self-help for under 30 break players ...

[vmax4steve]

what's Willie's excuse? he was 13-8 ahead, what was the pressure of the easiest of blues ... I'm not a WT fan but he wasn't on a 147 - just needed blue and pink to win the frame ... was it the frame that won the match? even if it was, even I at my lowly level would have fancied that (although I'd have rolled the blue in to leave the pink in the opposite corner) ...

He signed with Barry Hearn's Matchroom stable after that.............................just saying that's all.

[throtts]

Wow, I did not realise how "jabby stabby" Dennis Taylor's cue action was. There just seems no pause, smooth, push through cue action. Check out the across double on the black.

Back to whatever suits one mechanics I suppose, well it is in Taylors case...

[narl]

Wow, I did not realise how "jabby stabby" Dennis Taylor's cue action was. There just seems no pause, smooth, push through cue action. Check out the across double on the black.

Back to whatever suits one mechanics I suppose, well it is in Taylors case...

Yeah he had a very twitchy cue action, no fluency at all to it. Probably why he's always bangin on about how much spin players get on the ball (which is easy enough on club tables let alone pro tables) as his cue action never really let him get much action on the white.

[Khaos]

Recently gone from not being able to get 10 , to being able to get regular 20,30's got a 38 clearane today.

The main thing is stop hitting the ball so bloody hard lol

[antman510]

This might sound crazy but I have trouble potting the black. Often if I don't play it at pocket speed or slightly faster (enough speed to bounce off one cushion) I usually miss. To give some context I can pot the blue pretty well (even with screw from the cushion) and any 3/4 pink ill usually get when I'm concentrating but I'm terrible when it comes to the black. The black will usually bounce out of the jaws This makes break building very difficult because I cant get any position off the black, any tips?

[Smiffie]

If you look at where you are missing the black, you will find that the black is hitting the back rail first rather than the side rail.

This means you are hitting the black to "thick" this is so common, and you will find that when you are cutting a red along the back rail into a pocket you will hit the back rail first and miss.

This is simple to cure as there is a saying to help you with it.

When you get down on the shot say this to yourself.

If you wanna win, hit it thin. Then hit it a tad thinner than you was going to.


If you find you are missing the black by hitting the side rail first ( hitting it too thin) Take no notice of the above

[antman510]

Thanks for the tip will for sure try this out. For some clarification the problem is usually when im low on the black aka parallel with the bottom rail. Any tips to stop the ball rattling in the jaws?

[Smiffie]

The better you become, the less chance of you ending up low on the black, so it isn't about " how to cut the black back" its more about "how not to end up low on the black" so when you are knocking in a red to get on the black, pay more attention to where the white is going to end up, and if you are going to bounce the white off the back rail for the black then hit it a bit harder as it is better to be high on the black than low.

If you end up low on the black and you have to cut it back, the only way to be any good at this is to practice, watching TV you will see that even the likes of Ronnie / Hendry / Davis can miss a cut back, so don't try to be good at "cutting back" try to be good at not leaving the white ball low on the black.

A lot of people try to drop onto the black after knocking a red in the middle say, I prefer to bounce the white off the back or side rail as I find that this give more control of the white, ( unless I am stunning / screwing off the red to hold ) so are you a dropper or a bouncer ?

To prove my point.

Put the white on the baulk line and try to roll the white up the table to end up perfect on the black, I doubt you will be able to do this 1 in 10, and you only get one chance in a game.

Now take the same shot but bounce the white off the back rail to land on the black.

The proof is in the pudding.

[Smiffie]

sorry double post.

[antman510]

Such good advice I don't know where to start! Seriously thank you so much. I never though that ending up low on the black was the problem, here I was thinking that I was missing a sitter!!

[damienlch]

...I never though that ending up low on the black was the problem, here I was thinking that I was missing a sitter!!

Cut backs are always tricky and Smiffie has offered some really good advice there.

I think there is a tendency to aim at the wrong part of the object ball when cutting into a blind pocket. If it is a thinnish cut back and you are looking straight ahead, it may look like you are aiming at well, thin air. Subconsciously, you adjust your aim so that more of the object ball comes into view, i.e. you hit the shot too thick as mentioned by Smiffie earlier. This can be difficult to overcome and I still struggle with it at times. Old habits die hard.

But if you have to play them, remember to play them confidently and with conviction. Have a good pre-shot routine and your mind will sort the angles out eventually. You will miss a few but the very best of them do too...

[poona]

Best advice I can give - Learn to hit the middle of the white.

Graham (Highest Break - 123)

[vmax4steve]

Thanks for the tip will for sure try this out. For some clarification the problem is usually when im low on the black aka parallel with the bottom rail. Any tips to stop the ball rattling in the jaws?

I tend to play them by aiming at the far jaw of the pocket with a little running side on the cue ball. This makes the cue ball make a thinner contact on the black than was initially aimed taking it into the pocket. I also do this quite often for thin cuts, whether low or high on the object ball. I guess that the thicker contact I'm aiming for is easier to judge and keep my eyes on than the thin contact needed for the pot.
Of course side will affect position so it has to be allowed for.

[throtts]

Regarding black cut backs,,,, I just aim for the middle of the pocket, as with any pot. If I am holding for reds I strike the cue ball at 6 o'clock to hopefully get a nice cannon. Also, this " back of the ball " tuition thrase is just that, tuition, to explain to a beginner where to strike the object ball. We all know where the object ball should be struck and all will achieve if the cue goes through straight..

[nrage]

that's a very good idea vmax, thank you for suggesting it ... I've spent about 20 minutes in the last 10 years practising (ie line-ups, straight blues, stuff like that) and it's boring and frustrating! your idea certainly would make it more interesting

You're not in the South London area are you? There is only 1 guy I practice with (who is better than me) who would actually be interested in doing something like this with me. He gives me pointers as we play and explains where I've gone wrong etc .. it's really helpful to my game.. if you were nearby to me we could get together and do the same, it would be excellent.