*i dont do chicken wings but my Grip moves away from chest on impact of chest on delivery and the cue tip goes to the left after the delivery. what is the cause and fix?* thank you
That was a great video, i've been struggling playing with side and this video is going to help me. Although this is snooker, it's the same principle on a 9 ball table. Thankyou!
I've been watching and following you from inception. All your tutorials are great and have helped me immensely improve my game but i have to say, this video here deals with so many issues and addresses them so well. One of your best videos yet! Thanks a mil.
Extremely grateful for yet another excellent video Barry! Thank you for taking the time to make these videos and reply to all your commenters and fans. You really are a wonderful person 😊
Repositioning the entire cue parallel to the original line and aiming to miss by 1 degree are perhaps the reasons why I miss a lot when I apply side to my shots. Thanks for the tips.
Dr.DaveBilliards uses both the pivot technique and moving the whole hand. I dont know all the specifics he’s mentioned, its a lot and kind of complicated. But point is, he does pivot the cue at the front. Now im confused on who is correct 😐
Mahdee. Using side is complicated and is more about judgement when playing snooker. The size of the table, the nap of the cloth, the cue, the tip, the distance between the balls, the power of the shot, the quality of the strike all have a bearing on the outcome. Dr Dave is technically correct but many players find it easier to judge a successful result without the pivot.
Barry Stark Snooker Coach i see what ur saying. I guess im just trying to find a way to simply understand how to use side. But i think the truth is there is no simple way.. there is just simply too many factors, like the ones you mentioned, for there to be a simple ruling of some sort. Well, thank you on the input. Much appreciated. And keep up the great vids sir, you do a great job
Hope you keep strong to continue this excelent job. And wish someday i be able to do some classes with you. Already learned a lot with your tips. Thanks again :D
Finally a good vid that touches on this. Its been driving me crazy! I always try to add english to my cue ball on shots that i need to play position on. However when i add that english and go for the shot, even a fairly easy one, it misses because my failed attempt at adding english. So i have one question. I wasnt too clear if this is what he was trying to say at the end or not but when u add english, are you suppose to aim to miss according to the english ur adding. Like aim a little off to compensate for the spin? This has been really confusing for me and any help would be highly appreciated!
Mahdee. Yes you do have to aim to miss, how far is the real question. Learn to hit the ball sweetly and the aiming to miss will be less. A good player will aim to miss when he uses side but he will not have to aim to miss as far as a beginner simply because he will hit the ball better. There are so many factors that need to be considered, e.g. Your cue, how far does it throw the ball off line. The distance between the balls. The nap of the cloth. The amount of side being used. The pace of the shot. etc. The basic principles can be learnt from the videos but at the end of the day experimentation and practise are the real answers.
*when i am down on the shot i normally cue with center chin, but when i do the dominant eye test, and holing a pen towards an object bring toward my face, that pen hits my right chin. should i trust my normal chin position or the pen test result? thank you very much*
Due to different shafts' deflection, pivoting may or may not work. With a very stiff shaft, pivoting will have as much deflection as the change of aim and will maintain your aim line (I know a few people who do this and are very good), while these low deflection shafts work as Barry Stark is saying (I use a low deflection shaft).
I see why Barry is emphasizing not to use side for beginners. I was in the same situation once where the cue ball and object ball were straight to the pot. Because I used side too much, I missed the pot.
This is dependent on the thickness of the nap and the distance between cue ball and object ball , a club cloth ( thick nap ) will deviate more between cue ball and object ball when playing with SIDE spin , than a tournament tables nap ( thin nap ) so your adjustment needs to be less on a tournament table , this can only be perfected with practise as every cloths nap is slightly different . this does not apply to straight screw shots , the club tables ( thick nap ) will be easier to spin but slower than thin naps , you can deep screw further on thin nap faster clothes . PS : I made a 147 break in practise so i know my stuff - just saying.
I didn't have a coach as a kid , i was just left to play a game I enjoyed, I'm 40 now, and don't let anyone tell you can't learn when your older, Barry's tips have helped me immensely
Hey mate, quick question none of the coaches seem to address when talking about side. What are your eyes doing? When you address a shot with side is the tip of your cue still in the center of your vision? Or is the center of the cue ball in the center of your vision? If it's the cue ball, is your cue parallel to the center line you are looking down? I'd urge you to approach a shot with this in mind to make sure. When I started thinking about this and tested it I assumed my tip would be centered but I was surprised to learn that I have the cue ball in the center of my vision with my cue slightly off parallel. I'm very curious to know if other players approach it like this, whether both ways are acceptable or if I'm dead wrong and have been doing it wrong for the last 20 years.
