Deep screw shot

[sifon4o]

Probably the most difficult shot in snooker to master.
The ability to perform such a shot is a sign of brilliant cue action.
What should one practice in order to be able to screw back from a large distance - wrist action, timing, follow through? I'm interested to see how many here can do it and maybe give some advice to those who of us who have problems with screw shots in general.

[vmax4steve]

This topic has been covered many times before. Type 'deep screw' into the advance search box top right of the page and click the magnifying glass icon and you will get your answers.

[pottr]

If you know how to play a screw shot then you're nearly there.

Just amplify the basics remembering to keep as still as possible. There is no trick of the wrist or magic part of the white to hit. It's just application of technique and practice.

And yes, I can do it x

[karlos fandango]

If you know how to play a screw shot then you're nearly there.

Just amplify the basics remembering to keep as still as possible. There is no trick of the wrist or magic part of the white to hit. It's just application of technique and practice.

And yes, I can do it x

As above...best thing to try is keep your head as still as possible and follow through..and have faith in your action

[sberry]

Blue ball on blue spot, white twelve inches away, try to pot blue in top pocket and screw white back into opposite bottom pocket. Then start to move the white ball back half a foot at a time until you can pot the blue off it's spot and screw back into the opposite bottom pocket with the white on the baulk line. Then move the blue forwards, it's just practice.

Then again, don't waste too much time on it as it's not often needed.

[narl]

Then again, don't waste too much time on it as it's not often needed.

Unless you're Judd Trump, he seems to do it every other frame for some reason, more of ashow off shot than anything when he uses it.

[sifon4o]

Well I wouldn't mind being able to show off with such shots too!

The biggest screw I've seen in my life was from the top player in my country when he was playing in his own club where the cloth is nice and fast, but it's slower than the tv table cloths Trump is used to playing! The cue ball was in the balk area and there was a dead straight red about 5-6 inches away from one of the black pockets - he pots the red and the white comes back to baulk area, but it has so much energy that it jumps off the main board and crosses the baulk line again positioning him perfectly for a straight brown to the green pocket.

This sounds unique enough considering he isn't playing on a TV table, but the most amazing part is that the man plays with a pool cue. That's right, he is a very good player, he makes tons from time to time, but he just doesn't like snooker cues. I know this sounds incredible doing such a shot with an 11 mm tip, but the man is obviously very talented, you need perfect cue action for something like that.

[culraven]

I can play that shot and get it any where in the D 9 times out of 10, i might give 4 points away but that white still ends up in the D!

[alabadi]

i don't think that been good at deep screw shots means you have perfect cueing, i can pot the pink off its spot into the top right pocket and screw to the baulk cushion and even sometimes it can rebound out of baulk when i get good timing.

my highest break still 28 in a match so its not all about cueing there are other aspects to the game too

Alabbadi

[DandyA]

how low do you chaps hit the white? at the very bottom (which could risk a miscue) or in the "meat" of the cueball ... and would you vary that height depending on the distance of white to object ball, or do you just vary the power?

[Sidd]

how low do you chaps hit the white? at the very bottom (which could risk a miscue) or in the "meat" of the cueball ... and would you vary that height depending on the distance of white to object ball, or do you just vary the power?

You have to hit it pretty low... with power... however the art here is nice and smooth cue action with exaggerated power however still the same cue action. Pretty hard to master given the pace associated with it. You have to hit it pretty low but the thing is that you keep your bridge too low for this shot so that even though you are hitting low you do not chop in to the ball and mis cue. Hit it low, keep bridge hand low and the butt low so that the cue is still level; more or less... the hright may not vary but the pace would.

[Sidd]

Well I wouldn't mind being able to show off with such shots too!

The biggest screw I've seen in my life was from the top player in my country when he was playing in his own club where the cloth is nice and fast, but it's slower than the tv table cloths Trump is used to playing! The cue ball was in the balk area and there was a dead straight red about 5-6 inches away from one of the black pockets - he pots the red and the white comes back to baulk area, but it has so much energy that it jumps off the main board and crosses the baulk line again positioning him perfectly for a straight brown to the green pocket.

This sounds unique enough considering he isn't playing on a TV table, but the most amazing part is that the man plays with a pool cue. That's right, he is a very good player, he makes tons from time to time, but he just doesn't like snooker cues. I know this sounds incredible doing such a shot with an 11 mm tip, but the man is obviously very talented, you need perfect cue action for something like that.

You have it spot on there... the real trick is in the cloth trust me... I used to see the pros make these shots with easy and always tried it but never got the results... until I went ot another club and played on a new table they had purchased; it was really fast with good fast cloth.. I noticed while playing on it that I was doing the deep screw with ease without even applying power as much as I thought I had to; given my past experience on comparatively slower tables...

first things first; if playing on slow cloth tables never mind about this shot you wont get it perfectly nicely no matter what you try. Once on a nice cloth try this and see the difference.

Another tip here could be to in practice hold the cue in the tips of your forefinger and thumb and no other part only gently hold it in the fingertip and thumb tip and then play the shot... you will learn that for screw shot its not the power but technique that makes it happen... with finger and thumb tip you cant really add power but you will notice how the white comes back so you will learn the technique to a nice screw shot... then apply this to screw shots with normal grip and you will feel much better in control... as for lonng deep screws its all about the cloth; stillness on the shot; nice fuller complete follow through...

Hope this helps!

[pottr]

The biggest factor in swapping clubs is the weight of the balls.

With a lighter white, it's an absolute doddle to pull the white a length of the table. With a proper set of balls, it is something that needs to be practiced.

[Terry Davidson]

Here's something I've discovered regarding deep power screw shots. I wasn't having much luck with them and couldn't figure out why since in shorter and lower power screw shots I have no problem at all.

I watching myself on video I realized I was dropping my elbow early and thus the tip was coming up slightly on the cueball and no matter what I tried I just couldn't get rid of this on a power shot until I tried the loop bridge which guarantees the tip will stay low on the cueball and not lift at all (at least for me).

So now, if I was to use a deep screw with power on a long shot it's absolutely no problem and also the accuracy seems to be better for me too. In practice the long blue from the baulkline and screwing back into baulk or even into the yellow pocket is not a problem now but then again you use this type of shot so rarely but it's nice to have it in the quiver

Terry

[gagg8ball]

The biggest factor in swapping clubs is the weight of the balls.

With a lighter white, it's an absolute doddle to pull the white a length of the table. With a proper set of balls, it is something that needs to be practiced.

I have to agree with pottr, in our local league the tables are all same sort of speed and standard,but it seems every set of balls require a different approach. Being a newish convert to snooker from pool,i didn't realise this for some time,trying the deep screw shot to nothing from baulk,back to baulk. Couldn't get my head round why I could cue same shot so differently on different tables. Wasn't until I watched one of the more experienced players in our team continually refusing anything more than 3/4 length straight ones,that I sort of twigged, if he can't play the shot maybe I should look for other options. Actually helped me alot, as I paid more attention to leaving the right angle instead of trying to get myself out of trouble with my cue power,and started to drop balls in instead of trying to club everything in lol