Pause problem

[jimlad]

I had some coaching a while back and did some work on my pause, it involved counting to one out loud at the end of the backswing in order to help me become more aware of it. The intention was to incorporate it into my game with a view to it becoming more natural (and without a stop) after repetition.

Unfortunately it's completely screwed up my game, what's happened is probably best described as a stutter. I have a reluctance to let go of the cue after the backswing because I don't feel confident that I have focused on the right spot on the object ball, it's worse on longer/more difficult shots and the more I become aware of it the worse it becomes. Sometimes I'll have two pauses then another pause just before making contact with the cue ball.

The question is how do I break/correct this habit, it's incredibly frustrating knowing I can play to a reasonable level to constantly be miscuing and missing even the easiest of shots. Trying to think my way out of it doesn't seem to work.

Thoughts welcome
Thanks

Jim

[bongo]

Here's what I got taught from an expert:

Pause for a count of five at the end of the backswing. Then move the cue at a snails pace for one inch or so before very slowly accelerating the cue into the cue ball. This teaches the type of strike that is totally divorced from the backswing.

If you S L O W it down, you have more awareness, this could mean straighter cueing!! A bonus!!

I hope this helps,

bongo

[CoachGavin]

Its hard to tell you how to help without seeing exactly what you do. What i would say is that the pause has to be natural. All players have different length pauses depending on their eye speed and the type of shot etc. If you are struggling to go through with the cue then maybe you should switch your eyes on the pause at the cue ball. Then bring the cue back smoothly before accelerating forwards. The main point is that your eyes are on the object ball when you take the shot. bongos advice is very good but if you are thinking TOO much about the pause then maybe the pause is too long. Hope this helps.

[RocketRoy1983]

I had a young fella who had a similar problem and we spent the whole hour of one of his sessions without potting a single ball. What i did was got him to cue along the baulk line and i'd say out loud...object ball..cue ball..object ball..pocket..STOP..backswing..pause..final look at the cue ball..look at where u wanna make contact on the object ball..and FIRE!! sounds crap and pointless in writing but it really works.

Spend some time on your own and just cue along the baulk line and in your head (Or out loud if no-one will think your mad-or if you dont care!) and itll pay off. Its all about muscle memory and if you practice that enough and really want to change your style i believe itll work for you.

[kevy62]

Hi there ,

gavin & bongo are just about spot on with their comments about the function of the backswing & pause technique.


I however, have a slightly more aggressive approach toward "some" cueing problems.( including this one)

You have said in your post:

I have a reluctance to let go of the cue after the backswing because I don't feel confident that I have focused on the right spot on the object ball, it's worse on longer/more difficult shots and the more I become aware of it the worse it becomes. Sometimes I'll have two pauses then another pause just before making contact with the cue ball.


It seems quite obvious to me, purely based on what you've said, that you are having timing issues, this is due in no small part to the backswing pause you have tried to integrate into your game.

Although I would have to say, it would be foolish of me to offer you the promise of a quick solution, as there is not one issue here, but at least two issues combined.

You have already paid for the advice of a coach, my question to you is a simple one.

Why wouldn't you visit the same coach again to correct the problem, which has now developed as a direct result of his coaching ?

I would usually advise you to go straight back to the coach in question &
Seek an adjustment in technique from him, to help you to cope with the changes he has made in your cueing technique.
I would do this as he is best placed to actually assess your cue action, but i sense from the tone of your post that you are not impressed with his input so far.


I do think this can be sorted, but would prefer you to first seek out the original coach if possible :snooker:

[jimlad]

First off, I just want to say thanks for the replies and constructive advice, I'll consider your comments and try to find a way to incorporate some in to my game. The original coach is actually a friend of mine, and the coaching he offered was on an informal basis, I'm appreciative of it and we've discussed this issue occasionally but haven't found a resolution, which is why I'm posting on here to get some different views.

kevy62, I also think there is a timing issue here and felt that something more aggressive or intrusive was needed to break the pattern, so I'd be interested in your thoughts. The pattern that has developed has been a cycle of less and less confidence in shot making, I understand the psychology of this and wonder if I somehow need to give myself something else to think about as a form of distraction.

[RocketRoy1983]

How are you getting on with your cue action/pause problem jimlad?

[Feyd-Rautha]

Since a few weeks (3 or so), I suffer from exactly the same problem. This is really very frustrating because when I want to shoot, I block completely. In order to be able to shoot, I have to force my arm/cue forward and therefore don't keep still on the shot. (previously, I could lay perfectly still when shooting)

At the moment, I'm beginning to get rid of this problem. I just keep on feathering my cue back and forward until I'm really confident and feel the right moment. If I feel this, I shoot without any problem, even sometimes better than before.
It takes quite some time before I find the right time to shoot and therefore I'm playing (even more) slower than before.

Only when the cue-ball is on the cushion, I have still major timing problems.

[Jlaix]

This easy to correct.

You made reference to it in your post - 2 pauses.

