pause - pro's and con's

[GD73]

i have been trying to put a rear pause into my game with varying instances of success..

the best i can really do is to slow the final backswing down before the strike..

i can't seem to put a pause in there.. if there is one it's a nano one!

I notice that not all pro's have one, (ronnie doesn't - murphy does)

i do understand the benefits of having one.. but after playing for so long
with out it i am concerned i could be doing more harm than good.

has anyone been able to put one in there game and has it really improved as a result?

[rdsalt]

Same as you, I have tried to add a pause but I find I'm concentrating on it rather than it being natural. It doesn't make me any better or worse at potting but I find speed control of the white harder with a pause than my natural cue stroke. Maybe need to practice it more but I find I end up falling back into my normal cueing action in a match anyway.

[the lone wolf]

If it ain't broke...
Don't fix it.

[jonny66]

I think being natural and relaxed is more important than the pause. You can use it to do that though, pause, relax, stroke. Sometimes it works.

[bolty]

I notice that not all pro's have one, (ronnie doesn't - murphy does)

I had to double check this, but Ronnie mostly plays with a pause. Often when he's in full flow (at the end of a century break for example) it quickens up and he only feathers once.

[acesinc]

i have been trying to put a rear pause into my game with varying instances of success..

the best i can really do is to slow the final backswing down before the strike..

i can't seem to put a pause in there.. if there is one it's a nano one!

I notice that not all pro's have one, (ronnie doesn't - murphy does)

i do understand the benefits of having one.. but after playing for so long
with out it i am concerned i could be doing more harm than good.

has anyone been able to put one in there game and has it really improved as a result?

I am with Bolty...I think Ronnie generally has a pause, though variable, and a pause is mostly standard for most pros as I watch. Non-pause is the exception, not the rule. I am always looking to put to use small, incremental bits of advice to improve my game bits at a time and I went through this exercise with the pause about three years ago now. At this point, I would never go back.

For your last question, perhaps I am your case study. I am far from a great player, but I am getting more consistent and a little better with each passing day and each passing week. I occasionally have "good" days, but I rarely have "bad" days, my performance is generally solid and predictable and constantly seeming to get a little better at a time. There are no "silver bullets" by which you will jump from rank amateur to professional level. When I first started actively trying to improve (rather than just expecting that I would get better by simply playing more which is probably most often the case), the journey was more often one step forward and two steps back. It is a long, arduous, difficult process (certainly for me at least, can't speak for others). And when I incorporated the pause, likewise, it was a difficult change to adjust to and took time and patience to see a benefit. So three points I want to make: 1) How? 2) Why? 3) When (will it become comfortable)?

1) Do you remember when you were a kid learning to tie your shoes? Or do you have a kid so you are on the "teaching" end of it? Simple visual imagery..."rabbit out of the hole, round the tree..." or whatever you used. For me, I need an image of the pause versus the non-pause. I have read and/or heard people talk about, "Think of a bow and arrow...draw back the bow, hold it....release." But that doesn't work for me because the stroke is not simply a release; your arm muscles must be the driving force, not the non-variable, elastic recoil of the string. So I needed something else and I found it. Ever play with a paddleball? (rubber ball, elastic string, wood paddle) You bang it back and forth and try to control the ball so the string doesn't wrap around the paddle and you just goes as long as you can. THAT is what Non-pause is like: you are sawing your feathers back and forth and feeling the "groove" and on final backswing you are just trying to make it feel like your feathers...trying to repeat the same rapid fire paddle ball motions. Problem with that is do your really have control of your paddleball? You are just trying to "not screw it up", trying to keep the motion going, you can't control hitting strong, or soft, or with spin, or anything else really. Then what is the Pause like? I think of another kid's toy...a yo-yo. What is the main thing you do? You flip it down so it reaches the end of the string spinning and just....pauses.....you are in control, let it spin there as long as you like. You controlled how fast it is spinning (in Snooker, you decided your exact stroke line in your mind). You are preparing for whatever trick you are going to do with your yo-yo, but let's just say you are returning it to your hand. So the yo-yo is still spinning at the bottom...Whenever you are ready, you initiate (flick your wrist/start your stroke) and the yo-yo returns/you deliver the cue and the most important part...it is PRECISE. The yo-yo returns to your hand EXACTLY where the string is tied (the paddleball you were happy to hit anywhere on the wood, not precise). The Pause allows you to deliver the cue exactly where you want it, at the exact speed you want it, to deliver the exact line, strength, and spin that you want. Like a paddleball, a simple Non-pause is rather haphazard....my control of my screw shot improved immensely when I mastered the pause. So that is my mental image for how.

