Blasting shots in

[ADR147]

or the crack of a nose in a boxing match?

[C-J]

outreving the gears on your bike......

[checkSide]

The reason the pro's can smash the balls in is their cue action.
The superiority of their actions compared to the rest of us means they can control their shots while imparting far more power.

With regard to the noise a ball makes, and potting with side. If you are potting whilst screwing back, top is imparted onto the object ball which gives you the pleasing "thump" as it enters the pocket. IMO!

[trevs1]

What a bizarre thread this is....

[Semih_Sayginer]

What a bizarre thread this is....

indeed. did you ask Del? (i spoke to him about it)

@ checkside, bottom on the cueball will transfer (slightly) onto the object ball, but i reckon its slightly more to do with the pace of the shot, as i could do a gentle screw back when close to an object ball, and have the object ball just trickle into the pocket...not hitting the back, with no "thump"

[MrRottweiler]

Something else that greatly assists the pros is how still they are when they strike. Even with pace. This allows for a greater margin of error.

[MikeWooldridge]

the only time i ever got balls bouncing back out was on an old billiard table or a table whose pockets have dropped slightly.

and when you know those tables you remember to adjust slightly.

it's got nothing to do with cue action, side, top, bottom.

imo.

[trevs1]

the only time i ever got balls bouncing back out was on an old billiard table or a table whose pockets have dropped slightly.

and when you know those tables you remember to adjust slightly.

it's got nothing to do with cue action, side, top, bottom.

imo.

I couldn't agree more with your views on that Mike, the reason for any particular 'noise' is purely due to the pace and angle the ball strikes the pocket, and, the condition of the pocket itself, as I mentioned earlier in this thread.

The 'noise' is just the ball hitting the back (or plate) of the pocket, which, as you rightly say, sometimes drops due to age and wear. This can cause the ball to rebound out of the pocket occasionally, as I'm sure we'll all have experiences of. If this pocket plate is raised to its correct position, this will (or should) stop happening.

There's totally, catagorically and completely no way any professoinal snooker player will put side on the white, purely with the intention of imparting side on the object ball, to pot that object ball.

[ADR147]

i am not really looking to cause an argument here folks but...

if you place a red on the top cushion about 18" from the pocket and the white 18 inches away from it towards the centre of the table at 45 degrees or thereabouts and then hit the white ball with left hand side the object ball will run along the cushion while at the same time coming away from the pocket, if you hit it centre of the white it will stay on the cushion and jaw the pocket if you hit it with right hand side (helping side) it will drop in. i tried this out a lot the other night, i am 100% sure that in this case the side you are imparting on the cue ball is transfering to the object ball. i can not state that this would make any difference when hitting the ball very hard but logic dictates that to some extent it must?

[trevs1]

There's no logic in that one Andrew.

If playing the shot you speak of into the yellow side black pocket:

When you think of that shot, really speaking, if the red was about 18" from the pocket, and you wanted to play it in a way to open a pack of reds under the pink spot, lots of left hand side is applied to the white to get it to travel back towards the pack off the cushion, instead of square..ish, missing the pack.

If you know what I mean.

Go try that shot, you'll find you can pot the red along the cushion no problem, even at considerable pace. I'm not advocating that this is what anyone should do, just stating that the shot is playable with off centre striking, either side of the cueball.

What is required to play these shots effectively is no different to any other shots. You need to be accurate, simple as that.

I actually spoke with a friend just recently, an ex pro player who I know for a fact has made thousands of centuries over the 35 - 40 years he's played snooker. We discussed this 'side on the object ball' thingy, and he is of the view that it is just not something that can be applied with any real degree of control, and furthermore, it was debateable if there would even be any real discernable spinning movement on the object ball as a result of how the white was struck. While there would be 'some' friction, it is of no value in gaining any benefit from it.

I won't go on about this particular topic, as I don't want to be argumentative over it, it's just not that important.

I just think it might be of use to the many players out there who do, or could, potentially read this thread, that might get to thinking that applying side to the white on otherwise unnecessary occasions will aid them in their everyday play.

Anyway, enough from me on this one.

[MikeWooldridge]

at pace, 'transmitted' side, has no effect. there simply isn't time.

nor has the 'perfectness' of cueing.

smacking the ball into the middle pocket and seeing it bounce out has two possible reasons:

1) old table
2) dropped pockets

that's it. no other issues.

transmitting side etc. is a different subject altogether.

[ADR147]

Reply to a link I sent of this to a top Professional player

Hi Andrew,

Just been on the forum and I’m not getting involved!!! Ha-ha only joking!

I can’t talk for everyone but for me using side helps me to pot more balls! Weird as it may seem, but when I started to play no one told me to play centre ball.

When I started out, I picked a cue up and found it easier to pot balls using side most of the time! (That could be why I am inconsistent I suppose?)

I think there’s less margin of error when your striking centre ball, any little movement and you’re putting un-wanted side on the cue ball! Right or wrong? That’s my theory anyway!

Obviously when you’ve got a dead straight shot you’ve got to hit centre ball, but I use running side on 95% of my shots wherever they are on the table, hard or soft!

That’s my opinion. Again it might not be right, but that’s how I play!

[Semih_Sayginer]

using side on the cueball to transfer side onto the object ball does happen. its been proven by science, so no matter what the standard of player or professional, ill tell them they are wrong if they think otherwise.

(a bit like a racing driver guessing about engine faults when the mechanic knows he is wrong)

as said earlier, its doubtful this helping side will help too much if really at all when blasting shots in, but that doesnt mean that side cant and indeed isnt transfered. it is, however small

(i "know" an ex professional who couldnt explain how reverse side works [the spin, not the tsf member] but knows how to play it, and use it very well)

[-Blade-]

Wow I didn't expect this thread to take off. Only a few days ago it had a few replies.

Anyway this thread came about because I have had a few shots on a snooker table and I couldn't even get simple straight pots in, without a heightened sense of concentration because of the way the pockets are so I was curious as to what the pros do so differently to suceed (other than practise).

[trevs1]

I think the words 'heightened sense of concentration' are what you may want to think about a little more, as this is what is required to be consistent.

Without wanting to start the whole thing off again, I'd say striking centre white, especially on straight pots, will be far more use to you than any 'helping side' is ever likely to be.