Rear Pause.

[Terry Davidson]

Anyone who doesn't promote a rear pause should check out the cue actions of the top players. I believe it may be only Mark Allen and Peter Ebdon who do not have a noticeable rear pause. For sure most of the top players in the world, both pro and amateur have a rear pause. This would signify to me that it's a good think to have and I believe the primary reason is it really helps a player to drive through the cueball

Terry

[narl]

Can't do a rear pause at all, to me it takes all the rhythm out of the cue action. Also find it harder to follow through on a shot after pausing at the back.

[Asi]

Best frame of Snooker ever, without rear pause
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=McThDshEgU0

[jimmyc]

A guy like RO'S might be able to put his rear pause on hold, sometimes, if he's in a hurry. He can probably do a lot of things the average Joe can't.

[ace man]

Best frame of Snooker ever, without rear pause
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=McThDshEgU0

He had a very short back pause back then, but it was there nevertheless.

[nrage]

He had a very short back pause back then, but it was there nevertheless.

Like I said earlier, everyone has a rear pause of some length, it's physically impossible not to

I still think the pause is only a means to an end, to prevent a jerky cue action, promote smooth cueing. You can have smooth cueing and a non jerky cue action without a discernible pause - Ronnie's action in that video was like that IMO.

[Samcheung001]

Rear pause in no doubt, or more appropriate in general true for most people, could smoothen the cue action and hence to provide a better timing on the cue ball. How could it do that ?

1. Different shots need different deliver speed. A rear pause can let you to deliver the cue easier in your desired pace. Just imagine how awkward it would be to play shots in tiny strength with no rear pause.

2. During the feathering, you eyes would switch between the cue ball and the object ball. Rear pause could provide the appropriate time interval to let you to switch and stick the focus on the object ball just before the delivery.

3. Last but not least, it lets you to have a final 'thinking' or rehearsal on how to deliver the cue.

As Terry said that most top players have a rear pause and my point of view is the only difference is how long is it. For example, Ronnie, Judd and Robertson would be shorter while Shuan, Ding, Bingham, Mcmanus...etc are longer. If you watch how Hendry played when he was teenager, he had actually NO rear pause at all but he changed his style soon and gained his trophies.

Although I believe a rear pause is required and could help the cue action, I adopt a short rear pause by just slowing downing my last feathering and a half second rear pause and then deliver. If you think Ronnie's cue action is the best or one of the best in the world, it's just what I mean.

Lastly, I'm actually not a good player at all and it's just some of my thoughts that would like to share.

[alabadi]

I have a rear pause when i focus and i'm playing well, however i am not consistant and can tel when i don't as i miss more often.

its something i'm working on, i'm trying to get it to be part of my game where i don't actually have top think about doing it. i feel that any aspect of the game when you have to think about it makes it too mechanical and not natural.

the rear pause does help me get a better focused view of the contact point on the OB, when i don't i just seem to look at the OB without really seeing the actual contact

[Byrom]

Ahh, ok, I understand what you mean by "wasted". Artificially adding a rear pause can wreak havok with your timing, both of the cue action itself, and the rhythm of your eyes which is especially key because you have to be looking at the pot (back of ball, or ghost ball, or similar) as you push the cue through or you risk cueing across it.

It's a risky thing, trying to add a rear pause:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BfHCP-mmks

Even expert players and coaches like Neil above find it very hard to add. It's probably much easier for a new player to learn.

But, like I say, I don't think it's essential, provided you have a smooth cue action.

Is it me or is the video example you give by this coach completely wrong - not to mention really annoying?

[Terry Davidson]

Although I believe a rear pause can be beneficial I also think it's counter-productive to dwell on it and try and force it into the cueing technique.

If a player (like me) doesn't have one I think the best route to take is to try and slow down the backswing since as has been said everyone has to have a rear pause since the cue is changing direction and it's the length of the rear pause which is at issue here.

The real objective is to make the backswing and delivery as SMOOTH and DELIBERATE as possible and keeping both of them consistently straight. In my stupidity I have tried and tried to get a rear pause and I believe this has caused me a lot of pain and a lot of poor play. Now I've just found out if I slow that backswing right down there is an automatic, but pretty short, rear pause and my cue action has become much smoother.

Terry

[Byrom]

For me Terry the way I pause is linked to the grip.

I feather and 'slightly' grip each time I address the white then on the final back swing as I move my eyes to the line of the shot I open my back hand -still griping with first finger and thumb - but as I pull back my other fingers loosen on the grip and there is a slight momentary pause as my eyes are focused on where I am sending the cue ball and then I smoothly drive through keeping still and straight until the shot is completed. Sounds complicated but it is not and once you get the rhythm it gets easier.
One old player I knew used to practice the timing and this slight grip as you feather and open your hand by practicing away from the table all day and every day just by squeezing a small ball in his palm as he slowly counted his cue timing - no jokes here- but he did this until he felt this grip and timing that he wanted to develop becoming a more natural thing for him to do.

Remember not to over grip - relax and loosen the grip -back fingers - on the back swing and do not stop for too long at the back - just until your eyes switch focus on to where you are sending the ball - as this pause is just a moment like changing gear in a car before you put your foot down and smoothly accelerate through the white.

Learning good timing is hard but fun when you see the results. Sean Murphy and Stephen Lee and Ronnie all probably great examples of this to watch and they all get through the white really well particularly Stephen Lee. The difficulty with that coaching video I watched earlier is that the guy says he tried and failed to develop a pause and then he tries to demonstrate it lol. - If you cant do something then do not show others how to do it wrongly. He pauses to long and is actually 'stopping' and loosing the point of having a pause which is to develop timing and the camera is just focused on his cue and not his backhand also - just a personal note here but he keeps saying 'nicely' all the time which I find bloody annoying.

The reason a lot of players struggle with this is because the way we cue and hold or 'grip' the cue is like our own personal habit and to break any habit takes a lot of patience and effort but can be done and it can be done if you replace it with a better habit.

[nrage]

Is it me or is the video example you give by this coach completely wrong - not to mention really annoying?

The sound is 'mono' and there is a hum but that's easily ignored because the content is usually excellent - when he stops needling the "snooker tips" guy. What do you think is "wrong" about what he's saying?

[throtts]

You guys made this a great thread. I do really get on with my rear pause, never had one before I purchased my Star 1 year ago because I was just a now and again player down the club. The rear pause along with good contact points should see the cue go through straight. The one contact point which darts the cue through nice and straight for me is the chest contact. Also, IMO, the rear pause really dies assist one around the black and pink spot, specifically for those dead drop in's for holding for the black.

[razvan]

Can somebody put a video with a smooth action, and another one with non smooth? It is not clear for me the concept of smooth and good timing. Thanks.

[Terry Davidson]

razvan:

You will have to do some research yourself. Go to youtube and for smooth look at Shaun Murphy, Stephen Lee, ROS, John Higgins and for a cue action which is not so smooth take a look at Graeme Dott.

Try and look at a shot of a dead-in black ball where the camera is behind the pocket and watch for how still their upper body is, even on a power shot how the rhythm and timing is smooth with no jerking.

Now see if you can find a video with Graeme Dott doing the same shot with power and watch the upper body movement and how choppy his rhythm is. For him this is cause by his shorter backswing but seeing as how he's in the top 16, he has learned how to control his choppy cue action and he's probably been using the same technique since he was a kid.

Terry