backswing pause, yes or no?

[Dill118]

Hi everyone

I know this is an old subject but recently and I’ve been trying to improve my overall technique by adding an pause at the end of the backswing, what length of pause is recommended? shorter for long pots?

Also after watching YouTube recently for tips, it was suggested that this might not be a good idea due to timing issues in the cue action and also giving the brain and eyes some else to consider it when it should be focussed on the object ball?

What are your thoughts?

[Terry Davidson]

Dill:

Perhaps my own experience will help a bit. I've never had a discernible rear pause and I always thought getting that into my natural rhythm would make me a better player.

I couldn't develop myself and I sought help from a lot of good players and coaches, including Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, Nic Barrow, Jim Donnelly, Alan Trigg, Stevie Ballie and a host of others. None of them could provide me with something that would help me out.

I tried for THREE YEARS and still haven't developed one. I'm now hearing from some of the coaching community that a rear pause is not really a natural thing and is actually forced into the cue action and can really mess up someone who hasn't learned right from the start to have one. I know it really screwed me up and now I'm working on NOT having one and rather working on having a very slow backswing.

The rear pause 'disconnects' the backswing from the delivery so any crookedness in the back swing is sort of canceled out with the rear pause and also it eliminates any chance of getting a jerk in the shoulder from the rapid change of direction of the cue.

You can also eliminate this jerk and also guarantee a straight backswing by making your backswing very slow and deliberate.

This has seemed to halp me a lot and now I have developed that slow and straight backswing and also eliminated the jerk caused by the quick change in direction and my technique seems more natural to me and my playing has improved greatly of late.

If you do decide to get a rear pause then make sure it is the same length for every shot and don't try and have different lengths for different shots as consistency is the way to go here. However, if that rear pause throws you off (I found the potting improved with it but my position was all over the place) then don't try and develop it and go for the very slow backswing instead

Terry

[snookerdad]

As Terry says, trying to force a rear pause can mess up your cue-action.

Instead, at final backswing, re-focus your eyes onto the object ball and keep them there throughout the shot.

You will not notice that you are pausing. But anyone watching will see a pause as you focus your eyes.

Therefore, the length of the pause is dictated by how long it takes your eyes to focus – not by a stopwatch.

Tim

[tom snow]

we didnot use pause at back ... no need to put in ur game right terry bro.........

only use slow back swing in our it helps lot

[cue1]

I believe the front pause following the penultimate back swing is by far more important than the rear pause at the end of final back swing.

I don't know if many people think of it that way or not but I think of the last back swing as "taking a deep breath then the natural pause that follows deep inhalation & precedes exhalation". If you think of it that way, it won't be long before you develop a very consistent slow back swing followed by a natural pause then accelerating into the shot. I hope what I just wrote makes sense:snooker:

[Acrowot]

I have never used feathing or back pause, not even when I was a decent player, and not many people did back in those days. Some pro players these days do not feather or back pause, but most of them do.
:snooker:

[Terry Davidson]

cue1:

I think you have it correct although I disagree with breathing at all once your hand hits the table.

The new thought among some of the top coaches is the front pause just before the final backswing is most important and more important than the rear pause at the back of the backswing.

Also, these same coaches are saying reducing the number of feathers down to zero or maybe one and a very short one is the way to go.

I recently watched a Hendry/Ronnie match from 2008 and I noticed when Hendry started out he was feathering around 4 times on most shots and used a long rear pause. Once he started playing better he cut the feathers down to one normal one, one very short one and then a front pause followed by a slow backswing and a short rear pause.

In the same match Ronnie was rolling (World Champs 2008 where he won the second session 8-0) and he was doing exactly the same thing...one long one at the start, a very short one then a front pause and then the slow backswing and a short rear pause.

I also noticed Joe Perry does exactly the same thing when he plays well and I've been watching the matches on the internet and although there are a few exceptions it appears to me the natural and unconcious rhythm of the top pros when they are playing well is one long feather, one very short feather, front pause, slow and deliberate backswing with an abbreviated rear pause and then the drive through with an elbow drop for most of them.

Stephen Maguire still feathers 4 times for most shots and also still turns his wrist on the delivery so perhaps he's the exception that proves the rule.

So, now I'm working on this and also practicing long straight pots with no feathering and a slow backswing and I have seen I pot much better with the no feathers (so a deliberately long front pause) but have yet to try a few frames using this method although for those long shots you need to have to get in with a chance it seems to be working when I think about it.

