missing the easy pots!!

[Mellow Yellow]

I am a very average player but have improved my game over the last few months.

my high break is 38 in practice and 26 in a match.

I practice once or sometimes twice a week.

I am a reserve for our local team.

I have frustrated myself over the last week or so and lost all my confidence. although I have been playing my best snooker ever and getting bigger breaks more consistently, but........... I have missed some howlers! one of which was in the team match last week.......

I was on last and we were 2-1 down, I needed to win by 10 points to win my game and also the aggregate for the match. I gave a small head start which was not a problem but ended up 24 points behind after a few reds/colours for my opponent. I then got a 26 (see above) to go 2 in front with only the colours left. I cant quite remember what happened inbetween but I was left with an easy straight pink for the match, and missed it by a country mile! my opponent then knocked in pink and black to win the frame by 1 point. My team mates were understandably pee'd off as we are joint bottom of the league (they are used to winning, but a couple of the decent regulars no longer play, hence me being called up)

The above was also echoed in my pool match last night, got myself into a great position after being behind but messed up a very easy chance to win.........

To put a bit more pressure on I have a snooker pairs semi final to play in the next week or so (date still tba) and really don't want to let my partner down. We got to the final last year, but were up against it giving 97 start over 3 frames.

I am very much a confidence player, and currently running on empty in that department. How can I bring myself round? and furthermore, how can I knock these easy misses on the head?

[Catch 22]

I wouldn't worry about it ....you scored a 26 and then missed an easy pink which was frame ball . Sound like it was just the pressure of frame ball. The fact you hit a 26 just before it says to me you rant playing worse than usual , just a single shot let you down . Just my 2p

[vmax4steve]

Taking your eye off the object ball due to pressure and tension of the match situation. We've all been there and done it and will do it again.
Look at the object ball on the strike, that is your target not the pocket. Pressure and tension can make you look to the pocket to see if the object ball is going in a split second before you have struck the cue ball, and it's always fatal.

[pottr]

I don't buy into the 'where you're looking is why you miss' line of enquiry.

At your level, it will no doubt be down to movement. Try and find a means to deliver the cue which is comfortable to you and allows you to keep still.

[Terry Davidson]

I don't buy into the 'where you're looking is why you miss' line of enquiry.

At your level, it will no doubt be down to movement. Try and find a means to deliver the cue which is comfortable to you and allows you to keep still.

I agree with this comment but add that at your level and knowing it was a game ball pink you likely moved on the shot due to tension. Any player who isn't a regular 50-break maker will usually have upper body movement in his technique.

Terry

[sealer]

I am on similar level. Looking at bob at moment of strike makes me move a lot less. It would be hard to notice for you.

I don't buy into the 'where you're looking is why you miss' line of enquiry.

At your level, it will no doubt be down to movement. Try and find a means to deliver the cue which is comfortable to you and allows you to keep still.

[itsnoteasy]

A wee bit ago Pottr said something and on another thread J6 said something similar or I felt connected ,and it was this, Pottr said he didn't lock on and just looked in the area(he will correct me if I have mis quoted him) and while critiquing someone's video J6 said about someone locking on to the ob, I see a lot of staring but not much looking( again this is from memory) I kind of now know what they mean as I have been looking at the ob in a more relaxed way, instead of trying to get that point down to a pin point, I have just looked at the middle band round the ob and aimed at a bit the size of my tip , (that's not the best description but it's hard to explain)I find this isn't as tiring, could just be me though, and I'm not saying it has been any kind of eureka moment but my potting is the same and I'm much more relaxed.
As for eyes and movement my coin is in the air at the moment, I did ask on a thread once if your eyes moving caused movement in the body or head or grip hand etc, or was it movement in the cue action and head that caused the brain to say hold on this isn't right so the eyes wander trying to correct things , or if just plain head movement causes the eyes to readjust because they are in a different spot, I am leaning towards movement being the cause but I honestly don't know , although every time I feel movement my eyes wander, but if I'm perfectly still(or what I believe to be) nowhere near as much, I won't say never as I still find I definitely flick to the pocket sometimes, that's why I can't discount either version, all I know is if I can conquer this I will be away and running, it's very frustrating.

