Inconsistent sighting

[Terry Davidson]

topcoach:

All those Master Coaches trained by Nic Barrow (IBSF & thesnookergym) are given very extensive training on all the various methods which can be used in a player's technique. We are also examined by Nic on our ability to demonstrate all the various methods.

The one that got to me was the 4 different eye rhythms as I just couldn't demonstrate the one where the player flicks his eyes back to the cueball for a millisecond just before the strike. It totally messed up my own rhythm but eventually I was able to demonstrate it effectively.

In coaching I normally get students who have been playing awhile, some of them for decades. What I usually have to do is assess them and keep the good bits and try and modify the bad bits so I'm not totally changing his technique. I've also found video analysis is a great help and you can show the student what's happening in stop motion or slow motion.

I was never a pro so I don't really try and force my own technique on anybody. Everyone has a different physique and what works for one may not work for another. For example, even though I disagree with lining the cue up under the preferred eye I still talk about it and demonstrate and also show the set-up changes it forces if you move the cue to the side of the chin

Terry

[topcoach147max]

ask yourself what is a front pause or back pause for then ??
front pause is the check aligntment and tip head accuracy.
back pause is for timimng,rhythm, and allowing youself time to get your eyes up and focus on your aimimng point.
All JUNIOR ( i said junior lol) players should have a front and back pause in their action,until muscle memory is built up enough before progressing to a more advanced action. a lot of top professionals use this action even now..
tip to cue bal
feather twice
front pause
slow back swing
back pause
following through.

a good example of this if judd trump or ronnie o sullivan.
go watch their videos !!

[topcoach147max]

Hi Terry,
thats good to hear,we all try our best to help players ,i fall into the trap of trying to make them brilliant, rather than just to get them technically sound on every shot, and let the become brilliant themselves !

[alabadi]

topcoach:


I was never a pro so I don't really try and force my own technique on anybody.
Terry

Terry I think you are too modest, you have been around for a long time and probably know the game inside out, you have played the game (not to a pro level) to a very high standard, the mere fact you didn't turn pro doesn't mean that you don't have the technique or skills to emphasise these to your students.

I think you have every right to put your views across strongly, you are speaking from experience plus you have the qualifications that allows you to teach/train anyone, so certainly in my book you have earned it.

Alabbadi

[pottr]

To Me it sounds like your problem is in your line of aim,somewhere in the walk in phase ,dropping down phase,or cue delivery phase of the shot you are going off line.

So you're saying that a problem with someone's cue action is likely down to a factor in their cue action?

Inspirational stuff.

I've read all of this thread and on the sighting issue and I keep coming back to my original thought on the topic.

If you are down at the table and you have the thought "where am I looking?" that's a big problem.

[itsnoteasy]

So you're saying that a problem with someone's cue action is likely down to a factor in their cue action?

Inspirational stuff.

I've read all of this thread and on the sighting issue and I keep coming back to my original thought on the topic.

If you are down at the table and you have the thought "where am I looking?" that's a big problem.

This is what I tried to say, but as usual Pottr has nailed it. It's to late at the sighting phase.

[vmax4steve]

I think shooting is different because the gun is pointing directly at the target therefore you have to close one eye as the sight is directly on the barrel of the gun.

in snooker the cue is not pointing at the intended target bar one situation only and that is on dead straight shots, it is merely steering an object to contact another object. so the sight line and the aim line are different. this is why we need both eyes for the brain to judge the depth and angle to allow us to move to cueball to the correct contact point.

I agree that always we will have a stronger eye, however it doesn't mean we are only sighting with it, the brain will use it against the other eye to create an balanced view/image of what we are looking at.

Alabbadi

PS: just seen Terry's post...lol , its basically the same thing what he said

The shooting analogy is interesting to me and I think that we, as snooker players, use the skeet shooters aiming and not the rifle shooters as both eyes are open to allow the subconscious mind to switch between one eye and the other for the two different targets required in aiming the shot.
Target number one is the contact point on the object ball you wish the cue ball to make, target number two is the point on the cue ball that the tip of your cue has to contact to enable target number one to be acheived.

Standing up behind the shot both eyes are open and used to enable depth perception, when addressing the cue ball both eyes are open but only one is used (the dominant eye) to determine that the tip is pointing in the correct place even though both eyes are open.

try this little excercise

Put the butt of your cue right on the end of your nose and point the tip of the cue at something specific like a spot on the wall. You will see two cues, one right on line with the target that you are pointing it at and another coming in to the target from outside the line.
If you now close one eye and then the other you will find that one eye is looking right down the length of the cue all the way to the target whereas the other one is to one side of the cue.