2) For, shall we say, "precision" sports (I am thinking snooker, golf, sharpshooting, perhaps darts but I can't speak for that), the best at the craft generally follow similar procedure. When I was in army, I became quite intimate with my weapon. We spent a lot of time target shooting. We were taught procedure, getting into comfortable, solid, proper position; sighting; when the time is right, quit breathing; the faintest pause and slowly squeeze the trigger. When you get used to the feel of your weapon, you know the exact pressure on your finger muscle at which it will fire. In golf, all pros use some sort of swing trigger such as a press of the hands. With the yo-yo above the trigger is just a tiny flick of the wrist. In snooker, it seems to me it is so easy to feel anxiety, uncertainty on the shot, a feeling of "get it over with" and that will be amplified with the Non-pause. The goal should be that the cue travels in the forestroke on exactly the same line that it travels in the backstroke. Think of bouncing a basketball. Ball leaves hand, travels to ground, bounces back up to hand. Did it follow the same line? Almost certainly not. Probably pretty close, within an inch or two but because of the action/reaction, probably not precise. The pause allows you to use the precision trigger. For me, like sharpshooting, I stop breathing, pause my instant and my mind is just CLEAR, all is right with the world, then like the trigger finger, I start the forestroke SLOWLY then build the speed for the exact precise hit I pictured in my head. This works well for me.

3) How long did it take to incorporate? I really kind of forget now because no matter how long, it was worth it. I know I considered giving it up several times and I am so happy that I did not. I play about 8 to 12 hours a week and I am certain that I had to go at least a full week maybe more, before it got to being "not uncomfortable" (requires explanation). So if someone is only a few hours a week, it may be a very long time. After that period, I did begin to feel comfortable with it and that was better but still not right. What I mean by that is that for the next month, maybe two, I was AWARE OF IT, but comfortable with it. I was still having to do it on purpose; I tried various lengths of pause; I was still very conscious of it and so I still messed it up on occasion. And finally, at some point, I have no idea when, it just became the way I do it. That is pure bliss; no awareness of the pause whatsoever. It is absolutely natural; I no longer think I can do it any other way and I know that I don't want to.

So that is my experience. I hope it can help you decide.

[itsnoteasy]

I have quite a long pause, like Ding, or it feels like that to me, but when I filmed myself it didn't look that long. I can't pot a thing without it, I think my pause is basically the length of time it takes my eyes to refocus , being a blind git.

[pedroja]

The pause for me Is a moment to check if the cue is aligned tô poiar of aim

[Shockerz]

The pause for me Is a moment to check if the cue is aligned tô poiar of aim

And me nowadays.

When I started playing again I didn't have a pause and have worked hard to get one in there.

The pause for me seems to be long enough to almost get a flash in my mind of the shot coming and then I stroke the ball.

When I'm not pausing I'm certainly not as accurate.

[Terry Davidson]

Everyone has a rear pause simply because the cue has to stop in order to change direction. The real argument is how long is the rear pause and if it's really short it will lead to jerking and missed pots. For those without a rear pause (like me) the best solution is a longer FRONT pause and a very slow backswing to cut out any jerking that may happen.

As an aside...Steve Davis once told me it would take me at least 6 months of daily practice for 6hrs per day to get control over the rear pause. As I was already in my late 60's by that time I figured that 6 months was too big an investment in time.

[GD73]

Everyone has a rear pause simply because the cue has to stop in order to change direction. The real argument is how long is the rear pause and if it's really short it will lead to jerking and missed pots. For those without a rear pause (like me) the best solution is a longer FRONT pause and a very slow backswing to cut out any jerking that may happen.

As an aside...Steve Davis once told me it would take me at least 6 months of daily practice for 6hrs per day to get control over the rear pause. As I was already in my late 60's by that time I figured that 6 months was too big an investment in time.

is it possible to have both?

pause at the front and the back

or would it create havoc with your game?

[GD73]

I am with Bolty...I think Ronnie generally has a pause, though variable, and a pause is mostly standard for most pros as I watch. Non-pause is the exception, not the rule. I am always looking to put to use small, incremental bits of advice to improve my game bits at a time and I went through this exercise with the pause about three years ago now. At this point, I would never go back.