[vmax4steve]

A wee bit ago Pottr said something and on another thread J6 said something similar or I felt connected ,and it was this, Pottr said he didn't lock on and just looked in the area(he will correct me if I have mis quoted him) and while critiquing someone's video J6 said about someone locking on to the ob, I see a lot of staring but not much looking( again this is from memory) I kind of now know what they mean as I have been looking at the ob in a more relaxed way, instead of trying to get that point down to a pin point, I have just looked at the middle band round the ob and aimed at a bit the size of my tip , (that's not the best description but it's hard to explain)I find this isn't as tiring, could just be me though, and I'm not saying it has been any kind of eureka moment but my potting is the same and I'm much more relaxed.
As for eyes and movement my coin is in the air at the moment, I did ask on a thread once if your eyes moving caused movement in the body or head or grip hand etc, or was it movement in the cue action and head that caused the brain to say hold on this isn't right so the eyes wander trying to correct things , or if just plain head movement causes the eyes to readjust because they are in a different spot, I am leaning towards movement being the cause but I honestly don't know , although every time I feel movement my eyes wander, but if I'm perfectly still(or what I believe to be) nowhere near as much, I won't say never as I still find I definitely flick to the pocket sometimes, that's why I can't discount either version, all I know is if I can conquer this I will be away and running, it's very frustrating.

Watch the video of Terry on the perfect bridge hand thread and see how his eyes move and his head and body move with them. Compare that to Nick Barrow in the same video and how his eyes are focussed and don't move and neither does his head or body.

Focus on BOB when stood behind the shot in order to get your feet in the correct place to put your cue on the line of aim as seen by your own particular personal eyesight, focus on BOB on the strike to keep the cue on the line of aim.
And you're right, BOB isn't a pin point, it's an area on the object ball that can be seen and focussed on.
Focussing too long will make your vision glaze over and you end up staring into space. I tend to play the stroke as soon as my eyes see BOB on the front pause, I look up at the object ball on the front pause, see BOB and shoot before my eyes have the chance to wander.

[pottr]

Pottr said he didn't lock on and just looked in the area

If I lock on to the ball, I am completely unaware of it. I very well may do. But... this is something you will do automatically... it's a reflex. I know there are many on here who disagree with me but I think it's a point of technique that you should not worry about one iota.
I only consciously look at the OB when I stand behind the shot before I get into it. I aim the shot stood up and then get down into it.

Once you've lined up... Keep still and deliver the cue true... If you've aimed correct, you pot the ball. It doesn't matter if your eyes are closed.

Once you have the 'where am I looking?' thought, I genuinely believe you will not get any sort of consistency... It's too strong a thought to have in a game where the idea is to free your mind of most thoughts...

My only thought is always the same 'where do I want the white?'

Potting balls is the easy part, so don't worry about it.

[vmax4steve]

I don't buy into the 'where you're looking is why you miss' line of enquiry.

That's because it's a split second moment on delivery of the cue, you do it naturally and are unaware of it. You posted once that you tried to make yourself aware of it and mucked your timing up and played badly as a result.
Good players like yourself already do it and don't need to think about it, inconsistant players like myself and itsnoteasy need to be aware that it's the reason we miss more often than you do, and poor players like Les need to bring it into their game in order to play better than badly.

[vmax4steve]

If I lock on to the ball, I am completely unaware of it. I very well may do. But... this is something you will do automatically... it's a reflex.

Not for everyone it isn't. This is why you're a good player pottr.


Once you've lined up... Keep still and deliver the cue true... If you've aimed correct, you pot the ball. It doesn't matter if your eyes are closed.

It does matter if your eyes are open and looking somewhere other than BOB though.

..........

[pottr]

You posted once that you tried to make yourself aware of it and mucked your timing up and played badly as a result.

That's an understatement... It completely ****ed with my soul!

I just think it's such a finite point that knowing about it will cause more harm to a beginner than good.

Stance, grip, bridge, backswing, follow through... being comfortable and keeping still.
If you are a regular player and you can't make a 40 break, you have a problem with something in your fundamentals.

[pottr]

It does matter if your eyes are open and looking somewhere other than BOB though.

Nope. Not to me. I can look wherever as long as I don't move my head, if I keep still, the cue goes through straight.

[ace man]

That's because it's a split second moment on delivery of the cue, you do it naturally and are unaware of it. You posted once that you tried to make yourself aware of it and mucked your timing up and played badly as a result.
Good players like yourself already do it and don't need to think about it, inconsistant players like myself and itsnoteasy need to be aware that it's the reason we miss more often than you do, and poor players like Les need to bring it into their game in order to play better than badly.

Have you tried to completely forget about any conscious thoughts altogether? How could it possibly help to be aware of such fine details like where your eyes point...etc?
Maybe what's holding you back is simply lack of proper table time and commitment.
I am a firm believer that the less you think, the better.

[vmax4steve]

Nope. Not to me. I can look wherever as long as I don't move my head, if I keep still, the cue goes through straight.

How do you know this if at the moment of the strike you just might be focussed on BOB for a split second but unaware of it.

Have you tried to completely forget about any conscious thoughts altogether? How could it possibly help to be aware of such fine details like where your eyes point...etc?
Maybe what's holding you back is simply lack of proper table time and commitment.
I am a firm believer that the less you think, the better.

It's not a fine detail, it's the basic fundamental of hand and eye co-ordination. It should be the only thought, the less you think the better and the rest will follow.