Try it and see if you notice any improvement (in practice of course)

Terry

[cue1]

cue1:

I think you have it correct although I disagree with breathing at all once your hand hits the table.

Absolutely, no breathing at all once you're down on the shot. What I was referring to was the similarity between:

- Pulling the cue backwards & inhaling.
- The rear pause & the "natural" pause at the end of a deep breath (which is hardly noticeable).
- Driving the cue forward & exhaling.

And thanks for commenting on my post, Terry... Much appreciated

[The Doctor]

I would say that rather than forcing a pause in the backswing, try in stead to make a smooth and controlled backswing and make the transition from backswing to follow through controlled and do not hurry it.
A lot of players have different lengths of pause. The cue must stop for some time as it moves in direction, the length of this pause is not the most important thing rather the smoothness of the movement.
The eye movement will also affect how this movement happens and it should not be underestimated.

[finabb]

Dill:

Perhaps my own experience will help a bit. I've never had a discernible rear pause and I always thought getting that into my natural rhythm would make me a better player.

I couldn't develop myself and I sought help from a lot of good players and coaches, including Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, Nic Barrow, Jim Donnelly, Alan Trigg, Stevie Ballie and a host of others. None of them could provide me with something that would help me out.

I tried for THREE YEARS and still haven't developed one. I'm now hearing from some of the coaching community that a rear pause is not really a natural thing and is actually forced into the cue action and can really mess up someone who hasn't learned right from the start to have one. I know it really screwed me up and now I'm working on NOT having one and rather working on having a very slow backswing.

The rear pause 'disconnects' the backswing from the delivery so any crookedness in the back swing is sort of canceled out with the rear pause and also it eliminates any chance of getting a jerk in the shoulder from the rapid change of direction of the cue.

You can also eliminate this jerk and also guarantee a straight backswing by making your backswing very slow and deliberate.

This has seemed to halp me a lot and now I have developed that slow and straight backswing and also eliminated the jerk caused by the quick change in direction and my technique seems more natural to me and my playing has improved greatly of late.

If you do decide to get a rear pause then make sure it is the same length for every shot and don't try and have different lengths for different shots as consistency is the way to go here. However, if that rear pause throws you off (I found the potting improved with it but my position was all over the place) then don't try and develop it and go for the very slow backswing instead

Terry

I have recently changed my cueing from 1 longish feather and 2 short ones with no back pause to no feathering and a back pause.
My potting success went up loads but my positioning was not great , so i have now changed it to no feathering and no back pause (or a very almost unoticeable one) and now by cueing seems and feels smooth my potting is just as good but the main thing my ball control is alot better.

Just try combinations of all and one will be good for you.

[sbsnooker]

pause????

I my self do not believe in pausing the cue or stoping it at the end of the backswing. I think if you are playing a long time and try to introduced a pause it could damage your cue action, If you want to try somthing to help your cue action or a change that you think could help. just try slowing down your backswing take it back slower. take the cue back as slow as you like this will not make you pause but will help your cue action, remember try taking the cue back nice and slow from there you can strike the cue ball as hard as you want and with more accuracy. and remember keep your head down and do not let it move up at all when striking the cue ball, you might think your not lifting your head, but if your cueing bad then the problem is your ;lifting your head If your start doing what I say more than likely a very small pause will come into your game naturaly but it must be naturaly if you think about pausing the cue or try to make it happen then you are heading for disaster . please just try taking the cue back a little slower especially on the power shots, happy cueing
-

Hi everyone

I know this is an old subject but recently and I’ve been trying to improve my overall technique by adding an pause at the end of the backswing, what length of pause is recommended? shorter for long pots?

Also after watching YouTube recently for tips, it was suggested that this might not be a good idea due to timing issues in the cue action and also giving the brain and eyes some else to consider it when it should be focussed on the object ball?

What are your thoughts?

[thelongbomber]

Hmm. Interesting subject of discussion. Before I say anything further, let me declare that I have played for 10 years. No centuries but many 50+ breaks including one earlier today (yay!).