The first pause is at the start of the final backswing
i.e. just before you pull the cue back.

You then pause again at the end of the final backswing,
look up and strike the white.

You just need to make it more pronounced.

... Practice. Practice. Practice

[bongo]

Since a few weeks (3 or so), I suffer from exactly the same problem. This is really very frustrating because when I want to shoot, I block completely. In order to be able to shoot, I have to force my arm/cue forward and therefore don't keep still on the shot. (previously, I could lay perfectly still when shooting)

In your delivery, start slow, finish fast, accelerate through the cue ball.

In fact, the cue ball plays NO part in your stroke, the cue ball just gets in the way the the cue delivery before the hand meets the chest (finishing position).

[jimlad]

Okay, so here's an update - I went back to the table with the fella who had originally taught me the pause, both himself and a friend were present and we tried to work it out. What we came up with was a much longer pause and a stop - were one of them would say strike or go after maybe 5 seconds, for the most part this worked, and the stuttering/hesitation on the strike was gone. The other thing we looked at was stance and how to feel balanced and comfortable on the shot to avoid any transfer of movement into my cueing.

On the longer/more difficult shots it's still there, the more confident I feel about where to focus on the object ball the less it appears, and this brings me to the one area which I'm still a bit of unsure of;

When you talk about focusing on the area of the object ball you want to strike how do your eyes actually focus at all - it seems like trying to focus on a white wall, and if you move your eyes back to the cueball, even more difficult to look at the same spot. It's the doubt that comes from this which causes the hesitation.

I noticed a large spec of chalk on a red and as an experiment I placed the red and spec in line with the pocket so that the spec was at the correct point of contact to pot it. I was able to confidently pot this over a long distance (and cue smoothly) because I could focus on something tangible. I know people sight differently, some think about the ghost ball, other think about 'the line' of the shot or half ball/quarter ball hits, some good players that I asked couldn't articulate at all how it worked for them. I'd be interested in peoples thoughts on this.

Thanks
Jim

[kevy62]

Okay, so here's an update - I went back to the table with the fella who had originally taught me the pause, both himself and a friend were present and we tried to work it out. What we came up with was a much longer pause and a stop - were one of them would say strike or go after maybe 5 seconds, for the most part this worked, and the stuttering/hesitation on the strike was gone. The other thing we looked at was stance and how to feel balanced and comfortable on the shot to avoid any transfer of movement into my cueing.

On the longer/more difficult shots it's still there, the more confident I feel about where to focus on the object ball the less it appears, and this brings me to the one area which I'm still a bit of unsure of;

When you talk about focusing on the area of the object ball you want to strike how do your eyes actually focus at all - it seems like trying to focus on a white wall, and if you move your eyes back to the cueball, even more difficult to look at the same spot. It's the doubt that comes from this which causes the hesitation.

I noticed a large spec of chalk on a red and as an experiment I placed the red and spec in line with the pocket so that the spec was at the correct point of contact to pot it. I was able to confidently pot this over a long distance (and cue smoothly) because I could focus on something tangible. I know people sight differently, some think about the ghost ball, other think about 'the line' of the shot or half ball/quarter ball hits, some good players that I asked couldn't articulate at all how it worked for them. I'd be interested in peoples thoughts on this.

Thanks
Jim

well done, now it looks like you are half way sorted, I'm glad you went back to the original guy, as he could actually see your cue action so was best placed to advise you.

You need to focus all of your attention on the red/object ball, when you deliver the cue.

The cueball shouldn't be relevant to you, as you should not be looking at it as you deliver the cue, this is because the cueball becomes like an extension of your cue. also , although there may seem to be unlimited potting angles, there are really only 5...yes five! potting angles.

(1.full ball 2.three quater ball 3.half ball 4.quater ball 5.fine cut)

Of course some shots are between two positions, so could either be a thin 3/4 ball or a thick 1/2 ball shot & so on.These shots will be spotted by you in time & until they almost become automatic. I will say it takes a lot of practice to become consistant, but one day it will just happen .

One final thought, I'm thinking perhaps the use of a training ball might help? aramith do a good one. if you do a search you should be able to find it cheaper than the link below, but this should help to get you on the right track good luck.

http://www.cuepower.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=651

[kevy62]

try this link, much lower price for the aramith WBPSA Target Ball (Ref.B3342) good luck

http://www.snookerstuff.com/accessories.html

[RocketRoy1983]

May I suggest to anyone who is looking for help on this type of problem or any kind of problem to take a look on youtube at understanding modern snooker with jack karnehm. Its not so modern (1985) but its great.

[Feyd-Rautha]

Last week, I managed to partly solve this problem. I used the tip from bongo: start slow, end fast when striking. When I do that, I'm able to cue beautifully, no forcing at all and I can pot better. But I need enough room for my hand in order to put my cue far enough backwards. So, when the cue-ball is against a cushion, I still have this problem.

I also have a longer pause than I had before (up to 5 sec. I guess) and therefore I focus better on my shot.

I'm working on it and it seems that I have some progress.