Starting to think it isn't object ball

[Terry Davidson]

Jeez! For the minority that believe they don't look at the OB during delivery just try this simple test. You'll need a mate to help you out though.

Line up any shot you like, maybe a long blue which isn't quite straight, say cueball on the yellow spot, blue on spot. Address the cueball as you normally do and then before the final backswing have a mate place a piece of paper or a card right in front of the blue and have him take it away as soon as you deliver and the cueball first starts to move.

You might think this is the same as trying to pot the blue with the eyes closed but it isn't and it will force the player to keep his eyes on the CB with no point of reference on the object ball at all. If you can pot 7/10 blues this way then looking at the cueball obviously gives you more confidence but I'd be willing to bet not very many people will be able to pot the blue consistently.

[GeordieDS]

I started this thread because i didn't think you had to be staring at the OB on strike, i didn't say you had to be staring at the CB on strike either just that there are some shots where you don't look at the OB because you don't need to.

Nice post by Vmax but i personally think it's not good to say this is how it is and that's that, Pottr's post was spot on as usual and Terry another who gives good advice but gives an exercise to back it up.

I'm going to continue to look at CB on straight shots and OB on the others and practice practice practice , thanks for all the replies

[vmax4steve]

Nice post by Vmax but i personally think it's not good to say this is how it is and that's that, Pottr's post was spot on as usual and Terry another who gives good advice but gives an exercise to back it up.

Pottr is convinced that it has to be object ball, same as me, I'm just saying that those who don't need to wise up that in order to be better players they have to force themselves to do so, Pottr doesn't need to because he already does, it's an unconscious natural act with him and all good players.

Of course he can pot balls with his eyes closed, so can I, so can we all, but when the eyes are open the hand is guided by what they are looking at. There have been times in important matches when I have deliberately closed my eyes to pot an easy frame ball, to completely take away that chance of flicking my eyes to the pocket or the cue ball.

I stand by my belief that if a young player naturally does look at the object ball on the strike he will improve no end by getting all the other basics right, maybe with help from a coach, but if the said player doesn't, and in fact can't, he will never be any good at the game.

A bloke I work with found out that I play and challenged me to a game, said he played premier league pool and had a highest break at snooker of 45. He's six foot five so I without seeing him play I lent him my spare 61 & 1/2 inch cue to see if he played better with it.
He said not, so I went down the club on the agreed date, said he could break and was amazed to see him hardly bend down at all into any kind of stance, chin about two feet off the cue; yet he could pot balls, not as well as I could and I beat him easily, yet he could pot, and what I saw straight away was that he looked at the object ball on the strike which as you all know is what I believe to be the single most important aspect of anyones game.

Does this prove that I'm dead right ? probably not but it's what I always look for in a player and in my experience the good ones all do it.
And here we have a young man with hardly any experience in snooker able to make a 45 break with a terrible upright stance; get his chin down on a longer cue and with a lot more practise he has a chance.

[tedisbill]

I'm going to continue to look at CB on straight shots and OB on the others and practice practice practice , thanks for all the replies

So what's the difference between a straight shot and an angled shot then?

EDIT: There's no tone in my voice as I ask this question, I'm just interested that's all. As I read it back I could imagine it could sound harsh, it's not meant to be, just a question.

[pottr]

I think that you find it easier on straightish shots to look at CB, kinda shows up that it should be the OB you look at...

Straightish pots with your hands on the table are bread and butter... You could probably pot them whatever you do.

I have said before, looking at the CB at the time of strike can be done... But it can only be done if you think about it during the shot... and that mental effort is exhausting...

For what it's worth, if you are going to think about it... then it should be the OB as this (for some reason) is less exhausting... Thinking about it... it's probably less exhausting coz it's what you do without thinking about it. Muscle memory perhaps?

^^^ parts of the post that don't make sense ^^^

[ghost121]

This is all well and good, but it does raise the question as to what Chris Henry is seeing when he videos pros close up. Is he lying or just plain wrong when he says some of them (quite a few in fact) are CB sighters? And how can you be wrong when you are analysing the shot in detail with video?

[GeordieDS]

So what's the difference between a straight shot and an angled shot then?

EDIT: There's no tone in my voice as I ask this question, I'm just interested that's all. As I read it back I could imagine it could sound harsh, it's not meant to be, just a question.

I just find that on the straighter shots once I'm down i can look at the CB on strike,I've no idea how it's like i have a mental picture and all i have to do is make sure I'm striking centre ball.
I'm guessing it's harder to have a mental picture of cut backs or you don't trust yourself on these shots as much.

This is just my thoughts i'm not saying it's right just how it appears to me

[inevermissblue]

Please stop the madness...��

[GeordieDS]

This is all well and good, but it does raise the question as to what Chris Henry is seeing when he videos pros close up. Is he lying or just plain wrong when he says some of them (quite a few in fact) are CB sighters? And how can you be wrong when you are analysing the shot in detail with video?

I've not read or seen any of Chris Henry but i had somebody tell me and they were convinced Ronnie,Hendry and Higgins all were cue ball strikers because of this Chris Henry.
I'm going to have a look and see what he says but I'll keep an open mind

[j6uk]

Please stop the madness...��

its nothing but harmless trolling thread building nonsense

[Master Blaster]

A friend of pro level suggested three exercises for me. Pot the ball looking at only the object ball. Pot the ball looking only at the cue ball. Pot the ball looking only at the pocket. Amazingly, if you do it enough, you can pot long blues without looking at the balls at all. I took it a step further with the pot the long blue with you eyes closed because this really tests if your cue action and faith in your cue action is true.

The truth is this, if you get down, put the cue on the correct shot line and deliver the cue straight, you should pot the ball 10/10 regardless of which ball you finally look at. Your eyes potted the ball before you got down or even stepped into the shot anyway.

[GeordieDS]

its nothing but harmless trolling thread building nonsense

Sorry Jason but if you think I'm a troll you're bonkers

Edit: actually your obsession with trolls who want to build threads proves you're bonkers and you're still on the thread helping to build it so does this make you a bonkers troll?

[j6uk]

theres some good stuff on this thread an im happy to be apart of it

[Master Blaster]

Lots of people think they are looking at the object ball last but in fact, they're not. Including many leading professionals. Single frame advance analysis has proved to me that the likes of Higgins and Hendry and quite a few others actually look at the cue ball until the cue is moving to strike the object ball. At the last split second they look up to see the object ball. Others, like Ding, lock their eyes on to the object ball before they even complete the final draw back of the cue. I find it's that last split second transfer which gives the best results and it's something I have always done naturally. If I look at the cue ball all the way through the delivery I can't pot a thing. Same goes for fixing my eyes doggedly to the object ball. And the added benefit with the last split second transfer is that I am very consistent at striking the cue ball where I want.

Most players do this as they feather. I have to look at the object ball as I deliver the cue or I miss tricky shots. I even missed a yella off it's spot from a foot away because of looking at the CB. I was furious! Much of it is to do with confidence IME. When folk have little confidence, they look at the CB, the OB, the pocket, their cue, everything. The twitch, they pull the cue, they question unwanted side, everything comes into their minds. Potting and confidence return when you believe you've lined up the shot correctly, deliver the cue straight and play it 100%. When you're in this frame of mind, you won't look at the CB because shots look easy again. When you're in top form you have the luxury of looking at the OB impact, then flick back to watch the white (and ignore the ball falling into the pocket), though Davis says you shouldn't do this!

[tedisbill]

i don't know whether this thread is funny or not...