Im seriously losing my sanity with this game !!!! HELP !!!!

[Belloz22]

well im currently uploading a frame and a bit of me playing my dad to youtube - il post link to video after, please watch and advise me. These frames were a consious effort to play without thinking of technique and just focusing on potting and looking at BOB

[lesedwards]

I can't wait to see the video. I am going to visit Terry Davidson on Friday for an hour of coaching and then a practice match. I can't wait to get there and have Terry straighten out my black off the spot blues.

[Belloz22]

I can't wait to see the video. I am going to visit Terry Davidson on Friday for an hour of coaching and then a practice match. I can't wait to get there and have Terry straighten out my black off the spot blues.

Oh the standard in the video is terrible, dont think i break 10 points lol - but i want people to see how i play when i dont think about technique, and hopefully people can identify what im doing wrong unconciously then

[Belloz22]

This is the video

now dont be harsh Basically i wanted to show you the inconsistency - but to be fair, these frames are me trying to not think of any technique, only looking at BOB and thinking positively of potting the ball

For those who dont know - im the one in the shorts

Let me know what you think - but my basic point is, when i dont think of technique, alot more faults come in - and this is me relaxed in this videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IUiI...ature=youtu.be

[nrage]

Some things (I think) I saw..

The first red you miss, you don't play very "positively" .. you just kinda half heartedly push the cue through. Play these with more conviction, push the cue right through them positively - not hard, but not quite so "limply" if you know what I mean.

The first black you miss (and on most of your shots actually) you lift the body slightly as you start the stroke from the full back position. Try to stay more still on the shot.

[lesedwards]

I spent two hours tonight running blacks. I set up chalk marks one ball width a part half way between the spot and the cushion running 5 consecutive or I would start over. I realized my biggest problem right off the bat. I was not staying down and following the object ball with my eyes and also following through with the cue. I played it one game with my son and I ran two blacks and a blue for a break of 22. Two great shots on the black and great positional play. Friday I have an hour worth of coaching with Terry Davidson on Friday so I should be in good shape by the weekend for my tournament.

[alabadi]

i agree with what nrage has said, i would like to add you seem to go for everything regardless how difficult the shot is, when trying to win you need to be a bit more patient until a good opportunity presents itself, going for long pots down the rail serves no purpose very difficult to get position and more likely leaving it on.

i also notice that you hold the cue about 4-5 inches from the butt end.this is just a suggestion maybe get a shorter cue just a couple of inches shorter, the way you were holding it you should still have room. i myself have done this and its helped me

[mythman69]

My 2 cents worth:

1. Take a bit more time when down on the shot (rather than just get down and hit the ball).

2. Have a better look at the table before rushing in.

3. Stay down on the shot (your head moves a bit when you hit the ball).

4. you seem to hit the ball too hard (speed kills).

I hope this helps! Looks like a great place to play snooker and it is good that you can play against your dad.

[vmax4steve]

A lot of upper body movement and use of the shoulder when playing with power.
Slight forward body movement just before the strike every other shot.
Unfortunately we can't see where your eyes are looking but my guess before was that you take your eye off the object ball most of the time and these faults I have noticed bear this out.
When the eyes are locked onto the object ball at the moment of the strike the head and body are still, it's looking elsewhere that gives that movement.
That first black you potted, everything was fine, but there is a fine line having the eyes locked on to the object ball at the moment of the strike and flicking the focus away for that split second before or after the shot is played.
This what you need to work on and I would start by starting to stay down on the shot after the you play it and watch the object ball all the way into the pocket before getting up from your stance. Watch it only with your eyes, don't move the head at all. Start with slow shots, as this means you stay down for longer, and then build up to playing with power when you can consistantly pot the slow ones because you are staying down and looking at the object ball.

Btw

When I say stay down I don't mean slow down, your natural rhythm is very important. Play the shots as fast or slow as you normally play them but just remember to stay down until the object ball enters the pocket, which it will far more often if you do.

