Erratic Cuing.

[wes]

Hello All.
This is my first post on the forum, which I discovered whilst searching the net for a new cue.
I have been playing for approx 30 years but never seem to get any better, though I know this is down to table time.
I probably picked up too many bad habits during before advice and tuition was readily available.
As I have had to start playing with a new cue I thought it would be a good time to go back to basics and re-learn a few things.
The cue I have started using is approx 3/4 shorter and 1 1/2 ozs lighter.
My main concern at the moment is the difference in accuracy between playing a very slow/soft shot and a quicker/firmer shot. my cue seems to be all over the shop on slower shots and much better on the firmer shots.
Does anyone suffer from this and does anyone have any advice?
Many Thanks in advance.
Wes.

[j6uk]

The better you get you will find that it will go the other way around Meaning your cue will be all over the place when playing with power.
Besides welcome to tsf and have you a coach?

[happy]

From a rookie to another rookie,
I was told it takes a seasoned player about 2-3 months to get used to a new cue.
I am betting myself to take at least twice as long to get used to my new cue.

So make sure your stance, your bridge and your grip is solid.
Make sure your elbow is really straight right-angled and watch more Youtubes from neilmaxman.

I am doing exactly these steps.
Cheers.

[iNko]

Hi Wes, welcome to TSF.

I also had a very erratic cueing action, after having some coaching and having tips from the TSF community I realised that having four points of contact with the cue is ideal. Those are in your cue hand, on your bridge hand, brushing your chest and brushing your chin.

Also make sure your bridge hand is steady, I used to have the back right of my hand off the table for some reason.

Just to note I am by no means a good player and have only recently had coaching but thought I'd share as knowing the above helped me out a lot. I would recommend having some coaching if you are able. Also as happy pointed out there are some useful vids on you tube under 'snooker pro tips'

[vmax4steve]

My main concern at the moment is the difference in accuracy between playing a very slow/soft shot and a quicker/firmer shot. my cue seems to be all over the shop on slower shots and much better on the firmer shots.
Does anyone suffer from this and does anyone have any advice?
Many Thanks in advance.
Wes.

Vary the length of the backswing depending on the power needed in the shot. Slow shots should be played using a short backswing and power shots with a long backswing and different varying lengths between those two depending on the power used. Doing this will give you a feel for the shot after seeing the reaction you get from the cue ball and you will learn to do it subconsciously without thinking after a while.

[wes]

Thanks for the replies and advice.
I have been watching Youtube for coaching advice, which was never available when I started playing, and this is the advice I am trying to put into practice.
As J6UK says, I would expect to have more control/accuracy on slower/softer shots and that is the puzzle, I haven't.
As I said, I have started using a shorter cue, I always felt my old cue may be slightly too long for me which was causing the problem, my new cue is only about 3/4" shorter, but feels too short and I still have the same problem, although I have started to get used to the 1 1/2ozs weight difference already. When I started playing with the new cue I felt I was having to 'throw' it to get any speed out of the cue ball, but did not know whether this was down to weight, length, or just operator error, I seem to have overcome this now. I am using a Medium Talisman tip of 9.5mm, having gone from an 8mm tip.
I may still be looking for a different cue though, as I still feel 16 1/2 ozs is too light. I live in Telford and can't find anywhere local that sells decent cues off the shelf, as I really do believe in try before you buy. I have thought about getting one made by Mastercraft, who are local, as my friend had a beauty made there last year, but what if it's not right......................
Thanks again.
Wes.

[hotpot]

Even the experienced player who buys blind will try a few cues before finding one thier happy with even though they know their specs . If youre buying without trying then stick to a well known make and look for a nice second hand one that has found its resale value so if you sell on you should,nt lose any money .

[Terry Davidson]

wes:

Your problem is normally caused by players not completing the delivery properly on low power shots, they end up stopping the cue short with their grip hand not driving all the way through to the chest (this is called 'stabbing' the cueball here in Canada).

The result is you are not accelerating through the cueball but rather decelerating the cue at the time of strike. No matter how much power you put into the shot, on ALL shots your grip hand should drive through to the chest (imagine you are trying to hit the object ball with your tip unless the balls are too close together).

A nice loose grip and a backswing which is proportional to the amount of power required will greatly assist this

Terry

[wes]

Thank you Mr Davidson,
By proportional backswing do you mean distance rather than weight.
I think I try to 'reach' the required length of travel of the cue ball with my body rather than delivery distance of the cue, whereas with stronger shots I keep my much more still and deliver the cue better.
Much to think about and much to practice!
Thanks again.
Wes.

[Terry Davidson]

wes:

Yes, the length of the backswing is what determines just how much power you can ACCURATELY use on the shot. Therefore the length of the backswing should be proportional to the amount of power required for the shot.
If we use a scale for power of P1 (very low power) to P10 (very high power the player can be ACCURATE with) then most players will have their best accuracy with shots ranging from P3 to P7. Below P3 they tend to not drive the cue through the cueball (imagine it's a soap bubble) and above P7 they tend to introduce two problems, the first is gripping the cue tighter to early in the delivery in order to get the abrupt acceleration they want and also they will tend to use the shoulder muscle to get that rapid acceleration. Both of these will move the butt off the line of aim desired.

In addition a lot of times with a power shot the player will tend to speed up the backswing too much which again will introduce upper body movement. To defeat all of these a loose grip and a very slow and deliberate backswing, with a rear pause if you naturally have one, will keep everything SMOOTH and STILL. These two things are VITAL to maintain accuracy of the strike.

If you do not have a natural rear pause it's very difficult to learn to do it as it will upset the natural rhythm and timing you've developed although most of the top pros do have a defined (but short) rear pause with the exception of Mark Allen and a couple of others, however the large majority of really good players do have one (and I wish I did too).

Terry

[wes]

Thanks again Terry.
I have been watching Del Hill's coaching tips on Youtube, and have highlighted a few things I know I do wrong which I will be working on when I next get on the table. Along with the tips I have received on the forum, hopefully my game will improve, it's those missed 'easy' pots that I 'expected to get that are so frustrating and if I can eradicate these I will be happy. I think these are usually down to lack of concentration or concentrating too much on position.
Thanks
Wes.

[Terry Davidson]

wes:

Always remember to lock your eyes on the object ball when delivering the cue. You can do this right at the end of the last backswing, during the rear pause or else just at the start of the delivery. You can also do what I do and lock them on at the front pause just before the final backswing.

This also helps to focus your concentration

Terry

[wes]

Hello All.
I have just had a 2 hour session trying to put all the advice into practice.
I have now realised that I was not getting my chest into contact with the cue, my back is aching slightly to prove the point!
Concentrating on the object ball has certainly helped, as has the pause before delivering the cue.
I do seem to be unable to open and close my grip hand without having to concentrate hard, which throws everything else out.
I know I was playing on my own, but I am still extremely happy with the fact that I managed a 54 break on the reds.
Many thanks again.
Wes.

[j6uk]

Nice one wes! where in the world are you from?

[wes]

Hello j6uk.
I live in Telford.
As I say, I've been playing for about 30 years, for a couple of hours per week, but never had any tuition, 'starting again' with a new cue has led me to go back to basics and try to iron out my vice and hopefully get a bit of consistancy.
I have played a couple of lower league matches in the last few weeks and played awfully in both, I do not mind losing in the slightest, but I felt I let the other lads down.
Cheers.
Wes.