Starting to think it isn't object ball

[misspentoldage]

You are quite correct when it comes to many professional players, but by no means all. Amongst the professional ranks there are a variety of different 'eye' techniques, including looking at the cue ball until the final split second. I have seen this countless times myself contrary to your own observations. Chris Henry has also carried out very detailed close video scrutiny on top players during the shot and found the same. What possible reason has he to lie about the results? Having said all that, the best advice is do what comes naturally and don't think about it too much. Unless you struggle to play well, of course, then I believe technique needs to be thoroughly analysed if you wish to get consistently better.

OK, can anyone show me a couple of examples?

[tedisbill]

This thread is another example of why hours and hours on the table is the only thing that works. There must be about 5 different view points on this now.

Get on the table, pot some balls, change some stuff, pot some more, repeat for years, and see how you get on.

[ghost121]

This thread is another example of why hours and hours on the table is the only thing that works. There must be about 5 different view points on this now.

Get on the table, pot some balls, change some stuff, pot some more, repeat for years, and see how you get on.

+1 to that

[Master Blaster]

a

change ruin to development an im with you.. a few years before selby became masters champion he was a fishing rod away from the white whilst down on the shot, then he switched to a different technique and took a step in so as to be more compact, then he took off

yep, you can see the ferrule on his bridge on power shots because bridge to ball is shorter now. I've adopted this over the last few years, shortening bridge to ball. It results in less vibration on the hit which also means less throw. It helps centre striking as well. coach said to lengthen bridge to ball to around 10.5-11". not going there, all the pros have shorter bridge to ball, ronnie, selby, judd, ding. anything over 10" needs to be cut. 9" feels optimum for me, for maximising the virtues of power and accuracy. a mate said 8" and below is really good but at 6' with a 58" cue (and I like to hold the butt end) that's no good to me. There is a power loss at 8'' as well.

[Ramon]

I've studied hundreds of hours of professional snooker over the years and, excluding daft trick shots, masses and exhibition shots, I have NEVER seen a pro take a serious shot without looking at the object ball at the time of strike.

finally ,, common sense

[tedisbill]

a

yep, you can see the ferrule on his bridge on power shots because bridge to ball is shorter now. I've adopted this over the last few years, shortening bridge to ball. It results in less vibration on the hit which also means less throw. It helps centre striking as well. coach said to lengthen bridge to ball to around 10.5-11". not going there, all the pros have shorter bridge to ball, ronnie, selby, judd, ding. anything over 10" needs to be cut. 9" feels optimum for me, for maximising the virtues of power and accuracy. a mate said 8" and below is really good but at 6' with a 58" cue (and I like to hold the butt end) that's no good to me. There is a power loss at 8'' as well.

Have you tried a bridge length of 8.72347"? Just wondering because I'd think that with a bridge length of 8.72347", you'd be able to pull the cue back 3.666" and then the throw on shots with left hand side when cueing on the right side of the table, would produce less throw and allow the cue hand to go through to the chest. I was trying this the other day and when watching Barry Pinches, he seems to do this a lot on shots with top spin. I only do it on shots with left hand side though. On most shots now, I make sure I'm looking at the pocket leather when I strike the cue ball. This allows my eyes time to adjust after doing my checks to see if I've picked the correct line as I step sideways into the shot. I've been knocking in loads of 20s using this method, so I'm going to stick with it for a bit.

[svendh]

I've studied hundreds of hours of professional snooker over the years and, excluding daft trick shots, masses and exhibition shots, I have NEVER seen a pro take a serious shot without looking at the object ball at the time of strike.

Chris Henry thinks different and he is the pros coach

[j6uk]

the long brige would feel fine for players whove been banging in frame winning breaks since they could see over the table, but yeah as you say alot of the top players do move in on the white a bit more

yep, you can see the ferrule on his bridge on power shots because bridge to ball is shorter now. I've adopted this over the last few years, shortening bridge to ball. It results in less vibration on the hit which also means less throw. It helps centre striking as well. coach said to lengthen bridge to ball to around 10.5-11". not going there, all the pros have shorter bridge to ball, ronnie, selby, judd, ding. anything over 10" needs to be cut. 9" feels optimum for me, for maximising the virtues of power and accuracy. a mate said 8" and below is really good but at 6' with a 58" cue (and I like to hold the butt end) that's no good to me. There is a power loss at 8'' as well.

