Cueing up and down

[thebizzle]

Hi guys

New on here, just have a question about my cueing. Have recorded a few videos lately and watching them back have noticed when I'm cueing back and forward, my cue is also moving up and down.

Ie, it's not staying parallel to the table.

Any tips on how I can improve this and cue straighter?

Thanks

[Terry Davidson]

Practice with your grip very, very loose and also at the end of a long backswing drop the elbow about an inch (this is not necessary on a shorter backswing though when just the loose grip will work). Also, keep the cue on your chest during the entire backswing and delivery and as long as you don't move the upper body the cue will stay on the same plane at all times.

[thebizzle]

Thanks Terry will give this a go tonight

[j6uk]

simply let the cue open the back of the hand on the back swing. practice this along the baulk line, watch the tip come all the way back to the bridge hand as the cue moves the back two to three fingers open keeping the cue straight an parallel. when your ready let it go mirroring that nice stright back swing, and close the hand on completion at the chest.
within a few weeks youll be a different player

[Master Blaster]

Thanks Terry will give this a go tonight

Is this MB?

lol

[Leo]

These threads about different opinions is where people will get mixed up because the way I play and have for years is I always bounce the end particularly more often with long pots, maybe it's just a habit and it doesn't impair my game.

[Master Blaster]

simply let the cue open the back of the hand on the back swing. practice this along the baulk line, watch the tip come all the way back to the bridge hand as the cue moves the back two to three fingers open keeping the cue straight an parallel. when your ready let it go mirroring that nice stright back swing, and close the hand on completion at the chest.
within a few weeks youll be a different player

J6 is spot on. OP: this is the trickiest thing of all because it's not natural to loosen the grip on something you wish to accelerate but that's just what a player has to do, the more backswing, the more open. The fingers should never leave the cue though, even if it's just the pinkie touching the cue with the fingertip. If you open the hand so all three back fingers are off the cue, your cue will go right and left as you accelerate forward. The most important thing with opening the grip is to pause before delivery. And this feels even more un-natural given you've already opened your fingers because the only thing that should now be holding and putting any pressure on the cue is the ring; the thumb and forefinger. Master this 'holding' position, so that your muscle memory of it builds. It is key to playing all shots well.

[ace man]

It took me a year or two to learn not to cue up and down, to fully get rid of that irritating slight see saw motion that I had. I had to do it on my own as in my area there were no players who kept the cue on plane throughout, not a single one.
I watched pro players, read this site's coaching material, practised in front of mirror, over the imaginary "baulk line" on my home desk...etc. It took a lot of time for it to become "natural" on the real table. I got very impatient and frustrated because I really wanted to at least look like a proper snooker player at the table, and not like a converted 9baller which I was at the time.
For newish and younger players it might only be a matter of weeks as J6 suggests. However, if you've been playing for years with see saw motion, this bad habit will be very hard to break.

[thebizzle]

Great thanks for the replies

[blinker]

It took me a year or two to learn not to cue up and down, to fully get rid of that irritating slight see saw motion that I had. I had to do it on my own as in my area there were no players who kept the cue on plane throughout, not a single one.
I watched pro players, read this site's coaching material, practised in front of mirror, over the imaginary "baulk line" on my home desk...etc. It took a lot of time for it to become "natural" on the real table. I got very impatient and frustrated because I really wanted to at least look like a proper snooker player at the table, and not like a converted 9baller which I was at the time.
For newish and younger players it might only be a matter of weeks as J6 suggests. However, if you've been playing for years with see saw motion, this bad habit will be very hard to break.

I have exactly the same problem, only discovered this recently and pretty frightening to hear how long it takes to fix that... Like you i'm not such a young man now already.

[j6uk]

however long youve played an at whatever level, it takes patients practice and dediction to evelop new skills, at anything. so frustration, apathy and complacency is the antithesis to learning

[blinker]

however long youve played an at whatever level, it takes patients practice and dediction to evelop new skills, at anything. so frustration, apathy and complacency is the antithesis to learning

somehow this frustration has sort of became of a positive aura in me to drives me in wanting to overcome it more. It's sure satisfying when you video yourself maybe weeks later of learning something new and thought to yourself that your cue action looks pretty awesome and the technique you were trying to pull off becoming naturally matured in you

[j6uk]

did with me too. if the frustation makes you keep going back to the practice table then you know your on to something, but if you can only do 30 till your hot under the collor an the cue goes in the case before you hit the bar then, your only going one way

[CoachGavin]

Cueing up and down

Leo: bounce the end? don't understand.