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  • #31
    Originally Posted by Terry Davidson View Post
    In saying that, if you could GUARANTEE that you do not move once your bridge hand hits the table then it dosn't really matter where you're looking since you SHOULD be able to pot the ball with your eyes closed!
    True, you should be able to pot the ball with your eyes closed, but I take issue with you saying that it doesn't matter where you are looking as your hand will follow your eye so if you take your eye off the object ball to the white, the pocket or the ball you wish to cannon, your hand will follow and you will miss. This of course can't happen if your eyes are closed, and this is a test that one can use to see if they are indeed taking their eye off the pot so to speak, which IMO is the biggest reason why good players miss easy balls.

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    • #32
      im not sure if the way i do it is strictly correct but normally what i do is i get behind the shot, and recently after talking with james who recently came back from a coaching session ive been keeping my eyes and head directly in line with the shot when getting down to play it..

      then this is the part i know is not text book but i feel it works for me, i address the cueball where i want to hit with the cue, i flick my eyes to the object ball, feather 1-2 times front pause and - if im in the balls, i rear pause with my eyes always on the object ball and cue through then, ie, short shots....if im on a long pot i take one last look at where im cueing the white, then flick back to object, front pause, back pause, cue through...lol

      i dont know ot least thats how i think i do it lol
      what a frustrating, yet addictive game this is....

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      • #33
        Years ago when I was learning the game I decided my cue action wasn't good enough. To get round this I picked an exact point on the white ball and delivered the cue through that point so at least giving me a sporting chance of hitting the cue ball where I was aiming. I still do this now but as my cue action is better I reckon I could close my eyes and still pot a few.

        I'm not sure you can compare firing an arrow at a target with snooker. If you were hitting a tennis ball you would be holding the racket (cue) and looking at the tennis ball (white) and hitting it to a target. Same with golf but as long as it gets the job done what does it matter.

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        • #34
          vmax:

          You must have missed the last line on my post, where I said I still recommend the eyes on the object ball at time of strike.

          Otherwise, I would be advocating playing every shot with the eyes closed during backswing and delivery and I only recommend that as a solo practice just to confirm to the player he is lining up correctly and staying still or even this exercise will help him train himself to stay still once the hand hits the table.

          To complicate matters, as an exercise during solo practice try not feathering at all and closing the eyes just prior to starting the backswing and see how you do. It may surprise you!

          Terry
          Terry Davidson
          IBSF Master Coach & Examiner

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          • #35
            Terry

            I didn't miss the last line in your post. It's a contradiction by saying it doesn't matter what your eyes are looking at if the shot is being aimed correctly, and then advocating looking at the object ball when the shot is played. You have to give a solid reason for any advice.
            The solid reason for looking at the point of contact on the object ball (BOB) is that in hand and eye co-ordination the hand follows the eye. A dart player doesn't look at double three when shooting for tops, which in effect is what a snooker player will be doing if he looks at the white when he plays the shot.

            When I find myself playing badly, one of the things I do to check my action is to line up different angled shots and then close my eyes at the moment I play the shot. I always find that if I still pot the balls with my eyes closed, then my stance etc is fine and so I must be taking my eye off the pot.
            With your eyes closed then your hand cannot follow your eye and if you have a straight action then you will still pot the ball, but with your eyes open the focus must be the point of contact on the object ball at the time of striking the white, otherwise no matter how straight your cue action, your hand will follow your eye and you will miss.

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            • #36
              in regards to BOB, how can a player focus behind the object ball? i just can't look past the ball on to pot it, surely the contact point on the object ball is the preferred option?

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              • #37
                BOB is the contact point on the object ball, directly opposite the part of the pocket you want to hit on the side of the object ball facing the player.

                Not sure vmax, but I think that's what I'm saying. Every player will have his own natural eye rhythm and some look at the cueball at the time of strike but most look at the object ball.

                However, if your technique is solid and you stay still, during solo practice it's always a good idea to try some pots with your eyes closed just to check on your selection of aim when you are behind the shot and also if you are moving something during the backswing or delivery.

                Terry
                Terry Davidson
                IBSF Master Coach & Examiner

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                • #38
                  before i took couple of lessons from professional coach my eyes , feet, cueing , timing where all over the place. as because i learned playing snooker myself observing other players on TV ive obviously picked up some wrong habits in stepping in , cueing , sighting and delivering the shot which in reality didnt help my game !! but since my coach tough me to follow the "routine" and altered my shot sighting , cue action , feet position and timing while at the table, at last ive started playing consistently.... much more consistently.

                  so back to the topic and here what i do while at the table:


                  1. sighting the shot,
                  2. imagining the line through the shot, table, and along the floor.
                  3. walking in the shot placing my right foot on imaginary line this insures correct chest contact point which insures the cue is on line.
                  4. while descending on the shot im keeping my eyes on the object ball till in position.
                  5. transferring my eyes onto cue ball , feathering twice ... pause, while pulling cue back im transferring my eyes onto object ball then with my eyes still looking at object ball delivering the shot , following through the ball with the cue.
                  6. pot... job done...:snooker:

                  so... thats how it works for me, im also feel very comfortable and confident at the table following this routine.



                  hope it helps.
                  happy potting:snooker::snooker::snooker:

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                  • #39
                    Originally Posted by irnickknowles View Post
                    I'm not sure you can compare firing an arrow at a target with snooker. If you were hitting a tennis ball you would be holding the racket (cue) and looking at the tennis ball (white) and hitting it to a target. Same with golf but as long as it gets the job done what does it matter.
                    By comparing archery to snooker, you can see that techniques in certain sports and games can be similar. The arrow, like the cue ball, is a stationary object that is made to travel to the target. The bowstring needs to have the arrow notched in its centre or the arrow will not fly in the desired direction. The cue ball needs to be struck in the centre or it will not travel in the desired direction. The archer and the snooker player need to keep still on the shot. The snooker player needs to remember that the object ball is the target, not the pocket, so by using archery as a metaphor for sighting and executing the shot, someone just might get it and learn from it.
                    Tennis is totally different because the ball is moving and because the margin of error is far greater.

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