problems with screwing the CB

[DandyA]

It's one of my favourite things to do when coaching. A player says he can't get backspin and within a few minutes he can screw it back three feet. The look on their face is priceless.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

have you got any video of this Tim? I think it would be very useful if you had or could make some - a video which shows someone who struggles to screw back being taught how to do it ...

I've watched all the videos I can find on youtube demonstrating the technique but still have little success, 8 inches is about my best effort (no jokes please) ... I guess it's a bit like riding a bike, it's jolly difficult to master at first but one you've done it, you'll never forget ...

[kir1]

!!!

So many innuendos. ... refraining myself ha ha

[sealer]

have you got any video of this Tim? I think it would be very useful if you had or could make some - a video which shows someone who struggles to screw back being taught how to do it ...

I've watched all the videos I can find on youtube demonstrating the technique but still have little success, 8 inches is about my best effort (no jokes please) ... I guess it's a bit like riding a bike, it's jolly difficult to master at first but one you've done it, you'll never forget ...

If you can only do 8 inches you are doing something wrong. Good news is you can only do better than that:-)

I remember it well as I was at that stage not so long ago when I started with the game.

From perspective the most important is the sweetness of the stroke. It means smoothness and just the right amount of rotation over distance.


For a begginer I will sugges these:

Set a shot red and white just over a foot apart - if you shooting to the pocket it cannot be straight - you dont want to be afraid the white will come back at your tip - set a slightly off straight shot


Flatten your bridge hand and try to keep the cue level - do not rise the butt up

Aim at the bottom of the white but not to low - it comes with practice to aim lower and lower

Use a slightly longer backswing and then start slowly buildig up the speed and cue nicely through the white with a nice follow through - you should soon notice that sometimes you hit to hard and sometimes not hard enough - practice to get the feel for just the right acceleration and strength - do not snach and do not use too much power - if you hit to hard it will be counter productive

Keep still and repeat observing the results, after a while you should start noticing the things you did right to make the white come back.

Kepening still and having a relaxed grip helps a lot for me.

An extra tip would be to try to get a feeling of lunching the cue forward using as ligh a grip as possible. It works wonders for power shots and nice timing in general.

[snookerdad]

have you got any video of this Tim? I think it would be very useful if you had or could make some - a video which shows someone who struggles to screw back being taught how to do it ...

I've watched all the videos I can find on youtube demonstrating the technique but still have little success, 8 inches is about my best effort (no jokes please) ... I guess it's a bit like riding a bike, it's jolly difficult to master at first but one you've done it, you'll never forget ...

No video, I'm afraid. Pop down to Chandler's Ford Snooker Club and I'll show you in person. £15 an hour. Money back if three feet not achieved. Can't say fairer than that.

Tim

[pottr]

I've seen a cloth ripped before, hilarious. But I agree, it simply doesn't happen if your tip is in a decent state.

Most common culprits:

Too much cue over the bridge,
Tip not close enough to the white on address,
Grip too tight,
Not pushing through far enough,
Not pushing through level,
Not hitting the white low enough...

It will be one of those pal... Trial and error.

[Byrom]

No video, I'm afraid. Pop down to Chandler's Ford Snooker Club and I'll show you in person. £15 an hour. Money back if three feet not achieved. Can't say fairer than that.

Tim

Listen to what he says but stun it every time until free lesson over then do it

[Terry Davidson]

A good suggestion from Nic Barrow. If you can find some, place a small square of cloth under the cueball when you practice trying to screw the ball and then drop the bridge hand down as has been said and keep dropping it until you mis-cue. If you chalk your cue before every shot you will find you can lower the tip of the cue down to the cloth and still not mis-cue if you accelerate THROUGH the cueball. Watch a video of Mark Selby playing a deep screw and you will see he leaves a big chalk mark on the cloth which he wipes down with his hand most times. That is a result of his tip scraping along the cloth (and I don't believe he's ripped any cloths so far).

As pottr says, DO NOT raise the butt of the cue to get to the bottom of the cueball. ALWAYS lower the bridge hand (and raise it for top spin too).

[Byrom]

A good suggestion from Nic Barrow. If you can find some, place a small square of cloth under the cueball when you practice trying to screw the ball and then drop the bridge hand down as has been said and keep dropping it until you mis-cue. If you chalk your cue before every shot you will find you can lower the tip of the cue down to the cloth and still not mis-cue if you accelerate THROUGH the cueball. Watch a video of Mark Selby playing a deep screw and you will see he leaves a big chalk mark on the cloth which he wipes down with his hand most times. That is a result of his tip scraping along the cloth (and I don't believe he's ripped any cloths so far).

As pottr says, DO NOT raise the butt of the cue to get to the bottom of the cueball. ALWAYS lower the bridge hand (and raise it for top spin too).

Do you have Nick Barrow's picture at the side of yer bed?

[Terry Davidson]

Do you have Nick Barrow's picture at the side of yer bed?

No, but I have yours on my dartboard

[Byrom]

ha ha - well that will be safe then - seeing as you cant hit the broad side of a barn - seriously though if I had a fiver for every time you gave him a plug I would have 3 Trevor white cues a John Parris Ultimate and a Merc on the drive - hope you are you on commission?

[sealer]

ha ha - well that will be safe then - seeing as you cant hit the broad side of a barn - seriously though if I had a fiver for every time you gave him a plug I would have 3 Trevor white cues a John Parris Ultimate and a Merc on the drive - hope you are you on commission?

Nick is a good coach. Wonder why are you so sensitive about it?

[Byrom]

I am not sensitive about anything unless I am kissed right - just banter and making an observation.

[Terry Davidson]

ha ha - well that will be safe then - seeing as you cant hit the broad side of a barn - seriously though if I had a fiver for every time you gave him a plug I would have 3 Trevor white cues a John Parris Ultimate and a Merc on the drive - hope you are you on commission?

So what? Nic is a good coach, just ask Ding or Ronnie

[Byrom]

Top players like Ding and Ronnie have seen a number of people Terry - some for longer than others - you know that don't you?

[Terry Davidson]

Top players like Ding and Ronnie have seen a number of people Terry - some for longer than others - you know that don't you?

Yes, I knew that. But again, so what? Ronnie has probably tried every coach in existence (except me I guess) but Ding not so much. Nic was coaching Ding when he won those 4 or 5 tourneys in a row awhile ago.