The potting procedure

[jimparkin]

Hi all,
I am constantly changing my mind about what my eyes should be looking just before delivering the cue. Should it be
1)on the object ball
2)on the line of delivery
3)on the angle required to pot the ball
4)the pocket in which to pot the ball
What do the best players look at?
Jim

[snookerdad]

At final backswing and until the stroke is complete, your eyes should be on the object ball only.

Tim Dunkley (WSA coach)

[checkSide]

Hi all,
I am constantly changing my mind about what my eyes should be looking just before delivering the cue. Should it be
1)on the object ball
2)on the line of delivery
3)on the angle required to pot the ball
4)the pocket in which to pot the ball
What do the best players look at?
Jim

Hi Jim. I have discovered something that works for me.

Maybe you should give it a go??

What you do is not focus on one particular thing. For example, don't stare at the object ball. Or think about the line of delivery. All this stuff wastes vital concentration.

What you should try and do is simply see what's in front of you as a whole. I have discovered if you just relax at the moment of delivery, you can in fact see the cue ball in your peripheral vision, the cue itself, and the object ball. It is possible to see the whole picture as one. If you try this out, you will find you do not need to focus on one particular point within the picture. This will be more relaxing, and less taxing on your reserves of concentration.

After all it is not important where you are looking. After lining up the shot you should be able to shut your eyes and deliver your cue straight blind. It is your body that delivers your cue straight, not your eyes.

[C-J]

Hi Jim. I have discovered something that works for me.

Maybe you should give it a go??

What you do is not focus on one particular thing. For example, don't stare at the object ball. Or think about the line of delivery. All this stuff wastes vital concentration.

What you should try and do is simply see what's in front of you as a whole. I have discovered if you just relax at the moment of delivery, you can in fact see the cue ball in your peripheral vision, the cue itself, and the object ball. It is possible to see the whole picture as one. If you try this out, you will find you do not need to focus on one particular point within the picture. This will be more relaxing, and less taxing on your reserves of concentration.

After all it is not important where you are looking. After lining up the shot you should be able to shut your eyes and deliver your cue straight blind. It is your body that delivers your cue straight, not your eyes.

if there is a secret to snooker this must be it;to me the reason why some people are good potters from the start and others who try to hard have a hard time getting better.

:snooker:C-J

[RocketRoy1983]

As you pull the cue back for the final time your eyes should be focusing on the object ball and you must give this your total concentration. When you are addressing the cueball you should already be focusing on where you want to strike it and upon your final backswing your cue should be striking the white in the desired place. This however is simply MY way of playing everyone is different. I recall Chris Henry saying in Swindon that several top 16 players are "cueball" players ie look at the white on the majority of their shots as they strike it including Ronnie O'Sullivan!

[C-J]

As you pull the cue back for the final time your eyes should be focusing on the object ball and you must give this your total concentration. When you are addressing the cueball you should already be focusing on where you want to strike it and upon your final backswing your cue should be striking the white in the desired place. This however is simply MY way of playing everyone is different. I recall Chris Henry saying in Swindon that several top 16 players are "cueball" players ie look at the white on the majority of their shots as they strike it including Ronnie O'Sullivan!

we don't want our eyes to give us some last instant information wich leads our arm to do anything else then cueing straight and i guess there's more then one way.

[Terry Davidson]

I think each player has to discover his own natural eye rhythm that works best for him. I have tried focusing on the OB during the front pause before the final backswing, moving my eyes from the cueball to the OB at the start of the backswing and (as Steve Davis recommended I do to get a discernible rear pause) is to move the eyes from the cueball to the OB during the final rear pause.

As I never had a rear pause that you could see I found Steve's recommendation the hardest to do and it upset the natural rhythm I had developed, although to be fair Steve did say it would take 6 months to get that down pat as I've been playing with no rear pause for years.

Terry

[The Statman]

This is an interesting one and "Eyes on the object ball at the time of striking the cue-ball" is certainly well-used advice.

However, it was very interesting to hear Nic Barrow talking about this. He mentioned that there is no absolute consensus as to which ball should be looked at at the moment of striking. Looking at professional players, there is a variety. (Though I think it is probably the case that you should be looking EITHER at the cue-ball OR at the object ball.)

