Cue action help.

[tomfun]

hi,
This is only my second post on here and it is about my cue action.Ive being playing snooker in a cons club for 7 ish years on and off,probably only 1 night a week though .After finding this site have decided to actually stop guessing how to play and rushing my shots and learn a few things from people who can actually play the game well.My highest break is about 25 i think and i normally don`t get anywhere near that most nights
One of the problems i think i have is that my cueing doesn`t feel solid at all,i feel that my back arm is moving sideways slightly,is there anything i can do to get my arm moving in a straight line mayby cueing closer to my body and feeling the cue on my side.

[canuck]

Tomfun,
I have the same issues. Now, I'm not exactly a top dog here (highest break of 49 with average of umpteen to twentysomething). I have been working on my cueing too and have some tips that helped me to get my highest break from mid twenties to high forties. First of all, keep your chin on the cue. Glide your cue along your chin. It will feel weird to keep your head so low but it will straighten your cueing. You'll get used to being so low on the shot after a while. Two, make sure you "time" your shots well. Do the feathering of the ball before you take the final backswing and make a short pause before you go through the ball. Think of the final backswing with an archer's mind - as you pull the cue backwards, slow down a little and fix your eyes on the contact point on the object ball. When you're feeling comfortable, thrust the cue forward and follow through the cue ball. However, don't do too much follow-through. Three inches is enough for most medium strength shots. if you follow through too deep (which used to be my problem) then you will hit the side of your body with your grip and steer the cue off the line of action.

Finally, make sure you aim the shot BEFORE you lower your body. Align the shot first, place your cue in postion, then set your stance according to where your cue is, and start your prestrokes. Never fiddle with the potting angle when you're down on the shot. This will cause you to misjudge the angle and to miscue because you will not be comofortable on your shots.

That's all from me, I'm sure others will chip in with more advice. Good luck mate.

[tomfun]

thanks for that reply Canuck i will make a note of it and read it again,i normally have my cue up to my chin but come to think about it mayby i am only just ever so slightly touching touching it and not feeling it in contact with the cue all the way throught he shot (like John Higgins) he seems to really rub hard against his chin.I know that i need to find time to practice on my own (my cue action and sighting pots) but i always seem to get to the club get a drink and wait for a free table (only 2) and then straight into a game of normally doubles (after 8.00pm).There are so many things for me to change with my game it is hard to remember them all when playing a game.I really am getting quite sick of losing to some very poor players just because i have a bad game and can`t put 2 or 3 pots together .I know that i play the right shots most of the time but when i get in i can miss simple pots,through not having a good enough cue action.On more thing before i go i have never botherd buying a cue so end up playing with one of the clubs cues,most of them are 1 peice with flat or uneven tips.
Just bought this one from ebay what do you think for the price and a beginners cue?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...6404&rd=1&rd=1

[lbs]

i not a good player as well.
i believe if u are chin-rubbing the cue too often then not, you are either
1) standing too close to the cue ball. after settling into the shot, stand half a step further.
2) bending too low on the shot. i been trying this out recently getting some results. this doesn't apply to long shots though. my theory is that the lower you bend, the harder it is to sight the object ball...and thus with long shots, bending so low wouldn't affect it so much.

give it a try

and as for the cue, i had known a friend who bought a John Parris during his no-so-hey days and latter bought a BCE. Turns out he prefer the BCE in the end. I tried a BCE many months ago and didn't like the feeling--wood isn't that solid... moral of the story is if it feels good to you then its good. Ignore the usual cue bollocks stuff..

[canuck]

lbs,
I certainly will disagree that rubbing the cue on your chin is an error. Watch John Higgins play. He does exactly that to help keep his stroke straight. There is no such thing as being "too low" on the shot because the aiming is supposed to be completed before you take your shot position.

[MrRottweiler]

Its paramount to rub the cue against your side close to your kidney to assist straight cuing. Over time work a pause in to your cuing just before you stirke. The pause is for you to double check everything such as point on the cueball you want to hit and the point on the object ball and the trajectory angle which obviously needs to be towards the pocket. I've been neglecting the pause over the years but now i'm working on it my game is better than ever and I feel much more confident. Your game won't improve if you only ever play against an opponent. Get some solo practice in and work on all your basics.

[tomfun]

Thanks again for the help guys,as mr rottweiler says i am going to get some solo practice in,i think i can get into the club at 11am,well before the bar opens and have a table to myself practising hitting the white up and down the spots and then setting up some straight pots until i am happy with the way i am cueing.I am pretty sure if i practice the basics well and get into a good habit of sighting the shot and pausing etc,i will start to enjoy playing the game alot more.

[lbs]

lbs,
I certainly will disagree that rubbing the cue on your chin is an error. Watch John Higgins play. He does exactly that to help keep his stroke straight. There is no such thing as being "too low" on the shot because the aiming is supposed to be completed before you take your shot position.

sorry for not being clear... chin to cue is of course important but i believe the threadstarter complaint is that perhaps the cue is riding up and rubbing really _hard_ on the chin.... this used to happen to me few months back until a senior told me that i am really bending very very low (cue is less than 2-3 inches from the cushions all the time), this is coupled by another fault that I drop my elbow unintentionally and the cue contact the cushion right afterwards.

i still have the contact with the chest stuff going on, though... chin to cue is definitely very important but bending your back at just the right angle helps to ensure that you cue sticks to your chin smoothly.