Agreed with Terry and others: first off, definitely have a slow backswing and definitely look at the object ball when delivering the final strike. Equally importantly, move your eyes from wherever they are (cue ball, pocket, etc), to the object ball during the transition into your slooooowwwwww backswing and keep them their in your forward swing and beyond. This final move of the eyes should be the final eye movement until you finish striking the ball. I say "wherever they are", because what you do prior to the final backswing becomes a more complex discussion to tackle.

Steve Davis also agrees in having a slow backswing as he described in one of his training videos from the 80's. Steve, however, suggests looking at the cue ball in your final backswing, and then the object ball on your final forwardswing. I'm not convinced and believe it's too difficult to master. I have found (at least for me) that looking at the object ball during the backswing was very productive and allowed me to "feel" pace and timing very well.

Now, on to what you do prior to the final backswing:

What you do prior to your final backswing, starts to get much more complex a topic to discuss with any rationale and is likely highly varied from player to player. Of course Griffiths, Barrow, Hill and other coaches all probably have their preferred recommendation (I can't vouch for anyone as I haven't taken professional coaching from them). Some players (like me) feather in order to get the precise aiming point and to measure precisely where they intend to hit the cue ball. The feathering provides direct evidence that you are hitting the right spot, and seeing the correct angle. Other players I suspect might use it for measuring the pace of stroke, throw, or whatever combination of other factors are needed to complete the shot. I don't have a straightforward answer, all I know for sure is what I described earlier about the backswing and moving the eyes.

Here is another thought on feathering which I'm quite convinced about:

How you feather, and how many times you feather does affect your play, your performance, and your ability to remain calm and in form.

Why? Here is my premise:

If you believe that the mind follows the body, and the body follows the mind. Or at least, if you believe that what you do physically affects you mentally, then I declare that a player that "feathers quickly" will, as a direct result, have a much tougher time remaining calm and this will show up in their cue action and cue ball control. Their lack of cue ball control will also become apparent directly as a result of how they feather prior to the final strike because fast feathering lets the adrenaline get out of control and in turn let's their mind race. I'm absolutely sure that there is a connection here but have no precise explanation for it yet.

An example of a "fast featherer" is shown here in a 102 break: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=GYwjGotpUx4. If you notice, this player hits the balls fairly hard. The cue ball control is there to a degree but it's not precise (ala Hendry, Higgins, Murphy, Ding). Players that feather quickly (or at least not deliberately and slowly) I believe also tend to have other bad habits in their game because they haven't discovered their own stroke well enough. I think pro-level players that at one time feathered quickly have worked this "kink" out of their game because doing so pollutes their ability to maintain precise cue ball control.

At one point I used to feather quickly and for a very long time (talking years) had absolutely no cue ball control. I also used to hit the balls hard, and never seemed to know where I was going (often up to balk to pot a green or long blue). In the last 3 months, I have implemented a slow backswing and slow feathering after getting some coaching from a friend/mentor. The results are profound:

1. I went from a 15 - break player to a weekly 50 break player
2. I have far more cue ball control and actually can feel and see the shot
3. I stopped "throwing" balls in and using side on every shot
4. Shots are a lot more plain ball and if I do use side, I can do so with precision

All this happened because I slowed things down and it helped me to see and feel what had previously eluded me.

Everyone playing me now are saying that my early days of "potter from hell" are coming back (and I thought it was my previous cue!) except that I'm potting with control and not slapping every ball into the pocket as I once did.

Bottom line? Sloooowwww backswing, watch where you look, look at the object ball last, and don't feather in your pre-stroke like you are cutting with a hacksaw!!

Hope that helps!!

[thelongbomber]

Oh, and on the topic of a backswing pause, I say no.

Don't need it if your backswing is slow and controlled (I think).

[jonplayer]

Absolutely, no breathing at all once you're down on the shot. What I was referring to was the similarity between:

- Pulling the cue backwards & inhaling.
- The rear pause & the "natural" pause at the end of a deep breath (which is hardly noticeable).
- Driving the cue forward & exhaling.

And thanks for commenting on my post, Terry... Much appreciated

Hang on Hang on, No breathing on the shot?

When did that rule come into play? I breath out slowly as I get down on the shot and I'm mustard

[Terry Davidson]

jonplayer:

Once the bridge hand hits the table and you are in the address position then you should not breathe in or out. You can do anything you want before you're in the address position.

The danger is quite a lot of players will breathe in during a power backswing and as the chest expands it will push the tip off to the right a bit in a right-handed player, especially if he has the cue against the chest.

Terry