Timing

[The Boss]

Players talk about timing being an important part of cueing well and it being more important hitting the cue ball hard. Is timing something that is learned or is it a more natural skill for some players? Does the difficulty of timing the cue well vary for long and close shots? How much does a player's cue action play a part in timing?

[RocketRoy1983]

It is something that can be learnt yes but it comes part and parcell of having a good technique. If one aspect of your game is not up to scratch you will not time the ball as you need to. The shot most people will think of timing is a deep screw shot where not as much power as some would believe is used its all about your timing and of course follow through..also VITAL to timing the ball well.

[RGCirencester]

Somethign I was wondering too. Im getting better but my timing is still not as good as it could be. A few weeks ago I was in my club and timing was really good, could easily screw back for a red in baulk off the black, and I was a happy man (). But most of the time timing is something I do struggle with a little

[joe.l]

timing

try cueing the white in units of 2 or 3 whichever you are comfortable with , that is move the cue backwards and forwards slowly , on the line of the shot , after 2 or 3 pumps stop the cue and fogus on the object ball ( or better put on the part of the object ball you want to hit ) this helps control over the cue and develops timing ....Joe

[Looki]

The timing is something that separates Ronnie the most from the other players. He seems to do it to perfection. That's why he seems to able to do so much with the cue ball with so little effort.

If I'd be offered one skill from Ronnie, I would definitely take the timing.

[checkSide]

I think "finishing the shot" plays a big part in timing.

I have discovered this myself and it has helped me. What you need to do is have a definite end to the shot. At the end of the shot your grip should be in the same place every time. Therefore when you play the shot, you are actually just swinging the cue to your final grip position. Don't think about the white. The white is just in the way of your swing which starts at the pause, and ends at your final grip position. Every time.

Another thing I have noticed, is that the pro's start off very slowly. I have watched numerous pro's in slow motion on my Sky+.
They literally move the cue very slowly for the first few inches from the pause. Then the cue accelerates for the last 6 inches or so into the cue ball. Even on power shots. i.e. the cue is only moving fast over a small distance. I have started to try an adopt this technique and it helps timing and cueing straight.

Both these techniques have given me more feeling of control.

These are only my personal observations on timing, hope they help someone!

Cheers.

[karkit1028]

correct me if i am wrong

from my own understand,

timing is the ability of hitting the cue ball when the velocity of your cue is the highest

consider we are delivering the cue (from end of back swing to follow through),
if we plot the velocity of the cue against time, the curve would look like a U (or V) flipped upside down

so in order words, timing would be the ability to hit the cue ball at the vertex (maximum) of the curve

i believe most of us are capable of delivering the cue at the same velocity of ronnie o'sullivan or john higgins~
yet, the main point is do we hit the cue ball at the same velocity?

from my own experience, cue, tip (hardness and shape), insufficient follow through, too long or too short bridge would cause the problem

once you are able to time the cue ball well, you will instantly find that you can play shots with less effort because your efficiency of force transfer or spin generation is higher

as a result, you will not have to play dead hard to generate the spin you need and hence would increase your potting %
also you will be able to control the cue ball better (more precise spin control in particular) which would give you better positional play
both would be favourable for break building~

so i personally think that timing is no rocket science or gift from god
it can be learnt

[Rane]

I think it can be learnt. Otherwise Dave Harold wouldn´t have made a career..

[Nat5guns]

Even Dave Harold times the ball very well, if he didn't he wouldn't be where he is today. If you aren't naturally gifted in the cue arm department then timing the ball well becomes a necessity. If you time the shots well you can play with almost any cue action as you are stopping the cue in the correct place every time. Jamie Cope, Mark Williams and Joe Swail to name a few do this very well. Players with straighter cue actions can get away with a lot more, like being able to drop their arm into the correct position and follow completely through.

[brettski]

Timing seems to be key for every player as when its out you can really tell, for me my timing improves the more I'm relaxed. As soon as I get a frame on the board even in a long match I'm much more settled and going through the cue ball nicely. Without an early frame I tend to get a little 'stabby.'

[joe.l]

timing

Checkside , I couldn't agree with you more , a definite finish to the forward movement of the cue , I decribe hitting the cue ball the way you are describing as .....hitting the white deliberating ..as if it were not there ....I think you know what I mean , and what this feels like .....newer players sometimes have trouble understanding this , but after practise and correct cueing ..it's like a light comes on ....later ...Joe