Your tutorials are great there helped me develop a lot as a player. I can normally hit a 70-80 break. What advice could you give me to develop even further
Connor. Big breaks are made around the black ball area and this is where I believe most players can improve. Place the black on the spot with an increasing number of reds in haphazard positions but in close proximity to it. Try to take reds and blacks but set conditions on yourself. e.g. No cannons. Use the top cushion. Use no cushions. etc. Good luck.
Hello, Barry. I'm not sure if you still respond to comments but I would appreciate it if you could answer a question for me? The question is, why is there a balk line on a snooker table? It seems to serve no purpose. Thank you.
jack. Snooker is actually played on a Billiard table and it is used in that game. You can actually pose that as a question to your friends. " What is seen in every game of snooker on the television but is never used. Answer, the Baulk Line."
One question: I've noticed that sometimes pro players seem to intentionally not cue straight on the break-off shot. It seems to me that they aim at the center of the cue ball and during the delivery they put the side that they need. Why do they do that?
to create the spin they need to cover all reds on the way back and not many players do that , ronnie does and at their level they are beyond the textbook rules of how to play
Alex. There is always the odd player that cues across the ball and does it very well, Judd Trump is a classic example of your description. However, it is a mistake to think that most players do this, most players aim to hit the cue ball where they actually hit it.
I would suggest playing 'Snooker Stars' game on the mobile phone. I've learned so much about the game in there and especially about spin. It improved my spin knowledge so so much. Combine your in-game knowledge, snooker skills and Barry's teaching in your real life snooker and practise, and that's all you need to play like a pro xD haha
I've played that game way too much (1,000+ games lol). I usually play just pool in real life but that game has really good, realistic physics. The cueball behaves like it should and reacts to all kinds of spin accurately. At first the aimlines extend the whole length of the table so there is little to no safety game when you can pot any long ball. But when you get to 100,000 coin games you don't have aiming line on long shots so you have to visualize the potting angle yourself and the game becomes much more tactical and realistic.
Theres two ways to add spin. Back hand English and front hand English. The way you said doesn't work when u just leave your bridge hand and move the cue tip, does in fact work. That's called back hand English. Front hand English is when u move your bridge hand. I shoot with back hand English, just line the shot up straight, then move the cue tip left or right and shoot. It's worked fine for me. U still need to make minor adjustments for squirt and Deflection depending on the distance of your shot but it works. Watch Dr Dave billiards he explains both versions.
M. I have watched Dr Dave and he talks a lot of sense, its the minor adjustments for squirt and deflection that I find easier to judge particularly on very fine and fast cloths.
Hi Barry, your explanation here said it’s bad policy to adjust the cue only to aim the side…but the good policy is to move the whole bridge hand accordingly to aim the side. I’m confused now because in another channel, it’s a pool tutorial, the video teaches only to move the cue stick left/right to aim the side while the bridge hand remains in position. Please advice…
Pool is significantly different to snooker. Don’t cue the ball in snooker the way you do in pool. Pool balls are smaller, and thus they deflect more- this is why back hand english works.
On the opening shot could you bounce two cushions and tap the back of the reds? Leaving it tight behind?….Is that illegal or just foolhardy or risky? Left a like and sub. Thanks.
Resident. The shot is legal, it is not foolhardy or risky but will not really give you any advantage. There is a danger of leaving a touching ball and a good player could well leave you in trouble from that position.
Whilst waiting for Barry to pot the black, I went over to BartonSnooker, got a full explanation of how to play side and when I came back Barry just got around to potting the black.
Mr.barry thnks a lot to giving good technics i learnd many of things here and try to improve my game,i wana asked how can play h fast short means speed?thnx again and also waitng for reply..lv from Dubai
Kamran. Playing power shots is very difficult simply because it demands greater accuracy and the truth is that the more power you use the likely hood is that you are going to be less accurate. Just keep working on that technique concentrating upon straight cueing and the ability to play the power shots will develop automatically, but in your development never forget that power creates errors so don't use it unless it is necessary.
At 7:05 you can see the cue is aligned WELL to the left of the cue ball (from Barry's perspective); in a way that seems to show the object ball will hit the rail several inches to the left of the pocket.
S. When using side, particularly the amount I was using in the video you will have to make some allowance in the aim because you will push the cue ball off line, how far depends on the amount of side, the pace of the shot and how well the player hits the ball.