The eye that is looking right down the shaft to the target is your dominant eye and most people will be subconsiously turning their head very slightly to favour this eye when doing this excercise.

Why ?

Because when aiming the shot we are subconsciously looking at two different targets and the brain switches between these two targets using both eyes for one and only one eye for the other even though both eyes are open.
So the dominant eye is used for addressing the cue ball while both eyes are used to find the contact point on the object ball.

To be sure of this, when already down into the stance with all the aiming done, close one eye and then the other and check to see with which eye the tip of the cue is pointing centre cue ball.

[humperdingle]

Eye dominance in clay shooting brings out lots of weird little bits of kit - Special glasses with opaque dots, frosted sections of lense...

Just another way of making money, selling all sorts of extra bits and bobs.

Checking for eye dominance may be a little easier in shooting, though.

[Sidd]

You beat me to it, Sidd.

This is exactly what I am working on at the moment. I use to walk ( not doing handstands, haha ) in to the address position but I am now putting myself more on top of the shot, so I stance straight away on the line of aim.

Anyway, I shall continue my experiments and report back...

Exactly.... you know throtts what i have found out.
It is easy for us to be inconsistent in snooker. us mortals.

Mark my words: when you get the walk in correct and do not move your head while getting down for some time you sort of start taking it for grated that you have learnt it and wont do it wrong again yeah and that is the time when you forget about it in your set up and hence might just do it casually.... result is that you dont do it sometimes then and miss. Similarly, you might think that you lock your eyes on BOB at striking time but after getting a hang of it you take it for granted and hence do not do it. You might actually bring your bridge down for screws but after being successful in screw shots (all kinds of screws) and becoming a hero in that you might take it for granted and either dont lower the bridge or else get the grip tight who knows ... imagine I took 5 screw shots on my break of 37 and get on a black the white jumped off the table and there was poor Sidd in sheer embarrassment hahahaha....

Its all about not taking anything for granted in snooker every step in technique and set up has to be done on every shot identically.... thats what the gods do always on the telly yeah

[itsnoteasy]

Exactly.... you know throtts what i have found out.
It is easy for us to be inconsistent in snooker. us mortals.

Mark my words: when you get the walk in correct and do not move your head while getting down for some time you sort of start taking it for grated that you have learnt it and wont do it wrong again yeah and that is the time when you forget about it in your set up and hence might just do it casually.... result is that you dont do it sometimes then and miss. Similarly, you might think that you lock your eyes on BOB at striking time but after getting a hang of it you take it for granted and hence do not do it. You might actually bring your bridge down for screws but after being successful in screw shots (all kinds of screws) and becoming a hero in that you might take it for granted and either dont lower the bridge or else get the grip tight who knows ... imagine I took 5 screw shots on my break of 37 and get on a black the white jumped off the table and there was poor Sidd in sheer embarrassment hahahaha....

Its all about not taking anything for granted in snooker every step in technique and set up has to be done on every shot identically.... thats what the gods do always on the telly yeah

That's a very good post Sidd, getting lazy with technique is a killer for my game, all the little things are not optional, they must all be done every time, otherwise those unexpected misses creep in.

[rogersnooker76]

i got my sighting corrected 100% today with coach nic barrow. u will be surprised with the results...never thought i would get this answer were it not for him....after he explained and proved...i potted ten reds with black, pink, blue in front of him...which would make people nervous while practicing...but the secret is simple and nic spotted that right away...do not rely on books and dominant eye literally...try some lessons with him.....highly recommended,,,cheers

[horriefic]

i got my sighting corrected 100% today with coach nic barrow. u will be surprised with the results...never thought i would get this answer were it not for him....after he explained and proved...i potted ten reds with black, pink, blue in front of him...which would make people nervous while practicing...but the secret is simple and nic spotted that right away...do not rely on books and dominant eye literally...try some lessons with him.....highly recommended,,,cheers

rogersnooker76,

Could you share what area of your sighting that Nic Barrow corrected that enable you to experience such a large improvement? Thanks in advance.

[j6uk]

Welcome to tsf roger,
Yes sighting has been well talked about on here, what was your sighting issue?

i got my sighting corrected 100% today with coach nic barrow. u will be surprised with the results...never thought i would get this answer were it not for him....after he explained and proved...i potted ten reds with black, pink, blue in front of him...which would make people nervous while practicing...but the secret is simple and nic spotted that right away...do not rely on books and dominant eye literally...try some lessons with him.....highly recommended,,,cheers