Nic actually mentioned that, naturally, players starting out at the game will almost always look at the white. The absolutely hopeless, which we were all once, have to look at the white or there will be no guarantee that the cue will hit the white! Natural progression will hopefully mean that we no longer need to concentrate on such a fundamental part of the game, but even so, by then we have started our playing career, as it were, looking at the white and it is difficult then to change.

[C-J]

However, it was very interesting to hear Nic Barrow talking about this. He mentioned that there is no absolute consensus as to which ball should be looked at at the moment of striking. Looking at professional players, there is a variety. (Though I think it is probably the case that you should be looking EITHER at the cue-ball OR at the object ball.)

it would be interesting to have some statistics of which top players look at the white and if there's a relation to eye-dominance..

[dalesta]

This thread has helped me out a lot!

When i havent played in a while/have an audience/am about to take a pressure shot, im thinking way too much about what i should be looking at which totally destroys my consentration and like bring me out of 'the zone' :P

Someone mentioned earlier about seeing the shot 'as a whole', which i think is the absolute best advice as it is good for your consentration + zoning haha

But anyway the only time i feel uncomfortable with the shot is when i dont know where i should be looking so my personal advice (adding to seeing the shot as a whole) would be to:
1. stand high above the shot for good view
2. get down in position
3. start cueing rythme whilst looking at the cue ball -> line -> OB and keep rythme going until the final backswing
4. pull back for shot, EYES ON OB, and shoot

[cocked hat]

focus

Professionals used to show off years ago (and probably still do) by looking away from the shot, and potting the ball whilst winking at their opponent.
Their ability to do this lies in the fact that they are already lined up in the perfect position and will pot the ball wherever they are looking as long as they don't move.
Us lesser mortals need a bit of extra sighting to ensure we hit in the right place, but I tend to agree with Checkside that a general awareness is what is needed at the final thrust.

[C-J]

Professionals used to show off years ago (and probably still do) by looking away from the shot, and potting the ball whilst winking at their opponent.
Their ability to do this lies in the fact that they are already lined up in the perfect position and will pot the ball wherever they are looking as long as they don't move.
Us lesser mortals need a bit of extra sighting to ensure we hit in the right place, but I tend to agree with Checkside that a general awareness is what is needed at the final thrust.

The awereness needs to be there from the start and built on during preliminary's and at be highest during final stroke.
in the end it's all about lining up correct and the ability to cue straight to your focus.If you let your eyes wonder you will cue across.If you get caught by the cueball distactor you will cue across.The peripheral vision sets your eyes at ease making it much easier to create rhythm and cue straight to your focus.Once this has become a common feeling you can pot balls with your eyes closed if you want to......

[jimparkin]

Procedure

Thanks guys for your take on this.
I like the comment about it being your body that delivers your cue and not the eyes! Your right about closing the eyes - if you deliver the cue straight and you've selected the right angle, then the ball MUST go in, right? I think i'll try concentrating more on the cue delivery. An old guy at our club - he was a top 10 player in NZ in his prime - told me to be aware of the back of the cue as much as the front, meaning the whole cue has to be delivered straight. Many of us concentrate on the front end and if the back goes offline then we can easily cue across the ball and miss! I'll keep you updated on my success rate.

[Terry Davidson]

jimparkin is mostly correct in saying that it's the body that delivers the cue, however the brain will direct the grip arm in the line of the eyes, or in other words the picture that it sees.

If you don't believe that then when you're either driving a car or riding a bike on a very quiet country lane just look to the left or right and don't concentrate on keeping the car or bike in the centre of the road. Just do this at 20mph in a car though as you'll find the car will gradually go slightly in the direction you're looking unless you cheat and guide yourself by the edge line on the road.

The other point that works into this technique aid is ALWAYS remember that in 99% of the cases, a crooked cue delivery starts in the BACKSWING and the delivery will normally be a mirror image of the backswing with the exception that the backswing should be slow and deliberate while the delivery is (of course) more dynamic and quicker. If you pull the tip of the cue only very slightly off line to the right (say 5mm) you'll find when you deliver it will be off-line even more and to the left (likely up to 25mm or 1in!).

Your backswing speed should be one where you have absolute control of the cue and can pull it back straight, even if it happens to be as slow as frozen molasses. Once you get control of the backswing you can speed it up the a bit but never beyond the point of positive control.

There, I've said my piece for today!

Terry