Timing and final pause issue!

[damienlch]

...Another thing i found that helps with my long potting is to use an imaginary line the white has to take to the point of contact . So youre not only concetrating where you want to hit the object ball , youre also conscious of the line you need to follow , if you can focus on the two together its a great aid .

hey hotpot, what a coincidence, i use something similar too... i imagine a path the cue ball needs to travel to hit the object ball when i first get down on the shot and after 2 or 3 feathers, focus that path into a point on the object ball right before a slow pull back and follow-through... as you said, it's a great aid... but yours is better, a line is obviously more precise that a path...

[Terry Davidson]

leo:

If you post a video I will gladly check it out and give you my opinion.

Try and get some extra lighting and have the camera in 2 positions (maybe 2 separate videos). The first position should be to your grip arm side and slightly behind so that I can see the grip hand, forearm and head and shoulders in action. I would suggest a long blue from the baulkline.

Next, do a long blue from the baulkline as a stop shot and have the camera directly over the top pocket you are potting to so I can see from the cueball to the top of your head. (This way I can use the pocket leather as a reference point to see how the butt of your cue is moving on delivery).

Do 10 times from each camera position with good lighting

Terry

[Leo78]

leo:

If you post a video I will gladly check it out and give you my opinion.

Try and get some extra lighting and have the camera in 2 positions (maybe 2 separate videos). The first position should be to your grip arm side and slightly behind so that I can see the grip hand, forearm and head and shoulders in action. I would suggest a long blue from the baulkline.

Next, do a long blue from the baulkline as a stop shot and have the camera directly over the top pocket you are potting to so I can see from the cueball to the top of your head. (This way I can use the pocket leather as a reference point to see how the butt of your cue is moving on delivery).

Do 10 times from each camera position with good lighting

Terry

Thanks Terry, I will try to do that hopefully soon.


Regards,

[Leo78]

I got very interested in the mental side of the game because that same question always came up "why did I play so good yesterday but not so good today"
There is not a simple answer but I found that there were common denominators. On first day your mind was busy with positive "doing" thoughts like trying to have a smooth slow backswing. This thought process helps the conscious mind keep busy and allows the subconscious to do it's job.
Also on the first day you have lower than normal expectation levels(the same as when you have not played for a while and find that you don't play so bad) but on second day you have higher expectation levels because you want to do better than first day(making sense).
Also on second day, when things start to go wrong you start to wonder what you are doing wrong or different to the day before. These are not positive "doing" thought but rather "destructive" thoughts and are the main cause for the poor display.
So the answer is, positive thoughts about what you want to do and playing each shot without comparison to any before will help to perform better and more consistently.

Very interesting point, that's why when you are in the zone, you think of nothing but enjoying the game with high confidence

And that's why whenever i find something new in my technique, i seem to play better, but the next day things start to go wrong again when i start to miss simple shots.

I guess it's all in my head then!

[Mauricio]

Very, very helpful this thread!

Many thanks for all contributions.

Leo78, I think your video analysis by Terry will benefit all of us.

[DWOT]

I discovered I have a front pause today that I had absolutely no idea I had, I discovered a lot of other small but highly significant things too and I was only there for 2 hours!

Top Stuff.

[cuemaxx]

I want to thank Terry Davidson for all his tips and tricks. Thank you!
Today i concentrated on the 4 pause-points and it realy helped my timing a lot.

[jrc750]

I discovered I have a front pause today that I had absolutely no idea I had, I discovered a lot of other small but highly significant things too and I was only there for 2 hours!

Top Stuff.

