The Les Edwards Snooker Challenge Thread

[lesedwards]

Les I know you only listen to certain members on this thread for some unknown bizarre reason but forget about the bloody blue mate and put all your concentration into the latest break building exercise.

Leo I try to take everyone's thoughts into consideration. The reason I asked about the screw shot the other day was because while doing the latest challenge I find myself dead on the black and all it takes is a simple screw back off the cushion for the next red and what do I do take a gouge out of the cloth and one bounce the cue ball into the corner pocket. If potting some long blues with screw and getting it right will help me with my challenge that what is wrong with that? I find out my body is moving and head is coming up. I did not know that.

[j6uk]

if our leo and badi were talking about oma then i could understand because hes got a nice cue action, but were talking about someone whos delivery of the cue is in desperate need of a foundation. if you have a poor inconsistent technique and neglect training that demands good cueing your setting yourself up for the mad house

[Terry Davidson]

Leo I try to take everyone's thoughts into consideration. The reason I asked about the screw shot the other day was because while doing the latest challenge I find myself dead on the black and all it takes is a simple screw back off the cushion for the next red and what do I do take a gouge out of the cloth and one bounce the cue ball into the corner pocket. If potting some long blues with screw and getting it right will help me with my challenge that what is wrong with that? I find out my body is moving and head is coming up. I did not know that.

Les, mis-cueing on a deep screw says 2 things...the first being you are tightening the grip too tight and before you strike the cueball and secondly your backswing is not long enough to get the required power so you get your shoulder into the shot and this causes your head/shoulders to move up. When trying a power shot you have to lengthen the backswing considerably and have to keep that grip loose until after the strike.

When playing the long blues you will automatically increase the backswing because it is a set shot where you are not trying to get position but with the black ball your concentration is divided with cueball control in play and you forget to bring the cue back enough. Try the black by itself with no position in play and just see if you can screw off the cushion and get back out into the table. Also note if there is any side on the cueball as it comes off the cushion since if there is this will tell you you're not hitting the cueball where you intended.

[Lievro]

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, managed to get a 33-break The form keeps on rising! 5 x red, 4 x black.
It wasn't a set up (training) but a match at home against a friend.

Up to 40.......50

[tedisbill]

Heres a little video, think I potted 10/13 or something. Didn't really get enough zip on the screw or manage to scratch every time but its really hard to get good action on my cloth without having sore muscles haha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QINkMBagJFk

Bit further away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PhVkuh5SPc

Will post a better video next time I head down to the club

You hit the ball really well and your timing is great!

I don't wanna sound like a spoil sport (but I'm going to). In the first video you were way closer to the object ball than the shot we're talking about. And in the second video you managed 0/3. Like I say, I don't wanna sound horrible because you hit that shot a lot better than I could. But I did think 8/10 would be good going lol.

And in the first vid you did 2/13 with the White closer which is an easier shot.

[alabadi]

if our leo and badi were talking about oma then i could understand because hes got a nice cue action, but were talking about someone whos delivery of the cue is in desperate need of a foundation. if you have a poor inconsistent technique and neglect training that demands good cueing your setting yourself up for the mad house

Ok J6 I agree Les needs to get a better cue action first, he needs to learn how to get a longer and smoother cue action so he can get the proper reaction on the cue ball.

doing long blues in my humble opinion won't improve his cue action if it is flawed to start with, it may dishearten him. I think he should start off doing short straight screw shots, like putting the blue on its spot and cueing from 10" across the table into the opposite pocket.

once he can manage that consistently then he may start increasing the distance by 2" at a time, jumping directly to 4 feet or so is tough if his he doesn't cue straight.

it took me 2-3 years to get decent enough to screw back as I can do now, but still I can be inconsistent. so all I meant for les is keep practicing all routines because it seems he jumps from one to another with out mastering any

[lesedwards]

Ok J6 I agree Les needs to get a better cue action first, he needs to learn how to get a longer and smoother cue action so he can get the proper reaction on the cue ball.

doing long blues in my humble opinion won't improve his cue action if it is flawed to start with, it may dishearten him. I think he should start off doing short straight screw shots, like putting the blue on its spot and cueing from 10" across the table into the opposite pocket.

once he can manage that consistently then he may start increasing the distance by 2" at a time, jumping directly to 4 feet or so is tough if his he doesn't cue straight.

