The Dominant Eye / For Attention Of Terry Etc

[Sidd]

Tommy, it is good that you took note of the signature line, which is what I am working on these days and am trying to build that nicely in to my technique. Actually Terry is the one who taught me about the loose grip and follow through (grip hand to the chest) and this is my target in technique I have kept it as a signature line to remind me all the time what I need to do. I will keep doing it intentionally until it becomes second nature and I start delivering the cue like that naturally without thinking about it anymore. You must not worry too much about there to hit the chest because if you are dropping on the correct line of aim, your cue must be exactly on the line of aim and hence if you are hitting the cue ball straight with only the forearm movement and nothing else; then wherever your grip hand ends at the chest would naturally be the straight point and it will come automatically to you, as Terry puts it, through practice practice and more practice. Keep us posted on how you do.

Terry, all thanks to you in pointing out my most importnat weakness i.e. loose grip plus grip hand to chest and yes the trick you told us about thinking of hitting the object ball with cue tip (sewwt thought / dummy) works amazingly. I am now playing rather better with some sort of consistency. I have noticed myself in the past week and this is how it is: now I can pot at least 20-25 in every chance that I get and if lucky with positioning I made a break of 44 and then another day 30 and then another day 38. Seems things have finally started to work for me pretty well.

However, something that I needed to talk to you about is that last night I was playing (winner stays on) and I won almost all the games and was doing remarkable performance. However, then my friends came along and we started playing something we call Points Snooker wherein more people can play and the rule is that I you are playing after me then all your score will be deducted from mine because I gave you the chance and similarly it goes on. So in the end the looser is one with most negative points. It is rather a stressful method but it really trains one for a tournament temprament. So there were 6 players playing. Since I had played brilianly before (38 break and proper game and all that) so I was really happy cuz I knew I'd rock.... But when we started everything just vanished as if it wasnt even there I was again struggling with even a single red, forget about break building. I was just wondering why did that happen? Any ideas? Advice? it is becasue my turn was coming after 6 players or the stress of loosing the points or what I have no idea.... I ended up with a -70 score (the least of all the players).....!!!!!!

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

As they say, sh*t happens! and it happens to EVERYBODY including me. In my last tournament in the semi-finals on Sunday I started my match with a 49 clearance and then after that I couldn't make a ball. I even lost one frame on game ball black and I was a foot behind the black on spot with a 3/4-ball pot and in hindsight I realized when I got down on the shot I didn't look at the black but rather was looking at the cueball as I dropped down and never acquired the correct line of aim because I know I felt the shot was easy and didn't take proper care over it.

In your case I think the stress of that type of frame combined with the long wait between shots upset your rhythm and that would have come out into your technique in some way, most likely rushing shots when you finally got to your turn.

Six players is a bad way to play just because of the long wait, worse than doubles where you almost never see even the pros play to their best because of the lack of rhythm in the game.

Terry

[tommy_boi]

Hi Terry

Can you reply to my last post when you have the time.

Thanks.

[Sidd]

Terry, thanks for the reply. You are right and so were my fears. The long wait kills the rythem of course. I will try not to play that format again, as its quite frustrating anyway.

This is quite remarkable that something of that sort could actually to a person like you. And if that happens to people like you, then I can never ever complain about that for I'm just a snooker enthusiast and not even a pro.

But in the end all thanks to you really, my game has started making sense to me and I have started to enjoy my game. I won a best of 15 from a very good player tonight he is the club owner and is a 60 break standard player ! Not that bad eh

Adios

[Terry Davidson]

tommy:

If you are delivering the cue straight don't you think since it's going in a straight line that where the cue contacts the chest in the address position is EXACTLY where the grip hand should hit once you complete the delivery. I just can't see why you can't understand this...THE CUE IS TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT LINE and the hand has to hit that spot on the chest.

If your hand is hitting another spot on your chest either to the right or left of where the cue was in the address position then you just cannot be delivering the cue in a straight line. To answer your question as it appears to me, you are saying the grip hand is hitting more to the right but the correct thing is when the grip hand hits the chest the butt of the cue should be in EXACTLY the same spot on the chest as the cue was in the address position.

As for your other question, I thought I explained it very clearly using the golf analogy but here it is again. If you stop the grip hand before it hits the chest this means you would have to decelerate the cue through the cueball and also this stopping of the cue early means you have to grip it tighter which in turn takes the butt off the line of aim.

This is called 'stabbing the cueball' or else 'clutching the cue early' and promotes head/shoulder movement which takes the cue off the line of aim even further.

The best thing you can do is get on a snooker table and set up a long blue from the baulkline to a top pocket and play it as a stop shot (stun the cueball) and LEAVE THE CUE EXTENDED (which you should do on every shot anyways) then look down the line of the cue and see where it's pointed. With most players with this fault the cue will be pointed to the left of the line of aim.

Remember, the SOLE purpose of the set-up and technique is to deliver the cue CONSISTENTLY STRAIGHT down the line of aim. Anything else will lead to missed pots and position. In addition the height of the cue shouldn't alter either throughout the delivery.

Terry

[tommy_boi]

Terry

I will try and get on a snooker table and see what happens, cause i think trying this on a pool table isn't bringing out my faults with my cue action very well, i mean that's the best thing about playing on a snooker table, if your cue action is all messed up, you will know about it on a snooker table, i will try out what you have wrote to me and let you know how i get on, another question is (what is the address position) is this where you are down on the cue, before you hit the ball?.

Thanks.

[Sidd]

Tommy, the address position is when you get down on the shot but haven't started your feathers. You are down on the shot and your grip hand in still and the elbow straight and vertical. One starts to address or feaather cue ball after that and then hits the cue ball. So that's the address position. Hope its clear to you now.