[Belloz22]

A lot of upper body movement and use of the shoulder when playing with power.
Slight forward body movement just before the strike every other shot.
Unfortunately we can't see where your eyes are looking but my guess before was that you take your eye off the object ball most of the time and these faults I have noticed bear this out.
When the eyes are locked onto the object ball at the moment of the strike the head and body are still, it's looking elsewhere that gives that movement.
That first black you potted, everything was fine, but there is a fine line having the eyes locked on to the object ball at the moment of the strike and flicking the focus away for that split second before or after the shot is played.
This what you need to work on and I would start by starting to stay down on the shot after the you play it and watch the object ball all the way into the pocket before getting up from your stance. Watch it only with your eyes, don't move the head at all. Start with slow shots, as this means you stay down for longer, and then build up to playing with power when you can consistantly pot the slow ones because you are staying down and looking at the object ball.

Btw

When I say stay down I don't mean slow down, your natural rhythm is very important. Play the shots as fast or slow as you normally play them but just remember to stay down until the object ball enters the pocket, which it will far more often if you do.

Thanks for advice. I know people suggest I do get down quickly etc..... but the reason is is because I find the more time I take the more likely I am to miss.....so I have to plah relatively quickly. I do feel my eyes move after the shot, ive always had serious issues keeping my eyes fixed, esp when looking at an invisible point.

Its stuff I normally do when I think of technique in my frames, but people tell me you should play without thinking of technique, and it im not conciously thinking about making sure im doing my technqiue right, it wont happen.

Il concentrate on keeping eyes fixated alot more though, esp if it helps me stay still

[vmax4steve]

I do feel my eyes move after the shot, ive always had serious issues keeping my eyes fixed, esp when looking at an invisible point.

The contact point on the object ball is not invisible, it's clearly there and the fact you think it's invisible tells me again that you do not look at it.
Look at it, make sure you see it when standing behind the shot and finding the line of aim, keep your eyes on it as you get down into the stance, check tip is addressing the centre of the cue ball then look up again at the contact point on the object ball and don't play the shot until your eyes are focussed on this point. Keep head down and eyes on the object ball all the way into the pocket before getting up from the stance.

[nrage]

I spent two hours tonight running blacks. I set up chalk marks one ball width a part half way between the spot and the cushion running 5 consecutive or I would start over. I realized my biggest problem right off the bat. I was not staying down and following the object ball with my eyes and also following through with the cue. I played it one game with my son and I ran two blacks and a blue for a break of 22. Two great shots on the black and great positional play. Friday I have an hour worth of coaching with Terry Davidson on Friday so I should be in good shape by the weekend for my tournament.

Nice! I am glad the exercise helped. It is worth making it a regular part of your practice, but shorten it to 15 mins or similar so you can also work on other things.

[Belloz22]

The contact point on the object ball is not invisible, it's clearly there and the fact you think it's invisible tells me again that you do not look at it.
Look at it, make sure you see it when standing behind the shot and finding the line of aim, keep your eyes on it as you get down into the stance, check tip is addressing the centre of the cue ball then look up again at the contact point on the object ball and don't play the shot until your eyes are focussed on this point. Keep head down and eyes on the object ball all the way into the pocket before getting up from the stance.

Sorry this is me not explaining myself properly sorry

I know what the BOB is - i know where the white should contact on the object ball for it to go into the pocket etc - my problem is as follows

If i look at BOB - i tend to find i hit it with the front of the white, rather than the correct contact point - so for a half ball - where i know the white needs to be aimmed at the side of the object ball, the BOB isnt on that point though is it, yet if i look at BOB, i find i end up hitting the shot thick - hard to explaining i know

In terms of an invisible spot - say the pot is more than half ball, i know BOB is on the object ball, but the spot im aimming at with the front of the white, so it makes contact with BOB is off the ball, in mid air - again, if i look at BOB, i end up hitting the shot thick again

Does this make sense to what i mean??

Basically im hitting BOB with the front of the White, rather than the correct spot on the white

[pottr]

1) Don't shuffle your feet when you get into the shot. Work out where you need to be stood then put your left foot on the line of the shot and keep it there. Shuffling your feet is moving your head from side to side which in turn prevents you from dropping straight down onto the shot.