it took me 2-3 years to get decent enough to screw back as I can do now, but still I can be inconsistent. so all I meant for les is keep practicing all routines because it seems he jumps from one to another with out mastering any

Hi Alabani yes to a point your right as far as jumping around but since the challenges have started I stick to them. Except when I have a problem and right now it is screwing the CB back. Yesterday I played a best of seven with my son spotting him thirty and increasing by ten if I won which I won three before he won one. No huge breaks but a lot of 18 to 22's. Before we started I ran the colours on my second attempt missed on first attempt as I landed straight on Brown and miss cued trying to screw back for blue then I did the T and four reds first attempt. Today I will work on the new challenge again. As for making Long Blues I could probably move the cue ball up a couple feet to start with.

[Leo]

Ok J6 I agree Les needs to get a better cue action first, he needs to learn how to get a longer and smoother cue action so he can get the proper reaction on the cue ball.

doing long blues in my humble opinion won't improve his cue action if it is flawed to start with, it may dishearten him. I think he should start off doing short straight screw shots, like putting the blue on its spot and cueing from 10" across the table into the opposite pocket.

once he can manage that consistently then he may start increasing the distance by 2" at a time, jumping directly to 4 feet or so is tough if his he doesn't cue straight.

it took me 2-3 years to get decent enough to screw back as I can do now, but still I can be inconsistent. so all I meant for les is keep practicing all routines because it seems he jumps from one to another with out mastering any

If you say you've been playing 2/3 years Alibaldi Serious question where do you feel your game has come in that time because that's a good while practicing depending on hours of course to get to a reasonable standard so to speak. Is it not enough hours or are you just finding it hard to adapt?
Reason I'm saying this as it coincide with my previous posts about people finding their feet quicker then others or having that natural ability in the first place.

[sealer]

this weeks challenge 49 up to and incuding the green

[tedisbill]

Sealer:

Good going! Nice work! Clearance is in your reach then!

[sealer]

I was there Ted thanks to your challenges plus blacks from j6. Smashed the little pack and 4 reds were blocking each other. Started from hand and then never lost position taking the problem reds under pink with blacks. Thaen pink and blue. After last red I had half ball pink and overrun for the yellow so had to take it to green pocket, of the baulk cushion and just caught the brown coming back so a rest shot on the green then bad on the brown and a miss. Once I complete it a couple of times then I am sure I will be looking to run out in a match in similar situation. Cheers

[lesedwards]

this weeks challenge 49 up to and incuding the green

Great, your on for the Challenge now. I have to work hard to beat you Sealer. Mine is still only 25 but should get lots of time this afternoon to work on it.

[alabadi]

Hi Alabani yes to a point your right as far as jumping around but since the challenges have started I stick to them. Except when I have a problem and right now it is screwing the CB back.
I ran the colours on my second attempt missed on first attempt as I landed straight on Brown and miss cued trying to screw back for blue.

this is exactly my point, when you miss cued trying to screw back for the blue because you landed straight, I bet you were only a foot or so away, yet you couldn't play the shot because of your cue action.

so trying to screw the long blue from the baulk line which is more difficult won't help. you need to be able to play the close screw shot first, so I would just set up the brown on its spot and position the white a foot or so away and keep screwing back for the blue until you are consistent .

[alabadi]

If you say you've been playing 2/3 years Alibaldi Serious question where do you feel your game has come in that time because that's a good while practicing depending on hours of course to get to a reasonable standard so to speak. Is it not enough hours or are you just finding it hard to adapt?
Reason I'm saying this as it coincide with my previous posts about people finding their feet quicker then others or having that natural ability in the first place.

my game is completely changed from when I started, I used to just play once a week with mates just for a night out, nothing serious didn't bother about technique breaks whatsoever.

then as I said 3 years or so ago I started taking it serious had a few coaching sessions to get the basics and just kept working on different things. each time one aspect improves and you start improving you realise something else is an issue, so you start to tinker with that.

but overall I am improving all the time, I might be slower than many, and for my age not bad.

I am getting 8-10 hours solo a week so not too bad, however i used to waist too much time playing single routines for hours which didn't help, now I am starting to structure the hours better and pick different routines for different days and don't stay more than an hour per routine.

[tedisbill]

Alabadi:

I thought you'd been playing seriously for 4-5 years now. There's videos on your YouTube channel from 2010 practicing cueing blues and potting straight reds.