RH Cueing to the left

[147abc]

Hi

Have been getting very frustrated with my game recently and missing some of the easiest pots including straight blacks off the spot! The problems seem worse when playing with any power. I am right handed and sight under my right eye. Have had a 99 on the reds lineup but nevermade over 50 in a match. Mostly play 8 ball pool where you dont notice the problem so much although potting is a little inconistent.

Wasnt sure what was happening but noticed recently i am missing cuts to the right by overcutting and pots to left by hitting straighter. I also tend not to look at the object ball when striking and can visibly see the cue turning to the left during/after strking. After impact the cue always turns to the left noticeably.

At address i feel my right hand is quite close to my chest feels like its virtually touching it already. I think when I hit the white there is nowhere for it to go and maybe my baack hand comes out to the right naturalls which caues cue to twist to the left and I dont follow through much.

Does this sound like a common flaw somewhere? Not sure I cant get a video of this as a bit embarrassing setting up a camera on a table in the snooker hall! Can maybe try to though if anyone can suggest what to do?

I am sure its something straight forward to change as I know all the shots to play and have played international pool so know I can play cuesports.

Cheers

[alabadi]

yes i think that its more common than you think.

i have put up very similar thread here so you can go and see what was said there, others too have threads on this topic.

what i have noticed or deduced from what is happening is 2 things, the grip hand need to be loose and the pull back very slow and controlled, try and not tighten your grip too early.

another issue i found was stance, if i wasn't lined up correctly the brain tries to comensate by pshing to the left, i am still trying to correct this part of my game and i am considering getting the sightright it help with correct line up

hope this helps

alabbadi

[Terry Davidson]

The actual reason for this is you are tightening the grip too early and too tightly during the delivery and actually decelerating through the white instead of accelerating through it as if it was a soap bubble. It's caused by the back two fingers closing on the butt of the cue but in order for them to get a good purchase the player will unconsciously turn the wrist to get more of those two fingers on the cue.

You can correct this by doing 2 easy things:

1. In solo practice loosen the grip to a rediculous amount to where it feels too loose to you and try that; and,
2. Be sure to cock the wrist when gripping the cue

(a lot of people don't understand what 'cock the wrist' means so I'll define it...turn the wrist joint outwards from your body so the cue is on the first pads of the four fingers and have the thumb pointing vertically at the floor. Depending on your physique you should now have around a 45degree bend outwards at the wrist joint, and maybe up to 60degrees, and this is a wrist cock and you should have this in the address position and also during the backswing and right until the end of the delivery).

[147abc]

Thanks for the comments so far. Yes i often feel like im snatching and grabbing at the cue. I also conscously feel like i do not loosen any fingers of my grip hand off the cue taking it back. I can try the loose grip fairly easily should the cue just rest on the finger pads or the next part of the fingers and should the rest of the hand never touch the cue even after impact? So the sensation of just balancing the cue there and using the eight of it throughthe ball without closing by hand on the cue?

The cocking of the wrist i find that hard to visualise have you got a picture of what you mean? I think just now when i grip the cue the back of may grip hand is flat on the same angle up the back of my wrist and up my arm. I guess thi smeans i have no cock of the wrist at all? I have also noticed that my back arm in not perpindocular it is always tilted forward about 30 degrees or so so my hand starts virtually touching my chest at address.

[Terry Davidson]

The 2 photos show the wrist cock from the side and rear as explained. (I just have the butt in my hand and am not in the address position)

Note the angle between the forearm bone and back of palm and that is called a 'cocked wrist'. Also note the main knuckles of the hand are almost parallel with the butt of the cue. (I'm probably gripping the butt too tight in these 2 photos as I'm just demonstrating).

Jeez...'I have also noticed that my back arm in not perpindocular it is always tilted forward about 30 degrees or so so my hand starts virtually touching my chest at address.' If you would have said this at the start then anyone could have told you why you have no follow-through. Also, if you would have taken just a little bit of your time and had a look in the coaching forum you would see comments from a large number of people, not only coaches, who said 'The forearm should be vertical in the address position'.

SO MOVE BACK YOUR GRIP HAND ON YOUR CUE UNTIL THE FOREARM IS VERTICAL IN THE ADDRESS POSITION (this is one of the basic rules on snooker technique and I believe every snooker coaching book I've ever seen highlights this.

And YES, the cue just rests on the MIDDLE PADS of the 4 fingers (or the forefinger, or the first two fingers, or the second finger or the back three fingers) whichever grip you use and prefer. In reality, if you have normal hands then it rests on the middle pad of the forefinger and baby finger and is actually resting on the joint of the middle 2 fingers since they are a bit longer than forefinger and baby finger.

