Nic Barrow's latest gadget.....

[j6uk]

i wouldn't expect this trite from you, you have been involved in many similar threads on what you ask, and i know your old enough fella, without me holding your hand to go and look back for yourself
enjoy

hi j6
how would you differenciate between staring and focus?
from your previous post you seem imply to not to change the "looking" from cue ball to contact point and back again. I tend to view the cue ball ti check u have the tip at the required point on the cue ball, then change focus to the contact point at the object ball, maintain this focus for the feathers and draw back and cue delivery. is this wrong?

[DeanH]

Nic Barrow's latest gadget.....

trite - bit strong there ?
I have reread your post and yes I got the wrong meaning. apologies
You say that Les should stop changing focus but to maintain focus on the object ball after the check of the cue ball.
me old eyes not working too well tonight

[j6uk]

i wouldn't, its possible to stare with or without focusing

hi j6
how would you differenciate between staring and focus?

[j6uk]

it only sounds strong

trite - bit strong there ?

[Terry Davidson]

itsnoteasy:

The idea of Les using the middle 2 fingers as his hold on the cue is to get him to relax the grip. If this grip is used correctly in fact the hold on the cue will transfer to a loose hold using the forefinger at or near the end of the backswing. Not using the forefinger but rather having it on the cue but a lot more loose than fingers 2 & 3 means at the start of the delivery when the hold is actually using the forefinger it should be more loose and relaxed than Les had it previously.

Just take a quick look and watch how Ronnie does it and you should see (if you can find a shot of it) that his hold on the cue at the back of his long backswing is with the inside of the forefinger but it is still quite loose and his back 3 fingers get pushed out of the way as should happen. Using this method does not impact the length a player can achieve in his backswing.

However...using the back 3 fingers with the forefinger hanging straight down like Alex Higgins did and Steve Davis tried DOES limit the length of the backswing somewhat and it also encourages the elbow to drop more at the end of the backswing just to keep the cue level and that will get a bit more shoulder movement into the delivery as the elbow has to rise up again to where it was at the address position. This grip is not too bad at all and I've used it and some coaches recommend players should use this grip at the start of a match as it does help to get the grip arm moving well and driving through. Once the player feels comfortable that he is delivering the cue well he can revert to his normal grip which might be just the forefinger, the first 2 fingers (quite common), the middle 2 fingers or the back 3 fingers or even all 4 fingers with the primary being the forefinger and thumb (as j6uk recommends for his students).

I have always said the CONFIGURATION of the grip is not the really important thing but rather not allowing the grip to tighten early and keeping it in the same configuration as the player comes through the cueball is the most important factor. If you look at the top pros you could probably see somewhere around 25 different types of grip, think Mark Allen with his really loose grip, Ronnie with his middle 2 fingers, some pros with their web pushing down hard on the cue even at address (Ryan Day), Jimmy White with his forefinger only even at the end of his delivery, etc. etc. (Albeit, it will be very minor differences but all of them except maybe Graham Dott and Ding have very loose and relaxed grips which is the common element to look for.)

Terry

[itsnoteasy]

Thanks for that Terry, I had kind of guessed what was going on in Ronnie's grip, but wasn't sure. My elbow used to drop on the backswing but I didn't like the idea of it moving down to move back up and then back down, even if only slightly, at the end , far too much moving altogether for my liking, so now I keep it still and open my grip more on the longer backswings to keep everything level, it is a very tricky thing to master ,keeping the pressure off the cue all the way through.

[lesedwards]

Well we played two games and compared to the way I have been playing my new grip is going to make the difference and by he end of the two games it was feeling a lot more natural. My potting average for two games was 58% and my positional was 48% high break of 25 safety 85% all percentages are much better. Terry did you check out the videos?

[itsnoteasy]

Well we played two games and compared to the way I have been playing my new grip is going to make the difference and by he end of the two games it was feeling a lot more natural. My potting average for two games was 58% and my positional was 48% high break of 25 safety 85% all percentages are much better. Terry did you check out the videos?

Hehe, Les I think only you would keep track of percentages in a bounce game , got to hand it to you your one keen fella. Maybe slight overkill.

[lesedwards]

Hehe, Les I think only you would keep track of percentages in a bounce game , got to hand it to you your one keen fella. Maybe slight overkill.

Actually I have an app on my iPad that looks after everything. Awesome App called Referee. I also have Apple TV hooked up on my big screen behind the bar so you get the complete score board on the big screen which shows both scores, amount of points left, difference and match. Lots of settings which includes how many games in the match also a chance to give a player a handicap and also how many reds you starting with then when your match is done it allows you to save the match.

[jrc750]

Actually I have an app on my iPad that looks after everything. Awesome App called Referee. I also have Apple TV hooked up on my big screen behind the bar so you get the complete score board on the big screen which shows both scores, amount of points left, difference and match. Lots of settings which includes how many games in the match also a chance to give a player a handicap and also how many reds you starting with then when your match is done it allows you to save the match.

Hmm but surely you must be inputting the info somehow after every shot ??? so not fully concentrating on the game ???

[tedisbill]

Hmm but surely you must be inputting the info somehow after every shot ??? so not fully concentrating on the game ???

Yeah. I had an app on my phone exactly like that. Played about 2 frames with my brother before realising I was spending more time on the app than I was concentrating on the game. So I never bothered again.

[lesedwards]

Yeah. I had an app on my phone exactly like that. Played about 2 frames with my brother before realising I was spending more time on the app than I was concentrating on the game. So I never bothered again.

Really tough...LOL I keep score when my opponent is shooting and the same when I am shooting. I know its tough to hit safety, miss, foul, red ball or coloured ball. Then if there is a long pot made you hold down the colour or if its a miss you hold down a miss. Also allows a free ball. I have been using it when I play practice matches by myself too just so I have the information when I am finished. Really shows how you made out.

[jrc750]

Really tough...LOL I keep score when my opponent is shooting and the same when I am shooting. I know its tough to hit safety, miss, foul, red ball or coloured ball. Then if there is a long pot made you hold down the colour or if its a miss you hold down a miss. Also allows a free ball. I have been using it when I play practice matches by myself too just so I have the information when I am finished. Really shows how you made out.

Yes BUT your not concentrating properly !!!!

[tedisbill]

I really wouldn't bother with all that Les.

It means you're never standing relaxed waiting for your shot. Thinking "I need to make sure I don't tighten my grip too early on my next shot" etc. You're too busy holding your finger down on a red to show that it was a long pot.

And ultimately for what? Your pot success in a frame is always gonna be 50-60%. And even if it's 70%, your high break would still only be 20-30.

Just concentrate on potting balls!

[lesedwards]

Okay I understand your thinking.