What am I doing wrong?

[DandyA]

If you think about it, the longest possible shot on a UK pool table is basically a black off the spot in snooker, a routine shot. So you obviously need to be cueing a lot more consistently on a snooker table to play at a decent standard. Great way to improve your pool game though, but too much snooker can blind you to the possibilities available to you on a pool table.

rubbish pool if you like but that's simply not true ... in snooker, a black off its spot into a corner pocket is 3ft or so - the longest possible shot on a standard UK pool table is 6ft or so ...

[Leo]

UK Pool is more of a laugh which is hard to take seriously on a tiny table that is harder to miss a shot. It's fine for a knees up with your pals on weekdays but that's about it.

[Dave Walton]

UK Pool is more of a laugh which is hard to take seriously on a tiny table that is harder to miss a shot. It's fine for a knees up with your pals on weekdays but that's about it.

And the award for 'most ridiculous, bullsh*t comment' goes to.......

[Leo]

And the award for 'most ridiculous, bullsh*t comment' goes to.......

It's just my opinion and you've got your opinion. Pool is commonly known as a fun game where all ages and genders can play irrespective of their ability and can pot balls, where Snooker is in an entirely different league where potting balls is a completely different ball game where fun is took out of it because of the difficulty.

[aucott80]

And the award for 'most ridiculous, bullsh*t comment' goes to.......

It's just my opinion and you've got your opinion. Pool is commonly known as a fun game where all ages and genders can play irrespective of their ability and can pot balls, where Snooker is in an entirely different league where potting balls is a completely different ball game where fun is took out of it because of the difficulty.

I like pool when they're playing for 20-30k, you never get that in snooker and it's a buzz to be part of backing. pools easier for mid range players yes but for those at the top it's really all relative.. Whoever misses first...

[Inoffthered]

It's just my opinion and you've got your opinion. Pool is commonly known as a fun game where all ages and genders can play irrespective of their ability and can pot balls, where Snooker is in an entirely different league where potting balls is a completely different ball game where fun is took out of it because of the difficulty.

Your opinion is the correct one IMHO!

[Smeeagain]

A great way to improve your potting, but will have the opposite effect on positional play as the balls react completely differently and plain ball angles aren't the same, although pro cup balls play a lot more snooker like.

Thanks to everyone for their comments - it is really interesting and helpful. Perpetual can you elaborate a little more on this comment please "will have the opposite effect on positional play as the balls react completely differently and plain ball angles aren't the same"

Thanks
Smee

[Smeeagain]

I've come across this a lot over the years. In my experience the pool players had too short a follow-through to really get any action on a snooker table.

So should a pool player (where the balls permit) have just as long a follow through as a snooker player?

Smee

[jonny66]

So should a pool player (where the balls permit) have just as long a follow through as a snooker player?

Smee

yes, simply

[jonny66]

3 foot from the pocket, yes, plus the distance between the cue ball and the black, if you're on the cush, 6 foot. Who was rubbishing pool? I like pool, just like everyone else on here, it was the first cue sport I ever played and I play it at every opportunity. But it's a simple fact that a pool table is as long as a snooker table is wide, therefore a short shot in snooker is a long shot in pool.

[perpetualboredom]

Thanks to everyone for their comments - it is really interesting and helpful. Perpetual can you elaborate a little more on this comment please "will have the opposite effect on positional play as the balls react completely differently and plain ball angles aren't the same"

Thanks
Smee

I played pool for about 15 years before I started playing snooker, not great standard (top couple of divisions of the local interleague etc, won a few local singles titles).
Then played snooker for the last 3-4 years and no pool - rejoined a side this year and the thing I notice more than anything is the wider angle after the contact the white takes on a pool table (probably because the white is smaller so you get a natural stun on every shot - thats why a powerful follow through is much more difficult a shot in pool than snooker).
When rolling a ball in I find myself thinking a shots in off and its a mile away, or I think its fine and it flys straight in - don't miss many pots though now, although never really did, thats not where the skill in pool is.

[simmo]

pool and snooker balls are not the same you need to cue the shot a lot better on a snooker table

[Dave Walton]

And the award for 'most ridiculous, bullsh*t comment' goes to.......

It's just my opinion and you've got your opinion. Pool is commonly known as a fun game where all ages and genders can play irrespective of their ability and can pot balls, where Snooker is in an entirely different league where potting balls is a completely different ball game where fun is took out of it because of the difficulty.

Big difference between being able to pot a ball and actually play! Your original comment that its harder to miss at pool is ridiculous. No doubt about it, snooker is far more difficult due to the size of the table, your cue action and technique has to be more solid, there is still a high degree of skill to play pool well, far less margin for error positionally. And imo snooker is fun whether you're any good or not.

[Dave Walton]

I'm moving up gradually from pool to snooker. On a pool table (albeit with lighter balls), I can screw back the length of the table (so 6ft) put on top side etc etc all to a degree I'm happy with. On a snooker table I can put on top, only a little bit of side and almost no screw back at all (like max 15 inches)

What do I need to do to get noticeably more screw back and why am I finding it so difficult?

Aim as low as you dare, its experience for how low you can go, as you feather the shot, there should be a pause as the tip addresses the cue ball, pull the cue back and another pause, as you pull the cue back your grip should be relaxed and open up. Keeping your arm relaxed is the key to generating the speed and acceleration needed, Its not about how fast the cue starts moving but that its still accelerating when it hits the ball, the follow through helps to make sure you don't decelerate before you've struck the ball, the length of the follow through isn't so important as the speed the cue is traveling when it contacts the white, Mark Allen has a short jabby follow through but still gets the timing(acceleration) right.