This is just for Les Edwards

[DandyA]

I would be very very careful what I did to that table if it were mine, since watching your videos and watching the middle bags take some very crisp shots from quite an angle and the bottom bags take anything that's near the middle of them, I'm not sure what I would do.

weren't there some IBSF (or similar) templates kicking around on TSF a while back? I would have thought those would do nicely as they control not just the width of the drop but also the friendliness of the jaws including the undercut (which looks wrong on the corner pocket photo you posted) ...

the danger Les is if you make your pockets too generous, you'll really struggle to pot balls when you play competitively on a templated table simply because you've learned not to be accurate enough ...

[lesedwards]

weren't there some IBSF (or similar) templates kicking around on TSF a while back? I would have thought those would do nicely as they control not just the width of the drop but also the friendliness of the jaws including the undercut (which looks wrong on the corner pocket photo you posted) ...

the danger Les is if you make your pockets too generous, you'll really struggle to pot balls when you play competitively on a templated table simply because you've learned not to be accurate enough ...

Yes I used Terry's but when they put my table back together the pockets where actually smaller then the templates. Also Terry said they changed the templates and now they are actually a little larger then the ones he has. I spend hour upon hour with no real improvement and I don't think anything will change until I make these pockets larger. Worked on the 15 red line up tonight for two hours and my best was 4 in a row. I don't think it has anything to do with stance, grip cue action or where I am looking. I remember my first coaching lesson with Terry over a year ago where he setup his camera and got me to pot long blues and I made 7 out of 10 first time now I am lucky if I could make two my table has totally screwed my game. Floyd has been practicing on my table each week because he has a big tournament in Montreal next weekend and he says my table makes him play a very tight game. Says my pockets are even tighter then the table they will be playing on in Montreal. Sorry I am really frustrated tonight can't sleep.

[RogiBear]

I would be very very careful what I did to that table if it were mine, since watching your videos and watching the middle bags take some very crisp shots from quite an angle and the bottom bags take anything that's near the middle of them, I'm not sure what I would do.

I have to agree with you here, after watching the vids I couldn't see anything wrong with the pockets but didn't have the heart to tell les. I've played on club tables that wouldn't have taken some of the shots he played into the middles. As you say the corners look generous enough.

I am thinking the same way but yet my game as far as I am concerned has not improved but hard to tell. On my last table I was running 20's and 30's 5x10 with much larger pockets. It would be safe to say my high run on my new table is probably in the 20's I am lost at what to do. Floyd says leave it that the table is good for sharpening up your game but I don't have a game to sharpen...
Anyone have any suggestions? Quitting is not an option I love this game but would like to be able to run 30's & 40's when the time arises.

Personally I wouldn't touch the pockets. If you made them buckets, ok you might make a higher break and your confidence will increase a bit, however as soon as you start to play in your qualifiers you'll find it difficult. I went to a tournament about a month ago and practiced a couple of times before the event on the toughest match table that was close to me. I turned up to the venue (NSC in Leeds) my first match had pockets like buckets on them in comparison which helped no end. However the second was played on the ex world championship table (Murphy final) let me tell you they were tighter than a nuns ******. Stick with the pockets as they are les. When you practice don't count the breaks just try to pot the next ball. Also be a bit more positive in your shot, you look very tentative at times as if even you the person that's aiming are not sure if it's the correct spot.

[Catch 22]

Hi Les

I have nothing to add to this thread in terms of advice etc. But after reading the thread just wanted to say Its good to see your videos and see you improve and also not to give up the game . Just don't let it get into your head .

As for the pockets ....if it was me I would deffinetly have them altered to the size of the templates . I would do this because you will have piece of mind the pockets are correct and also because you would enjoy your practice more . I know shooting into tighter pockets will make us better players but if you are missing loads then confidence takes a hit and can mess with your head a bit .

