Fast Cloth I Hate You!

[JayUK9779]

There are probably some frailties in my game that I need to work on. My local club has reclothed 3 of it's tables and I have lost 4 matches on this spin and have been poor in everyone of them!

I feel like my cue timing is more suited to slower cloth tables. I seem to over hit a lot, miss slow speed shots and run out of position a lot! My long potting has gone a miss in a match situation ok in practice. Anyone else have this problem? Just feel like fast cloths the ball is skidding along and brings out inperfections compared to slow cloths. Lost 6-0 tonight wasn't good enough, never made a long pot all night and felt nervous a lot due to running out of position in the balls. I then Move to a slow cloth and I'm fine. Strange this for me would like to know if anyone has any views on this?

[tedisbill]

Well, its basically because you like to punch and stun the ball. You can do that on a slow table because the white won't move around a lot. Problem is on a faster table, you need to be stroking the balls more.

[Leo]

Fast tables are what many of us dream of playing on and anyone who plays on them really shouldn't be complaining.

[ace man]

...I feel like my cue timing is more suited to slower cloth tables...

I use to believe that stuff too. But what most likely happens is that when we play on certain type of table almost exclusively for a long time, we get used to our familiar conditions too much, i.e. even our badly hit shots with considerable unwanted side over time start to go in (yes !!!) quite often because we have learned to compensate for it...without thinking of course. Pure accident and repetition.
And then you go to a different club, different table...pockets look bigger, and they really might be...everything looks easier...but you start missing like there's no tommorow. Why??? Unwanted side now throws balls differently. This combined with different cushions and overall pace kills confidence.
Naturally, players with better and straighter cue actions will always adapt quicker to different conditions because they have less cueing errors.
But still, it is a good idea to change tables from time to time when you practise. Don't be that guy who always rents the same table every single time.

[JayUK9779]

Wow interesting, to be honest I use different tables when I practice... On away matches I don't perform as well so kinda makes sense. I do feel foreign even sometimes in a decent size break I know something ain't right in my subconscious. I am kinda happy our club owner has bought the most expensive fast cloth as feel it will bring out imperfections I can work on.(most likely unwanted side) from the way I missed yesterday was pretty embarrassing for someone that can knock in consistent half centuries. Hard to keep my head still knocking within 5 milliseconds after hitting it I've missed. You have really threw a curve ball into my game now as I thought I cued the ball very well. Literally had the ball on a string on the old slow cloth. However, now I am prone to missing the simplest pot and nearly almost everything half difficult with distance. Guess it's time to start practicing my straight cueing.

[bricktip]

I use to believe that stuff too. But what most likely happens is that when we play on certain type of table almost exclusively for a long time, we get used to our familiar conditions too much, i.e. even our badly hit shots with considerable unwanted side over time start to go in (yes !!!) quite often because we have learned to compensate for it...without thinking of course. Pure accident and repetition.
And then you go to a different club, different table...pockets look bigger, and they really might be...everything looks easier...but you start missing like there's no tommorow. Why??? Unwanted side now throws balls differently. This combined with different cushions and overall pace kills confidence.
Naturally, players with better and straighter cue actions will always adapt quicker to different conditions because they have less cueing errors.
But still, it is a good idea to change tables from time to time when you practise. Don't be that guy who always rents the same table every single time.

Excellent post!

[bolton-cueman]

stick with it...

as said above, playing on a fast, tighter (possibly?) table will improve your game tremendously. Everyone's first comment is it'll improve your hit - totally true. The biggest thing you'll improve though, imho of course, is your concentration. Every time you take a shot, even the break off you'll know you're gona have to be more accurate and strike the cue ball with more 'action' and less 'thump'.

[piper74]

Well, its basically because you like to punch and stun the ball. You can do that on a slow table because the white won't move around a lot. Problem is on a faster table, you need to be stroking the balls more.

i second this view.

[perpetualboredom]

I'll throw another curve ball in on this one, I'm sure the weight of a cue plays a part also.
Fortunate enough to have table heaters on our local club table, tables ironed before a game/practise etc, so always used to play with a 16-17oz cue and move the white around no problem.
Then when we played away on turf it felt like I had to hammer the ball so much for any reaction, that I couldn't cue straight.
Last year I had my cue reweighted to 18.5oz and you guessed it, playing fine on the slow away tables, but can't string a break together on a fast one!
I'm not saying that's down to anything other than my poor technique and mental fragility, but you can't change either easily if you're playing a long time - so I've gone down a home/away cue, I'll see how it goes.

[lennon11]

I'll throw another curve ball in on this one, I'm sure the weight of a cue plays a part also.
Fortunate enough to have table heaters on our local club table, tables ironed before a game/practise etc, so always used to play with a 16-17oz cue and move the white around no problem.
Then when we played away on turf it felt like I had to hammer the ball so much for any reaction, that I couldn't cue straight.
Last year I had my cue reweighted to 18.5oz and you guessed it, playing fine on the slow away tables, but can't string a break together on a fast one!
I'm not saying that's down to anything other than my poor technique and mental fragility, but you can't change either easily if you're playing a long time - so I've gone down a home/away cue, I'll see how it goes.

Honestly this is utter nonsense ....if you had to rate snooker problems at amateure level out of 100%,about 5% would be the cue, about 20% mental attitude and around 75% cueing technique......all fast cloths do is show up is poor cueing.

[perpetualboredom]

Funnily enough I thought I said that in the last sentence, but I take it you didn't get that far.
What you actually did is say that's "utter nonsense", then agreed with me (5% cue so does play a part, the rest mental and technical).

[lennon11]

Funnily enough I thought I said that in the last sentence, but I take it you didn't get that far.
What you actually did is say that's "utter nonsense", then agreed with me (5% cue so does play a part, the rest mental and technical).

Yeah fair point...probably not the most coherent post ever by me...haha...sorry...but just trying to emphasise how minuscule an ounce or two on a cue actually is compared to the other accepts of the game.....

[vmax4steve]

No, it's simple anxiety over loss of position due to over hitting that's making you take your eye off the pot. Relax and get used to the feel of the cloth and you will be back to normal.

[LucLex3119]

Another meaningless post by Leo

[LucLex3119]

Lennon you are bang on the money. People get used to hitting the cue ball with a certain strength when playing on slow cloths. Then when the club re-cloths a table everyone is way off.