This is just for Les Edwards

[Ramon]

Okay guys had my pockets done yesterday. Huge difference in my game in only a few hours. They are still not huge but what a difference it made in my game. We played a few games after the guys finished and I ran a couple mid 20 breaks like nothing and the best part was playing position on my next shot even playing the odd cannon to hold the cue ball for another black. Terry was right on every aspect of my table and all the coaching that he has given me. Not that I was never listening but my table had me so frustrated I just kept looking for the Majic solution. Below is Terry's exact email he sent this morning.

I just hate to say it (not) but I told you so. The guys on TSF who told you to stick with the tight pockets either don't know what they're talking about (very likely) or are a bunch of sadists. Know one understands how tough my table played before unless you have seen it with your own eyes which Terry has. Now some of my other Snooker friends might come to play. Their reason before was they did not want to destroy their confidence....I will let you know when I hit my first half century.

You can now play better (difference in your game), because you have more confidence OR because the pockets are wider ??? if you do'nt mind me asking that.

[lesedwards]

You can now play better (difference in your game), because you have more confidence OR because the pockets are wider ??? if you do'nt mind me asking that.

Both, Pockets are wider so I can pot more balls which allows me now to be looking for position which in turn boosts my confidence.

[thelongbomber]

Both, Pockets are wider so I can pot more balls which allows me now to be looking for position which in turn boosts my confidence.

Exactly. And now you will find yourself focusing more energy on position and less on the pot, which will let you pot the next shot, and focus on position again, and then before you know it, you are knocking in 50 breaks and maybe the rare tonne when you are flying. Keep it up. Let's have a look at some video as well.

[j6uk]

Exactly. And now you will find yourself focusing more energy on position and less on the pot, which will let you pot the next shot, and focus on position again, and then before you know it, you are knocking in 50 breaks and maybe the rare tonne when you are flying. Keep it up. Let's have a look at some video as well.

i doubt the pockets will make any difference what so ever. again ive had tons on butt tight billiard tables and struggled to make 50s on bucket fannys so, we'll wait and see. keep your potato peeler handy les

[lesedwards]

i doubt the pockets will make any difference what so ever. again ive had tons on butt tight billiard tables and struggled to make 50s on bucket fannys so, we'll wait and see. keep your potato peeler handy les

Here we go you are trying to put doubt back in my game... not this time.

[Ramon]

Both, Pockets are wider so I can pot more balls which allows me now to be looking for position which in turn boosts my confidence.

I disagree with you. But it's your table and your life. If that works for your, then you should do it. I hope you enjoy your game and I wish you a lot of high breaks.
btw, I have a picture for you. I do'nt know, but as I see it. He only looks at the OB. NOT THE POCKET.

[IMG][/IMG]

[lesedwards]

I disagree with you. But it's your table and your life. If that works for your, then you should do it. I hope you enjoy your game and I wish you a lot of high breaks.
btw, I have a picture for you. I do'nt know, but as I see it. He only looks at the OB. NOT THE POCKET.

[IMG][/IMG]

Is that not what you are suppose to look at? I realize not everyone will agree with me but if you had played on my table then you might change your mind. When Terry Davidson was down he could not run more then 20 and I have been to his place where he has run 70's then there is Floyd Ziegler our current Canadian Champion which finally after five different visits ran 85 but most of the time he might run the odd 30 and says it is the toughest table he has ever played on and Cliff Thorburn calls it Snooker Prison, says send 4 average players down there for a week and they will all be quitting Snooker when they come out. So in a nut she'll open the pockets allow some pots that are a fraction off line go in and you start to gain confidence or leave it the way it was and possibly make 2 blacks off the spot out of 10.

[lesedwards]

Okay guys here is a video done real quick. Right home from work and straight into a red lineup with no practice shots. My next attempt I cleared them all. I also ran 68 in a full line up last night. Some say changing my pockets did not help.

https://bambuser.com/v/4602299

[Ramon]

Is that not what you are suppose to look at? I realize not everyone will agree with me but if you had played on my table then you might change your mind. When Terry Davidson was down he could not run more then 20 and I have been to his place where he has run 70's then there is Floyd Ziegler our current Canadian Champion which finally after five different visits ran 85 but most of the time he might run the odd 30 and says it is the toughest table he has ever played on and Cliff Thorburn calls it Snooker Prison, says send 4 average players down there for a week and they will all be quitting Snooker when they come out. So in a nut she'll open the pockets allow some pots that are a fraction off line go in and you start to gain confidence or leave it the way it was and possibly make 2 blacks off the spot out of 10.

as I said, if that works for you. is the best way. Congratulations with your break. Very nice.

