a dead straight pink!!! WHY??? Cause i was worried my elbow hung out to my right too much (like R.Reardon)............... would love to hear peoples thoughts also on the matter of technique vs instict

[snookerdad]

In my opinion, this sort of question can only be answered during a face-to-face session with a qualified coach.

Tim

[thinsy]

As snookerdad said you can't just tell someone what they need to do without actually seeing what they are doing!!!

However, I can tell you what has happened to me during my years of playing:

When i was a teenager I had a beautiful cueing action (so I was told) the problem was I had no cueball control... This led to good potting, nice flow arround the table but not great position! Because of this I started to play around with my approach, stance, cueing etc etc.... As a result I became more consistent in my breakbuilding but my 'flair' had deserted me slightly!!!

Eventually, I was lucky enough to have some coaching with Mark Wildman who spent most of the time ensuring I developed a consistent and effective pause in my cueing. This transformed my game and I started to knock in occasional centuries.

It wasn't until I was in my 30's though before I relaxed and just enjoyed my game that I became a regular century breaker.

I think my game is better now because I just go out to enjoy my game and make sure the 'timing' in my cueing and pause is there... Stance etc. seems to fall into place!

Sum up: PMA - Possitive Mental Attitude

[cazmac1]

I see pepole who on the face of it have bad tecnic and you find yourself saying how can he pot like that and I can't???????
Its simple, it doesn't matter what you do if you can't make that white go along the line your looking at it don't mean jack. So when your put your leg here and arm there, you my look the nuts but if the ball ain't going where your looking it's all for nothing.
so my advice is go with what comes naturally, but do work on the cue action as to make breaks it is an absolute must to have a cue action.

[CoachGavin]

I would say the only real things that matter is that the cue goes down on the correct line and then you push through on that line. Textbook technique is usually the easiest way to do this but a lot of the time players have spent too long playing a different way or they cant get their body into these 'textbook' positions etc. I would get a coach to see you playing in your 'natural' way. The other idea is to film yourself playing your 'natural' way. When you watch it back ignore all the points of technique apart from putting the cue online and pushing through straight. Ignore everything else and hopefully this will help you find your technique to consistently cue straight. Give it a go. Good luck!

[cantpotforshíte]

Here's my two cents for what it's worth, giggity .. (probably about two cents )
If you change any aspect of your game - only change one thing at a time, and work on it. Work on it in the drills and routines until it becomes and feels natural, and you don't have to think about it. Don't think about it in a match, or even a friendly frame.
Psychologists tell us that the brain is only capable of thinking a couple of things in any one instant, and if you are playing a frame of snooker, these need to be: 'pot the ball and leave the cueball there'.
Anything that distracts your thoughts from this will lead to some pretty bizzarre outcomes.

[Terry Davidson]

giggity:

All the advice given on this string to your question is very good and correct to my way of thinking.

First of all...COMFORT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN A TECHNIQUE.

Next..with your unorthodox (but comfortable) set-up, can you for instance 'shoot the spots' accurately (this means 4 lengths of the table with the cueball still within one ball's width of the brown spot) and can you pot 7 or 8 long blues off the spot into a top pocket? If your answer is YES, then go to the next step and continue to play that way.

Next...get yourself to a good coach and have him take a look at what you feel is the most comfortable to you. Jamie Cope's technique works for Jamie Cope, Ray Readon had a shattered collarbone from a mining accident and had to cue that way as he couldn't get his elbow behind the cue since the collarbone wasn't re-set).

I have my doubts that Jamie Cope's technique is the correct way to go for anyone and it might only feel natural to you as you played like this as a youngster and it became 'comfortable'.

The best way I know of to arrive at what is the most comfortable set-up for you is to use Nic Barrow's 'closed eye technique', where you get down in your stance and move each and every component (feet, bridge arm, elbow, hips, grip hand, grip and anything else) with your eyes shut BUT ONE MOVEMENT AT A TIME PLEASE.

As an example, start with the right foot and move it right and left to the extremes and then settle back to the most comfortable spot. Move it out to the extremes at least 3 times. Open your eyes and look at where it is and then stand up for a little break. Next, move the right foot forwards and backwards to the extemes 3 times and then back to comfortable.

Do this one at a time for everything and note where the most comfortable is for you.

