Position and Break Building

[jrc750]

....The above and more is the reason why its good to take it on the chin and be a ball picker for a better player - think of it as an education. The small fish swim alongside the shark - shark feeds - bits fall off - the small fish nibble on the bits - the little fish grows stronger -eventually the little fish swims off confidently making its own way around in the ocean.

I play every Tuesday & Friday against a bloke who used to be the best player in the area back in the day, has his own table at home, used to own the local club etc etc, he's 60 now, but just last Tuesday he got a 137 clearance against me !!!
I watch him around the table whilst practicing my counting and it definitely helps, as my highest break of a measly 64 was against him

[sealer]

Repetition of the stroke is most important in being able to unconsciously guage strength of shot in regards to where on the cue ball your tip is required to contact to get the desired position.
If your cueing isn't always uniform then you're going to be striking the cue ball in slightly different areas each time and getting different results from shots you believe you're striking the same.

Keep the stroke the same but change the height of the bridge hand when playing screw shots rather than dip the cue at the bottom of the white from the same height that you play top run thru. Flatten your hand to get the cue as low and flat as you can and keep the stroke the same.

You'll be surprised at the difference in control of the screw shot this will give you, you'll be able to hold the cue ball where it used to run away from you.

+1

I am a bit of a dipper, one of the things in the cue action to get rid of and strike properly nice and level, can only confirm that when I work on that and keep the cue nice and level the reaction of white is a lot more predictable and placement is uniform with different heights. I do have some bigger flaws to get rid of first unfortunately.

[Byrom]

I play every Tuesday & Friday against a bloke who used to be the best player in the area back in the day, has his own table at home, used to own the local club etc etc, he's 60 now, but just last Tuesday he got a 137 clearance against me !!!
I watch him around the table whilst practicing my counting and it definitely helps, as my highest break of a measly 64 was against him

64 measly lol - don't think so - you are doing well. Lots to be learned off this guy - 137 clearance at 60 good going - sounds like a great guy to learn off - I'd put him on speed dial.

[jrc750]

64 measly lol - don't think so - you are doing well. Lots to be learned off this guy - 137 clearance at 60 good going - sounds like a great guy to learn off - I'd put him on speed dial.

My break was 7 reds, 7 blacks too, before having to take a pink after the next red, then another red before messing up position, rattled the next pink doh !!
The bugger just said "good chance for you there John" before trying to beat me lol, luckily he broke down on 40 odd
He still thinks he is as good as he once was, and finds it hard to accept he cannot do it every frame anymore, but still has flashes of brilliance now and again

[DeanH]

My break was 7 reds, 7 blacks too, before having to take a pink after the next red, then another red before messing up position, rattled the next pink doh !!
The bugger just said "good chance for you there John" before trying to beat me lol, luckily he broke down on 40 odd
He still thinks he is as good as he once was, and finds it hard to accept he cannot do it every frame anymore, but still has flashes of brilliance now and again

like a few on the tour at the mo :wink:
sounds a character though

[Terry Davidson]

My break was 7 reds, 7 blacks too, before having to take a pink after the next red, then another red before messing up position, rattled the next pink doh !!
The bugger just said "good chance for you there John" before trying to beat me lol, luckily he broke down on 40 odd
He still thinks he is as good as he once was, and finds it hard to accept he cannot do it every frame anymore, but still has flashes of brilliance now and again

Sounds like me (except for the 137 of course)

Terry

[sammyts]

3 keys for me, 2 of which already been covered. 1. Watch and learn, you will learn waay more losing to a good player than beating a poor one. 2. Keep it simple, the less distance the white travels the better, close control of the white a must. 3. As for you losing concentration on the pot it's worth remembering all position is really is deciding where and how hard to hit the white, decide b4 you get down to the shot then concentrate on the pot.

[hotpot]

I would say a pre shot routine is a must as not to lose focus and concentration especially on easy shot that can be taken for granted , Something simple like chalking your cue on every shot ensures you dont rush into the shot .

[tomlimcj]

I have problems too and usually break down at the 20 mark. by then, my most common problems are, I played poor position and am out of position. or, I missed an easy ball thus unable to continue my break. someone pointed out to me, play for shots that keep u at the higher points on the table. figure out where the cueball should land to keep the play ARD thr black n pink. my mistake thus is usually spent on recovery shots from blue or baulk back to the black area. underhit and I have tons to do to send the white back to the black. what I am working on, is to figure where I need my cueball to be, have an idea how it should travel there and choose the right shot for it. but I have a very slow thought process and ebdon will probably nod off himself if he was playing me. partially since I overthink the situation sometimes and try to move the ball ARD when I can actually stun it, etc. juz concentrate on shots that keep you at the higher points and always figure out the shot to play and where the cueball should land next.

[Byrom]

I would say a pre shot routine is a must as not to lose focus and concentration especially on easy shot that can be taken for granted , Something simple like chalking your cue on every shot ensures you dont rush into the shot .

Solid advice this -

[Pclatham]

The best way I've ever found to practice my break building is to set up all the colours and 4 reds. I play a long red and attempt a clearance. Then increase by one red every time you clear. Miss and start again, it helps concentration and also gives you confidence in match situations if you're behind and need the remaining balls to win. Also helps to plan your way around the table without all 15 reds

[cyberheater]

The best way I've ever found to practice my break building is to set up all the colours and 4 reds. I play a long red and attempt a clearance. Then increase by one red every time you clear. Miss and start again, it helps concentration and also gives you confidence in match situations if you're behind and need the remaining balls to win. Also helps to plan your way around the table without all 15 reds

That sounds like are really good routine. A bit beyond my level but I might give this a go.

[tomlimcj]

anyone ever thought about reaction of the balls during positioning? like the amount of strength you apply to down to how much you want the cueball to slide before impact and the distance after impact considering this "slide" will determine the strength of your shot? seems to me alot of people do not talk about this part but that is indirectly what is affecting cueball control...