For your last question, perhaps I am your case study. I am far from a great player, but I am getting more consistent and a little better with each passing day and each passing week. I occasionally have "good" days, but I rarely have "bad" days, my performance is generally solid and predictable and constantly seeming to get a little better at a time. There are no "silver bullets" by which you will jump from rank amateur to professional level. When I first started actively trying to improve (rather than just expecting that I would get better by simply playing more which is probably most often the case), the journey was more often one step forward and two steps back. It is a long, arduous, difficult process (certainly for me at least, can't speak for others). And when I incorporated the pause, likewise, it was a difficult change to adjust to and took time and patience to see a benefit. So three points I want to make: 1) How? 2) Why? 3) When (will it become comfortable)?

1) Do you remember when you were a kid learning to tie your shoes? Or do you have a kid so you are on the "teaching" end of it? Simple visual imagery..."rabbit out of the hole, round the tree..." or whatever you used. For me, I need an image of the pause versus the non-pause. I have read and/or heard people talk about, "Think of a bow and arrow...draw back the bow, hold it....release." But that doesn't work for me because the stroke is not simply a release; your arm muscles must be the driving force, not the non-variable, elastic recoil of the string. So I needed something else and I found it. Ever play with a paddleball? (rubber ball, elastic string, wood paddle) You bang it back and forth and try to control the ball so the string doesn't wrap around the paddle and you just goes as long as you can. THAT is what Non-pause is like: you are sawing your feathers back and forth and feeling the "groove" and on final backswing you are just trying to make it feel like your feathers...trying to repeat the same rapid fire paddle ball motions. Problem with that is do your really have control of your paddleball? You are just trying to "not screw it up", trying to keep the motion going, you can't control hitting strong, or soft, or with spin, or anything else really. Then what is the Pause like? I think of another kid's toy...a yo-yo. What is the main thing you do? You flip it down so it reaches the end of the string spinning and just....pauses.....you are in control, let it spin there as long as you like. You controlled how fast it is spinning (in Snooker, you decided your exact stroke line in your mind). You are preparing for whatever trick you are going to do with your yo-yo, but let's just say you are returning it to your hand. So the yo-yo is still spinning at the bottom...Whenever you are ready, you initiate (flick your wrist/start your stroke) and the yo-yo returns/you deliver the cue and the most important part...it is PRECISE. The yo-yo returns to your hand EXACTLY where the string is tied (the paddleball you were happy to hit anywhere on the wood, not precise). The Pause allows you to deliver the cue exactly where you want it, at the exact speed you want it, to deliver the exact line, strength, and spin that you want. Like a paddleball, a simple Non-pause is rather haphazard....my control of my screw shot improved immensely when I mastered the pause. So that is my mental image for how.

2) For, shall we say, "precision" sports (I am thinking snooker, golf, sharpshooting, perhaps darts but I can't speak for that), the best at the craft generally follow similar procedure. When I was in army, I became quite intimate with my weapon. We spent a lot of time target shooting. We were taught procedure, getting into comfortable, solid, proper position; sighting; when the time is right, quit breathing; the faintest pause and slowly squeeze the trigger. When you get used to the feel of your weapon, you know the exact pressure on your finger muscle at which it will fire. In golf, all pros use some sort of swing trigger such as a press of the hands. With the yo-yo above the trigger is just a tiny flick of the wrist. In snooker, it seems to me it is so easy to feel anxiety, uncertainty on the shot, a feeling of "get it over with" and that will be amplified with the Non-pause. The goal should be that the cue travels in the forestroke on exactly the same line that it travels in the backstroke. Think of bouncing a basketball. Ball leaves hand, travels to ground, bounces back up to hand. Did it follow the same line? Almost certainly not. Probably pretty close, within an inch or two but because of the action/reaction, probably not precise. The pause allows you to use the precision trigger. For me, like sharpshooting, I stop breathing, pause my instant and my mind is just CLEAR, all is right with the world, then like the trigger finger, I start the forestroke SLOWLY then build the speed for the exact precise hit I pictured in my head. This works well for me.