[jrc750]

Still making it hard for yourself from the very 1st shot, why go off the cushion instead of gentle screws/run thro ?

[lesedwards]

Still making it hard for yourself from the very 1st shot, why go off the cushion instead of gentle screws/run thro ?

Only for one reason it is one of my worst shots knowing exactly where my cue ball is going so I have been really working on making the Black and stunning out for a red above the black.

I am still quick as far as my back swing and still short on the back swing. Some of the times my arm us still behind parallel. One thing I notice when playing the red line up I tend not to look at shape enough because there are lots of reds to pot.

[thelongbomber]

Only for one reason it is one of my worst shots knowing exactly where my cue ball is going so I have been really working on making the Black and stunning out for a red above the black.

I am still quick as far as my back swing and still short on the back swing. Some of the times my arm us still behind parallel. One thing I notice when playing the red line up I tend not to look at shape enough because there are lots of reds to pot.

If you start playing close attention to shape and really understanding it better, you will find that you can use that mental image in your head when potting. Sometimes (especially on easier pots that I know I won't miss) I'm actually not potting the object ball at all but instead directing my cue ball into the area of the table I want to go and the object ball and the pocket are literally minor thoughts (but not so much that I miss the pot). As long as I push/move/direct/strike the cue ball "into" the place I want it to go (both the BOB and the final lading point) with pace and control, I know the object ball will go in, and I don't think about it all that much. You will see this happening with pros that can literally make the cue ball dance when they are "in the zone". I can see it in your game, that you work hard to "pot" the ball. You seem to expend a lot of energy doing that and it's probably a habit from your tight table. Nothing wrong with that, but that's exactly why your pockets were causing you problems.

Now that your table has opened, try, as an experiment, to just control the cue ball precisely. Calculate where you want it to go based on the angle you have for the pot. Keep the BOB as a focus but don't obsess over it. Limit your outcome to centre ball only for now (above, middle, or below centre). Feel and think and calculate pace and see what happens. During feathering, expend at least some of your energy and mental focus on how you are striking the cue ball, and expend less energy and thought on actually aiming and potting, cause you really don't need to.

If you know where the cue ball should go with some specific striking approach, and you get that outcome, then the OB should go where it's meant to go right?

If you can incorporate this mental re-balancing into your game on a shot by shot basis, you can then start directing the cue ball like a wizard whenever you need to, and thus building breaks. You will also find that issues like poor cue ball strikes and follow throughs will start to disappear in some cases.

At one time, when I first learned to play, I was a mad potter but had zero cue ball control. I could pot anything, but I had no cue ball awareness. When I started to refocus, work on technique, etc, I found that breaks started coming.

Today, I still use this fundamental approach in my shot making. I can instantly recognize shots where I will need more "potting" focus, and less "cue ball control" focus. On shots where I'm playing less cue ball control, I also pick out zones and areas so that I have another shot to make and then strike the CB in such a way that I get into that spot on the table.

Keep up the great work.

[thelongbomber]

BTW, a tell tale sign that a player is "pot" focused only is the position of their head and the acceleration of their cue. A few indicators you are/were "pot" focused are:

1. You are stand up player - although to some degree you can't change that due to physical limitations - so you end up looking and thinking about the OB, more than someone who is down low on the cue.
2. You don't seem to accelerate your cue from back to front smoothly - there seems to be a double pause and then a quick acceleration to top speed during strike. If you were "cue ball" focused, you would be paying more conscious/subconscious attention to cue movement.
3. Your pockets were previously tight, so to someone that hasn't experienced my previous post, you would end up trying hard to pot balls and be willing to sacrifice cue ball control.

Anyways, hope that helps.

[Catch 22]

Nice video mate .

[thelongbomber]

Les, have a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LMlducBnCw

How you get "through" the ball makes a big difference, and how you get through starts with moving your focus away from potting and into the CB.