Consistent repetative cueing

[TornadoTed]

I don't really have a proper settled consistent shot routine so I decided to write down the steps, stick on the wall in my pool room and practice the steps until they stick. For example sometimes I step in with the right foot first and then sometimes with the left foot. I also start feathering while getting down sometimes or pull the cue back fast on the final backswing etc.

Is there anything I have missed out I should add?

1 - Stand behind line of shot
2 – Decided where I want to leave the white ball and where to hit it and how hard to achieve position
3 – Check for loose grip (this is just for me as I have a tendency to grip the cue too tight)
4 - Place right foot under cue hand
5 – Place left foot
6 – Don’t start feathering until fully down and settled
7 – Feather
8 – Pause on final front stroke
9 – Slow final backswing
10 – Pause on backswing
11 – Accelerate through the cue ball
12 – Cue hand finishes touching chest

[Master Blaster]

This should really be entitled consistent set-up and alignment because it's more than cueing but I get your drift.

The only thing I could add would be on point 6- above. The pause you mention there is very important and a very good player and friend told me to do a quick angle check once settled before feathering. Does it look 10 out of 10? If not, get up, don't even bother to feather. Because if you do the feathering and hit the ball you may miss the shot (if it's difficult) and may get position wrong even if the shot is easy. This is because subconsciously/back of mind, something is amiss and your active brain will be confused by thoughts that come through as you take the shot.

I'm not as good as him, so I don't always do this check and a lot of pros don't either, or they just can't be bothered getting up or they think very quickly, I can't get better alignment than this even if I do get up and back down so I'll just take the shot and see. If it doesn't look right, get up.

[Byrom]

This is a good post and the reason why you cant coach on-line is because not everyone has the same physical build the same style of play. I know lads without any noticeable back pause who can knock in tons then there are players more robotic like a Steve Davis and you think wow great technique I will have a bit of that.

Personally I don't know two players play identical - you must do the work the routines put the hours in and find what suits your own style and set up -

Not one size to fit all - or we would all be robots - make what you do consistent and natural to yourself - Sure find the right shape and locking points and all that stuff then practice to perfect your own individual set up but eventually you must loose the robot thinking - am I doing this or that right and just play - become your own man still tweaking little things in practice to perfect your moves.

Solo practice is where you work on stuff like this - Impossible to play thinking about all this outside of solo play and play well - you got to free your mind and go with what you have in games. Maybe go and see a good coach or ask a few players for advice on things - never stop asking questions - Good luck.

[Ramon]

This is a good post and the reason why you cant coach on-line is because not everyone has the same physical build the same style of play. I know lads without any noticeable back pause who can knock in tons then there are players more robotic like a Steve Davis and you think wow great technique I will have a bit of that.

Personally I don't know two players play identical - you must do the work the routines put the hours in and find what suits your own style and set up -

Not one size to fit all - or we would all be robots - make what you do consistent and natural to yourself - Sure find the right shape and locking points and all that stuff then practice to perfect your own individual set up but eventually you must loose the robot thinking - am I doing this or that right and just play - become your own man still tweaking little things in practice to perfect your moves.

Solo practice is where you work on stuff like this - Impossible to play thinking about all this outside of solo play and play well - you got to free your mind and go with what you have in games. Maybe go and see a good coach or ask a few players for advice on things - never stop asking questions - Good luck.

I heard you left the forum for a while !! welcome back !! Nice to have you back !!!

[TornadoTed]

Oh yes that is s whole other ball game again and probably the most infuriating thing I do. I lost a final 4-3 on Saturday , I felt the angle wasn't quite right on a 1/2 ball cut, played it anyway, missed and didn't get another shot.

This should really be entitled consistent set-up and alignment because it's more than cueing but I get your drift.

The only thing I could add would be on point 6- above. The pause you mention there is very important and a very good player and friend told me to do a quick angle check once settled before feathering. Does it look 10 out of 10? If not, get up, don't even bother to feather. Because if you do the feathering and hit the ball you may miss the shot (if it's difficult) and may get position wrong even if the shot is easy. This is because subconsciously/back of mind, something is amiss and your active brain will be confused by thoughts that come through as you take the shot.

