Cannot screw back that far??

[lionel]

thanks Gavin

lionel,

try potting a pink into the corner pocket with the white a foot or 2 away. However place 2 reds either side of the cue ball but 5 or 6 inches closer to the pink ball. Aim to pot the pink but when you follow through with the cue check that your cue finishes between the 2 balls. That way you know you are following through. Also the grip must be quite loose and relaxed. If you do hold the cue too tight you wont get through the white in a smooth action. Hope this helps.

gav

Cheers mate. Sounds like a real good test. I will give this a try. Also I forgot to mention I use an 8mm tip. Would I be better with a longer cue (see original posting) with say a 9.5mm tip, and also is weight of cue a factor? I notice that a member (old git, I think) has said that the cue weight is unimportant regarding screwback. Also there are mentions of tip hardness being a factor: what is ideal, soft or hard? Thanks again -this is a great site!

[CoachGavin]

most of it is personal preference. Jimmy white used to play with a very heavy cue and was renowned for his cue power but ronnie plays with a lighter cue and does just as well. Its all about accelerating through the shot and if the cue is too heavy you wont do that. I think tip size does matter. A small tip allows you to play lower on the white although you pay a price in that you have to be much more accurate with your cueing which is why a 9-10mm is what i recommend to get the best of both worlds. If you can make sure your grip hangs straight down from your elbow when the tip is at the white you should find that when you play the shot and follow through you should be able to get right through the white allowing for good screw shot. A short cue or a bad setup oftens means that a player will have his grip inside the vertical from back elbow to grip. The result is when he plays the shot he finds his chest impedes him from following through properly.

[lionel]

Gav -I tried your test -and failed! Can get the ball back, but my cue tip does not go much beyond the contact point. I obviously need to get the technique right and practise. The grip is probably where I am going wrong; not enough wrist flexibility! When you talk about heavy and light cues, what is considered to be light (and also heavy)? And should the tip be hard (as in well used)? I recall reading about players who would use tips off club cues rather than fit a brand new tip during a match.

[CoachGavin]

usually 17-18oz is about standard so you can work out light and heavy cues from that. I played with a 17oz cue til last week and could screw the length of the table. Just got a 21oz and it has not affected my cue power at all. Just shows that it is really about getting through the white. Cue just needs to go right through the white. You need at least 6 inches or so for a nice screw shot. Try to think of the shot as more of a push or drive through the white than hitting it. Dont hit it hard. Just drive the cue through smoothly.

[myshoulderhurts]

usually 17-18oz is about standard so you can work out light and heavy cues from that. I played with a 17oz cue til last week and could screw the length of the table. Just got a 21oz and it has not affected my cue power at all. Just shows that it is really about getting through the white. Cue just needs to go right through the white. You need at least 6 inches or so for a nice screw shot. Try to think of the shot as more of a push or drive through the white than hitting it. Dont hit it hard. Just drive the cue through smoothly.

Agreed! But I also have one more finding. After that last tip change I was screwing back really well ( a whole table length too ) but the tip seems to compact itself and becomes really shiny. Gradually I started to miscue doing the exact screw shot and I would like to attribute that to the inability of the tip to hold much chalk. I sanded the tip a slight bit to roughen it and whoalla. chalk it and the screw came back.

[bongo]

Remember to not dip the cue as you follow through when trying to play screw shots as this can result in hitting the ball at centre or even top when you mean to strike the cue ball at the bottom. This dip is because of the fear of mis-cueing.

Care should be taken of your tip but "it needs respect more than regular attention during its life" (Quote by Jack Karnehm), The quote was orginally about cues but it's the same with your tip, it's needs attention to make sure it is the correct shape and not falling off!, but not after every shot if you know what I mean.