Action Shot for Newspaper Interview

[Terry Davidson]

PP:

I don't keep the flex in the cue as I deliver like Trump. I just flex the cue to ensure the elbow is up as high as possible and then relax both the flex on the cue and the grip a bit. I find the cue goes dead level (or as much as it can given the cushion) and the butt doesn't drop on the delivery unless I drop the elbow, which I'm finding is not really necessary except for very high power shots like long deep screws. When dropping the elbow the trick is to not drop it until the very end of the delivery, which I'm finding hard to master.

With a long blue I can screw the cueball back to the baulkline without dropping the elbow and my table is nowhere near as fast as a new pro cloth. It's especially nice as in 12 attempted long blue/screw back pots I got 11 of them and rattled the other one where previously my average on a power shot like that would have been about 7 or 8 out of 10 with a lot of them rattling in off the side of the pocket whereas without dropping the elbow all 11 of them went in clean and I almost made the 12th.

Terry

[CoachGavin]

I have recently done the same. Realised my elbow was dropping too early and also to the right. Decided not to drop it at all. My long potting improved and got loads more spin-probably because early elbow drop led to me striking slighter high on the white leading to less spin. Judd and robertson are probably top 2 long potters as well as having tremendous cue power so I think its way forward. Ps terry, your never too old :0)

[bonoman1970]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11616[/ATTACH]

I've attached one of the photos taken for my newspaper interview last week.

For the purists in the crowd (like Particle Physics) note the elbow is directly over the cue, the right shoulder is nice and high and behind the head, the right elbow is up nice and high, probably 6-7" above the head and the head is turned very slightly to the right to ease the strain on my neck - note the nose is pointed about 20degrees to right but the cue is still centre-chin. My height is 5ft 11.5in but I manage to get the body down well and keep the back flat.

So I guess the question is...why can't I play as well as a pro if everything is so perfect? I wish I could answer that one, but I'm trying. I learn something new every day I play and it all helps.

Terry

terry i dont want to offend you , but ive seen you play a few shots on youtube and looking at yr photograph on here i I just think you have got the technique of 2nd division league player, you just dont look a natural snooker player ,everything is straining theres no smoothness in yr cueing or technique. Are you stronger in yr left eye? thats how you are sighting the ball regardless of where the cue is on the chin , if you are equal eyed then your right foot needs to come over more to the right so your sighting is spot on.
If you loosened up ,possibly grip , i dont know, you may be be smoother and more proactive.
Age maybe has come into it ,i dont know, do you have any arthritus or leg ,back pain ect ? that makes it difficult to stand so you are sighting the ball with both eyes and have a loose controlled cue action ?
Is your left eye dominant ? I dont want to offend you ,just help you mate

[Terry Davidson]

bonoman:

First of all you slag me off and then you say you don't mean to offend me? Well take it as read that I'm FUC*ING OFFENDED...2nd division player indeed! I don't think you would know good snooker technique if it bit you on the butt!

FFS - the video on youtube is over 5 years old and was my first coaching session with Nic Barrow after a 10yr layoff. Nic picked up 12 separate problems and I've been working on them for the past 5 years. The youtube video is a good example of what NOT to do.

Yes, I am stronger in my left eye due to cataract lens replacement surgery. I also had to switch from right eye preferred to left eye preferred because of that surgery in 2005.

Come on over here and we can have a challenge match for a few quid and then you can tell me how stiff I look while you reel off those century breaks. Or better yet, I'm coming to Sheffield next May and we can play a challenge match there for a few quid if you like.

Terry

[hotpot]

Nothing personal against bonoman but just to give Terry an inclin of what he may be up against , bonoman reckons half of his team have better cue actions than Mark Williams .

[bonoman1970]

bonoman:

First of all you slag me off and then you say you don't mean to offend me? Well take it as read that I'm FUC*ING OFFENDED...2nd division player indeed! I don't think you would know good snooker technique if it bit you on the butt!

FFS - the video on youtube is over 5 years old and was my first coaching session with Nic Barrow after a 10yr layoff. Nic picked up 12 separate problems and I've been working on them for the past 5 years. The youtube video is a good example of what NOT to do.

Yes, I am stronger in my left eye due to cataract lens replacement surgery. I also had to switch from right eye preferred to left eye preferred because of that surgery in 2005.

Come on over here and we can have a challenge match for a few quid and then you can tell me how stiff I look while you reel off those century breaks. Or better yet, I'm coming to Sheffield next May and we can play a challenge match there for a few quid if you like.

