can't cue straight

[kflps]

Welcome to the forum!
I definitely agree with you about snooker improving your pool - this has been the same for me. I was predominantly a pool player until 4-5 years ago and have been taking snooker more seriously since - and as a result my pool game has improved no end. Although I have to say I'd rather be good at snooker now! The difference between pool and snooker is largely technique. Yes, obviously the tables and balls are very different etc, but I mean you can be very, very good at pool with just an okay technique. Indeed there are lots of pool players at national and even international level who have (at least in snooker terms) a fairly dodgy technique. This is because you can get away with it in pool, but not snooker!
From your video (at least from that angle) it looks like you've got a fairly decent setup. It would be good to see you play an actual shot I guess. But what I would be interested in is what your right elbow is doing. If you watch it seems that your right elbow is moving from side to side slightly while you draw the cue back and push through. This is where your problem is. I am just not sure why from this angle.
Remember that it is okay (good, in fact) for your elbow to drop as you cue through. Up and down movement of the elbow is fine, but sideways is bad.
Things to check for possible cause would be whether your right forearm is hanging down perfectly vertical. It should be, but if its at an angle then you're in trouble. If its not that then check your grip. You just need to hold the cue quite securely (but not tight) between your thumb as first finger. The other fingers should be there for support, and they should release as you take the cue back, then re-grip the cue as you push through. You shouldn't be holding on to the cue with all fingers during the backswing.
If you try any of this and you're still struggling, maybe upload another video from another angle. From behind and from the side would be good. Like I say, your setup looks pretty good from that angle so you're doing okay!

i have 2 more videos one where i run a few random balls and one where it shows me from side-on.here are the links:

and

.like i said before i don't play like this anymore,i now favor my back foot in weight distribution,i have the cue contact my chest at all times & i have my right toe pointed almost directly to the line of aim but i still can't fix the problem.after giving it a lot of thought,maybe i have this problem because i dislocated my right shoulder 3 years ago (it took about 3 hours to get to the hospital and put my shoulder back in its socket),so my shoulder is still a bit unstable to this day & maybe that's why it moves when im feathering but i could be wrong it's just my theory..anyway thanks for the reply any more help would be appreciated

[ace man]

i have never played straight pool & rarely play snooker..i'm not here to show off,i came here to get help.if you don't have anything worthy to contribute in this thread,then please leave..

Sorry did not mean to wind you up, that wasn't my intention. But seriously, what could one conclude from cueing without any balls on table?
If you play snooker only rarely and mostly pool, you don't need to be obsessive about technique. Yes, you do need ok technique for pool too, but that game really isn't about great cueing nearly as much as snooker.
In order to test your technique, if you really want that, you need to play far more snooker and less pool. Trust me, I speak from experience since I have played plenty of pool in the past. If you play on such more forgiving equipment all the time it is very difficult to even notice when you're cueing poorly because one can get away with a lot of stuff. Bad habits keep popping up like there's no tommorow.
Sure, there are demanding shots at pool, yes, but snooker tests your cueing on majority of shots.
My worthy contribution to this thread is this: try to switch to snooker fully if at all possible and stick with it.

[kflps]

apologies from my part as well,i got irritated quickly..i've posted 2 more videos if you've noticed.no,i don't see how switching to snooker will do anything if i don't find the root of the problem causing my upper-arm sideways movement

[mikeyd100]

I am no way an expert but just something I noticed.
You have a long bridge hand... a lot of cue length from your hand to the actual tip.
Sorry if that doesnt help... just throwing ideas in.
Good luck.

[Kieran m]

http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...f-trouble-here similar cue action to this cha

[Byrom]

Easier to put you in the right position - Basically you need to get more compact - plant your foot on the line place your cue on the line then get down chin to cue try making the left shoulder bend and dip to the table next to your chin keep your head alignment correct - assuming you are even sighted - and keep the feeling of the cue brush your chest going back so you know you are going back even.

I work on keeping the sensory parts of the game going so you can feel the cue coming back straight rather than thinking about it -

How do you know your cueing right? Get on a snooker table cue up and down the spots try cue from baulk line stay down after hitting the white keep the cue forward and keep still and try and make the cue ball land dead weight on the tip.

Work on your line and alignment getting down and try and get more compact - just practice - you can also use the baulk line - place a ball at one end walk in cue up to ball - drop cue down - is it on line or off to left or right? - practice getting in right shape.

I think looking at your fault that the chest thing will help. Anyway good luck and take care

Also you are pecking at the ball rather than driving thro properly - but that is a talk for another day

[Terry Davidson]

I agree with Byrom above. You are stopping the cue before your grip hand hits the chest and although this works in US pool it will not work for snooker. The other thing I noticed is your cue is too steep for snooker. Get the body down by bending the left leg more or as has been said get yourself more compact. (I realize pool tables are 2" shorter than snooker tables and although it doesn't sound like much it makes a huge difference)

I couldn't determine where your eyes are at the time of strike but what vmax said is very important and in fact probably the most important. You can have almost any technique even one with a lot of flaws but as long as you use it consistently and have your eyes on the object ball at the time of strike you will eventually learn to play well however not as fast if you had a cue action with no flaws.