2) Keep down on the shot. I'd suggest not moving til the white stops. It will slow you down and you will also find yourself moving less on the shot.

3) I wouldn't worry too much about the old "where am I looking" point. It will sort itself out for you unconsciously. What I would do if I were you is take a bit more time to think where I want the white on shots. You're pretty much just walking around the table and smashing at the first shot you see.

So for me, take more time, develop a better approach to the table and stay down on the shot... Simple changes, you'll improve.

[nrage]

Sorry this is me not explaining myself properly sorry

I know what the BOB is - i know where the white should contact on the object ball for it to go into the pocket etc - my problem is as follows

If i look at BOB - i tend to find i hit it with the front of the white, rather than the correct contact point - so for a half ball - where i know the white needs to be aimmed at the side of the object ball, the BOB isnt on that point though is it, yet if i look at BOB, i find i end up hitting the shot thick - hard to explaining i know

In terms of an invisible spot - say the pot is more than half ball, i know BOB is on the object ball, but the spot im aimming at with the front of the white, so it makes contact with BOB is off the ball, in mid air - again, if i look at BOB, i end up hitting the shot thick again

Does this make sense to what i mean??

Basically im hitting BOB with the front of the White, rather than the correct spot on the white

Ok.. it may be too soon, vmax may have more tips and you may find that by spending a little more time finding the BOB/line of aim helps you really get down in the right place. You might also want to try the 1/2 ball pot routine I detail below(*) using your current BOB aiming and check your cue is pointing at the edge of the red.

If all that fails, then you could perhaps try out the ghost ball or overlap methods which give you an aim point for the cue, instead of plain BOB.

Try this.. find the BOB as you currently do, then imagine a white ball in the plant position to hit this BOB. Then, aim at the middle of the ghost ball. It might also help to imagine a line from the white to the center of the ghost white and keep this line in mind as you get down on the shot.

More technically.. and I am not recommending you actually think of these ideas when you're aiming, but instead consider them and visualise them in a spare moment sitting on the couch or in front of the computer reading this message.

The BOB point will always be exactly 1/2 way between the overlapped regions of the object and ghost ball (if viewed two dimensionally from the line of aim). So, imagine a 1/2 ball shot where the balls overlap by 1/2 a ball width. The BOB is bang in the middle of the overlapping region, 1/4 ball in from the edge of each ball. The BOB is always bang in the middle of the overlap for all cut angles/overlaps.

So.. with this information you can use an overlap method of aiming. If you notice the BOB is 1/4 ball width in from the edge you can say to yourself "easy, it's half ball" - aim the cue itself at the edge of the object ball and bob's your uncle. Likewise you can note the BOB is a little less than 1/4 ball width in from the edge and know it's a thinner 1/2 ball, or perhaps it's slightly more than 1/4 ball width in from the edge making it a thick 1/2 ball.

Of course, once you get good at the overlap system you wont need to think about how much overlap is required, instead you will have learned the overlap for various cut angles and it will become "obvious" to you.

(*)A good way to try out this method is to set up a 1/2 ball pot (place two reds in a plant position to a pocket and move around them until they overlap by 1/2 a ball and place the white on that line) marking the red and white position. Then go through the motions of aiming, find BOB, imagine ghost ball or overlap (very similar visualisation TBH) and find the line and get the cue down on it. Keep the ghost/overlap visualisation in mind as you play the shot. Because it's 1/2 ball you can double check the line you have gotten down on - is your cue pointing at the edge of the red?

Next set up a 3/4 and 1/4 ball pot and do the same thing. For 3/4 ball the line of aim splits the red 1/8th of a ball from the center. For 1/4 ball the line of aim splits the red 1/8th of a ball in from the edge. Those 1/8ths are hard to imagine, to be honest, but you might be able to use them to verify you have gotten down on the line of aim.

Be methodical, play the same pot 10 times, take your time with aiming for each one.