The Art of Break Building rather then nonsense of Safety Play

[lesedwards]

Yea I know.... sorry just everything is wrong. The slightest bit of screw and I miss cue and jump the cue ball so that tells me my grip is probably wrong, my delivery is wrong and i am probably dropping my shoulder. My cloth around the black has more divots then a tee on a par three.....LOL like I said I beat guys two weeks ago that can run centuries with my 7's and 8's oh and the odd teen. Just because I played them extremely safe. I have never been hooked on something so bad but also so frustrating.

[itsnoteasy]

I don't know what to say Les, but I got a great bit of advice a good few months ago from invermissblue on here and that was, take note of absolutely everything you are doing, keep the bits that work and get rid of the bits that don't ,( this is his point of one hours good practice is better than ten hours bashing around) I know this sounds obvious but I don't think we do that enough , I know I used to just play and play and play thinking I was practicing but I wasn't taking notice of anything, now every time I do something wrong ,or right, it's noted, and either worked on to Ingrain it or worked on to get rid of it, I wish I had done this a couple of years ago as my cueing is so much more consistent now, and for me untill you can cue consistently all the rest is a waste of time, nothing will hold up under pressure or stand the test of time until it's drilled into the subconscious , so you can repeat it in the height of battle.

[Byrom]

I don't know what to say Les, but I got a great bit of advice a good few months ago from invermissblue on here and that was, take note of absolutely everything you are doing, keep the bits that work and get rid of the bits that don't ,( this is his point of one hours good practice is better than ten hours bashing around) I know this sounds obvious but I don't think we do that enough , I know I used to just play and play and play thinking I was practicing but I wasn't taking notice of anything, now every time I do something wrong ,or right, it's noted, and either worked on to Ingrain it or worked on to get rid of it, I wish I had done this a couple of years ago as my cueing is so much more consistent now, and for me untill you can cue consistently all the rest is a waste of time, nothing will hold up under pressure or stand the test of time until it's drilled into the subconscious , so you can repeat it in the height of battle.

brilliant post

Les take note - why not commit to regular focused practice do Teds routines and stuff and keep a record try and beat your targets and try a few things technique wise to improve and do the same routines again and try to beat the targets - find what works for yourself and do exactly what is mentioned above ... try become more self aware.

Don't take me wrong way please but I will add ...might be right or wrong but I do think

You jab at the front face of the white ball and don't go thro white properly.
You skipped Terry's advice on the basics years back and tried to fast track yourself too quickly.
You don't devote enough regular quality hours to improvement
You are not very self aware at all - you need to understand what works and what does not as mentioned. This is v important.
Your mind set is not right - try being more positive - it takes the same amount of energy thinking positive as it does negative thinking (PE) so why not think more positive?
I think your cue is too short.

Now some of these points might be right some may not - but on the positive side hopefully you can choose to do something about some of it you agree upon.

[lesedwards]

brilliant post

Les take note - why not commit to regular focused practice do Teds routines and stuff and keep a record try and beat your targets and try a few things technique wise to improve and do the same routines again and try to beat the targets - find what works for yourself and do exactly what is mentioned above ... try become more self aware.

Don't take me wrong way please but I will add ...might be right or wrong but I do think

You jab at the front face of the white ball and don't go thro white properly.
You skipped Terry's advice on the basics years back and tried to fast track yourself too quickly.
You don't devote enough regular quality hours to improvement
You are not very self aware at all - you need to understand what works and what does not as mentioned. This is v important.
Your mind set is not right - try being more positive - it takes the same amount of energy thinking positive as it does negative thinking (PE) so why not think more positive?
I think your cue is too short.

Now some of these points might be right some may not - but on the positive side hopefully you can choose to do something about some of it you agree upon.

Yea I agree with all of it especially the jabbing. I make marks on the cloth after I hit the ball when my cue quickly drags back. I put a peice of chalk beside the cue ball today after miss cuing a bunch of times and I found after I hit the shot the tip of my cue was actually 4" inches behind the chalk not in front of the chalk where it should be. Now I tried what I have tried to explain on here before but if I look at the cue ball on impact I make nice solid pots and my cue extends way past the chalk. Of course if I am playing a safety from the other end of the table I don't have a problem with cueing all the way through and looking at the object ball.

