Timing and the rear pause

[dpdubai]

I'm finding my way with my timing again thanks to some coaching, I struggle a little to implement it all the time as my natural tempo has always been alot quicker. One is fighting the other just now every time I go to the table and during this it's made me think:

I switch my eyes from the white ball to the object ball at the back of the backswing and that moment creates my pause, it's relatively quick but it is there.

This made me think why do some pro's have a longer rear pause than others?
Does it take some of them longer than others to adjust there eyes and see the shot in their mind?

At one end of the scale Alan McManus springs to mind, I've seen him practice a few times and the pause looks very pronounced.

Then someone like John Higgins is a little faster & probably like the textbook steve davis of the 80's pace.

Then I know Ronnie is the exception to every rule but you can barely see his pause until he maybe plays a bigger shot over distance.

I know every player is different, I was just interested in peoples thoughts as to why some have a shorter or longer rear pause.

Cheers


Derek

[Particle Physics]

I think the naturally gifted players have less of pause and they take less time doing everything. The hurricane and whirlwind are examples. They need very little if any pause, their delivery is so sweet; soft hands. They go through the cue ball so easily that pausing, then 'striking' the ball is not needed because they are very unlikely to snatch the shot/decelerate as us mere mortals would do if we tried their method; they are ultra smooth back and forth. Lucky them!

[Terry Davidson]

The rear pause length is purely a personal thing and most likely either the way the player learned the game or else what he adopted after being coached. I know Hendry did change his rear pause length later in his career, actually as recently as 2 years ago but when he was on top in the 90's he had a discernible rear pause but it was very quick, maybe .25 seconds or so.

Steve Davis learned his timing using a metronome set up on the side of the table and set to what his father though was the perfect rhythm. I think this was one of the main reasons he played so well, as he developed a natural rear pause and a very smooth rhythm.

However, I would not recommend to a student that he change his natural rear pause length unless I felt it was much too long, say over 1 second or so but I recommend some sort of rear pause as it will help the player to 'drive' through the cueball at time of strike.

Terry

[frazz]

The pause should just be as long as you need to re-find the potting angle of object ball after flicking back from the white, also depends when you flick back to the object ball, some flick before the backswing, some during and some at the end, its down to personal feel really although you dont wanna go too long or you may have problems arising later such as cue-itis, in other words not being able to release the cue

[dpdubai]

Frazz thats exactly what I've settled into naturally, I just refind the angle on the object ball at the back and bang the cue goes through no messing about. I think Terry pointing out Hendry is a perfect example, just before he retired ie the last 2-3 years with that long pronounced pause you could just see which balls he was going to miss.

Its as if he was saying "here's a midrange ball I better pause a little longer and get my technique right" where as the old Hendry was just so fluent in the balls, shorter pause and so much confidence in taking on anything.

[Particle Physics]

Let me get this straight, you guys have your eyes on the cue ball just before you backswing, and then during the backswing, or at the end of it, you refocus on the object ball, is that correct?

[Terry Davidson]

particle:

That is correct and is the normal way taught by most coaches. However, for older players I try and see what they're doing and encourage them (if the want to) to focus on the object ball at the front pause just before the final backswing and keep the eyes there but this is only due to the longer time it will take an older player to focus correctly.

So, for a normal student, when feathering the eyes will flick back and forth between OB and CB. At the front pause the eyes lock on the spot on the cueball the player wants to hit and he starts his final SLOW backswing. Near to the end of that backswing, or at the rear pause or just at the start of the delivery the player moves his eyes to the OB. Some players will flick their eyes back to the cueball during the delivery as a sort of confirmation and then quickly back to the OB. This is all a matter of personal timing and coordination and everyone will have a different eye rhythm.

Some players even watch the cueball during the strike. However, the generally accepts 'ideal' method is to have the eyes locked on the OB at the time of strike and make sure there is no body movement during the delivery since any player who has no movement can easily pot balls with his eyes shut.

Terry

[nrage]

Let me get this straight, you guys have your eyes on the cue ball just before you backswing, and then during the backswing, or at the end of it, you refocus on the object ball, is that correct?

I've tried multiple variants, all from "eyes on white at front pause" then:
1 - pull back completely, then move eyes to object ball, then deliver.
2 - pull back and during this move eyes to object ball, then deliver.
3 - eyes to object ball, pull back, then deliver.

I still sometimes forget my front pause, but when I make sure I'm doing it I play better. I seem to have settled on #3 above.

Edit: Forgot to say, as a result I have a very short rear pause when I'm playing well, and none at all when I'm rushing things.

[frazz]

i have my eyes on white as i pause at cue ball then at close to end of backswing i switch to object ball before pausing

[johno]

good advice Fraser, hope the rest of the season goes well for you. Out of interest what cue specs and tip do you
yourself?

[frazz]

emmm normally 57.5 inches, 17.5 oz, butt 27.5, tip 9.5 made as 1 piece then cut through splices, but that was when osborne was making my cues and i have since sold that cue when i stopped playing a few years ago, i bought a cue from stu green at the green baize which is really nice, its about 58 inches, 18.5 oz, 29 butt and 9.5 tip, slightly heavy for me but i havent had time to get it reduced as i got it about 10days before q school started and been playing non stop since but i will get some work done on it soon. tips i am using just now are kamui beige medium, used to use the black mh but when i got this cue i didnt like the hit with the mh as this cue is a good bit stiffer than my last one from stu green.

[Terry Davidson]

frazz:

Stu has some good cue normally in stock. I've bought 3 from him but I couldn't keep them as my students liked them and offered me a bit more than I paid for them. Right now I'm using a 3/4 TW, 57", 9.4mm, 18.3oz, 28.8mm and balanced at 17" and any student who wants to buy it I tell them it will cost $1,000 (about 600GBP), extra for extensions and they shy away.

I like the shaft flex Trevor uses and a Phoenix M goes well with it.

Terry

[frazz]

i tried the phoenix medium at the green baize shop but wasnt too keen to be honest, only custom made cues i ever got were robert osbornes, i always thought they were the best by miles but now he doesnt tend to do the custom ones so i have started just buying from stu and so far they have been really good cues

[johno]

I've had a try of the black kamui mediums (not med hard ) whats the difference in the beige colour ?

[frazz]

i think they are slightly harder than the black ones on each grading