Heavy Balls-Set: How to go about it

[Sidd]

Hi there Everyone.

I am posting after a long break. It is Ramadan and the routine changes a lot. i just have two-three hours for snooker these days but have been enjoying my game. However, I havent been able to manage time to post on the forum lately.

I have been playing well lately. have been using Kinovea to review my videos and try to improve. Have got all the advice saved in a separate file and have been reviewing and practicing accordingly. I must admit here that my game has improved significantly in the past few weeks. Changing to boxers stance and playing with a outward wrist cock has done wonders and I feel back on track from where I changed my girp and stance. I went on to square on to favour my left eye back in 2009 maybe or 2010 and being tall I went in to all sorts of problems. Luckily your advice and comments on the video enabled me to get back to my 2010 state and I can feel I am playing well again. Still struggling though with getting the wrist cock always there but well I am playing well and improving.

Now to the question. Tonight I went in to play and was told that they have changed the ball set on our table. Actually they were using a balls set that wasnt heavy i.e. not exactly 3gm ball set and so we kept requesting them to change to the proper tournament ball set, which they call it the heavy ball set. I have been playing superbly during the last week but tonight with the new balls I could not play well. The whole of my cue action went all haywire for me and I was amazed at what just happened. I wasn't potting comfortably, positioning went wrong i.e. loss of control and well with the old balls potting a red near baulk and going for the pink black area was easy but tonight woah! I could not even cross the blue mark. It seemed as if the table is playing slow but it wasn't I guess... When I would play with the old balls I would simply play a follow shot with the rest and the white would come down but tonight it seemed that with follow it would show extra top spin and after hitting cushion the white would just die on me. Also my potting suffered heavily missing easy pots again and well long pots hmmmm not at all !!!

This is what I think happened. The only thing that comes to my snookering mind is that perhaps with the balls being heavy now I have to use a much looser grip than usual to get the same effect as before. IS that correct ? if not, what else is happening ? Please do post your comments and advice as to how I should go about it. Or is it that its all only psychological and nothing else. While started playing I had it my mind that the balls are heavy balls are heavy and that thought did not leave me till the last minute.....

Additionally, if both the lighter and heavy balls sets are made of the same material then would it also mean that the heavy balls set might be slightly bigger in circumference?? If yes, would it make any difference ot the playing style ??? just asking...

I am going bonkers guys.... HELP !!!

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

I don't know what the 3gm refers to unless it is the tolerance across the set of the Tournament Champion Pro Cup ball (in the blue and gold box). The newer 1G balls are exactly the same balls and exactly the same weight except there is a tolerance of only 1gm across the set.

Get a scale and weigh both sets of balls. Try about 3 balls from each set (include the cueball) and it should be 141gm +/- 3gms for the Pro Cup and the same 141gm +/- 1gm across the 1G set.

There should be no difference between how the 2 sets play unless your old set had a very light cueball and if that's the case then you should be playing with the new set anyway and getting used to them. A very loose grip should help with the heavier balls as you will get the 'snap' when you deliver. It might take a little time to get used to the heavier cueball.

Terry

[DandyA]

I might be wrong but I thought Aramith Premier (or similar club balls) were around 128g each whilst Aramith Tournament Champion (or similar) are about 141g each ...

I've got my own set of Tournament Champion balls and they are certainly significantly heavier than the balls clubs normally supply although I've never weighed them as I don't have any scales ... and being heavier, the TC's are a lot harder to get moving and to get a reaction from the cueball ...

As most people will know, the rules of snooker do not state what weight balls should be ... only that the difference between the lightest and heaviest ball in a set should be no more that 3g ...

So I guess Sidd has been playing with Premier (128g) but is now playing with Tournament Champions or similar at 141g or so ... which will certainly, in my experience, take quite a bit of getting used to ...

[Sidd]

Thanks guys. You re both right. I haven't measured them exactly but those are heavier balls I am referring to. You both have picked it rightly I say ... All I say and know is that the new balls set is heavier and that I know for sure.

So this means that all I need to do is to play on and get used to with a heavier set... OK that is revealing to note that its all about getting used to and what i am thinking it correct i.e. playing with a much looser grip will be the key. I had that gut feeling and after reading Terry endorse the idea I know this will be the way to go.

I still however envy those young lads in the club who come in bash em all make small breaks of 15-25 even 35 on their good day enjoy themselves and go home relaxed While I was getting perplexed with teh heavier balls ... this young lad who plays with us did not even know if the balls were changed or heavy or lights whatever and played so smoothly

Anyway thanks a lot guts, as usual !!!

[DeanH]

FYI, Aramith TC balls can be from around 139g to 143g.
A standard TC set can be anything within this weight-range with a maximum difference of the balls in the set being no more than 3g.
A Aramith TC SuperPro 1G set can be anything within this weight-range with a maximum difference of the balls in the set being no more than 1g.

As has been mentioned, Aramith Premier balls are around the 129g, and I believe the BCE SupaPro balls are about the same.

Sidd - when I got my own set of TCs (3g) I noticed they played much nicer and rolled just "right" - all very personal and unquantifiable. I am a soft-touch player and did think that when I got them I would have to hit much harder than I usually do but have not found that to be the case.

[Sidd]

Yes indeed. I too am a soft touch player but do have a good cue power and use it when I have to.

However, last night was different for me. Started same bad play under the pressure of the new heavy set and then finally got used to it after a few frames amazingly. Once I did I started to see everything clearly and openly just like that. They had ironed the table last night and used the presser when I reached. Oh my it was like a dream table... really.

I did observe that the balls play nicely as when I got used to with them and they started to roll for me everything was then happening effortlessly. The previous balls used to roll on dead weight slow shots in centre but with these heavy ones rolling a ball upto pocket is no fear at all. Once the white was in baulk behind the baulk colour near the cushion and the ball on was almost touching black blue was covering a quarter of it too... I needed to roll dead weight and get to top cushion and the OB safe. I played the shot like and the white went like a breeze without rolling to either side.

I did notice last night that a much looser grip and deliberately slowing my whole cue action did the trick for me. Gave me better control and smoothness and my pot was back.

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

What is a 'presser'?

Terry

[DeanH]

my impression was it is the napping block

[Sidd]

Yes, the napping block indeed They all call it the presser there in the club and one gets used to calling things the local way yeah

[Sidd]

Sidd:

What is a 'presser'?

Terry

Napping block but we normally call it the presser at the club haha

[Terry Davidson]

I would think a 'presser' would refer to an iron but blocker it is

Terry

[Sidd]

I would think a 'presser' would refer to an iron but blocker it is

Terry

Hahaha yeah well said. I'lll tell em to call it blocker at least in the local Punjabi language they call it 'Phatti' which if translated means a 'baton' but rectangular in shape

[DeanH]

Hahaha yeah well said. I'lll tell em to call it blocker at least in the local Punjabi language they call it 'Phatti' which if translated means a 'baton' but rectangular in shape

I like that, 'baton'
but how is 'phatti' pronounced?
as in "FATTY" or "FARTY" ?

[Sidd]

I like that, 'baton'
but how is 'phatti' pronounced?
as in "FATTY" or "FARTY" ?

hahhaa I see.. Neither really... it would be something like 'PHAAT-TEA' ... the ph here is a pure p h and not an f