[Byrom]

if you put the chalk at alongside the white there is 3 inches before it gets thro the white so you getting through it an inch not four. I still think you are not getting thro white - the bit about cueing and delivering the cue consistently mentioned earlier is also key but being self aware - trying different things out measuring your success against the targets you already have achieved using your normal set up. Then you know if something works for you.

I also think you skipped the basics of what would help and rushed to learn lots of stuff rather than working on those bits properly first to ingrain them or get rid of them as also mentioned. As a result you have overloaded your mind become very hesitant and complicated what is a simple game.

I will give you one exercise to practice for fun that will help you in both confidence and everything break building related - I want you to try speeding up your game for a bit - just spread balls all over and try and clear them all just get down and pot balls - no thinking just do it keep your eye on the object ball get down and pot....stay down after each shot leave cue forwards head down learn how you missed hitting thick or thin. Don't worry about missing you are learning just chuck balls up and go around potting - try and develop a more natural rhythm.

I put balls on table spread reds everywhere in potable positions - if you miss a red chuck two back on miss a colour put it back on its spot and just carry on - try and clear up.
Your goal is to get into a nice flowing potting rhythm - nothing more. Missing don't matter just keep eyes on ball get down n pot, free your mind let it come naturally.

No stop start targets just one target - clear everything keep in rhythm - Keep going for hours this will but it will help you develop a more natural fluidity.

[itsnoteasy]

Yea I know.... sorry just everything is wrong. The slightest bit of screw and I miss cue and jump the cue ball so that tells me my grip is probably wrong, my delivery is wrong and i am probably dropping my shoulder. My cloth around the black has more divots then a tee on a par three.....LOL like I said I beat guys two weeks ago that can run centuries with my 7's and 8's oh and the odd teen. Just because I played them extremely safe. I have never been hooked on something so bad but also so frustrating.

Yea I agree with all of it especially the jabbing. I make marks on the cloth after I hit the ball when my cue quickly drags back. I put a peice of chalk beside the cue ball today after miss cuing a bunch of times and I found after I hit the shot the tip of my cue was actually 4" inches behind the chalk not in front of the chalk where it should be. Now I tried what I have tried to explain on here before but if I look at the cue ball on impact I make nice solid pots and my cue extends way past the chalk. Of course if I am playing a safety from the other end of the table I don't have a problem with cueing all the way through and looking at the object ball.

I don't think you are chipping the cloth on the way back Les, that's normally done when chipping the ball on the way through( like in golf the divots made on the way through) but that's by the by really.
When your playing like this Les this is when you should film yourself, you will see your faults and then can work on them. You should be able to feel what you have done wrong but if you can't things to look out for on the film are (all the usual suspects) contact points, grip, tension, back elbow, head or any movement, apart from forearm,delivery( speed and tempo) finishing position( chest contact in the same place and staying down and still after the shot). The basics really.

[lesedwards]

I don't think you are chipping the cloth on the way back Les, that's normally done when chipping the ball on the way through( like in golf the divots made on the way through) but that's by the by really.
When your playing like this Les this is when you should film yourself, you will see your faults and then can work on them. You should be able to feel what you have done wrong but if you can't things to look out for on the film are (all the usual suspects) contact points, grip, tension, back elbow, head or any movement, apart from forearm,delivery( speed and tempo) finishing position( chest contact in the same place and staying down and still after the shot). The basics really.

Yea I thought about getting the video back out. What I was saying is I can see like a drag mark on the cloth behind the cue ball where my cue quickly reverts back the minute I hit the ball. It's like you just took your cue and put the tip in the cloth and dragged it. It brushed back out. That's how bad I am jabbing at it.

[itsnoteasy]

Make sure you finish into your chest and keep it there every shot, until the cue ball has come to rest,see if it helps. Also don't practice straight screw shots, it just means you have to move out the way as the ball comes back, so just off straight then you can stay down in your finishing position.
I would say the biggest things that comes from your posts is tension and movement, you really have to learn to let the cue do the work( just my opinion) try dialling back the power but cueing smoothly through the white at the object ball and again finishing at the chest, it really is technique not effort that moves the White around.

