Practice routine for improving timing

[throtts]

alabadi:

No matter what any coach tells you (including myself) do not try something which introduces discomfort in your set-up or technique.

Along this line I checked this morning to see what I'm actually doing to get the left shoulder locked and it turns out I'm actually pushing my left elbow out as far as I comfortably can along the line of the shot (this follows what Joe Davis said years ago about thrusting the bridge arm out as far as you can). This does bring the left shoulder close to the left cheek but I'm not consciously trying to push the shoulder into the cheek. It sure does keep everything solid and still but I find I can still keep the bridge arm bent a bit and still push the left shoulder forward.

Of course if you keep the left shoulder solid and stable then the right shoulder, as it's connected, will also stay still and should be a little more behind the head and a bit higher so there must also be a little more twist in the spine but I don't find it any more uncomfortable and it's not introducing any discomfort at all for me. It also (at least for me) brings my right elbow right over the cue whereas I used to have the elbow slightly outside the cue, perhaps 1-2 inches and this was introducing right-to-left cueing especially on power shots.

Terry

Nice read there, Terry.

As you probably know, I practice a lot and it was coming apparent that my stance had become a lazy one, sort of just dropping down on the shot and not really checking my legs, my locking right leg was becoming not so locked. Did not want to go down the R Walden path... If your playing many hours and do not rectify something it can become another bad habit.

Latest things I have really polished up on is AIMING and my CHEST contact which if anything is too much of a downward pressure contact but it suits me and makes me nice and still and feeling very compact on the shot too which just breeds confidence.

[Sidd]

alabadi:

I tend to agree with your new coach, that a longer backswing is the way to go with the exception of very short and low power shots. I notice even Ronnie and Higgins, who normally have long backswings will shorten it for those short low power shots around the black but I have also noticed even on some of those shots that are fairly straight in they prefer to use stun run-through and a longer backswing. I believe the advantage is with a short and low power shot a player is just rolling into the pocket the tendency will be to decelerate the cue.

Terry

Coach. This particular answer of yours solves a problem of mine. I have a longer backswing normally and now I understand why on low power shots I used ot have this flying cue syndrome (I call it that myself) just as if the cue was dancing towards the CB or else like rolling or better still sliding rather than a positive strike. So i shall try to have small backswing for such shots at least or else make them stun run through if possible.

Thanks a lot !!!

[Sidd]

alabadi:

No matter what any coach tells you (including myself) do not try something which introduces discomfort in your set-up or technique.

Along this line I checked this morning to see what I'm actually doing to get the left shoulder locked and it turns out I'm actually pushing my left elbow out as far as I comfortably can along the line of the shot (this follows what Joe Davis said years ago about thrusting the bridge arm out as far as you can). This does bring the left shoulder close to the left cheek but I'm not consciously trying to push the shoulder into the cheek. It sure does keep everything solid and still but I find I can still keep the bridge arm bent a bit and still push the left shoulder forward.

Of course if you keep the left shoulder solid and stable then the right shoulder, as it's connected, will also stay still and should be a little more behind the head and a bit higher so there must also be a little more twist in the spine but I don't find it any more uncomfortable and it's not introducing any discomfort at all for me. It also (at least for me) brings my right elbow right over the cue whereas I used to have the elbow slightly outside the cue, perhaps 1-2 inches and this was introducing right-to-left cueing especially on power shots.

Terry

Excellent. Yes indeed when I tried to do this I had discomfort in my shoulder/neck area. But I was watching my own video and noticed that I do not keep the bridge arm straight out and then I did that and got my shoulder to the neck without discomfort. However, my shoulder does seem a little uneasy, i am trying to adjust to it ... !!!