I'm not as good as him, so I don't always do this check and a lot of pros don't either, or they just can't be bothered getting up or they think very quickly, I can't get better alignment than this even if I do get up and back down so I'll just take the shot and see. If it doesn't look right, get up.

[TornadoTed]

Very good points. I should say that those are the steps I seem to do naturally when I cue well. Easier said than done getting some coaching. I have emailed 3 coaches in the last 10 days with no replies, maybe word had got around that I am beyond saving, ha ha.

This is a good post and the reason why you cant coach on-line is because not everyone has the same physical build the same style of play. I know lads without any noticeable back pause who can knock in tons then there are players more robotic like a Steve Davis and you think wow great technique I will have a bit of that.

Personally I don't know two players play identical - you must do the work the routines put the hours in and find what suits your own style and set up -

Not one size to fit all - or we would all be robots - make what you do consistent and natural to yourself - Sure find the right shape and locking points and all that stuff then practice to perfect your own individual set up but eventually you must loose the robot thinking - am I doing this or that right and just play - become your own man still tweaking little things in practice to perfect your moves.

Solo practice is where you work on stuff like this - Impossible to play thinking about all this outside of solo play and play well - you got to free your mind and go with what you have in games. Maybe go and see a good coach or ask a few players for advice on things - never stop asking questions - Good luck.

[Byrom]

I heard you left the forum for a while !! welcome back !! Nice to have you back !!!

Thank-you kindly

[Master Blaster]

No two players are the same, stand the same, grip the same etc but the only pro player who doesn't pause front and back is Jimmy. So to pause is exactly right because Davis, Hendry, Ronnie, Smurf and Stephen Lee, the best cueist around, all DO it. That's the proof of the pudding. The pros do it, the coaches recommend it, our County players all do it. Others don't, they won't ever play at the Crucible.

[jrc750]

No two players are the same, stand the same, grip the same etc but the only pro player who doesn't pause front and back is Jimmy. So to pause is exactly right because Davis, Hendry, Ronnie, Smurf and Stephen Lee, the best cueist around, all DO it. That's the proof of the pudding. The pros do it, the coaches recommend it, our County players all do it. Others don't, they won't ever play at the Crucible.

Well that makes no sense at all, as Jimmy did very well ;-)

[Byrom]

Well every player pauses - even if just a fraction as the cue goes back before it goes forwards - so therefore everyone - even Jimmy must pause a tad even if it is more a timing thing and it is not as pronounced.

[Master Blaster]

Well that makes no sense at all, as Jimmy did very well ;-)

Did he, did he really? I mean, someone with that much talent, maybe as much as Ronnie, did he do really well? When he wasn't on it, he didn't have great technique to fall back on. Hendry did, Davis did, Ronnie does. Jimmy's 147 is riddled with poor position and get out of jail pots. Yeah, the pots are glorious to make that 147 but he was always on the limit and like Alex, whose technique was dreadful, his potential remained unfulfilled. Jimmy only started to move foot in to line late in his career and he was never fully foot in line either. Almost no pause, over-cueing by miles and losing the white ball under pressure which cost him two world titles if memory serves. How come Hendry has all the numbers when Jimmy had loads more natural talent? I know, folk will say drugs and that's true to a degree but people should also accept that Hendry simply had better technique, that he learned from Davis.

I love Jimmy, He's up there with Alex and Ronnie, in the Snooker Trinity of Talent. I love going to watch him but his technique from his feet upwards is flawed and inconsistent. Ken Doherty has more world titles. Jimmy did well. Alex did ok but Reardon with less talent creamed him in the 70s. And that shouldn't have happened.

Ronnie spent 5yrs copying SD's technique, set-up, even the way he chalked his cue, you name it. Ronnie has seen more coaches, used more cues and tips and tried more techniques than any other player. He doesn't set up the way he did at 17 and he plays the game differently as well. He's learnt and matured and improved and become more consistent. Part of that is based on technique. All of the important points in the first paragraph are there in his set-up. So the biggest robot of all is also the most talented 'natural' player ever. Now if Jimmy and Alex had done this work.................

