advice needed please

[Carpy2009]

Hi all, I need help with screw shots, when i play side on the cb all is good, when i play top spin all is good, i don't get a lot of reaction from the cb, but that i hope will come in time as at the moment i am a new player (started playing regular around November)the problem comes when i try to screw the cb backwards, it either stops dead or comes back a little bit, but a lot of the time i just miscue or make the cb jump, i am currently using an ADR147 1 piece cue, fitted with a Century G2 tip (9.3mm), i know it is me and not the cue, but sometimes i feel that the sound of the tip on the cb is like 2 stones banging together, i am not sure what it should sound like, the tip is advertised as a soft/medium tip. Hope that makes sense lol.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
cheers Carpy.

[DeanH]

relax, lighten your butt-hand, play low on the cue ball, and importantly play through the cue ball - that means the tip of your cue continues through after contact with the cue ball - often without knowingly people "peck""stab" at the cue ball
I used to not get lots of screw-back but a friend said I was tense because I knew I was not good at the shot; so I relaxed completely and ensured the follow through, now I get good results

good luck
I hope a coach will come on with better explanation

[weepete]

What Dean said is spot on. I'd also add that accelerating the cue has helped me, so deliberatley starting the stroke slower, speeding up through the stroke so the cue is moving fastest at the contact with the white seems to be generating much more screw for me. Keeping the bridge hand nearly flat and keeping the cue as paralell to the table as possible helps a lot too.

I tried this last week at my club after struggling to generate any backspin and I found that doing this meant not only can I screw back further, but I can play screw shots with a lot less power. I was really suprised at just how much reaction you could get off the cue ball doing this.

[Terry Davidson]

This happens with a lot of new players because they are afraid of hitting the cloth. What Dean says above is the correct way to go, first of all LOWER YOUR BRIDGE which a lot of new players don't do correctly and they just raise the butt of the cue. So ensure tyou're hitting the very bottom of the cue ball, less than one tip-width off the cloth. Imagine 'driving through' the cueball and accelerating all the way through and imagine you are trying to hit the object ball with your tip.

In addition stay still and keep your head still and down throughout the stroke.

[Carpy2009]

Thanks all for the advice, i noticed the last time i played that i was gripping the cue to tight, and as soon as i loosened my grip it felt a lot smoother and i was hitting the ball straighter, so i must remember to drop my bridge and make sure not to raise the butt up. May take a while to get used too, but will try and concentrate more on getting through the cb, rather than on where i am striking it, i also find i concentrate to much on where i am hitting the cb, rather than where i am aiming it, so i forget to look at the object ball sometime when i strike the cb, must stop that lol.

cheers Carpy

[Staezione]

Try to hit the CB a bit at an angle downwards, more like a golfer. It prevents the miscue

[Philthepockets]

Many of these issues are caused by the untimely tightening of the grip before contact, this causes the tip to rise.
Focus on keeping the grip and arm relaxed throughout the stroke.