Stephen Hendrys Sighting method

[cazmac1]

When stephen was at the top of his game a lot was made of the way he sighted his shots. Has he ever explained his sighting method in detail. Some say that he allows his eyes to flick to the pocket and in most circles this is ment to be a no no. Want I want to know has he ever given a full indepth description of what his action and thought processes our or were.

[thelongbomber]

I believe I might have uncovered some of his eye movement techniques. I ended up trying something recently for aiming that has drastically improved my potting consistency (especially the middle pocket), and not surprisingly, I sometimes look at the pocket on shots as well.

Basically, I use the contact point on the table directly behind the object ball (the point you can see as you walk into a shot) as an initial guide to line up my cue, stance, arm, etc.

I explained it some detail here: http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ad.php?t=27397

What ends up happening if you follow this aiming technique is that

1. Your eyes ocassionally look at the point to re-aim
2. The object ball and it's specific potting angle become much more clear
3. You can stroke through the contact point you are aiming at and end up using centre ball a lot more

[sharkster63]

Good day, Cazmac1,TLBomber

I have oftern watched Stephen play, I noticed that is aiming as allot to do with the siding he uses, if cutting on right always uses right side, if cutting on the left always uses left side, he is a great side pocket potter from any position on the table, when around the pink and black when potting to side always uses the same strenght in cueing (to ensure the same throw every time) he constrols the speed of cue ball with stunn or draw instead of the spead of the shot to obtain is shape. I know that I am being very general and that he does have a vast selection of shots he can perform or select from but I find that he likes to use this method when he can. Its his comfort zone and he is the best at it.

Cheers,

[thelongbomber]

Good day, Cazmac1,TLBomber

I have oftern watched Stephen play, I noticed that is aiming as allot to do with the siding he uses, if cutting on right always uses right side, if cutting on the left always uses left side, he is a great side pocket potter from any position on the table, when around the pink and black when potting to side always uses the same strenght in cueing (to ensure the same throw every time) he constrols the speed of cue ball with stunn or draw instead of the spead of the shot to obtain is shape. I know that I am being very general and that he does have a vast selection of shots he can perform or select from but I find that he likes to use this method when he can. Its his comfort zone and he is the best at it.

Cheers,

Wow really? That's news to me. Based on cue ball reaction it seems he uses centre ball a lot more than other players. Maybe I'm not seeing it, but I didn't think he used the "monkey juice" all that much

[sharkster63]

Hello TLBomber,
I am just posting my personal observations. I checked your link and you have some very good templates on the proper way to set up and address. I like to use the position of the ball on the table to decide my approach, I use all spots, pearls and even the pockets on the table as a point of reference, is it off center ball, quarter ball etc. how much off is what i try to keep in my visual memory along with your points of knowing what you want to do before you get down.
Cheers,

[cazmac1]

Thankyou for your reply bomer, but what I was hoping for was Stephen Hendrys own explanation, I thought he might have said in an interview or written a coaching book of some kind. I have my own theroy on want is going on but It's only a guess.

[thelongbomber]

Thankyou for your reply bomer, but what I was hoping for was Stephen Hendrys own explanation, I thought he might have said in an interview or written a coaching book of some kind. I have my own theroy on want is going on but It's only a guess.

Of course there is no way to know for sure without asking Stephen.

One of my friends at the club suggests he looks at the pocket strictly "for the camera" which I don't agree with. I think there is certainly an element of aim in his eye movement. Stephen has changed his stroke/approach around pretty drastically since winning championships. I suspect it's because of age primarily that has caused his eyes and mind to slow down.

If anyone can find out for sure, would be great to read

[cazmac1]

Thats the thing is it a secret? I'm sure he must have been asked the question and I can't believe he would'nt give an answer.

[Le Ball Sack]

Didn't he come out with a coaching book years ago?

[thelongbomber]

Thats the thing is it a secret? I'm sure he must have been asked the question and I can't believe he would'nt give an answer.

Not sure. He might be tightlipped about it because it's a secret that won all the championships for him and he isn't ready to release the answer yet. Or maybe nobody ever asked him - that's entirely possible!

Besides, ask anyone with decades of experience how they do what they do and you will quickly realize it's never a straightforward answer. That can give you the fundamentals, but describing their own frame of mind and how they solved the million hurdles along the way could be hard.

People build up knowledge and experience and adapt accordingly. It's possible that Stephen might be willing to describe it and what problem it fixed for him, but nobody would be able to follow or relate to it because they don't have the same experiences as he does.

Best way to learn Stephen's ability: Get on a practice table and try looking at the pocket during feathering and see what it does for you. I did just out of curiosity and it did help me using the technique I described in the other post.

[dantuck_7]

Have a look at this stunning clearance from 1990 in the UK, you can quite clearly see that the frame-ball pink (7min 30sec) he flicks his eyes to the pocket, just before playing the shot. One for the coaches to sort out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ5W3TeQy44

[the montrealer]

Thankyou for your reply bomer, but what I was hoping for was Stephen Hendrys own explanation, I thought he might have said in an interview or written a coaching book of some kind. I have my own theroy on want is going on but It's only a guess.

HI There is a book called Snooker Masterclass How to Build Big Breaks by Stephen Hendry you can buy it on ebay cheers Leonard from Canada