straight delivery

[HUFRO]

Hi terry;

I tried a backswing of 4 , 5" and also a longer backswing, I do it very slow looking at the ferrule, pause at the back, start the acceleration but somehow it seems that the delivery is not in a straight line and I miss the pot. So, my problem is not with the BACKSWING, is the delivery. How can I assure a straight delivery?

Thanks

Hufro

[checkSide]

This may be controversial, but I believe it is all in your mind.

In the moment before you deliver the cue, (the pause for most), your body must ALREADY KNOW what the delivery feels like.
If you can't imagine what it FEELS LIKE to push the cue where you want it to go before the shot is struck, then you are certain to twitch as your push your cue into the unknown....

Cheers.

[escade]

This may be controversial, but I believe it is all in your mind.

In the moment before you deliver the cue, (the pause for most), your body must ALREADY KNOW what the delivery feels like.
If you can't imagine what it FEELS LIKE to push the cue where you want it to go before the shot is struck, then you are certain to twitch as your push your cue into the unknown....

Cheers.

thats a good point!

[nrage]

Hi terry;

I tried a backswing of 4 , 5" and also a longer backswing, I do it very slow looking at the ferrule, pause at the back, start the acceleration but somehow it seems that the delivery is not in a straight line and I miss the pot. So, my problem is not with the BACKSWING, is the delivery. How can I assure a straight delivery?

Thanks

Hufro

Short answer: Practice.

Long answer: Practice lots. Seriously tho, developing a straight cue action is the single hardest thing in snooker IMO. I should perhaps say, developing one and keeping it under pressure is. The people who just naturally have one, are the ones who make the game look easy.

There are a few things you can do to encourage your body to learn to cue straight, but it cannot be forced by will alone, nor can you always tell when things are going wrong. Which is why I have started to recommend filming your cue action, as often as possible, to gauge your progress.

The things you can do to encourage it.

1. Loose grip hand, I mean really loose, so loose you can pull the cue through the grip with your other hand.
2. Controlled back swing, this usually means front pause and 'slow' backswing.
3. Controlled delivery, this usually means rear pause and gradual acceleration with no jerky motions.
4. Stable stance, stable bridge.
5. No movement of the body, shoulder, and as little elbow movement as possible on the shot.

The reason I say 'controlled' above and not simply 'slow' is that control is the real aim/goal. 'Slow' is just the means of getting there. Some people can achieve the necessary control with more speed, the Q then is, can they do it consistently?

[Luke Hooper]

real loose grip works wonders. and CONCENTRATION.

[cazmac1]

Make sure that you are putting the cue on the line of the shot. This sounds easy and so it should be but it’s a lot harder in practice, what I've found is that lot of players have little quirks in there stance that they believe is helping them which in fact is doing the exact opposite, avoid anything that feels uncomfortable. When you place your hand down put the cue on the line of aim then bring you body to the cue (chest contact point). Avoid the temptation to move the cue to any your body as it will come of line. Hope this helps. You can also see my videos of me being coached by Del hill
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrTopbreak

[HUFRO]

Dell Hill Videos

Thanks Cazmac1 for posting those videos with Dell Hill.
It really help me a lot . Now I am practicing that routine of "tip on cue ball, 2 feathers, stop at back and deliver the shot" Really smooth me a lot. I am more careful now with my shots.

Thanks again.

Hufro

[snooks1000]

just to ask, why does it appear some pro's actually grip the cue reasonably tight? Mark selby is one that springs to mind. Is it an illusion or do some players do this?...

[cazmac1]

I don't go for this really loose grip idea, the grip should be firm but not too tight, but too loose a grip is as bad as a tight grip IMO.

[snooks1000]

I don't go for this really loose grip idea, the grip should be firm but not too tight, but too loose a grip is as bad as a tight grip IMO.

I've found the whole grip thing a bit confusing as of late but it never been something i used to think about too much. I'm reading lots of things such as grip the cue very loose so as the cue can easily be pulled out the back of the hand if someone was to try and do so. I very rarely see top players who appear to grip this loose?...

[snooks1000]

I don't go for this really loose grip idea, the grip should be firm but not too tight, but too loose a grip is as bad as a tight grip IMO.

I've found the whole grip thing a bit confusing as of late but it never been something i used to think about too much. I'm reading lots of things such as grip the cue very loose so as the cue can easily be pulled out the back of the hand if someone was to try and do so. I very rarely see top players who appear to grip this loose?...

[Giggity1984]

I've found the whole grip thing a bit confusing as of late but it never been something i used to think about too much. I'm reading lots of things such as grip the cue very loose so as the cue can easily be pulled out the back of the hand if someone was to try and do so. I very rarely see top players who appear to grip this loose?...

I've looked at the pro's grip on tv recently and you'd be surpised! Almost all of them were quite loose. Have a look on youtube at some breaks and from the front it looks like they have quite a firm grip, but when the camera shows from behind the player, it's actually very loose!

[snooks1000]

i suppose that ties in with my question about is it a bit of an illusion that some of the players appear to grip reasonably tight. By definition its a bit unclear Whats the difference between a 'quite loose' grip and a 'reasonably tight' grip and i suppose its maybe this bit that confusing me the most. Its certainly affecting my game at the moment cos I'm really thinking that I'm gripping to tight...

[Inoffthered]

I've looked at the pro's grip on tv recently and you'd be surpised! Almost all of them were quite loose. Have a look on youtube at some breaks and from the front it looks like they have quite a firm grip, but when the camera shows from behind the player, it's actually very loose!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rBe54E4rbE&NR=1

[nrage]

i suppose that ties in with my question about is it a bit of an illusion that some of the players appear to grip reasonably tight. By definition its a bit unclear Whats the difference between a 'quite loose' grip and a 'reasonably tight' grip and i suppose its maybe this bit that confusing me the most. Its certainly affecting my game at the moment cos I'm really thinking that I'm gripping to tight...

I believe the 'correct' grip strength is found as follows..

1. 'Grip' the cue as normal.
2. Hold the cue horizontal across your body.
3. With your bridge hand you should be able to easily slide your cue around in your grip.
4. If there is an air-gap between the cue and grip, close it off by wrapping the fingers around more but do not squeeze, re-test #3

I have taken to doing the above as I stand behind the shot aiming, to ensure my grip remains nice and loose for the whole match.

Notice in the video linked above, the 'loose grip' has the air-gap I mention in #4 above.

Having said that this is the 'correct' grip tension, I think it's important to mention that some people can definitely cue straight with a tighter grip, and some with a looser grip. There is no 'wrong' grip tension, unless that tension is causing you to cue offline all or some of the time. I reckon the above grip tension is what works for most people, most consistently.