[GeordieDS]

Hope u do'nt mind me asking this !!
Are you sayin you look at the CB ( u keep ur eye on the CB ) at the time of striking , without looking at the OB ,, and you pot the OB ??
What I mean is ,, you do'nt look at the OB AT ALL ( at the time of contact between the tip and CB ) , and still re able to pot the OB ??

More like i don't actively force myself to look at the object ball on the strike

[GeordieDS]

This thread is another example of why hours and hours on the table is the only thing that works. There must be about 5 different view points on this now.

Get on the table, pot some balls, change some stuff, pot some more, repeat for years, and see how you get on.

It was a result of being on the table which is why this thread was created, if it bothers you it's very easy not to open it but I'm very interested in what people have to say on the subject

[tedisbill]

It was a result of being on the table which is why this thread was created, if it bothers you it's very easy not to open it but I'm very interested in what people have to say on the subject

Doesn't bother me in the slightest and I didn't mean my post to come across like that.

[inevermissblue]

You people don't half make me laugh. There are various ways of playing this game. Along with sighting, there are far more than only 2 aspects of vision. Maybe when you realise this you will be satisfied.
We are all Amateurs trying to find a quick fix it seems to me. The only advice worth any weight at all is your own. Don't look for acknowledgement or approval as you will be disappointed. Just experiment and hopefully you will discover something that works for you. Coaches can only show you the basics, the fundamentals. Even these can be picked apart to suit. Your own hard work and imagination is worth far more.

Cueball sighting/striker by the way! (well not entirely) ��

[j6uk]

You people don't half make me laugh. There are various ways of playing this game. Along with sighting, there are far more than only 2 aspects of vision. Maybe when you realise this you will be satisfied.
We are all Amateurs trying to find a quick fix it seems to me. The only advice worth any weight at all is your own. Don't look for acknowledgement or approval as you will be disappointed. Just experiment and hopefully you will discover something that works for you. Coaches can only show you the basics, the fundamentals. Even these can be picked apart to suit. Your own hard work and imagination is worth far more.

Cueball sighting/striker by the way! (well not entirely) ��

no time for that stuff there are threads to tend too

[Master Blaster]

Here's the gen; shorter bridges are better for break building and allow more fine control. When you adopt a shorter Bridge to Ball (BtB) you have to adjust your bridge to regain correct alignment. You could also adjust your head and sighting.

Let's assume a player is using a 57" cue and has a BtB of 12 inches. He takes the cue back and there are 3 inches of overhang on his bridge before he drives the cue forward. If the same player can use a 9" BtB gripping the cue at the same point, take the cue back until he's got the ferrule on the bridge and then drive forward, he's going to be able to get 3" further through the cue ball, that's a big difference on a screw shot, maybe twice the power. To do this he needs to learn how to open his hand more and maybe adopt a slightly looser grip as well but it's possible. The same player can also achieve a lot more stun and stun-run through or top spin. All in all, he's gonna rule the table. For the same player to achieve the same amount of travel through the cue ball with a 12" BtB he'd need a 60 inch cue and the shot would be much more unstable and less controllable.

Jimmy White is the greatest potter I've ever seen and he's got loads of cue power but he isn't the break-builder Ding is. To achieve fine position you need a really stable and shorter BtB and fine control of the cue. It's no accident that BtB has come down over the years, the players know it works.

[jono*]

surely when you have to start considering so many factors like where to hit the cue ball, where you want the cue ball, sighting, pace, adjusting for side, where to put your feet, where you put your eyes at which milli second, etc, you can't then concentrate on the pot, and even then will you really be enjoying the game?