[147abc]

ok will give it a shot! Presumably i shud try and maintain the angle in the wrist at all times even after contact

[Terry Davidson]

Here's what I said up there^^ 'this is a wrist cock and you should have this in the address position and also during the backswing and right until the end of the delivery.

Did you not understand that comment or did you just not read it?

The answer is YES

[147abc]

Chill out!

[Terry Davidson]

147abc:

I'm just trying to ensure you have clearly understood my answers to your questions so as to minimize any follow-up questions you might have and you understand what I recommend you do to correct this problem. I always figure something is wrong if a person has to get an answer again that has already been given

[147abc]

Hi

At address i feel my right hand is quite close to my chest feels like its virtually touching it already. I think when I hit the white there is nowhere for it to go and maybe my baack hand comes out to the right naturalls which caues cue to twist to the left and I dont follow through much.

Cheers

Think it was in the original post maybe it misread?!

[nrage]

Think it was in the original post maybe it misread?!

Some more thoughts on reasons why you hit the chest early.

1. Cue angled up too much. It should be as low/level as possible, and pass over the rail/cushion at about 1 chalk width height. If you angle up higher, your hand will hit your chest earlier.

2. On delivery you lift the grip hand (see above for consequences). Instead, think of the cue as being a needle and your arm the thread, and allow the elbow to drop and the arm to follow the cue on it's way down the low/level angle described above.

As Terry has mentioned, the forearm should be vertical at address. The distance from tip to bridge hand should be 8-12 inches. The bridge arm should be almost straight. The back foot should be on the line of aim with toes pointed along, or 10-30 degrees outside the line of aim. The front foot should be in line with the back foot, shoulder width apart, or if you're like me and want a more side on stance, place it ahead of the back foot by anywhere from a little to twice the length of your foot.

All the above tips are general best practices ideas and not to be taken too literally, basically if you're close to what is described then you're probably ok, but you might want to try a few, one at a time, to see if it helps.

[Reptile1]

(a lot of people don't understand what 'cock the wrist' means so I'll define it...turn the wrist joint outwards from your body so the cue is on the first pads of the four fingers and have the thumb pointing vertically at the floor. Depending on your physique you should now have around a 45degree bend outwards at the wrist joint, and maybe up to 60degrees, and this is a wrist cock and you should have this in the address position and also during the backswing and right until the end of the delivery).

Thanks Terry,
I have adopted the "cocked wrist approach" and my cueing seems to be improving, a little strange to get used to though at first until I discovered why.

Ever since I started playing snooker (25 Years+) for some reason I have always had the flat of the but facing outwards, I discovered I can only achieve the "cocked wrist" successfully if I turn the cue round so the flat is on the top (works a treat)

The only problem I have now is I had the cue made for me many years ago and the grain is now not line up the way I am used to, instead of looking down the "V" grains in the cue I am now looking down the Straight'ish Grain (if you get my drift).

Thanks again terry great advise as per, keep up the good work.

[denja]

The actual reason for this is you are tightening the grip too early and too tightly during the delivery and actually decelerating through the white instead of accelerating through it as if it was a soap bubble. It's caused by the back two fingers closing on the butt of the cue but in order for them to get a good purchase the player will unconsciously turn the wrist to get more of those two fingers on the cue.

You can correct this by doing 2 easy things:

1. In solo practice loosen the grip to a rediculous amount to where it feels too loose to you and try that; and,
2. Be sure to cock the wrist when gripping the cue

(a lot of people don't understand what 'cock the wrist' means so I'll define it...turn the wrist joint outwards from your body so the cue is on the first pads of the four fingers and have the thumb pointing vertically at the floor. Depending on your physique you should now have around a 45degree bend outwards at the wrist joint, and maybe up to 60degrees, and this is a wrist cock and you should have this in the address position and also during the backswing and right until the end of the delivery).

You say in your post that you should play the cue ball as if playing through a BUBBLE could you elaborate on the feel of playing through the cue ball.

[sydneygeorge]

Great advice as usual Terry & Nrage, thank you.

[throtts]

You say in your post that you should play the cue ball as if playing through a BUBBLE could you elaborate on the feel of playing through the cue ball.

You got to poke your finger THROUGH a soap bubble to pop it. You got to do the same with the tip of your cue to a cue ball, to achieve action of the cue ball, along with Terrys 1 and 2 tips above.