whats wrong my draw/screw???help...

[orenzai]

hi guys,
i usually like to deep screw the ball so that it reverses back. but the night before, my screw just didnt work...i made 2 jump shots and it was so embarrassing as its a tournament...

another question...i miscue quite a few times also...the ball went jump shot..OMG... i didnt even know what i was doing...lolz...

in normal times(play with friends) i will only get a jump shot like one in 20 shots...lolz...but that night was devastating... i made sure my cue tip is always chalked...but it just didnt work...i see those pro playing...they manage to deep screw the shot until it leaves chalk marks on the table...why cant i do that?and yes...i do practice a lot of screw shots...need some advice from the pros...

[Alex0paul]

You may be cueing down on the white or you could be hitting the white too low. To miscue 1 in 20 shots is pretty bad so there must be something in the way you are pushing the cue through.

There are much better experts on here that will give some better advice.

[Sam_92]

As alex has stated you may be cueing down on the white. If you are try standing further back from the table. If you already are quite far away from the table and are still cueing down on the white spread your legs a bit more apart than shoulder width. Hope this helps.

[Sam147]

Hi orenzai,

I used to suffer from the same thing, then my coach pointed out what Alex & Sam just mentioned mainly cueing downwards at a sharp angle into the white, so try to keep the cue as parallel to the bed of the table as possible.

Another reason is if there is movement from the shoulder and consequently the cue will dip into the white & miscue, so make sure everything's still and the only movement comes from the elbow.

U mentioned u make sure that your tip is always chalked but sometimes a flat tip can miscue quite often, so make sure the tip is domed.

Finally, u may wanna take screw shots a lil easier powerwise, it's all in the follow through... try to go easy, then increase the drive through as u go & i'm sure u'll get the hang of it

[Blondie]

Hey Orenzai,

.........and I've had miscues, and jumping balls as well, but found that since I've changed my grip from a tight hold to a more loose hold, I'm having a lot more success with backspin/screw shots. And miscues and jumping balls are usually caused by the cue coming up through the cue ball on stroke, and by trying to force the cue, as opposed to smoothly cueing. Your grip can actually help you to have a smoother cue action too, and I always tend to find with quite a loose grip I can pull back the cue as far as possible, but with too tight a grip actually raises my cue tip on impact, which leads to a miscue, and jumping balls. So maybe an idea for you to try cueing with a less tighter grip, and see how you get on.

Another thing I learnt with backspin/screw is that timing really plays a big part as well in having a successful shot, and also the acceleration of the cue itself. Just through practice really, I've found that you don't necessarily have to strike the cue ball hard, or fast, just that the movement itself must be accelerating. As I think all the shot really needs is a smooth cue action with acceleration through the cue ball, as opposed to a hard shot with force. Again, maybe practice this and see the difference for yourself.

And I always tend to have my bridge hand as flat as I can get it on the table too, and with my cue as parrallel to the table bed as possible. This just helps me really to gain more balance and control over the shot, and also helps you get a bit more 'grit' and 'bite' into the shot as well.

I always find as well Orenzai that having quite a large backswing is an advantage in playing this shot too, especially for deep screw shots, as this helps to generate more backspin on the cue ball, although admittedly it is a little harder to control sometimes.

And for me it's just about having a clear, smooth, cue action, plus a pause at the end of your backswing, before driving the cue through, striking the cue ball below centre, and follow through. And to achieve real maximum screw back I find that I need to follow through that little bit extra, not too much though, and you'll notice as you do this that your elbow will tend to drop down a little as well.

I'd be interested to know too what kind of cue tips you are using as Elk master tips are really good to use, especially for playing shots with screw and side, so maybe worth having a look as these as well.

And I always think too that sometimes the tables you play on can actually dictate to an extent how much backspin/screw you can get on a cue ball too. Some of the club tables especially tend to have quite a thick cloth, which is fairly workable, although I tend to have more success with tables that have a thinner cloth, for me, anyway.

And hope this helps a little Orenzai, and good luck with it all...

