Thank you.....................

[bluenose1940]

Just a big thank you really to the contributors of this forum.

I come on here everyday and sometimes I post and sometimes I don't but, whatever I do I always learn something.

Anyway, from reading a number of threads I picked up on the point of, having first determined the line of aim and deciding where I needed to hit the object ball, followed by the need to maintain full focus on the object ball, my potting has improved enormously. I don't know what I was doing before but, after some initial problems with moving my eye from the cue ball to the object ball and then maintaining said focus, this has now become 'almost normal' for me.

There is more good news too (for me at least). I was watching a snippet of Mark Selby in the BBC 1 sports news this morning and I saw how smooth his cue action is and so, in my game this afternoon I kept that action firmly in my mind and included a brief 'rear pause' (something else of have read about on here) and what a difference it made.

My reckoning is that if I can improve my positional play I will increase my break building and will play consistently better stuff.

So all in all it's a big thank you to fellow members.

[Neil Taperell]

Sounds like you have had some free coaching and some self teaching as well . Great to see you are making a noticeable improvement to your game . Let us know how much you beat your highest break by .

[Tred]

I echo your sentiments mate. This forum is a wonderful thing.

But, Mark Selby having a smooth cue action!!!!???

[bluenose1940]

I'm sure that it was Mark Selby that I saw, perhaps it wasn't. Anyway, whoever it was, the action looked smooth and controlled to me. I think that in the past I have tended to 'snatch' at my shots and now by trying to be much more smooth, it has made a considerable difference. I also try to ensure that I have a 'follow through' rather than ending the stroke as I strike the cue ball, this too has resulted in an improvement.

[nrage]

But, Mark Selby having a smooth cue action!!!!???

Compared to most amateurs all the pros have a smoother cue action, it's just that among pro's Selby's isn't as smooth as the usual suspects like Shaun Murphy, Steven Lee, etc.

[Terry Davidson]

I was practicing yesterday, struggling to get some kind of rear pause and couldn't even do a line-up century (which is unusual for me normally).

Then to my amazement I discovered I was keeping my eyes on the cueball during the backswing and then rushing the shot a bit and not fully concentrating on the object ball at the delivery. So I said, 'screw the rear pause, I will just really slow down my backswing and focus on a smooth transition but I will lock my eyes on the object ball at the front pause (which I extended just a touch to ensure I was locked on)'.

To my amazement everything seemed to come together and everything was so smoooooth, so I'm anxious to get back down there on my table today and see if I get the same amazing results. The really stupid thing is, as a Master Coach I should have realized I was messing with my natural rhythm which made me feel anxious and lose total control of my eye rhythm and thus my timing. stupid...stupid...stupid!

Terry

[cpenney]

Interesting, Terry... I think that's where my problems stem from as well.

[golferson123]

dont do as i do, do as i say!.bad habits creep into every sport.who does a coach turn to for help?watching so many of your students with bad techniques must have some impact on you.having said that well spotted.

[Sidd]

I was practicing yesterday, struggling to get some kind of rear pause and couldn't even do a line-up century (which is unusual for me normally).

Then to my amazement I discovered I was keeping my eyes on the cueball during the backswing and then rushing the shot a bit and not fully concentrating on the object ball at the delivery. So I said, 'screw the rear pause, I will just really slow down my backswing and focus on a smooth transition but I will lock my eyes on the object ball at the front pause (which I extended just a touch to ensure I was locked on)'.

To my amazement everything seemed to come together and everything was so smoooooth, so I'm anxious to get back down there on my table today and see if I get the same amazing results. The really stupid thing is, as a Master Coach I should have realized I was messing with my natural rhythm which made me feel anxious and lose total control of my eye rhythm and thus my timing. stupid...stupid...stupid!

Terry

Terry this is the exact same case with me.. Although i have a nice little rear pause so not having one never bothered me. I guess this problem lies with people like us who wear spectacles or in other words have a poor eye-sight. I personally think that people like us require a fraction of a time longer in order to focus on a particular spot.

During my experiments I noticed very very clearly that if I shift my eyes at OB during backswing or at rear pause I cant sort of focus clearly on the OB and am hence forced to increase my rear pause which takes me away from my natural rhythm. So the best thing to do was (according to Steve Davis's book- there are three ways of shifting eyes at front pause, during backswing or at rear pause) so I tried to lock my eyes on the OB at front pause, then did the backswing eyes still on OB and raer pause and delivery eyes still at OB. I found out immediately this improves my potting and relaxed control delivery due ot the confidence this gives me in terms iwth the OB sighting.

From that point onward I started to lock my eyes on OB at the FRONT PAUSE.... It works great for me.

[Sidd]

Bluenose: this is interesting to note how your thank you thread converts in to something worth learning from. Everything here is worth learning from. We are all like you.... i can never under-rate this forum for all it has done for my game ... people like Terry, Nrage, Vmax and others are a real asset to this forum and real gentlemen who enable us all in one way or another.

They are in fact the CEOs of this forum i.e. Chief Enabling Officers

[j6uk]

The really stupid thing is, as a Master Coach I should have realized I was messing with my natural rhythm which made me feel anxious and lose total control of my eye rhythm and thus my timing. stupid...stupid...stupid!

Terry

Yeah it is a little. Who said your a master coach Tel?
This is tongue in cheek right m8? Iv never heard such a term

[j6uk]

Nice one sidd, your a gent m8. There are so many really good players around that unfortunately do not have the time or inclination to share there knowledge on here, respect out to them, but still there are some good and may I say simple things you can pick up on tsf to take you forwards

Bluenose: this is interesting to note how your thank you thread converts in to something worth learning from. Everything here is worth learning from. We are all like you.... i can never under-rate this forum for all it has done for my game ... people like Terry, Nrage, Vmax and others are a real asset to this forum and real gentlemen who enable us all in one way or another.

They are in fact the CEOs of this forum i.e. Chief Enabling Officers