3) How long did it take to incorporate? I really kind of forget now because no matter how long, it was worth it. I know I considered giving it up several times and I am so happy that I did not. I play about 8 to 12 hours a week and I am certain that I had to go at least a full week maybe more, before it got to being "not uncomfortable" (requires explanation). So if someone is only a few hours a week, it may be a very long time. After that period, I did begin to feel comfortable with it and that was better but still not right. What I mean by that is that for the next month, maybe two, I was AWARE OF IT, but comfortable with it. I was still having to do it on purpose; I tried various lengths of pause; I was still very conscious of it and so I still messed it up on occasion. And finally, at some point, I have no idea when, it just became the way I do it. That is pure bliss; no awareness of the pause whatsoever. It is absolutely natural; I no longer think I can do it any other way and I know that I don't want to.

So that is my experience. I hope it can help you decide.

thanks for taking the time to respond... lot of info in there..

i probably in fairness do have a slight pause - ie maybe a topspin shot round the angles...but in and around the balls i don't think as if i have much of one at all.

So hears a question, should the pause be consistant in time - for say a long shot/pot and the same for something in and around the black spot?

i wonder if it's different for different players...

[acesinc]

thanks for taking the time to respond... lot of info in there..

i probably in fairness do have a slight pause - ie maybe a topspin shot round the angles...but in and around the balls i don't think as if i have much of one at all.

So hears a question, should the pause be consistant in time - for say a long shot/pot and the same for something in and around the black spot?

i wonder if it's different for different players...

Of course, as Terry said, everyone has no choice but to have something of a pause if only for the cue to reverse its direction. But my point with the imagery in my first post is that without a purposeful pause of some duration, then you are really just sort of "bouncing" your cue off the back of your backstroke no different than when the rubber ball reaches the end of its elastic string so the rubber ball has no choice but to reverse direction. As for duration, I can honestly say I don't know if it is always the same for me. I kind of doubt that it is....I would have to look at video of myself to determine that. It probably sounds weird but once it is part of your swing, you honestly have no awareness of it. I can think of a good parallel to that....I am sure you have noticed a lot of players who will twitch a finger as they are feathering, could be the pinkie, often its the third finger. Does that serve any purpose? Is it a nervous tic? Or does it help keep finger muscles loose or something? When I have watched video of myself, I have also noticed that sometimes, I twitch a finger like that! I had absolutely no idea that I do that! And apparently when I do it, I have absolutely no idea that I am doing it at the time. And beyond that even, I have no idea at all why it happens, it just does.

So my point about "Should there be different pauses for different types of shots?"...well, if you are having to think about that, then you are not quite doing it right yet anyway. Because if you can manage to get comfortable with the pause (and I am only saying that ultimately, it worked for me....there are very likely players for whom the Pause may NEVER work no matter how patient they may be), then it will evolve on its own for the question you are asking. Remember, I had three stages into which I could break down my adoption of a good pause: 1) Absolutely uncomfortable--this lasted at least a week, probably more like two based on playing a little bit (30 to 60 minutes?) nearly every day and also one or two four hour match sessions per week. 2) Reaching a level of comfort with the pause--after it finally quit feeling so strange, I was well aware of my pause and I did fiddle with things like duration and for a while I was pretty ridiculous...probably over two seconds. I remember I would get upset with my ball spotters because they would "jump" to retrieve my colour while I was still in the middle of my Pause and had not begun a forestroke. They just could not believe I was holding the cue back so long. I remained in this "comfort zone" experimenting for quite some time, probably between two and six months. And 3) At some point, there is no way to determine exactly, you just don't notice the Pause at all anymore. It is just there, part of what you do, and you don't think about it anymore, you move onto other things. There was probably a bit of overlap between 2) and 3) when I would have a relapse, some sort of problem with my stroke, and I would go back and give a little attention to my Pause to see if I have something not right in that area but now, about three years later, I can't honestly remember the last time I did that. My Pause I would say is now one of the foundations of my stroke, absolutely solid, predictable, reliable.

[tomwalker147]

is it possible to have both?

pause at the front and the back

or would it create havoc with your game?

I pause at the front before feathering and pause at the rear before striking the cue ball. Works for me.

[tomwalker147]

I am sure you have noticed a lot of players who will twitch a finger as they are feathering, could be the pinkie, often its the third finger. Does that serve any purpose? Is it a nervous tic? Or does it help keep finger muscles loose or something? When I have watched video of myself, I have also noticed that sometimes, I twitch a finger like that! I had absolutely no idea that I do that!

I missed a ball in practice the other week because of this. I was about to hit the ball and noticed my finger started twitching, I started laughing mid shot then missed the pot. I don't have a finger twitch, or at least if I do i've ever noticed it before.