Visualize BOB

[tedisbill]

He played the shot totally wrong, why force it in ???

He was just making sure he got a clean positive hit under pressure.

[rimmer10]

No he's not, he's looking at the object ball untill well after the strike. Although I do agree with what Vmax says, I think you can miss because your mind wanders even if your eyes don't .
The pics below show eyes at the backswing and after the strike, no change of focus or visible head movement
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[ATTACH]17188[/ATTACH]

You're right. My apologies.

[Ramon]

Steven Lee is ermormously fat because he is a comfort eater with emotional issues that the public (and maybe even himself) are unaware of.That mindset doesn't do him any favours for the relaxed mental concentration required to compete at the top level of pro snooker.
That mental concentration BTW is to do with keeping thought out of your mind when playing.

I watched Trump yesterday miss three simple blacks off their spots because he looked at the cannon he was making instead of the black, while his long potting was relentlessly accurate. That's what relaxed concentration means Ramon, the ability to not let your mind take your eyes off the target, to trust in your cue action, which only moves a maximum of twelve inches anyway. It shouldn't be difficult to fashion a straight cue action over six to twelve inches, but as we play this game with our eyes open, the subconscious hand/eye co-ordination that we evolved with rules us and it can't be overidden by the conscious mind in the game situation.

I told this to a friend recently who was going through a bad patch and he texted me yesterday saying it was amazing what you can pot when you look where you're supposed to look.

You hit what you're looking at and I've seen every player since the early seventies and every single one of them has been guilty many times of missing simple pots by taking their eye off the target.
It's a question of minimising this as much as you possibly can because your hand follows your eye.

BTW Ramon, you have more leeway that just 1mm, the tip of the cue is wider than that. Don't put such extremes of accuracy upon yourself, some of us play with side you know.

Jesus,,, (re you okey vmax??).... haha,, just kidding.
well, whether S Lee is emotionally or he is cheating or he was married to my grandmother!!!! doesn't matter here and is off the topic!!
I am talking about his cue action. How beautiful and especially Consistent. Believe me, you may try next 10 years, but you can never do what he does.
And that, my friend, is called technique !!! In case you didn't know,,, Snooker is no beauty or popularity contest. Snooker is a technique!!!!
There are many pro's who after many years of practic and experience, are still in touch with a coach and talk about their technique. Why do you think they do that???
As for your comment about Trump,,,, yes,, as I said in my previous post, for pros like trump or ros,, mind and not thinking is much more important than technique. Because these guys has already a perfect technique. I talk here about a good snooker player. Not a club player who struggles to make a break of 50.
As for your comment about playing with side and that you ( or som of u ), can do that: Unfortunately, I have to say: NO, you can't do that. That is just what You re thinking !!!! Maybe 1 2 3 or 4 shots , but NOT CONSISTENLY !!!
Chris Henry said.,,, << more then 90 Prct of players who think that they're hitting the center of the CB on the time of striking,, are wrong and they do not.>>
Believe it or not, I am not always agree with him. But I'm agree with this one !!!
Same goes for players who think they can play with side. That is the reason that many player (even players who look to the target),, Miss the shot, OR potting the ball and run uit of position.
These players are all players who re thinking: how the hell am I end up here ?? and they even do'nt know, that their technique is not good enough and they do'nt hit the CB where they actually must hit it !! OR they force it ( poor cue action ) !!!
I mentioned an example in my previous post (against Insto...), about the difference between someone who can't drive at all and an experienced driver !!
Well, next time, if you see someone like this (who want to drive for the first time), do not say to him: not too much thinking and just look at the road.!! and if you do,, just make sure you're not in his way, because you are a very good member of this forum and I do'nt want that you get killed !!!!

[rimmer10]

Sorry Ramon don't take this the wrong way but you're not making any sense to me. Telling somebody you have never seen playing he don't know what he's talking about is quite some statement. Don't think I'm trying to stick up for vmax, he's old and ugly enough to look after himself. By your own admission you rate yourself a crap player, so trying to understand where you're coming from.

[Ramon]

Sorry Ramon don't take this the wrong way but you're not making any sense to me. Telling somebody you have never seen playing he don't know what he's talking about is quite some statement. Don't think I'm trying to stick up for vmax, he's old and ugly enough to look after himself. By your own admission you rate yourself a crap player, so trying to understand where you're coming from.

No problem at all my frind !!! Just because someone is a thief, doesn't mean that he is born blind and can't see well !!! . Not everything is what it seems!!!! I give my opinion and if you don't like it,, ignore it. Never forced you to accept my opinion!!!

[rimmer10]

No problem at all my frind !!! Just because someone is a thief, doesn't mean that he is born blind and can't see well !!! . Not everything is what it seems!!!! I give my opinion and if you don't like it,, ignore it. Never forced you to accept my opinion!!!