[OmaMiesta]

This is a good post and the reason why you cant coach on-line is because not everyone has the same physical build the same style of play. I know lads without any noticeable back pause who can knock in tons then there are players more robotic like a Steve Davis and you think wow great technique I will have a bit of that.

Personally I don't know two players play identical - you must do the work the routines put the hours in and find what suits your own style and set up -

Not one size to fit all - or we would all be robots - make what you do consistent and natural to yourself - Sure find the right shape and locking points and all that stuff then practice to perfect your own individual set up but eventually you must loose the robot thinking - am I doing this or that right and just play - become your own man still tweaking little things in practice to perfect your moves.

Solo practice is where you work on stuff like this - Impossible to play thinking about all this outside of solo play and play well - you got to free your mind and go with what you have in games. Maybe go and see a good coach or ask a few players for advice on things - never stop asking questions - Good luck.

Great advice as always mate, good to hear from you again. BTW that movie was awesome ^

[Byrom]

Did he, did he really? I mean, someone with that much talent, maybe as much as Ronnie, did he do really well? When he wasn't on it, he didn't have great technique to fall back on. Hendry did, Davis did, Ronnie does. Jimmy's 147 is riddled with poor position and get out of jail pots. Yeah, the pots are glorious to make that 147 but he was always on the limit and like Alex, whose technique was dreadful, his potential remained unfulfilled. Jimmy only started to move foot in to line late in his career and he was never fully foot in line either. Almost no pause, over-cueing by miles and losing the white ball under pressure which cost him two world titles if memory serves. How come Hendry has all the numbers when Jimmy had loads more natural talent? I know, folk will say drugs and that's true to a degree but people should also accept that Hendry simply had better technique, that he learned from Davis.

I love Jimmy, He's up there with Alex and Ronnie, in the Snooker Trinity of Talent. I love going to watch him but his technique from his feet upwards is flawed and inconsistent. Ken Doherty has more world titles. Jimmy did well. Alex did ok but Reardon with less talent creamed him in the 70s. And that shouldn't have happened.

Ronnie spent 5yrs copying SD's technique, set-up, even the way he chalked his cue, you name it. Ronnie has seen more coaches, used more cues and tips and tried more techniques than any other player. He doesn't set up the way he did at 17 and he plays the game differently as well. He's learnt and matured and improved and become more consistent. Part of that is based on technique. All of the important points in the first paragraph are there in his set-up. So the biggest robot of all is also the most talented 'natural' player ever. Now if Jimmy and Alex had done this work.................

Some good points and maybe he was not as dedicated back then but still JRC is correct Jimmy was one of the greatest players ever - certainly through the 80's - 90's- a few things cost Jim those world titles - late nights booze, hokey cokey and a guy called Stephen Hendry in his prime - these are perhaps a few more reasons.
Also now it seems today there is a coach at every bus stop internet resources cameras and players to mould yourself off and pick up things to try - cues are better - perfect conditions to play under back in the 80's who had heard of a sports psychologist - had Jimmy seen one would he have twitched that black back then - would he have been tougher mentally under pressure - dunno cant say? Hendry never had a coach as a kid or when he won his first world title I believe - might be wrong but heard him say it on a DVD once.

The game moves on with the standard and Jimmy's age moves up with it but in his prime he would still be top 16 today without a doubt I think.
Meanwhile there are many - perfect technique types - still knocking on the door trying to get in.

Some players need to work hard to keep up their standard - Selby said recently if he does not play for a month its like he has never played before and there are some who are just - well more natural at it.
Lot to be said for raw talent. Jimmy had it - cant teach it. So I don't actually agree that Jimmy White had poor technique from the feet upwards - are you serious??? Personally I thought he timed the ball better than anyone. Must have had something - around 30 years a professional snooker player - I mean come on.

[jrc750]

Did he, did he really? I mean, someone with that much talent, maybe as much as Ronnie, did he do really well? .....

Making yourself look silly now