Terry, I wanted to ask this thing Coach that came to my mind from your last post. While explaining the long blue drill to Tommy and asking to check the cue after shot why is it that most players would have their cue to the left of the line of aim. I'm a lefty you know that and would that mean my cue would be to the right? I think yes cuz I have noticed this myself sometimes. I guess its the same as putting unwanted right hand side yeah? If yes coach, what causes it and how to remove this error???

[Terry Davidson]

tommy:

The address position is the same as it golf, your are down on the shot with the tip of the cue less than 1/4" from the back of the cueball. You then start your feathering, return to the address position for a moment (called the front pause) and then do your final backswing and delivery. Your objective is during the delivery to return the cue to the EXACT ADDRESS POSITION as you go through the cueball and on to the end of the delivery with the hand driven through to the chest.

You can also say 'hello cueball' if you want to address it properly (just joking) but you are in the address position either 2 or 3 times during every shot. When you first get down the cue should stop momentarily in the address position before you start feathering (this is called the initial pause) then do the feathering and stop the cue again in the address position (called the front pause) and then the 3rd one is the dynamic one where you hit the address position just as you strike the cueball.

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

Since the majority of players are right-handed I usually instruct using right-hand terminology since I am right-handed myself.

For you lefties like Sidd yes the tip of the cue normally goes to the right in most players. I could have said more towards the bridge hand side of the body but that takes more typing.

Sidd...you're hijacking tommy's thread

Terry

[Sidd]

Haha yes you are right all right I will ask the same question in a new thread I'm going to post right away!

[kennethkoo]

This is a very good thread as it addresses the problem that I have. I have performed the dominant eye test and I found out that I am right eye dominant. The problem is I have been playing snooker the whole time having the cue directly under my chin, which is perfect for even sighted players. I have seen a few images of how players should place the cue according to their dominant eye. I am right handed and it would be much easier if I was left eye dominant a slight tilt of my head to the left would place the left eye directly on my cue.

For my case on the other hand, I would need to tilt my head to the right to get my right eye directly on top of the cue and this is where all the problem starts, because it is awfully uncomfortable. I always play with my left cheek tightly pressed against my left shoulder when I am down on a shot, so tilting my head to the right would cause chin to move towards my shoulder and it doesn't feel right at all.

It might be due to habit but I feel most at ease when I have my cue under my chin which is an even sighted player's way of playing. I gave up the dominant eye thing and continued playing the way I found most comfortable for myself. The excuse I have been giving myself all these time is that I aim when I am behind the shot and when I am down on the shot. So why not play with the most comfortable way. LOL

I won't go as far as saying the dominant eye thing is bullocks but it is just not for me. I am happy to know that I am not the only one who finds it hard to address the dominant eye issue.

[kennethkoo]

This is a very good thread as it addresses the problem that I have. I have performed the dominant eye test and I found out that I am right eye dominant. The problem is I have been playing snooker the whole time having the cue directly under my chin, which is perfect for even sighted players. I have seen a few images of how players should place the cue according to their dominant eye. I am right handed and it would be much easier if I was left eye dominant a slight tilt of my head to the left would place the left eye directly on my cue.

For my case on the other hand, I would need to tilt my head to the right to get my right eye directly on top of the cue and this is where all the problem starts, because it is awfully uncomfortable. I always play with my left cheek tightly pressed against my left shoulder when I am down on a shot, so tilting my head to the right would cause chin to move towards my shoulder and it doesn't feel right at all.

It might be due to habit but I feel most at ease when I have my cue under my chin which is an even sighted player's way of playing. I gave up the dominant eye thing and continued playing the way I found most comfortable for myself. The excuse I have been giving myself all these time is that I aim when I am behind the shot and when I am down on the shot. So why not play with the most comfortable way. LOL

I won't go as far as saying the dominant eye thing is bullocks but it is just not for me. I am happy to know that I am not the only one who finds it hard to address the dominant eye issue.

[Terry Davidson]

kenneth:

The only time a player needs to have the cue running under one eye or the other is if his vision in one eye, even with contacts or glasses, is significantly degraded to the point where he is almost blind.

The brain needs the binocular vision, especially for depth perception and this works best if both eyes are used equally or almost equally. The dominant eye thing started with Joe Davis who was almost blind in his right eye.

However, there is no argument that COMFORT is the most important thing with the set-up and players should maintain that even at the expense of some minor differences (for example, where the cue is on the chin).

Most pro players don't have the cue exactly in the centre of the chin however I believe this is due more to the set-up they prefer to use rather than anything to do with their vision and preferred eye theory. I also think if a player BELIEVES the preferred eye theory and he can get comfortable having the cue off the centre of the chin then he should go with it just from a confidence point of view

Terry

[merlin1234]

Just to repeat something Terry said earlier (I think) that made sense to me, the really important thing is that you cue up the same way every time so your brain can learn to do the maths properly. I would guess that if you've been setting up a certain way for a long time then you've already adjusted to percieving potting angles as well as you're going to be able to, and changing the setup is going to make things worse rather than better.

But such is the way of amateur sportsmen. Forever trying to adjust technical points or equipment specs in the hope of finally doing the impossible and surpassing the limits of their own natural ability.

[Terry Davidson]

merlin:

You have it EXACTLY RIGHT!!! The only way to correctly train the brain is to keep everything consistent but the caveat is you have to be delivering the cue consistently straight before you lock in everything and that's a target not many of us (including me) can honestly say we can achieve.

Get the basics right and then DON"T CHANGE A THING!!!

Terry