Still don't get it

[Ramon]

Still don't get it

haha, believe it or not, that goes for me as well. I'm guilty of all mistakes that I mentioned. ,, Imagine that I come here and claim that I'm a good player. Does that make my statement true???? Or less true???? I could be also lie, you know!!
I make a statement and if it u do'nt get it, then you have two options ( as far as i know )
1-look at your common sense.
2-Send a mail to a coach. and ask him about my statement. There are many great coaches in the world.
And at the end of the day, decide for yourself, whether you accept or ignore it. There are many members who don't agree with me, either. That is why it is called a forum, ,,,
Anyway,,, bedtime !!!!! . Get up early tomorrow and going to holiday.
Regardless of you don't agree with me,, I hope you wish me a good holiday. (I mean, only if you want that,, no obligation !!).
Good night !

[alabadi]

me !!! I think if you go to the table and not think too much and just push the cue through. you can make a 147. You do'nt agree ?? !!

of course, i get a 147 everyday , in my dreams...lol

[rimmer10]

haha, believe it or not, that goes for me as well. I'm guilty of all mistakes that I mentioned. ,, Imagine that I come here and claim that I'm a good player. Does that make my statement true???? Or less true???? I could be also lie, you know!!
I make a statement and if it u do'nt get it, then you have two options ( as far as i know )
1-look at your common sense.
2-Send a mail to a coach. and ask him about my statement. There are many great coaches in the world.
And at the end of the day, decide for yourself, whether you accept or ignore it. There are many members who don't agree with me, either. That is why it is called a forum, ,,,
Anyway,,, bedtime !!!!! . Get up early tomorrow and going to holiday.
Regardless of you don't agree with me,, I hope you wish me a good holiday. (I mean, only if you want that,, no obligation !!).
Good night !

Have a great time mate and enjoy your holiday!

[howardlax]

Well I will throw my hat into the ring and agree with tedisbill - I think snooker is a game of lines too - I simply imagine a line or a corridor through the object ball to the pocket - as I think Steve Davis once described - and I try to send it down that line or corridor - I think using this method eventually helps you recognize the angles quicker and trust your stroke - experience tells me how to make a half ball - quarter ball - three quarter ball shot is because I have done it before millions of times and the angles repeat themselves all over the table. The only time I use this ghost ball thing is when I am taking say a cut back into a blind pocket the only time I look at the BOB is on a straight shot - I have tried all the methods on this page and more - like most people who love snooker I have experimented and it almost seems I have tried and tried too hard and 'tongue in cheek here -read almost every coaching book and video's known to mankind - looking hard and searching high and low for the 'secret' to snooker - still do mess because fact is you never stop learning and everyone wants seeks that perfection and key consistency at snooker that is simply not obtainable - I realize that and after going into it for years I always come back to keeping it simple.

I find the line when up get down on the line and 'obviously' you aim when down or 'fine tune' on the shot -I mean that is what your eyes are for lol - by this I don't mean move off the line but I mean feather and pick out the contact point perhaps whilst still being aware of the line and try and I try to settle into my regular rhythm to cue - I have a pause at the back - and I drive through and try to time the shot consistently - This is more important I think and like another thread mentioned with you guys on here - I too wished I had worked harder on the basics and routines to develop a better technique and focus on consistency when I was younger rather than pot random balls play negative players and set myself no targets.

There are a few aiming guides that others like see here in the link below - this might be useful to some folk - My aiming method is listed here - it is 'hit a million balls' - you will all improve that way without a doubt - no secrets - just practice and find your own way.

Maybe there are a few tips that might help some people who have difficulty with picking out this BOB ghost ball stuff and it might help some on here or it might confuse others - don't blame me - and I'd stay away from that pivot bollocks mentioned on here if I was you - but what does not works for one player might work for another - and there are a few players on here that use this ghost ball method to good effect - so what do I know?.

I am just saying after trying all this stuff I still prefer my original method 'keep it simple' find the line and try and send the ball down it!

When I am playing at my best the white is just a consequence, my focus is just on the OB so its hard to explain what I do or how I see the line. I say best way to improve first is to practice your technique and the basics rather than study these aiming things that the Americans especially seem obsessed with - as it can throw your game right off to over think it - I am yet to meet a pro who has a degree in geometry - so it is not necessary to mess so much with this stuff and my advice to anyone who is already natural is do not read the link - but many others looking for a short cut do research snooker in depth eventually I suppose - don't worry I have read lots too and so if this is you enjoy - but reading does not make the player - practice does. Personally I wish I had not bothered with any of it but hay ho.

For me the secret to snooker - is that there is none.

Want to confuse yourself buy a few books look on the web pick out a few things to experiment and mess with your head to your hearts content -

Eg read the section on aiming and watch a few video's -

http://billiards.colostate.edu/pool_secrets_gems.html






Don't blame me if it does yer head in - but thank me if it helps.

Yes, thank you.