Terry

i might do terry , if you really want me to ,i can come over to you and take your money off you! your choice !
if your left eyed sighting well you should be sighting over your left eye, not looking across the ball .
Pm me ,we will have a game for whatever money you want .
Sometimes the truth hurts ....i was trying to help you, im serious
bonoman

[bonoman1970]

i might do terry , if you really want me to ,i can come over to you and take your money off you! your choice !
if your left eyed sighting well you should be sighting over your left eye, not looking across the ball .
Pm me ,we will have a game for whatever money you want .
Sometimes the truth hurts ....i was trying to help you, im serious
bonoman

i would be extremely surprised probably even retire! if you took 1 frame off me in a best of 17 match
I was only trying to help you.

[ADR147]

i would be extremely surprised probably even retire! if you took 1 frame off me in a best of 17 match
I was only trying to help you.

lol i wonder if you would take that bet against me. from what i hear terry is a pretty good player.

[ADR147]

Nothing personal against bonoman but just to give Terry an inclin of what he may be up against , bonoman reckons half of his team have better cue actions than Mark Williams .

everybody has a better cue action than mark williams in local leagues! try playing him in the club and see where you get though!

[Gerry Armstrong]

everybody has a better cue action than mark williams in local leagues! try playing him in the club and see where you get though!

Wouldn't fancy trying to pay the mortgage by playing MJW for tenners!!

[hotpot]

everybody has a better cue action than mark williams in local leagues! try playing him in the club and see where you get though!

I think cue action is very subjective A D , suppose having seen mark,s action close up i think he has a beautiful cue action , and i aint seen many if any amateurs with a better one .

[bonoman1970]

its all good fun , but honestly i would never expect to lose a frame off him, i was only trying to help him,he cant take constructive criticsim , shame ,for the record i played mark williams on his own table twenty years ago and lost 5-4 , i should have won 5-1 atleast , thought i was a miles better player than him, ive seen atleast 50 players in my time who i thought better than mark williams ( dave finbow , ian hurdman - miles better!) i dont knock him hes a great champion ,got a real mental strength ,but terry was commenting on his technique and i was just honest and said it wasnt perfect .

[Terry Davidson]

bonoman:

OK, since you opened your mouth let's see you put your money where your mouth is. You said you didn't think I would take even one frame in a best of 17 (fer c*rist's sake I took 2 frames off Hendry in a best of 5 on his match table (awhile ago now), so I figure I can take one frame off you and just recently I've manged to take a frame or two of a couple of pros).

So, here's the deal...I will play you a best-of-17 match for 2,000quid and if I take one frame I win. How's that for a bet?

By the way, it's neither necessary nor correct to cue with the cue directly under the preferred eye unless the player is nearly blind in the other eye (like Joe Davis). The proper point for true binocular vision for good spatial recognition is actually at some point BETWEEN the eyes and how far that point is from the master eye is an individual thing and depends on the strength difference between the eyes. I turn my head more to relieve the strain on my neck than anything else and my bonus is it places the cue slightly closer to my preferred eye. Look at a head-on shot of any of the pros (for instance Hendry in his prime) and you will see usually the head is slightly turned so the nose isn't pointing directly on the line of aim. Robertson is another good example. Except for Jamie Jones I can't think of another pro who runs the cue to the side of his chin although I know John Virgo used to be on his right side.

But of course, as an accomplished coach yourself perhaps you know all of this better than me. Do you make your living from coaching or is it just a hobby?

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

bonoman...so in your opinion calling me a 2nd division player at best is a COMPLIMENT? I don't mean to offend any 2nd division players out there but if I'm capable of running a century on a match table in a tournament, perhaps more than one does that place me in the 2nd division?

You must have REALLY STRONG divisions in your league!

Terry

[bonoman1970]

bonoman:

OK, since you opened your mouth let's see you put your money where your mouth is. You said you didn't think I would take even one frame in a best of 17 (fer c*rist's sake I took 2 frames off Hendry in a best of 5 on his match table (awhile ago now), so I figure I can take one frame off you and just recently I've manged to take a frame or two of a couple of pros).

So, here's the deal...I will play you a best-of-17 match for 2,000quid and if I take one frame I win. How's that for a bet?

By the way, it's neither necessary nor correct to cue with the cue directly under the preferred eye unless the player is nearly blind in the other eye (like Joe Davis). The proper point for true binocular vision for good spatial recognition is actually at some point BETWEEN the eyes and how far that point is from the master eye is an individual thing and depends on the strength difference between the eyes. I turn my head more to relieve the strain on my neck than anything else and my bonus is it places the cue slightly closer to my preferred eye. Look at a head-on shot of any of the pros (for instance Hendry in his prime) and you will see usually the head is slightly turned so the nose isn't pointing directly on the line of aim. Robertson is another good example. Except for Jamie Jones I can't think of another pro who runs the cue to the side of his chin although I know John Virgo used to be on his right side.

But of course, as an accomplished coach yourself perhaps you know all of this better than me. Do you make your living from coaching or is it just a hobby?

Terry

i used to be a pro