Also didn't see any pause in your technique, either front or rear pause. Both are required i.e.- a front pause just before the final backswing and a rear pause at the end of the backswing.

[vmax4steve]

no i am even-sighted,it may seem that way because of my upper-arm side movement..actually in this vid i'm using a square stance but at the time i was favoring my bent (left) foot in weight distribution & twisting at the hips.i now favor my back foot in weight & try to use my chest as a guide at all times but i still have that upper arm movement

I'm sorry but I have to put you right, this is not a square stance, the opening still of this video shows your left foot is clearly in front of your right foot and it's not even a direct sideways shot of your stance.
As I mentioned on viewing your first video your cue is more under your right eye than your left, no matter how even sighted you claim to be, 99% of all players favour one eye when sighting, and a square stance where both feet are parallel to each other is what is best for a right handed player who sights with his right eye.

Don't contradict those who are trying to help you and have spotted things in your game that might need changing, but don't attempt to change everything all at once. One thing at a time, see if there are any benefits, if not go back and try something else.

The shoulder injury you mentioned could be significant, you might need to feel that shoulder muscle locked in place by putting a little tension into it while moving your arm only from the elbow with a relaxed but firm grip, eyes on the object ball on the strike.

[kflps]

Easier to put you in the right position - Basically you need to get more compact - plant your foot on the line place your cue on the line then get down chin to cue try making the left shoulder bend and dip to the table next to your chin keep your head alignment correct - assuming you are even sighted - and keep the feeling of the cue brush your chest going back so you know you are going back even.

I work on keeping the sensory parts of the game going so you can feel the cue coming back straight rather than thinking about it -

How do you know your cueing right? Get on a snooker table cue up and down the spots try cue from baulk line stay down after hitting the white keep the cue forward and keep still and try and make the cue ball land dead weight on the tip.

Work on your line and alignment getting down and try and get more compact - just practice - you can also use the baulk line - place a ball at one end walk in cue up to ball - drop cue down - is it on line or off to left or right? - practice getting in right shape.

I think looking at your fault that the chest thing will help. Anyway good luck and take care

Also you are pecking at the ball rather than driving thro properly - but that is a talk for another day

thanks a lot,getting my left shoulder down to the table as much as i can straightened my cueing a lot,although still not completely straight.my shoulders & neck get a little sore after playing more than 2-3 hours with that left shoulder change but i guess my body will adapt over time

[kflps]

I agree with Byrom above. You are stopping the cue before your grip hand hits the chest and although this works in US pool it will not work for snooker. The other thing I noticed is your cue is too steep for snooker. Get the body down by bending the left leg more or as has been said get yourself more compact. (I realize pool tables are 2" shorter than snooker tables and although it doesn't sound like much it makes a huge difference)

I couldn't determine where your eyes are at the time of strike but what vmax said is very important and in fact probably the most important. You can have almost any technique even one with a lot of flaws but as long as you use it consistently and have your eyes on the object ball at the time of strike you will eventually learn to play well however not as fast if you had a cue action with no flaws.

Also didn't see any pause in your technique, either front or rear pause. Both are required i.e.- a front pause just before the final backswing and a rear pause at the end of the backswing.

thanks for the response.i think the grip hand doesn't hit my chest because i hold the cue a little too far back (i'm forced to hold it that way because the butt of my cue is a little heavy & its uncomfortable to move my grip more forward),but i don't worry about the grip hitting my chest because i don't play snooker,only pool.i'm thinking of getting a new cue which is lighter & a bit shorter more like the snooker cues,what do you think,will it help me with my technique?my eyes move onto the object ball just before i start my final backswing all the way until my stroke is finished.

[kflps]

I'm sorry but I have to put you right, this is not a square stance, the opening still of this video shows your left foot is clearly in front of your right foot and it's not even a direct sideways shot of your stance.
As I mentioned on viewing your first video your cue is more under your right eye than your left, no matter how even sighted you claim to be, 99% of all players favour one eye when sighting, and a square stance where both feet are parallel to each other is what is best for a right handed player who sights with his right eye.

Don't contradict those who are trying to help you and have spotted things in your game that might need changing, but don't attempt to change everything all at once. One thing at a time, see if there are any benefits, if not go back and try something else.

