My snooker practice and problems

[TomBombd]

Joined the club at my school yesterday and had a session today morning.

General notes: went to play at 10am (before work), brought coffee etc. and it felt great. I should concentrate a bit on when and in what mood I practice. Going again tomorrow.

Got a bit of it on video with my phone. Not a really good one, as I had to balance my camera on a chair to get a view from behind. Tomorrow I'm bringing a proper camera and a stand, so I should get all the angles and more footage to choose from. And also the sound doesn't work. I probably did something wrong with the compressing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZTeDtSBt6w

It's pretty late so I'm not gonna analyze it much. To sum it up, I'd have to say I'm struggling as you can obviously see. Most of it is due to being introduced a whole new cue-action at my last weeks coaching session. I used to keep my elbow very near my body (turned inwards) and now I'm trying to keep it further away. The coach also commented on my stance, saying that my chest is pointing very directly in the line of the shot (like I was leaning straight ahead). So to correct that, I've turned my hips a bit, and changed my stance slightly. All of the things above are obviously messing stuff up right now, so it looks pretty horrible.

How about the grip? I pretty much play with two fingers nowadays. As you can see the back fingers are off the cue at times. The main thing today was trying to stabilize my pre-shot routine. I'm over-exaggerating it a bit here (leaning to sight etc.) but that's to make it a habit.

Well... tear it up and throw it at me. I know it's no good! :-)

[Terry Davidson]

Not horrible but not great either. First of all sort of a wimpy delivery with no evidence of any 'drive' through the cueball (hard to tell on the video).

However, there is one thing that's happening which you can correct easily. When you deliver the elbow is moving to the right and this is being caused by your incorrect grip.

Place your cue butt on the table (disconnect the shaft if you can) and pick it up just like it is a hammer and you were going to drive a nail with it. Hold the butt vertical out in front of you at arm's length and take a look at the configuration of your hand. You should note the wrist is cocked outwards and all 4 fingers are wrapped around the butt but with the thumb applying almost no pressure and all the control of the hammer is in the forefinger.

This is the exact same configuration of grip you should use but with a lot less pressure. The right pressure is if you are able to slide the cue easily through your grip with the left hand holding the shaft and the grip hand not moving at all.

Use this type of grip with an outward wrist cock however the cue should just be laying in the bed of the 4 fingers and in the address position the back of the palm should be resting lightly on the butt. All forwards and backwards movement during both the feathers and backswing and also the delivery from the back of the backswing is initiated by the FOREFINGER ONLY!!!

Try this next time you're on the table and take 3 short videos. One from directly behind. one from directly in front and then one from the right which covers the grip hand, shoulder and head and if you can get back far enough the feet also. Post those up in this string when you have them and I'll do a short analysis for you.

Terry

[TomBombd]

The coach also commented on my stance, saying that my chest is pointing very directly in the line of the shot (like I was leaning straight ahead). So to correct that, I've turned my hips a bit, and changed my stance slightly. All of the things above are obviously messing stuff up right now, so it looks pretty horrible.

I still stand behind this, although yesterday the shots started to be more consistent. I'm gonna have to practice a lot more though. When you watch these videos you're probably going to notice something slightly different in every shot. So it's either an overall analysis, or a shot-for-shot breakdown of the technique.

Not horrible but not great either. First of all sort of a wimpy delivery with no evidence of any 'drive' through the cueball (hard to tell on the video).

One of the first things we established in my coaching session last week. Whereas I had a reach of something like 2½ feet (absolute max), I was using like 1½ feet or not even that. This is due to the fact that I used to have my elbow turned slightly inwards at my body, which then in turn led to my cue delivery going around my body from the right side (like the problem Hufro has). This of course meant that I was slamming my right hand into the lower part of my chest and not close to the shoulder, and that took out a foot or so from the cue-reach. Now that I'm trying hard to keep the arm more to the right, it's extremely hard to concentrate on following through properly. So now that I have the arm in a place to allow for drive-through I guess it will appear with more practice

However, there is one thing that's happening which you can correct easily. When you deliver the elbow is moving to the right and this is being caused by your incorrect grip.

On these videos this problem is still evident. It is of course caused by my grip. But I blame the changes in my overall technique for my grip. In the pictures the coach took in our session, I had a very good grip. Pretty much the way you describe it, and I was stopping the cue with two fingers. After the start of June I haven't really used the back fingers for anything. So now with all of the things going on in the upper body, I guess it's starting to affect stuff like this as well. With my slightly more turned stance, I also feel that my wrist is turned weirdly.

I hope I have analyzed some of my faults correctly by myself. The trouble is, I don't really know a crystal clear way of getting rid of them. So without further ado, here's two videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKoj0vAbvVk (shooting blues to the middle, 3 angles)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUODKH4vnMc (shooting blues to the corner, 3 angles)

I didn't cut out the parts where I'm resetting the balls, so I hope you don't find it frustrating to watch. Really hoping this video thing goes a long way in developing my game!

And as a little end-note: at the end of my practice yesterday I was starting to feel very frustrated and I was slamming balls around. So I decided to immediately quit and take the rest of the week off. This is also something I have to start doing more.

[Terry Davidson]

Read the posting I made on HUFRO's grip as changing the grip is the only thing of note I see now. The rest doesn't look too bad on the simple shots you're doing. At the end of a practice session you should play one full frame where you go for everything.

OK, get a chalk pouch or mag clip too as putting the chalk on the table is considered poor etiquette, and even though it's just a pool table, sitting your drink on there is not a good idea in case it gets spilled.

Terry

[nrage]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKoj0vAbvVk (shooting blues to the middle, 3 angles)

Have a close look at the shot at 2:11. The initial alignment and feathers appears to be pointing at the left hand side of the pocket (camera point of view). But, when you play the shot the cue straightens onto the correct line. On this shot the elbow appears to move out to the left (camera POV) which may be the cause of the straightening.

The Q is, why was the initial alignment off? and did you feel on that shot you were not lined up? and perhaps correct during the shot?

The next shot is similar, but not as pronounced, as is the one following that.

The rear view shows the elbow movement (to the right from this view) on the shot, but I can't decide if it happens before or after the white is struck.. as it appears to happen as the forearm goes forward of vertical, and the elbow seems to go right and then down a touch (as you'd expect with a partial drive through the ball). I suspect this movement is causing the re-alignment of the cue on the shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUODKH4vnMc (shooting blues to the corner, 3 angles)

For the front view, try to get the camera lower, and if possible include the red and target pocket in the view. This gives you something to line everything up with.

I think the shots on this video show the same elbow and tip movement I describe above. This is what I believe you need to work on.

[TomBombd]

Have a close look at the shot at 2:11. The initial alignment and feathers appears to be pointing at the left hand side of the pocket (camera point of view). But, when you play the shot the cue straightens onto the correct line. On this shot the elbow appears to move out to the left (camera POV) which may be the cause of the straightening.

The Q is, why was the initial alignment off? and did you feel on that shot you were not lined up? and perhaps correct during the shot?

My elbow position hasn't been correct for all the years I've played. Since I've never seen myself strike a ball I only found out about this during the coaching session. With the way I used to play I thought my arm was vertical, and that in adress position my forearm was pointing down. Apparently my senses lie to me, because my elbow was maybe 15-25 degrees off vertical, and I was some 5-15 degrees behind vertical with my forearm at cueball contact.

This has obviously been a painstaking task to correct, and I'm still working on it. Thus I haven't been yet able to achieve having my arm lined up, so my cue is in straight line with the shot. On some shots you see that things are working properly. I have to exaggarate pushing the elbow to the right to make it vertical (which obviously doesn't feel natural yet). When I deliver, it appears to straighten out naturally. I'll look into this more, but I feel that I'm slowly getting rid of this crappy characteristic.

The rear view shows the elbow movement (to the right from this view) on the shot, but I can't decide if it happens before or after the white is struck.. as it appears to happen as the forearm goes forward of vertical, and the elbow seems to go right and then down a touch (as you'd expect with a partial drive through the ball). I suspect this movement is causing the re-alignment of the cue on the shot.

I believe you are correct here. I think the off-alignment happens just after the moment of impact. I suspect this because today while practicing, I accidentally jabbed a couple of shots with almost no follow through, and managed great straight pots. This then led me to believe, that the lateral movement is happening with the follow through and causes some sidespin, throw or something of the likes.

For the front view, try to get the camera lower, and if possible include the red and target pocket in the view. This gives you something to line everything up with.

I think the shots on this video show the same elbow and tip movement I describe above. This is what I believe you need to work on.

Working on it! I probably won't do a camera session for a little while now. Got a whole bunch of other stuff going on, so I can only practice every now and then and quite briefly.

Read the posting I made on HUFRO's grip as changing the grip is the only thing of note I see now. The rest doesn't look too bad on the simple shots you're doing. At the end of a practice session you should play one full frame where you go for everything.

I experimented with my grip today and was doing some things correctly. This I'm sure won't be an enduring process, as I already transformed my grip for the better about a month ago. So whereas some other things are very bad automatic habits, the grip changes I can do rather easily.

OK, get a chalk pouch or mag clip too as putting the chalk on the table is considered poor etiquette, and even though it's just a pool table, sitting your drink on there is not a good idea in case it gets spilled.

Thanks for the tips. And I like the way you say it is "just a pool table" :-)

Then to finish off a quick word about the practice I had. Today I went to the tables with a pretty good plan and proper mindset. I started off yet again by shooting straight blues to the top corners. I decided that I would stop the routine once I had potted all of the 22 balls in this manner. It took me about an hour, and I shot maybe two-point-something shots a minute, so that'd be about 22/150 or around 15%. During some shots I felt excellent. Really good pre-shot preparation, proper step-in and a delivery that felt good. I think the most I got in a row was three. That felt incredibly great. I should probably add that I had 30+ rattles (like triplejaws or more). The next time I play I'm actually going to count the shots.


I continued with a brief practice where I tried to pot the black off the spot as many times as possible, and without touching the cueball of course. This seems to be a pretty good exercise, as you end up taking very different kinds of blacks. The best I got was 4 in a row. Not too good but I didn't do this too long.

Then I did what you mentioned Terry, and played a frame where every single shot I was taking a ball on. At this point my concentration was starting to break, so I quit with all the colours left on the table. I find "normal" play a real struggle for some reason. I've really improved my cue-action and other things but when I practice potting during a solo-frame like this I manage to screw up all the time. The cue-action is nowhere near the level it was at the start, I'm rushing, missing easy pots, feeling like crap etc.

Well there's another marathon post. Wonder if anyone actually reads these :-)

[TomBombd]

I'll try to post shorter in the future. Like I said before, I wonder who has the energy to read the crap I print out here :-)

So let's make it short: had a bit of practice on Wednesday. Did straight blues for about an hour, and then shot some blacks. I got 21/82 for the straight long shots, so that'd be in the area of 25-30%. Surprisingly good, because I feel that this used to be like <5%. Still had a rough patch of like 15 misses in a row at one point (and they were off by at least half a foot). Absolutely no consistency. When I get everything correct during the shot, I can feel that I'm going to pot the ball as my cue hits the cueball. Regardless of knowing the feeling, I cannot duplicate it properly and thus no continuous success.

Then another problem. I did mention it briefly in my last post. I cannot take my cue action into most of the other shots. For example, I can shoot the blues in pretty good, and feel good about it, but then I start doing some lineup or whatever and everything just falls apart. It suddenly feels like a whole different scenario: different pace, different contact point and whatnot. Suddenly I cannot do anything right! And by "right" I really mean I cannot perform with my cue-action in the way that I just did for an hour.

Then a quick question: would any of you recommend sometimes shooting the long blues bridging differently (closer and closer to the rail)? I really really suck when I'm close to the rail. I'll also probably bring this up in August when I get coached the next time.

[nrage]

Instead of modifying the long blue routine devise a new routine for practicing off the rail shots. I think a variation on the short blues routine is a good option. Place the white on the rail approx 1ft from the middle pocket. Setup a straight red to the opposite middle. Pot that 5-10 times. Move the white further from the middle, in 1/2 - 1ft increments and each time set up a straight pot, pot 5-10 times. Do the same on the other side of the middle. This will focus on practicing off the rail shots on various rail angles from straight to more of an angle. You can vary this routine by placing the white 1 ball width, or more from the rail etc. Check out snooker pro tips for some rail bridge examples and find one which you're comfortable with, that ideally keeps your cue as level/low as possible.

[Terry Davidson]

One other trick from the Terry Griffiths coaching school for playing off the cushion.

