Judder....Judder....Judder

[bluenose1940]

I had a few frames this morning but what a disaster!!!!

For some reason I had an unbelievable number of shots that juddered in the jaws, this became increasing frustrating as the morning went by. I must have missed the black off its spot about 2 or 3 times in every frame and we must have played half a dozen frames. I had spells of potting a red but just could not follow it up with a colour and I could visit the table 3 times in succession and this would happen.

I don't know why but at the moment I am looking at the shot, deciding where I need to hit the object ball but, I am then unable to keep that spot in my mind and therefore am tending to miss the pot. This was even happening today on 1/2 and 3/4 ball shots over about a third of the table length, i.e. not very far!!

Has anyone experienced similar problems and what did you discover to be the reason for it?

[pocket rocket]

Hi there
Judders indeed, thought it is all part of the game it is very frustrating. Happens to me a lot. I think it sometimes feels better when you miss it by a mile rather than watching it rattle and come back out. I find that lining up the pot as normal then look at object ball, white, object ball, white, and finally object ball then strike with little power and as straight as possible, avoiding trying anything too fancy with position...... until they start dropping. Good luck!

[armstm]

if you strike down on the cue ball so that it is bouncing then this bounces the object ball. if the object ball is bouncing i think this means it is less likely the pocket will take it.

it happens to me a lot because i am not low enough on the shot.

if you watch really good players the ball rattles and then drops because they strike it smoothly and the balls aren't bouncing on the way to the pocket.

[steve clarke]

Also, hitting the CB too hard magnifies any inaccuracy and causes the rattle - sometimes they go in if they're not going quite so fast.

[vmax4steve]

I don't know why but at the moment I am looking at the shot, deciding where I need to hit the object ball but, I am then unable to keep that spot in my mind and therefore am tending to miss the pot.

Classic case of taking your eye off the contact point of the object ball at the moment of the strike. You do it once and don't realise it and wonder why you missed such an easy ball, it makes you anxious on the next shot so you do it again and again and again.

[throtts]

Classic case of taking your eye off the contact point of the object ball at the moment of the strike. You do it once and don't realise it and wonder why you missed such an easy ball, it makes you anxious on the next shot so you do it again and again and again.

This is why you must try and start a session of snooker be it practice or match play on the right foot. As you say you do it once and then again which effects your overall belief and confidence, then you start moving on the shots which is absolutely leathal. Imo, and if I had to take a bet I say bluenose1940 is twitching / moving on the shot.

[Terry Davidson]

Hate to disagree with everyone but this sounds to me like some upper body movement on the delivery or perhaps moving up on the backswing.

First and foremost, ensure you are keeping your head still as any movement at all will take the cue off-line.

In addition, ensure you eyes are locked on the object ball when you deliver the cue. It doesn't have to be a specific spot (which I find hard to imagine) just have the eyes locked on the object ball itself with the idea that the cueball will cover a portion of the object ball when it reaches it, this portion being getting the cueball into the plant position on the object ball.

Terry

[throtts]

Hate to disagree with everyone
Terry

Not me, Terry.

I stated the same above. Players just do not realise there moving. If you just twitch slightly on my table you will miss 90% of the time. It's an old school snooker rule but the main one IMO.

[jono*]

any tips on practising staying still? its one thing saying and knowing to do it and its totally different implementing it... so any recommended things you can do that will help you stay still on the shot?

[bluenose1940]

Thanks for all the input folks. The next time I go to the club I will concentrate 100% on keeping still on the shot and hope that that will be the answer. As pocket rocket says, you sometimes feel better when you miss a pot by a mile rather than have it judder in the jaws and, when it happens as regularly as it did last Saturday you feel like pulling your hair out!!

[j6uk]

An old school one but it works is, to ask a friend to follow you around the table hovering a cue just above your head. Oh and get some good coaching

[bluenose1940]

An old school one but it works is, to ask a friend to follow you around the table hovering a cue just above your head. Oh and get some good coaching

Read somewhere on here earlier that once you are past the age of 30, improving your game becomes more difficult, doesn't bode too well for me at nearly 73!!!!!!!! But I will keep trying.

[j6uk]

Yeah, throw the textbook out the window and just enjoy it.
I use to practice with a lad who was 80, and he was rolling-in 80's for fun, all with a stand-up style and two point contact cue action, fantastic to watch. So much so that Iv started playing the same way. A bit of a struggle the fist week but I'm getting regular 30,40's now and yesterday had my first 60.
You need to have a game when the back goes

[bluenose1940]

Yeah, throw the textbook out the window and just enjoy it.
I use to practice with a lad who was 80, and he was rolling-in 80's for fun, all with a stand-up style and two point contact cue action, fantastic to watch. So much so that Iv started playing the same way. A bit of a struggle the fist week but I'm getting regular 30,40's now and yesterday had my first 60.
You need to have a game when the back goes

Absolutely agree with your comments. I get so much pleasure from playing the game and would play at every opportunity (have to be careful not to upset 'her indoors' though!) There are a couple of chaps at our club who play 'standing-up' and they too play some good stuff. Forgive my ignorance but I'm not sure what you mean by 'two point contact cue action'
I can go some weeks playing reasonable stuff (my reasonable that is) where I will regularly pot 3 blacks or two blacks and a pink or two blacks and a blue. A couple of games ago I almost got my first 4 blacks for ages but, I missed the 4th which was the easiest of all of them! I have managed to clear the colours a couple of times in the last 12 months but I really want to become more consistent and would be happy getting 30 plus on a regular basis.
I visit this forum almost every day and have picked up loads of useful tips already.

It's interesting what you say about the 'old boys' - it's the same on the golf course too. You watch the youngsters trying to knock the hell out of the ball and an 80 year old steps on the tee and just strokes it straight up the middle! There's a 93 year old at our local club and he still amazes onlookers!

[j6uk]

Two point contact is when you just use the bridge hand and the so called grip hand. This is the stand-up style, no chest or chin involved.
This lad I talk about would have to stop every now and then to wipe his nose, hanky in left pocket and chalk in the right
Very very consistent, one chance 40+. He taught me a forward game, rolling balls in and moving the white around by going forwards. I don't remember him using a lot of back rotation, just a tad here and there.