Funny isn't it how somebody can see whats wrong within a short period of time, today one of the better players came over to watch me doing the line up, luckily i got 10 reds and 9 colours before messing up (phew ). Then moved onto long straight blues, i always do a few plain ball, then top spin, then deep screw. On the deep screw using lots of power is where i go all to pot () dropping shoulder, head movement the full works He said try using a longer cue draw back instead of throwing your weight into it, well within a few shots i was not only potting the blue but also screwing back a good 5 feet or so, this could easily transform my game (if i can just remember to do it lol) Moved on to power stun shots and i couldn't believe the difference i was getting. So just about 20 minutes is all it took to show me the way forward......... cant wait for next game now :snooker:

[DWOT]

Funny isn't it how somebody can see whats wrong within a short period of time, today one of the better players came over to watch me doing the line up, luckily i got 10 reds and 9 colours before messing up (phew ). Then moved onto long straight blues, i always do a few plain ball, then top spin, then deep screw. On the deep screw using lots of power is where i go all to pot () dropping shoulder, head movement the full works He said try using a longer cue draw back instead of throwing your weight into it, well within a few shots i was not only potting the blue but also screwing back a good 5 feet or so, this could easily transform my game (if i can just remember to do it lol) Moved on to power stun shots and i couldn't believe the difference i was getting. So just about 20 minutes is all it took to show me the way forward......... cant wait for next game now :snooker:

Yes but like me you'll forget it all and be **** again within a day!

Hence why funds permitting I'm prepared to spend some hard earned cash to get these things well and truly drilled in as I want to be as good at this bloody game as I can be.

Recon I'll get that half century before the year is out if I keep at it!

[jrc750]

.....Reckon I'll get that half century before the year is out if I keep at it!

I see your on 47 highest break and i am on 48.......race you to 50 (no cheating mind )

[DWOT]

I see your on 47 highest break and i am on 48.......race you to 50 (no cheating mind )

Mine was 15 years ago when I played every day on a table with big pockets, the table at our club is super tight and fast and getting a 50 on that will take some serious doing, but not impossible!

Good luck in your quest, I'd be happy to make regular high 20 breaks for starters to be honest, especially in matches.

[firefrets]

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,

Firstly, never try to do the same thing on every shot. Each shot is different, and requires different levels of decision making. What is important is to do most of the decision making whilst standing up, and then get down with a clear intent.

Once down, feel the shot out. Wiggle around until your stance is in perfect balance, and if you need to get closer to the shot then move your feet closer rather than stretch.

If you follow through the ball properly, then most shots will have a similar dominance of the white ball, in that you will play the shot, rather than hitting and hoping.

In every aspect of your game, it is important to be hitting the ball properly. The very first shot on the snooker table should not be to practise your potting skills, but more so to practise your touch.

Every shot there after should be with the aim of getting your timing, feel, squeeze (if you use one) and swing perfect.

Once you are hitting the ball well, your confidence will rise.

In matches, it is often the guy who has the least nerves that wins the match when 2 good players meet. There is rarely any toilet tissue left in the toilets by the time the matches start in a tournament, so you're not the only one with nerves.

A little ginger ale helps to calm nerves, and singing to yourself, or similar, will help too.

Having the courage and conviction to hit the white ball is key in a match, and that is why I say about using your opportunities wisely, in order to find your touch.

Take the easy shot every time, and your confidence will grow. 3 twenty breaks wins most frames. Keep your 136 thoughts out of your head and you'll score more, more often.

[FerruleFox]

I got very interested in the mental side of the game because that same question always came up "why did I play so good yesterday but not so good today"
There is not a simple answer but I found that there were common denominators. On first day your mind was busy with positive "doing" thoughts like trying to have a smooth slow backswing. This thought process helps the conscious mind keep busy and allows the subconscious to do it's job.
Also on the first day you have lower than normal expectation levels(the same as when you have not played for a while and find that you don't play so bad) but on second day you have higher expectation levels because you want to do better than first day(making sense).
Also on second day, when things start to go wrong you start to wonder what you are doing wrong or different to the day before. These are not positive "doing" thought but rather "destructive" thoughts and are the main cause for the poor display.
So the answer is, positive thoughts about what you want to do and playing each shot without comparison to any before will help to perform better and more consistently.

Great observations!

I am definitely guilty of getting overconfident on the day following a good session and allowing negative thoughts to influence my natural ability once I miss a few.


Was perusing some old threads and this one is full of solid ideas. Worth a bump! :snooker: