Delicate shots

[navjot4086604]

I have a problem while playing shots where we are required to hold the cue ball since the shot is very fine and thin and we dont want the cue ball to travel much.So we play it slowly with draw but in my case i usually twist my elbow and play a jerky shot in an attempt to hold the cue ball and end up playing a non straight shot.its all due to the thought of holding the cue ball because of which i try to hold my arm and end up missing the shot.any advice please help me .i have lost many breaks due to this shot.i think i am talking about the drag shot basically.

[hotpot]

I think it may be that you dont feel comfortable with this shot , youre not confident playing it and you tense up as youre putting too much emphasis on the shot and not relaxing .

Its easier said than done but you just have to relax with a nice loos grip , not too loose and concentrate on delivering the cue straight .

Your mind can and does play all sorts of trick with your confidence that then affects your game . The key is to feel in control of each shot but that is hard to do with low confidence . Cofidence affects you cueing and game and bad ceuing affects your confidence .

Pheraps a visit to a coach if you can maybe be a worthwile trip .

[nrage]

What you want to do is set up the shot you're having trouble with, and practice it.

When you do, experiment with the distance you're pulling the cue back. Don't change anything else about your stroke, for example:
1. always drive through to the chest on every shot.
2. accelerate at the same rate on every shot.

It's a mistake to think that to hold the cue ball you want to stop the cue "early", that wont make any difference as the white has left the cue by the point you're trying to stop the cue and so it wont have any effect. Even if you manage to slow the cue down before it hits the white, you'll likely take it off-line or end up with something that feels very unnatural and jabby.

Instead, what you really want is to put as much drag/screw on the white as possible by hitting as low as possible and going right through the ball. At the same time, you want to hit it softly which means the tip of your cue should only be traveling slowly.

So, you really have 2 options here, 1. keep a constant length pull-back but accelerate really slowly, or 2. pull back only a short distance and accelerate normally.

With #1 you need to keep the cue under control for the full distance. I find this much harder than #2 which relies instead on the fact that with a constant/gradual acceleration and a short pull-back you will only be going slowly when you contact the white.

Have a look at this youtube video by Nic Barrow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCRcN...eature=related
.. skip to 07:15 and follow with..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOWO6D6JDAs

IIRC it shows how his cue accelerates as compared to our very own Terry Davidson. The point to take from this is how gradually Nic's action accelerates, first on the pull back, where he gradually decellerates to a stop, then on the stroke itself, where he gradually accelerates to top speed.

If you can develop an action like that, and use the same gradual acceleration on a shot where you pull the cue back only a short distance, you will naturally hit the white at a slower speed.

[damienlch]

A common perception would be to hit the cue ball very gently; less speed equals less distance travelled right? But for such holding shots to work, there has be be sufficient firmness in the stroke and enough follow through to achieve the backspin or drag effect on the cue ball. So, yes, you should hit gently but perhaps a tad more firmly and with follow through.