[luke-h]

The pockets seem fine, what i think your failing to notice Les is you ARE improving albeit slowly, but there is improvement, its a slow progressive cycle to pick a cue up again after a long while and expect to pot everything is almost impossible, what you have to remember is a lot of people on this forum have been playing for umpteen years and it's taken that long to get to where they are at with their game.

The day will come when your looking back on this when your knocking 50s in and you'll be laughing at all the fuss.

Remember that small improvement is improvement and stop beating yourself up over it.

I have gone months with playing average snooker at best since I got a 1 piece the first couple of days was doing 70s 80s in line up then bang couldnt put a 30 together, gladly its all coming back these last few weeks, persevere

[vmax4steve]

This is EXACTLY what I have been suggesting all along. Pay attention to your own body and eyes and mind and assume nothing. And in fact, something more to support your theory: I have found in certain matches that Ronnie OSullivan will look at the cue ball at least 50% of the time of feathering and in some cases, look at it almost exclusively.

OK, your hand goes where your eyes go is what everyone seems to say. So, if I focus on the BOB, I tend to pull the cue off my line of aim.

So, what I've started doing awhile back is getting down on my line of aim and focusing on the cue ball. I find that this way I don't have my eyes wandering over to the pocket or the BOB. Seems to work better for me as long as I keep still.

And off we go again

That's right itsnoteasy, I ******* well give up, just can't get through even when it's working.

[lesedwards]

Hi Les

I have nothing to add to this thread in terms of advice etc. But after reading the thread just wanted to say Its good to see your videos and see you improve and also not to give up the game . Just don't let it get into your head .

As for the pockets ....if it was me I would deffinetly have them altered to the size of the templates . I would do this because you will have piece of mind the pockets are correct and also because you would enjoy your practice more . I know shooting into tighter pockets will make us better players but if you are missing loads then confidence takes a hit and can mess with your head a bit .

You guys all have good points and make it real tough to decide what I should do with my pockets... When I played professional golf and my putter would fail me and I am sure you guys have had that happen where you could not make a 2 footer. I would take two tees on the practice green stick them in front of the hole and make them just wide enough that a golf ball would fit through then I would spend hours practicing 2, 3 & 4 footers until I could not miss then I would take them away and the hole would seem huge. Maybe I need to take skittles and put them in front of a corner pocket at just over a ball width and do the same thing, then when I take them away my pockets will seem huge.... and do the same thing with the side.. I could spend a lot of time setting up skittles but it might work. A few posts mentioned making my pockets larger will mess me up for our qualifiers. That won't happen because all the pool halls where we play are all much looser then mine especially the middle pockets. Some of the big tournaments might be similar to mine but I am not even in the same league as the guys that play in those, these guys can run century after century and I cannot make it to 50 so I will worry about that when the times come.

[Terry Davidson]

OK, your hand goes where your eyes go is what everyone seems to say. So, if I focus on the BOB, I tend to pull the cue off my line of aim.

So, what I've started doing awhile back is getting down on my line of aim and focusing on the cue ball. I find that this way I don't have my eyes wandering over to the pocket or the BOB. Seems to work better for me as long as I keep still.

Wayne:

I though we had this question settled. You pulling the cue off-line is not a result of you looking at BOB as it just can't be. It must be your set-up or else your eyes wandering rather than staying focused on the object ball.

Might be time for another lesson

Terry

[Wayne G]

Wayne:

I though we had this question settled. You pulling the cue off-line is not a result of you looking at BOB as it just can't be. It must be your set-up or else your eyes wandering rather than staying focused on the object ball.

Might be time for another lesson

Terry

Thanks Terry,

Not trying to start anything, I just thought I had found something that worked for me. You're likely right about my eyes wandering. I'll try to focus harder on the BOB.

I'm not looking for further advice or comments from anyone. Matter closed. Thanks.

[itsnoteasy]

I am thinking the same way but yet my game as far as I am concerned has not improved but hard to tell. On my last table I was running 20's and 30's 5x10 with much larger pockets. It would be safe to say my high run on my new table is probably in the 20's I am lost at what to do. Floyd says leave it that the table is good for sharpening up your game but I don't have a game to sharpen...
Anyone have any suggestions? Quitting is not an option I love this game but would like to be able to run 30's & 40's when the time arises.