Snooker is basically depend on cue ball (hand ball) mostly video makes on front of teacher, if make left, right or behind the teacher then I think concept is clear and a normal person learn also easily.
Sparsh. Jimmy has played so many famous shots over the years I am afraid that I am not sure which one you mean, can you tell me the match and if it is on RU-vid. If so I will have a look.
Thank you Barry, been practicing "side" in my club and always missing, I will definitely put your teaching into practice, and make the necessary adjustments, patience is a virtue.
Aiming to "miss" the pocket to compensate for the amount of side you impart is frighteningly mind boggling. I think I would need 8 hours practice a day to get that right.
pilgrimpater. I will never tell you that this game is easy, it is extremely difficult but you will only get out of it in relation to what you are prepared to put in.
this is the best coaching online available. Well done Barry! And I know he is right, coz I have gone through ALL those lessons. Have a look at "trickshots fired" my other channel.
What a great tip. Many thanks Barry. I just began playing snooker today after a 40 year break. Nightmare. I was all over the place. (And putting side on incorrerectly just as you showed) I'll be studying your videos. Thanks again.
So in essence if im going to play with running side i wld hv to aim thicker & check side thinner? In your demonstration you used reversed side & aimed thinner....Now if you played it with stun & LH side or top with LHside it wld hv been check side correct?
jbdoggy. Rather than aiming thicker or thinner, just aim to slightly miss the pocket allowing for the push off line of the cue ball. How much you aim to miss is determined by the factors mentioned in the video.
I get what you mean...but what i meant was to slightly miss the pocket but which jaw side? It wld appear in your demo you aimed for the upper jaw (thinner)
Barry I have to ask you about a few things: Do u have to aim to miss the pot at longer distances if ur playing it at medium pace ? and how much does pace affect the deflection.. is it directly or inversly proportional to the pace ? would be very appreciated.
Lord. This always depends upon your ability to cue straight and get through the ball in a straight line. If these two aspects are correct the distance and power you put into the shot do not affect the aim. Some players have flaws in their cueing and have learned to live with it and aim accordingly, as long as you do the same thing all the time it will work, Judd Trump is a classic example of this, he aims to miss but rectifies this in his cueing, he has done this from being a youngster so it is grooved, he doesn't do too badly though does he. Deflection is affected by the pace you put into the cue ball, there is always what can be called a rebound effect off the object ball and the harder you hit the cue ball the greater the rebound effect will be widening the angle of deflection.
@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach thankyou for answering barry but I was meaning to ask you about Potting at longer distances while playing with side when I asked if I have to aim to miss the pot actually ? sorry I failed to mention that clearly I guess haha
Brilliantly explained, when playing side spin you play the shot exactly as you would playing centre ball striking only you play it aiming directly through the part of the white you want to strike, you never simply turn your cue tip and aim left or right, you'll miscue or miss the ball you're trying to hit, other times even if you hit the ball you'll find you've no side or far too much side. You must keep the tip of the cue travelling straight through the part of the cue ball you strike. A good straight follow through is a huge part in cueing well.
Sir, is it true after the cue ball bounces off the cushion, the left hand side is translated to right hand side which helps to further position the cue ball towards the red ball? Thanks!
Collin. The best way to learn this game and to cue straight is not to try to apply any spin at all. Just strike the ball normally and let the ball's natural roll do the work. You will quite naturally start to discover the art of applying stun and from there progress to top spin, screw and then of course side spin. Don't try to rush progress, get the basics right first.
please do a video about deflections. and how to adjust for it. for instance if im putting right hand side on cue ball, it deflects it to the left. So do you have to aim further to the right, or do you do what's called "tracing"? This is something no-one ever talks about
John. I believe I have covered this in detail in my video, please study them. If you apply right hand side then the cue ball will initially be pushed to the left and of course this has to be allowed for during the aim, I hope I have covered every aspect of this in my videos.
ElvislaD. Please don't forget using side is complicated, there are so many variables that affect the outcome only practise can really teach you. Good luck.
One of the best explanations of how to put side on a cue ball.... extremely insightful and helpful. Especially the final part about not to aim at the pocket but at an angle (which comes with experience) to miss the pocket. Priceless advise sir... Fantastic coach... Cheers
jo jo. The short answer is yes but the real question is by how much. Well this depends upon the amount of side being used, if you apply right hand side to the cue ball then the object ball will be kicked to the left, the more side that is applied then the more the object will be kicked.
Barry I would like to ask. People says using a thick cus helps with potting when hitting center ball but you said it is causing more deviation why is that so?