Lol......xx

[davis_greatest]

orenzai, this happened to me a few months ago. I kept miscueing, especially when attempting deep screw shots. I noticed that no matter how much I chalked my tip, chalk was not staying on the centre of the tip, so I decided that I would have to change the tip before my next match.

It was only near the end of the evening, when my chalk fell out of the chalkholder, that I discovered that there was a big hole through the chalk! I hadn't noticed this hole because the chalk had been in a holder, so whenever I had looked in, I couldn't see any light through the other side!

Check your chalk!

[Sam147]

Excellent post Blondie, u'd make a great coach someday

[trevs1]

Deep screw shots are a regular problem area with less experienced players, it is quite an advanced shot to play really well.

The advice in the above posts is worth taking some note of, though I'd not be encouraging you to stand any further from the table, as that can introduce as many, or maybe more problems than it can cure.

What you could try is to set up nothing but 10 - 20 of the same shot, (like a straight green or yellow off the spot) with the cueball no more than about 20 inches away from the object ball.
Play this shot over and over, trying to keep yourself still on the shot, ensuring you don't rise your head until the white has left the tip of your cue.
Also, as mentionied above, try to keep your cue travelling as flat as possible, without raising the butt too much.

The delivery of the cue is the most critical part of playing these shots effectivley, and, MUST be controlled and smooth. Any stabbing action at the cueball will likely result in you mis-cueing and jumping the white all over the table........

SO......A good way to think of it is like this:

If you can imagine your cue swinging on a length of string, instead of being pushed by a player, you would notice it has a very smooth movement.
As the cue swung forward towards the cueball, it would start off slowly, then, it would travel faster and faster as it got closer to the white, until it strikes the ball at its maximum speed. Once the ball has moved forward, the cue will still be travelling forwards, pushing right through the place where the cueball was standing on the table. This follow through of the cue is also critical in creating the necessary spin on the cueball.

THIS IS THE TYPE OF ACTION YOU'LL NEED TO PLAY THESE SHOTS WELL.

Try to picture this in your mind before you play the shot, a smooth, controlled delivery of the cue, speeding up as it gets closer to the white ball, then following through the cueball on contact. You don't need to strike the ball hard or with lots of power, it's about how you 'time' the ball.

Good timing is a smooth movement of the cue which allows maximum speed at point of contact, essential for any shots requiring good movement of the cueball.

Hope that helps a little and does not confuse you too much.

Enjoy your game..

[Sam147]

Great post trevs1 I still wonder how some players with some real cue power can screw the white back the whole length of the table... one shot springs to my mind. In the 2001 WCH, Ron Vs. Swail... Ron potted a long green in a top corner pocket screwing the white back directly the length of the table almost diagonally & back to the baulk cushion to land perfectly on the brown which was waiting by the baulk cushion It was an amazing shot really & I think it was voted one of the shots of the tournament that year

[MinnesotaSlim]

I would like to see that 2001 WCH Ron Vs. Swail draw shot. Any idea which frame (or Youtube video Part)?
Thanks,
Minnesota Slim

[Sam147]

It's there, MinnesotaSlim :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_d...ip/1261920.stm

Click on "Shot of the Champs", it's the first shot in the video, enjoy

[MrRottweiler]

Don't know if its been mentioned I don't get a chance to read the full threads at work but if you're cuing straight and miscuing then your tip may need replacing. I've been miscuing a lot and its because my tip has worn right down. The frustrating thing is thats when I get the best reaction and am reluctant to replace it!

[Blondie]

It's there, MinnesotaSlim :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_d...ip/1261920.stm

Click on "Shot of the Champs", it's the first shot in the video, enjoy

Hey Sam,

.....thanks for sharing the vid, really great, , and see what you mean about the Ron v Joe one, amazing, and a great selection of shots after that too.

Lol.....xx

[MinnesotaSlim]

Excellent video, Thank you.
I do have to say, my favorite had to be the yellow ball in the corner followed by four rails for perfect shape (#7). Ridiculous amount of draw.

Thanks Again,
Minnesota Slim

[orenzai]

thanks for all the advice...ill give it a try and hope i wont miscue that often...