Constantly chopping and changing looking for that perfect cue action

[BennyGy]

I've been playing snooker since about the age of 13/14 and i'm now 23, in recent years i've started taking it more serious by playing league snooker and playing as much as i can when i get the oppurtunity to, i often play on my own to work at my game. My highest is 57 but i know it shoud be more due to the amount i play. I can pot a decent ball but when it comes to stringing it together it just doent seem to be happening. So i start to change my cue action and change my grip then it all just gets worse and i'm thinking about what i'm doing while i'm down on my shot and end up missing.

1. When you are getting ready to deliver the cue, do you think sub consiously about your back hand opening and closing on the shot? Or do you just play the shot and this happens naturally? This is bugging me alot.

2. Is it more of a wrist flick or is it all in the arm? What i've been trying lately is to flick the wrist when delivering the cue, but i find with this that i have to think about doing this while concentrating on the pot.

[Theflyernow]

If your thinking technique while playing, especially in a match, its likely to go wrong as the wrong part of the brain takes over & you'll become mechanical!! Your best off experimenting with technique while doing line-ups & drills. In a match, think purely tactical!!

[Deepscrew]

Try playing the same shot 10 times with each technique and see what works..

[nrage]

If you're making breaks of 50+ then your technique can't be too bad. In which case, going to see a good coach will help you find any minor inconsistencies to work on/correct. They will also be able to help you with the mental side of the game.

As others have said, work on technique during practice, pick one thing to work on at a time and don't work on it for too long (30 mins per thing is reasonable). When playing a match let technique take care of itself and concentrate on the potting, position, and tactical side of the game instead. If you note a problem shot, or consistent fault (hitting thin or thick on certain types of shot) file these away to look at later, don't try to diagnose/repair things during the match. Tactically, if you know you're weak on a shot, play to avoid it and remember to practice it later.

Oh, forgot..

#1 in practice if I am working on this aspect of my game, yes, in a match, no.

#2 neither, IMO. The wrist flick is not something that is easily learned and relies on perfect timing. So, it's better to avoid using it unless you have used it since you first started. Instead work on a more compact, less moving parts, style of cue action. Take a look at Marco Fu for an example of the bare minimum. Take a look at Steve Davis in his prime for a precise cue action with no upper arm/elbow movement, and a modern Ronnie for an action with a more fluid style where the elbow drops a lot. I would aim first of all for the Steve Davis style and work toward the Ronnie style if you find it gives you more cue power with no additional inaccuracy/inconsistency.

[Terry Davidson]

On this one I might again site the grip as being the problem. First of all keep your wrist still throughout the backswing and delivery. Only the angle of wrist to forearm changes naturally as you backswing and deliver but do not 'flick' the wrist because as nrage has noted it's VERY difficult to coordinate.

Secondly, the fact that you have to think about relaxing the back of the hand during the backswing so your back fingers loosen up on the cue tells me you have incorrect pressure and configuration with your grip. Let the cue just lay in the 4 fingers so the fingers are not exerting any pressure at all and with the thumb pointed STRAIGHT DOWN towards the floor (this will automatically give you the correct wrist cock).

The grip pressure should be very relaxed so the butt of the cue is able to EASILY slide within the grip. Keep this exact same pressure in the grip as you feather, backswing and DELIVER (delivery is where most players go wrong). This grip allows the butt of the cue to 'push' the back 3 fingers out of the way during the backswing (although not during very short backswings, I'm talking here of medium pace or above shots) and if you KEEP THE GRIP RELAXED at delivery time it should stay relaxed until the stike of the cueball or shortly thereafter.

THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT TO LEARN IF YOU'VE BEEN TIGHTENING THE GRIP NATURALLY BEFORE THE STRIKE. Remember to keep your backswing long enough for the power you need and so you won't be tempted to clutch the cue tighter in order to get the rapid acceleration you would need with a shorter backswing

Terry

[BennyGy]

Terry when you say say keep the thumb pointing down, do you mean not closing the thumb around the second finger? Because if you do i have just recently tried this and it feels different because i am not use to having it pointing down. I will keep playing like this until it becomes second nature but at the moment i have to keep reminding myself to do this.

Regarding my grip i have always tried to keep it loose even when i'm in a match and get a little tense, i just seem to think about my back hand to much when playing which i think hinders me alot. I need to just keep it loose and play the shot then hopefully the rest should come naturally. I have also started to hold the cue further up after i noticed that when looking back at my wrist when in the address position i noticed i was a bit stretched and that my fore arm was further out instead of hanging straight down to the hand and butt of the cue. Whats your take on this?

Cheers for the feed back people

[Terry Davidson]

Benny:

Having the thumb pointed straight down towards the floor serves two purposes. Firstly it get the correct wrist cock and gets the straight forearm bone more directly over the cue. Secondly it prevents the thumb from exerting any sideways pressure on the cue. And of course there's a third reason and that is it helps a player to keep the grip loose through to striking the cueball.

Now...that said, there will be players who feel better and more comfortable having the thumb either in contact with the nail of the forefinger or even applying a little pressure to the forefinger and if they can still deliver the cue straight then that is fine although I would still recommed the thumb being pointed straight down to the floor and just holding the butt of the cue in the bed of the fingers.

I also recommend the forearm be hanging exactly vertical when in the address position although some players are able to play with the forearm either behind or ahead of the vertical. Frank Callan in fact said in his book (with pitures as proof) that both Joe and Fred Davis had their forearm in front of the vertical when addressing the cueball and I've seen very good players who have the forearm behind the vertical. With the forearm behind the vertical at address it allows the player slightly more room for follow-through.

These minor points are not what a player should be paying attention to unless he is a consistent 50 break builder. The two most important points are to keep the upper body still and keeping the grip relaxed until the cueball is struck so he can accelerate through the cueball. All the rest is fine tuning.

In addition, I can only teach what I believe to be the correct technique for the majority of players on here although when I give a face-to-face coaching lesson I tune a player's individual technique. There are lots of players who will play better by doing something that is not textbook and my recommendation is always the player should go with what he feels comfortable doing and what he believes makes him cue straighter.

Terru