Then do the acid test. Get down into your new found comfortable stance and stay there for 2 minutes and see where the strain starts developing first and then take another look at that aspect.

Also remember Jamie Cope is quite young and he may have to change that technique of his because it all depends on timing, but right now he delivers the cue straight.

Last but not least, see a good coach AGAIN for 3 or 4 2-hour sessions

Terry

[Giggity1984]

Thank you all very much for you're replies!

I have plenty to think about and try now, I think a few sesh's with a coach might be the way to fly.

Terry, I don't think I'll ever be able to pot 8 long blues in a row!!! lol.

[Terry Davidson]

giggity:

There is ABSOLUTELY no reason why you can't pot 10 out of 10 even.

As an example, I just had a student here to take his Master Coach training. When he arrived his technique wasn't the best and he needs a good technique so he is able to demonstrate to his own students.

On day one I had him attempt to pot 15 long blues for 2 tries. On both occasions he managed 4 of 15. At the end of the Master Coach training he had also purchased 2 days one-on-one coaching and we straightened out his cue action by changing a few minor items (hips, looser grip and slow backswing) and got him lined up correctly and delivering the cue straight.

On his last day we did the 2 sets of 15 blues again and he got 14 out of the 15 both times. Not bad and he is over 60 years of age (like myself).

Unless a player has a physical problem there is no reason why he can't reach the international amateur standard. I will admit pro is a bit of a reach. But it takes practice and motivation to do it

Terry

[Manu147]

Hi Terry,
Just a small point to ask your advice on, you mentioned earlier that nic barrows closed eye method was best for finding what is the best comfort position for the stance , bridge etc.... but in the case say of the right foot( for right handed players), if the right foot feels more comfortable inside or outside the line of aim, what should a player apply, textbook theory or comfortability?

[Terry Davidson]

manu:

A player's COMFORT trumps everything else

Terry

[renniwevarb]

Just to add 1 more cent to the dollars here... No doubt comfort is important, but think back to the first time when you pick up a cue. Was it comfortable? Well maybe to the talented ones it may be, but definitely not for me.

What I can say is, comfort takes time too. If you are so comfortable in your stance but can't pot balls, then it may be time to get "uncomfortable", i.e. explore a new stance etc so it enables you to pot more consistently. And take time to practice until it becomes comfortable to you.

Maybe an analogy may help (but pardon me for this example if you are a smoker):

You were comfortable without the cigarette, until your peers challenges you to a puff.
You choke on your first try (damn was that uncomfortable), but because you wanna look the man, you learn to puff correctly.

You become addicted (it becomes a habit) and you are so comfortable with it, you feel out of sorts if you don't light up whenever there is time for you to do so.

You start to get health problems, your missus and doc advice you to kick the habit.
You try your best, but it is not easy as you feel so uncomfortable.

But finally you succeeded! Your health takes a good turn, and now you are so comfortable without a ciggy.


OUT OF TOPIC WARNING! (OOPS)
Pardon me again for smokers here, just that this example comes to mind to illustrate my point. Then again it's still a good message I believe for those who have yet to puff... Don't!

[damienlch]

...
OUT OF TOPIC WARNING! (OOPS)
Pardon me again for smokers here, just that this example comes to mind to illustrate my point. Then again it's still a good message I believe for those who have yet to puff... Don't!

i don't think there's a need to apologise, john... cuz it is a good message indeed... sounds like a public service announcement though... u should apply to work at our HPB...

btw, i'm stealing this analogy...

[Terry Davidson]

Just tp add to my earl;ier comment. Although comfort is the most important thing there is something else to consider.

For a player to have a technique which doesn't rely on perfect timing (i.e. - getting the cue back to the correct address position a microsecond before he strikes the white) then there should be a few things lined up.

One of the most important is the right foot (right handed player) which should be directly under the vertical grip arm forearm. The elbow should be close to right over the cue, ideally right above it and also the right shoulder should be directly over the cue and hidden by the head in a straight on look.

This has the cue running up near the right armpit, about 3 inches above and to the right of the right nipple (or thereabouts) with the idea being to get the pectoral muscle out of the way of the cue and provide for more follow through.

If everything is in line then there is no need to rely on perfect timing and coordination to deliver the cue straight. The KISS principle rules for good technique

Terry