You will naturally have less shaft out there and consequently you have to move the grip up the butt to compensate (here this is called 'choking up on the cue'). What is recommended is to choke up even further on the cue until your grip hand forearm is about 2in in front of the vertical.

This in turn means you will naturally drive the grip hand through to the chest every time, no matter what the pace of the shot. I tested this using the black, playing everything from 1/2-ball from pocket side to straight in to 1/2-ball from the pink side and I found I was definitely much more consistent using this approach.

Try it, you will see that it works

Terry

[agromann]

TOM - Reg: " Suddenly I cannot do anything right! And by "right" I really mean I cannot perform with my cue-action in the way that I just did for an hour."

This is a bit long and it’s my impression and guidance on something that happened to me.

Let me start my saying, "I know the feeling."
I cue straight. I did not cue straight for a while and while the reasons were myriad, I now am (mostly) straight as a dial.
Going by your initial percentage above (25-30%), your cue action is likely straight when your head is in the right place.
This case of the yips can drive you mad. (I had one a few days ago.)
It is generally psychological in nature and I think it can only be worked through in a combination of ways.
1. You have to work though it. There are no shortcuts. (I’ll explain below)
2. Mix Things Up! You can mix up the exercises with something easier in between. Nobody says you have to frustrate yourself all the time while working through.
3. Check which side you miss on.

Item 1:
If you have to do 100 or 200 shots and miss to work through it, the path of working through the error and what is wrong is a positive step ion your progression. If you had it easy, you will fail in adversity. If it’s a corker to work through, next time it happens you will say, “Been there. I can do it again.” The issue is psychological (I can prove it!) and working through that hump of misses teaches your subconscious what to do if this creeps in again.

Item 2:
To make that Item 1 easier, to prevent you from breaking the cue or people’s heads or walking away, pick an easy shot to throw in between.
To prove it’s psychological, go to a short straight shot. (Blue Middle / Black or any colour) Pick an easy shot, line it up straight. White 10-15 inches off the object. Object a foot from the pocket. Straight back or follow through. You will see that it comes back straight or follows straight. It’s just that other shot that stuffs you around because it’s more difficult to you and something inside you now baulks at it. Do the shot where everything went wrong for a while, then do a few short ones to regain sanity. (Combine Item 1 and 2 to work through it with help of item 3.)

Item 3:
Let me guess, you miss one side and the white goes pops out another and it happens all the time on the same side. (E.g.: You miss the pocket on the left and you pop the right to the white with a jab and your timing is off.)
Find out which side you miss on. If it is always on one side, did not happen for a while before and does not happen (even a little bit) on the easy shots, it’s in your head. (There are tons of factors like eye dominance, grip, dropping the elbow, stance, cue crouching, sighting and clenching up that affect your action to one side or the other but I am assuming that you had this “clean” before this THING happened…)
Once you know which side you miss on, work through it as per 1 & 2 above and keep in mind where you want the white and the object ball to go. I do not believe you should for this exercise address the white differently or consciously start compensating. Keep hitting the straight balls and mix in some easy ones every 15 shots or so and “think” where you do not want to be. Control your action. Take it slow. Keep the action slow and lock your chin down. Try and relax. Feather as normal and focus on hitting the white centre ball and cueing smoothly accelerating through the white. Stay down and look where your cue tip is and where the white goes.
Using a scenario where your white goes to the right again and again, and maybe your cue tip ends up a bit left of the address line, focus on getting up, thinking that you want the white to stop dead, come back straight or even pop left for a change. Address the balls straight as you always would and think “object ball more left/white ball more right”.. Go into your stance, get your eye in and think “left”.
Sounds funny but get your mental eye to see the white deliver straight and the object ball to go straight and keep shooting. Also try to focus your sight on the object ball and not the target pocket when delivering but may “imagine” the pocket to be off to the right a bit and that you just have to hit the object ball a smidgeon to the left of the centre.

Once again, I don’t think you should stay stance and sighting etc if you have been shooting straight and this yip just showed up to drive you crazy.
This is about teaching your subconscious to no longer see this shot as anything special.
Once the white jumps off to the side less and the object ball gets close, once you start potting a few and the white is stopping or coming back straight, you will be breaking through that part where you thought “I just don’t know why but I can’t do this shot and nothing works.”

If you work through it, you will be that much stronger mentally.