Backspin tips

[Kick]

I was playing last night and was working on my backspin.

The question i came up with is how do you get maximum backspin without powering the object ball. Whenever i go for a shot and want to put backspin i normally power the cueball to get the spin, however pro's seem to be able to get a lot of spin and the object ball rolls into the pockets.

Obviously the slower the ball is going the more likely it is to drop into the pockets, and i find i miss a lot of shots and i have to power the object ball just to get spin on the cue ball.

[Ginger Freak]

Well obviously, the lower you hit the cue ball the more spin you get, so the softer you have to hit it, you would be surprised at how many people I see who hit the ball just below centre, then stand and look puzzled when the ball only moves back a couple of inches!

Lets not forget though, that the tables the pros play on are, as a rule, a lot faster than most club tables, so less power is needed anyway....

[nickdarke85]

Its all about having a good cue action...

[MrRottweiler]

Applying spin effectively requires straight cuing and a fluent follow through. Pause before you strike and imagine the cue ball is a few inches further away than what it is. I do this to assist in a good follow through and it seems to work. The key is timing.

[cueman]

The tables do have a lot to do with the amount of screw or backspin you can get on the cue ball. Club tables tend to have a thick slow cloth which although you can generate decent back spin is not the best conditions to acheive what you want to. If you played the same shot on a table you see the pros using you would probably get at least an extra 12-18 inches minimum out of the cue ball (so long as you are cueing the shot correctly!!!).

Responsive cloth and table heaters make the game much easier.

[Dave B]

You must have a good cue action. This includes the cue following through after hitting the cue-ball. Imagine spinning a childs hoop which spins and then comes back. The action required with the wrist is very similar. If you are cueing sweetly you will require very little power to screw back on normal shots. Obviously the faster the cloth the easier the task becomes.

[vuce]

The one thing that provides no spin at all (or very little) is when you throw everything in the cue, achieveing maximum acceleration before hitting the cueball. Making cue accelerate through the stroke will generate more spin. Sometimes it helps to imagine you're hitting cueball that's a balls diameter further away.

[canuck]

should the bridge hand therefore be closer to the cueball when playing a screw shot?

[RaNeN]

should the bridge hand therefore be closer to the cueball when playing a screw shot?

The usualy distance. Good follow through and steady cue action!

[Wim]

And what about the angle of the cue to the table ? Is holding the cue as low as possible to the table the best position? Sometimes my white ball jumps,but it could be the too strong accelaration just before hitting the white causing this.

[dannyd0g]

I was playing last night and was working on my backspin.

The question i came up with is how do you get maximum backspin without powering the object ball. Whenever i go for a shot and want to put backspin i normally power the cueball to get the spin, however pro's seem to be able to get a lot of spin and the object ball rolls into the pockets.

Obviously the slower the ball is going the more likely it is to drop into the pockets, and i find i miss a lot of shots and i have to power the object ball just to get spin on the cue ball.

There is another thread on this subject

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/showthread-t_2197.html

Probably a few more too.

The most comon reply seems to be about timing the shot well.

Personally i have just recently found that a larger than normal backswing on the final stroke helps get more zip into the white. Only problem with this for me so far is that its harder to control. Especially when trying screw with side (i should probably forget about that until i master the basics )

And dont forget to chalk the cue before the shot. Basic adfvice i know but it makes a huge difference for getting the tip to grip the ball when applying spin.

[dannyd0g]

And what about the angle of the cue to the table ? Is holding the cue as low as possible to the table the best position? Sometimes my white ball jumps,but it could be the too strong accelaration just before hitting the white causing this.

I think the cue should be as parallel to the table as possible. Although some players "cheat" a bit by raising the butt very slightly - this can help get a bit more bite into the shot.

I sometimes jump the white too. So not sure about that. Someone suggested one reason that it may be because of hitting too low on the white.

[Wim]

yeah it requires a lot of technical abilities to have good backspin. Problem I have too is that I concentrate so much on those shots that I simply miss (easy) pots....

[andyschurok]

And what about the angle of the cue to the table ? Is holding the cue as low as possible to the table the best position? Sometimes my white ball jumps,but it could be the too strong accelaration just before hitting the white causing this.

Usually the jumping is caused by the cue coming up through the white on the stroke. This is caused by yourself trying to force the cue, and not smoothly cueing. Smooth, with acceleration throught the cueball will always get you more action than a hard punchy type shot. Ive worked all this out through my own experiences of jumping the white, which i found very very annoying.

[Wim]

Exactly, that it was I tend to do, trying to generate more backward spin by a hard punchy shot but indeed without success