need help on potting.

[ivantan82]

Hi guys, i had a question which i can't find it on the forum. Maybe its a noob question but hope someone would help me answer this, Thanks.
Recently i had watch a clip on snooker coaching about how to pot a ball, i found that the coach who teach the potting introduce 1/4,1/2,full and 3/4 ball method. But somehow when i use this method to pot i found that certain angle i wouldn't be able to pot it in for example it will be between 1/4 and 1/2 ball. So is it better if i change it to fraction of 8 would be better? Like 1/8, 2/8,3/8 etc... Thanks for the help guys..

[TheBallBreaker]

I wouldn't get hung up on exact fractions. Just try and pot the ball by guess work and the more you play the better you will be at judging the angle. Very rarely you will get shots in a frame where it is exactly 1/2's and 1/4 ball pots. Also remember that there is a large chance (especially if you are relatively new to the game) that you miss pots due to not cueing straight. If you are having trouble judging the angle in practice take another ball and make a touching ball plant into the intended pocket, and this is where you have to be shooting the white to pot the ball.

[NorthWestJunior]

One method is to look directly in a line from the object ball to the pocket, focusing on where you need to hit the object ball slowly move round the table to where the white is until you are on the line of the shot. Then carefully get down to play your shot while keeping on the line of the pot. That method is pretty standard but it was the way I was taught when I started to play. I don't know how well I explained it but it helped me when I started playing. As BallBreaker said, cueing straight could be your problem aswell.

[buddfridgeman]

It may help that there is often a light reflection on the ball your going to pot , and its just amazing how often this is in the exact spot you need to hit so it also helps with the focus.

[DeanH]

I have never use the fractions methids, never really found it worked for me.
As been mentioned, seeing the spot at the Back of the Ball (BOB) of the object ball, that gives you point of aim for the cue ball to hit to direct the object ball the way you want it to go.

[Terry Davidson]

I have to strongly disagree with buddfridgeman...do not use the lights EVER.

The fractions of a ball are difficult too. As has been said here, imagine a cueball in the plant position, directly behind the spot on the pocket you want to have the object ball hit. Now line up so you will hit that imaginary cueball full ball with the real the real cueball. This method is called the 'ghost ball' method and is almost the same as the BOB method.

All that said though, in 99% of cases most pots are missed because the player didn't deliver the cue straight...as has been said. Learn that first before worrying about anything else.

Terry

[pottr]

Terry's spot on as always.

Stop thinking about fractions and shadows. You need to have the natural aptitude to spot the potting angle and if you don't then I wouldn't worry about the formula behind it coz you're probably buggered and will never improve.

As long as you can spot the angle, when you learn to deliver the cue straight, the balls will go in.

[johno]

Have a look on youtube for examples of the 'ghost ball' method that Terry mentions. Try and keep it simple
though, straight cueing is the key and the brain remembers potting angles

[vmax4steve]

It may help that there is often a light reflection on the ball your going to pot , and its just amazing how often this is in the exact spot you need to hit so it also helps with the focus.

Hitting it where it shines is nothing but an old wives tale. Judge the angle by looking where the cue ball needs to contact the object ball and keep your eyes on this spot when striking the cue ball.

[alabadi]

Hitting Judge the angle by looking where the cue ball needs to contact the object ball and keep your eyes on this spot when striking the cue ball.

easier said than done, keeping your eye on a matchhead size spot over 7 feet on a shiny ball is merely impossible for me, i use the cueball coverage method to judge what arc of the OB needs to be covered by the white to make the shot.

i'm not a master at it but i find that much easier

Albbadi