Timing and final pause issue!

[Leo78]

Hi there, i am new to this forum, but im a quite good player, I can make regular 50s. and sometimes if am lucky i can make 80-90 or centuries (my highest is 136)!

i started to strugle with my game since last year, and this happened exactly when i tried to inject a backswing pause before hitting the cueball becuz i thought it would imrpove my game and build a consistency, but it made it worse for me . So what is the problem exactly?

When i go down on the shot, and try to do the final backswing pause, i cannnot seem to know when to hit the whiteball, it's like, sometimes i do 0.5 sec, and sometimes 1 sec, and if a im under pressure, it takes more than 1 sec! the timing is just awuful now! if i am playing alone like lineup or something, or playing with a friend with a huge confident, everything seems sweet and nice and i can make huge breaks without any issue, but when i play in tournements under pressure, i just cannot get the timing right, which affected my game alot becuz i am not delivering the cue the way i want it! if i am trying to screw back 4 inches, i might screw 2 inches or 8 inches !! i lost the feeling!

I tried alot of things, but it seems the more things i try the worse my game is getting, i need to sort things out for me, so i need some help pls.


My friendz advise me to think positivly (with confident) while doing the final pause to forget about it and play naturally until i master it, for example, when i am down and doing the final pause, i try to think that the cue will go straight to hit the object ball sweetly,

others told me to count, for example, do 3-4 feathers, and then count one (backswing) two (hit/deliver the cue),


im just lost, and i need to sort my mind pls, becuz i am playing now with no confidence at all,

[hotpot]

Even when youre cueing well and happy with your form in practice its hard to replicate this into a match . It,s probably going to be harder for you as you have changed your cue action , and if you did,nt feel comfortable with it and start playing well in a match then its going to play on your mind as to whether you,ve done the right thing .

Nobody can tell you to play with pause or not or how long you should pause or how many times you feather , , it,s whatever you feel comfortable with and what workd best .

If you think youre hitting the ball better with a pause , and want to stick to it then , you may have to be prepared for some frustrating nights and poor results . The more attention to minor detail you pay to your practice sessions and your cueing the more natural and easier it will become .

Things may get worse before they get better .

[blackballgame]

You can make a really slow final backswing and deliver the cue immediately like RO does

[The Doctor]

Try saying something like the colour your going for("Yellow") or a positive word like "focus", in your head, when you stop the backswing. This will make you pause for the same amount of time on each shot.
A slow deliberate backswing is vital and is a higher priority than a pause IMO.
Try pausing a little longer at the white with a slower backswing and just hit when it feels right.

[Leo78]

Thanks for the reply mate,,

i have couple of questions for you then,,

if am cueing very well during practice sessions, but playing poorly during the matches, what do you think is the cause? my cueing? or my mind?

if my mind, what can you advice me while playing and especially when im down on the shot and right before the delivery?

also, when today i make 98, 76, 66, and then the next day struggle to make 30 ? what do you think is the cause? my cueing or my mind?

let me tell you something about me to get a better picture, sometime when i get an easy shot (stun an easy red for the blue), i get some doubts in my mind like i might not deliver the cue smoothly and get a good position! (this is me after the backswing pause). i tried to relax and be confident, but it's really hard for me to deliver the cue the way i want during the pressure!

i know i talked too much, but im really looking for some good tips and advice to sort out my mind becuz there is no way my cueing is bad if i can make 80s and 90s and struggle in the next day!

[The Doctor]

I can obviously be a technical matter perhaps your set up is not the same for each shot or you done have a pre shot routine, but it is more likely a mental problem.
I could sit on here and write a thousand words easily on this subject and still not get it all in but, to give you and idea, the part of your brain that you use in snooker, works in pictures.
If i say to you "don't think about the colour blue" then it will automatically come into your mind. So the same applies when you tell yourself not to hit a ball too hard or soft or not to miss this ball because i will let in my opponent.
You must think about what you want only then will you fully display your potential.
Sorry i do not have more time to discuss this further but hopefully this will help.

[pottingpinks]

I think you have to try and relax to some extent during match conditions, yes you will have nervous energy but too much of it is no good for anyone as you will probably not be cueing smoothly and snatching at shots if you are putting yourself under pressure.

It can be hard but the simple fact is if you get stressed the chances are you will not be able to perform to your best.

As proven in a way when there were a spate of pro players using beta blockers back in the day which calm the nerves and slow the heart rate and they mostly had improved results during this period (until they were banned).

[Terry Davidson]

Leo:

Although having a discernible rear pause is a good thing and most of the great players have one, it's not absolutely necessary. Peter Ebdon and Mark Allen do not have one.

I think what you've done is screwed up your natural rhythm with which you learned to play and now you timing is erratic.

As the Doctor says, we could easily go on and write a couple of pages easy on timing and rhythm, but here is what I think you should do to correct the problem.