[ace man]

I think Les plays ok game of snooker if you consider how late he started with it. It is just that many many players have expectations that are 100% unrealistic.
Let's just consider...starting with snooker as a 50 year old, even 60 year old and expecting to score many frame winning breaks at tournaments after a few years of practise??? Come on. Is there one single soul in this universe who has done that?

[lesedwards]

I think Les plays ok game of snooker if you consider how late he started with it. It is just that many many players have expectations that are 100% unrealistic.
Let's just consider...starting with snooker as a 50 year old, even 60 year old and expecting to score many frame winning breaks at tournaments after a few years of practise??? Come on. Is there one single soul in this universe who has done that?

Your 100% correct but I still feel I can improve to a good standard to compete around here. Maybe not across the pond....LOL belive it or not I play much better on slow tables. I tend to stroke right through. It's all in my head but my brain is saying on slick cloths be careful the CB will get away on you. That's where the jab comes in but on slow clothes my brain is saying strike it with authority. Does this make sense. Of course my table is as close as you will get to a match table. 6811 cloth, northern rubber, brush, blocked and ironed weekly and heated. Supper fast

[itsnoteasy]

IT is so much easier to play on a decent cloth, everything in your game can be smoother, moving the balls around on an unbrushed club cloth with poor cushions makes you over hit things. It does you no favours at all. Don't know about pro cloths never played on one ,but Strachan 6811 tournament gold 30 Oz is a lovely cloth. Just had the match tables covered in it.

[vmax4steve]

Les mate,
practise holding the cue between forefinger and thumb with just enough force so that you don't let it go. Play your pots with differing lengths of backswing according to the amount of power required, keep your eyes on the object ball on the strike.

Holding the cue like this means that you won't grab the fingers around the cue on the delivery stroke and pull the cue off line, the cue should go through the cue ball straighter, this will show you that the cue has to do the work, tightening the grip around the cue on the delivery stroke is something to avoid.

You will be amazed just what you can do with a grip like this, I have a mate who plays like this and he was a hundred break player in his youth, too old now, but he still makes the odd fifty+. I'm not telling you to play like this, just practise for an hour to prove to yourself that the cue should be held in the hand and not gripped.

[lesedwards]

Thanks guys for all your tips. I spent three hours last night doing what everyone said. Scattered the Reds about on the table with colours on their spots. Stayed down and watched the balls until they stopped moving with my eyes keeping my head perfectly still and with my cue extended at full follow through also gripping the cue very loosely. I was potting much better and hitting the cue ball very solid. I knew I was doing something different because by the time I got done my neck was soar from staying down...LOL. No miscues on little soft screws. Back at it tonight. I will put a little video up just potting balls so you guys can just check it out tonight. See if you can see anything else.

[itsnoteasy]

Les mate,
practise holding the cue between forefinger and thumb with just enough force so that you don't let it go. Play your pots with differing lengths of backswing according to the amount of power required, keep your eyes on the object ball on the strike.

Holding the cue like this means that you won't grab the fingers around the cue on the delivery stroke and pull the cue off line, the cue should go through the cue ball straighter, this will show you that the cue has to do the work, tightening the grip around the cue on the delivery stroke is something to avoid.

You will be amazed just what you can do with a grip like this, I have a mate who plays like this and he was a hundred break player in his youth, too old now, but he still makes the odd fifty+. I'm not telling you to play like this, just practise for an hour to prove to yourself that the cue should be held in the hand and not gripped.

I have a friend like that Vmax, I would guarantee you every coach would close his grip as you can see plenty of daylight between fore finger and thumb forming the ring, he holds the cue so lightly but still knocks in centuries, never seen him hit a ball hard.

[vmax4steve]

Back at it tonight. I will put a little video up just potting balls so you guys can just check it out tonight. See if you can see anything else.

By now Les you should be able check it out for yourself, but please ! no easy straight ones eh, give yourself some angles.