The shoulder injury you mentioned could be significant, you might need to feel that shoulder muscle locked in place by putting a little tension into it while moving your arm only from the elbow with a relaxed but firm grip, eyes on the object ball on the strike.

yes,you're right in this side on view it's not exactly a square stance but now that i've changed my weight distribution favoring the back foot,my front foot is very slightly ahead of the back foot which is considered a square stance from what i know.should i have my feet completely parallel to to each other?i really hope that the cause of my upper arm side movement is NOT the shoulder injury i suffered in the past because then i think there is nothing i can do to fix it

[Byrom]

thanks a lot,getting my left shoulder down to the table as much as i can straightened my cueing a lot,although still not completely straight.my shoulders & neck get a little sore after playing more than 2-3 hours with that left shoulder change but i guess my body will adapt over time

you are welcome - it will take time but it gets you - into the shot more as you will see - your accuracy will improve if you work on the stance and how you get down more you will become more square to the hot centre chin - at least you will begin to look like a player.

I think work on using the contact points across the chest to bring the cue back straight try and get yourself in the right shape.

As for your cueing - that is for another thread - what you do currently is time the ball and scoop sort of peck at it - this is ok for pool and stuff - if you want to get better with technique - experiment with things on a proper table - you have a pool peck stroke at the minute that needs work - as Terry rightly points too

Developing a nice consistent stroke as you might call it is essential - nice pause that Terry also mentions helps with the sensory thing I was on about - you'll get it - and if you can develop nice smooth even timing through the ball you will certainly have game - leave it to Terry and others to sort you now - glad to help a little - good luck - keep knocking em down

[ace man]

apologies from my part as well,i got irritated quickly..i've posted 2 more videos if you've noticed.no,i don't see how switching to snooker will do anything if i don't find the root of the problem causing my upper-arm sideways movement

Ok, now I've watched your video.
First of all, you are potting balls in no particular order. You move the cue ball very little, have no goals, not giving yourself any challenge whatsoever.
Try tossing 9 or 10 balls on the table and then pot them in numerical order. It is the essence of American pool, no? Start with ball in hand. If the next ball is far on the opposite side of the table, that is when you will be tested. This will show if you can move the cue ball with little effort or not. Also, it will show if you can play with side and side/screw or side/top combined. Many times 2 or 3 rails position with running side will be required to get to the next ball.
9ball is all about cue ball movement with ease and feel and touch, it is not about ultimate object ball precision. You don't need surgical precision of top snooker player and brilliant technique, but you DO NEED to move cue ball well, you need to time the ball well on those tables too. The way you strike the ball, with such little follow through, I think you might have difficulty moving the cueball longer distances. Lots of good 9ballers time the ball very well without cueing particularly straight.
I have given you advice for practising 9ball, since that's the table you play on.
If you want to remove technical flaws and test straight cueing to the limit, US 9ball table is the wrong place to do it...you will have to move to snooker table exclusively and get a real coach if at all possible. I know I am repeating myself, but really trying to get excellent snooker style technique by practising on a 9ball table is a completely wrong approach. It might even be impossible.

[kflps]

Ok, now I've watched your video.
First of all, you are potting balls in no particular order. You move the cue ball very little, have no goals, not giving yourself any challenge whatsoever.
Try tossing 9 or 10 balls on the table and then pot them in numerical order. It is the essence of American pool, no? Start with ball in hand. If the next ball is far on the opposite side of the table, that is when you will be tested. This will show if you can move the cue ball with little effort or not. Also, it will show if you can play with side and side/screw or side/top combined. Many times 2 or 3 rails position with running side will be required to get to the next ball.
9ball is all about cue ball movement with ease and feel and touch, it is not about ultimate object ball precision. You don't need surgical precision of top snooker player and brilliant technique, but you DO NEED to move cue ball well, you need to time the ball well on those tables too. The way you strike the ball, with such little follow through, I think you might have difficulty moving the cueball longer distances. Lots of good 9ballers time the ball very well without cueing particularly straight.
I have given you advice for practicing 9ball, since that's the table you play on.
If you want to remove technical flaws and test straight cueing to the limit, US 9ball table is the wrong place to do it...you will have to move to snooker table exclusively and get a real coach if at all possible. I know I am repeating myself, but really trying to get excellent snooker style technique by practiing on a 9ball table is a completely wrong approach. It might even be impossible.

but i do play 9 ball 3-4 times a week..and i have come close many times on beating the ghost in races to 7 in practice.this video was requested by a guy on another forum who i asked to analyze my technique and he told me to run a few random balls..yes 9 ball isn't about extreme precision on most shots but there are times when you need really good cueing on long shots or long shots which also require english to get position.in this video i don't strike any ball hard because i don't need to move the cue ball around as the position routes are easy & simple..if the nap of the cloth is slow,i do have difficulty moving the cb around on long distances but if the table is playing normal i don't face much trouble on most shots

[jono*]

I'm not 100% sure but I the use of English to refer to the term side spin is banned on this forum lol