Les you can't compare any break you made on a ten foot table, with big pockets it's completely different to a twelve footer with proper pockets, distances the white has to travel the amount or reaction you need on the white you generally would need to be a bit more accurate just because the object balls have further to travel and your cueing has to be better as there will generally be more distance between cue ball and object ball(at our standard anyway as we can't control it)

[lesedwards]

Les you can't compare any break you made on a ten foot table, with big pockets it's completely different to a twelve footer with proper pockets, distances the white has to travel the amount or reaction you need on the white you generally would need to be a bit more accurate just because the object balls have further to travel and your cueing has to be better as there will generally be more distance between cue ball and object ball(at our standard anyway as we can't control it)

Yes I agree with you. Down here practicing right now and I have a question which I mentioned to Terry. I am sure Terry you will have an explanation. I am running the cue ball up and down the spots H10 to H5 cue ball hits the tip 99% of the time and Chevrons are dead straight on top then when I use H4 to H1 CB comes back to left and Chevrons are at 90 degrees to left. So I am not turning the cue after impact it is happening as I hit strike the cue ball.

[lesedwards]

Yes I agree with you. Down here practicing right now and I have a question which I mentioned to Terry. I am sure Terry you will have an explanation. I am running the cue ball up and down the spots H10 to H5 cue ball hits the tip 99% of the time and Chevrons are dead straight on top then when I use H4 to H1 CB comes back to left and Chevrons are at 90 degrees to left. So I am not turning the cue after impact it is happening as I hit strike the cue ball.

Too late I figured it out. Tightening grip too soon on any shot H4 to H1. Just tried potting long blues and made 4 out of 5 Chevrons stayed right on top. This probably the same reason I miscue when trying crew it back. Loose grip and BOB... I have the whole day down here.

[Terry Davidson]

Yes I agree with you. Down here practicing right now and I have a question which I mentioned to Terry. I am sure Terry you will have an explanation. I am running the cue ball up and down the spots H10 to H5 cue ball hits the tip 99% of the time and Chevrons are dead straight on top then when I use H4 to H1 CB comes back to left and Chevrons are at 90 degrees to left. So I am not turning the cue after impact it is happening as I hit strike the cue ball.

Les:

You might also be adjusting the height of the tip on the cueball by raising and lowering the butt rather than using your bridge as you're supposed to do.

Terry

[lesedwards]

Les:

You might also be adjusting the height of the tip on the cueball by raising and lowering the butt rather than using your bridge as you're supposed to do.

Terry

Yes possibility, also I noticed my grip is a little to left side. I found if I get my grip more on the top which brings my elbow parallel with the cue where as before my elbow was out side of parallel if that makes sense. I noticed in one of Nic's video his elbow is dead parcelled to the cue acting as a perfect pendulum. Mine was kind of a side ways pendulum.

[lesedwards]

Hi Les

I have nothing to add to this thread in terms of advice etc. But after reading the thread just wanted to say Its good to see your videos and see you improve and also not to give up the game . Just don't let it get into your head .

As for the pockets ....if it was me I would deffinetly have them altered to the size of the templates . I would do this because you will have piece of mind the pockets are correct and also because you would enjoy your practice more . I know shooting into tighter pockets will make us better players but if you are missing loads then confidence takes a hit and can mess with your head a bit .

Pockets are being done this coming week. Cliff called me last night to see if I had them altered yet, told him this week he said to make them as big as possible. This game is suppose to be fun and you will never build confidence on your table. He had a good explanation for my table. He said my table was like being locked in a prison. Send two average players down there for a week and they will come up with no confidence, pulling their hair out and ready to quit the game.... I have watched a lot of the Workd matches over the weekend and those pockets are loose in fact I heard Denis Taylor mention it. I love those close up shots where they roll the object ball along the rail and it hits the cushion but still goes in. Not on my table.