Your timing is controlled (believe it or not) by the rhythm of your eyes and if you change your timing then the natural rhythm you had with your eyes and delivery was in sync and you've interrupted that.

So try this (in solo practice). The most natural time to swing your eyes up to the object ball if you want to have a rear pause is either very near the end of the final backswing or else during that rear pause. I don't know when you lift your eyes to the object ball now, but try to do it during the rear pause, not before or after the pause. This should get your eye rhythm back into sync with your cueing rhythm.

Now, how do I know this? It's because I've been working lately on trying to develop a rear pause myself and I tried to get it for over THREE YEARS! by doing my normal eye rhythm, which was to switch to the object ball at the front pause before I started my final backswing.

After a whole lot of thought I've lately switched to keeping my eyes focused on the cueball until the rear pause and then raising my eyes to the object ball during the rear pause. After about a week of experimenting with this my timing is starting to feel more natural and with that natural rear pause injected while my eyes focus on the object ball I'm finding that I'm DRIVING the cue through the cueball better and more consistently.

One word of warning though (and as someone has said) THIS MUST BE COUPLED WITH A VERY SLOW AND SMOOTH BACKSWING.

So after feathering your timing will be as this - slight front pause at the address position for a final check on everything - then a slow and deliberate backswing with eyes locked on the spot of the cueball you want to hit - rear pause lifting the eyes to the object ball - start delivery slowly and build up acceleration.

In addition, I've found that a longer backswing also helps with the smoother delivery.

Terry

[Leo78]

Thanks Terry for your help,, and i think this looks very decent thing to try becuz you have found when i do switching my eyes even without me telling you. I usually do a front puase, switch my eyes to the object ball then backswing, pause and hit.

now i willl try to backswing, switch my eyes, pause and deliver the cue, and let's see if my timing is back to natural.

thanks again.

[johno]

Hi the Doctor..
I was just reading the post when you say you will only realise your full
potential when you 'think what you want' I know this is a complex
issue but could you please explain a bit more what you mean. I tend to
get negative thoughts during a match and worry more about missing and
who I'm playing against. What thought process would help before I go down
on the shot AND whilst I'm cueing up.
Would appreciate your help......

[The Doctor]

I will try to help with your problems.
Firstly, it is vital to understand the link between your thought process and your playing patterns. Ask yourself, what you think about when your playing well? Answer, very little. But when you are playing poor, then your thoughs are all over the place. This is not coincidental, but rather a clear indication that you are not in sync with your conscious and subconscious mind.
When you are in sync there is a very clear relationship between both.
An example is when you decide to put on your shoes.
First comes the conscious thought of wanting to Put them on, then subconsciously you go through the process of tying the laces etc.
This is exactly the same pattern that happens when you are playing well. You decide what shot to play and visualise the whole shot, then proceed to play the shot letting your subconscious get on with playing the shot.
I already said before about whatever you think about coming into your mind. It is therefor vital to think about what you want TO happen rather than say" try not to miss this pot". In doing the later, you create an image of missing the shot, confusing the mind and mostly resulting in error.
I would urge you therefor, to visualise the shot in the pre shot routine absolutely vital. Then try to trust yourself to pick the right line and to judge the pace of shot etc and use distraction techniques during the time your down on shot. The can be a simple thing like saying the name of the colour in your head when ready to strike. Or saying "back. hit" during the final stroke.
As I already mentioned thus is a subject I studied for a no of years and is so vast I could write about if for days.
When i worked with John, it was this part of the game that probably made the most difference and it will make a huge difference to anyone who goes about the right way.
I hope this helps and if I can help any further then please ask.

[johno]

That's great and gives me something to work on...thanks for your help
very informative

[coomsey76]

Hi Leo, this is exactly what had happened to me.......

After many years of playing I decided to try and put a pause in my final back swing before I delivered the cue....... And it totally put my timing out and messed my game right up!!

But fortunately John Woods coaches at the club where I play in Kings Cross, and he put me straight immediately (like Terry and all the others have said already) by slowing down my final back swing which also made it a lot smoother, all my timing has back and the pause feels a lot more natural and I'm delivering the cue better than ever!!

[checkSide]

The Doctor, like Nic Barrow, seems to be a fan of Timothy Gallwey's 'inner game' theories.
Check out this book for the low-down. It will definitely help with your game.

I personally am also a fan of allowing your subconscious to play.
From my own experience I believe it is important to experiment with your technique until you find what straight cueing FEELS like. It is very important to know in your mind what your arm and grip actually feel like when cueing straight.
Once you have this feeling it is then a matter of not thinking in words, but allowing your body to replicate that feeling shot after shot. This is when you will play your best snooker. IMHO

[Giggity1984]

The Pleasures of Small Motions is also another good book about Concious and Sub Concious Play.