Lim. Hitting the ball in the middle is only part of the action, striking through the ball centrally is also a necessary part of the action. if you use a thick cue and you cue across the ball it will tend to move the the cue ball off line slightly more. Not everyone agrees with me and that is fine but most pros use a cue between 9mm and 9.5mm.
@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach how about when I'm cutting a half to quarter ball with side let's say I'm potting to the right center pocket so at an acute angle. Does the side I use example right hand side kicks the ball to the left when we are saying from the furthest point from the red to the pocket or does it kick from the angle I am potting
Lim. When you play with side the cue ball will always be pushed slightly off line and this has to be allowed for in your aim, the thicker the cue then generally speaking the more the cue ball will be pushed off line.
Been playing this game for over 25years now... I've noticed in the last few years that when I miss I always hit the object ball thick. Any ideas? On my day I play very well but some days can't pot a black from the spot.
passkat. Sorry but this sounds like a technique issue, if there is a large varying degree of playing standard like you suggest I am afraid that that is the reason. Nobody is suggesting that the aim is unimportant but too many players believe that when they miss it is because they have aimed incorrectly, when in truth the real reason they miss is because they have not delivered the cue where they are aiming. Please work on that technique more paying a lot of attention to the quality of the strike, the better you hit the ball the more slight errors you will get away with.
Hallo Barry. I've got a question according to that. I previously saw another coaching video (to be exact, it was about pool) and the coach advised the opposite. He recommended to aim straight and then simply moving the cue (without re-aiming). I just tried both variants and it seems that moving the cue during aiming works more reliable than aiming with side spin from the beginning that you advised. Why is it not recommended to move the cue while you are already aiming even if it works?
Andreas. There are so many variables when using side that there is no right or wrong way to use it, only one that works or does not. For your own piece of mind try this. Place a ball in the centre of the black cushion and the cue ball on the brown spot, aim full ball at the ball on the cushion with side and a fair degree of power using both methods, now play the same shots gently and notice the difference. Choose which method suits you and practise.
Barry, I’ve been getting more consistant breaks and I’ve been playing better than ever with all of your tips. I thank you again. I have a strange issue I keep facing in probably 1/30 shots. I’ll do my pre shot routine normally, feather and deliver normally and everything will be fine but when I play the shot it feels like a very vibrationy hit. I can feel it in my arm and wrist mainly and usually I will also miss the pot but I can’t figure out what the problem is. Cue plays great and the balls are fairly new. Have you encountered this strange vibration type shot? It also takes a lot of pace out of the white.
Domain. There is always a slight vibration when the cue ball is struck but this does sound a little excessive, I am wondering if something is a little loose on the cue, perhaps the joint or ferrule. Other than that the only thing I can think of is that the cue is a little on the whippy side. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
hello sir thank u for the video.. i want to ask. in this video when u played with left hand side screw u said u are aiming the black ball to miss it to the right side of the pocket because the cue ball will be pushed to the right.. ok bo problem.. but the left hand side on the cue ball with kick the black ball more to the right.. so is there any aiming allowance again or its just the furst allowance considering the cue ball will be pushed..
ahmad. This largely depends on how firmly the shot is played. The shot demonstrated requires a fair degree of power so there is a also a fair degree of the cue ball being pushed off line. Equally the power tends to overcome the kick to the right so that kick is minimal if at all. Play the shot with a lot less power and the push off line is reduced but the kick is increased.
hi Coach Barry, i heard that the bigger tip the cue has, the more it needs to be adjusted for applying side english. Is it true? Cus I have seen some 9 ball players use the other tecniques to adjust the side
Kangkang. As a general rule a cue that has a bigger tip will throw the cue ball off line more when side is used and obviously this has to be allowed for.
Hi Barry, I’ve noticed that quite a lot of amateur players like myself play with a 9.5 mm tip, I currently use an 7.5 mm tip and am frequently miscueing, should I change to the 9.5?
Evan. A 7.5mm tip to play snooker on a full size table is very thin indeed, changing to a 9.5mm tip will feel as if you are using a barge pole to hit the ball but I do believe your game will benefit eventually. Perhaps you should take it in stages if possible but I wouldn't go below 9mm.
Gokul. I assume by saying back hand English that you mean playing a screw shot with side spin. This shot will crop up from time to time and is to be honest quite an advanced shot to successfully get the pot and the position, it needs good cueing and plenty of practise.
Maybe lot of people don’t realize how good of a teacher Barry is. He is amazing so knowledgeable and he definitely knows how to teach. Helps me and I’m sure it helps so many people. Really all we have to do is pay attention and follow his instructions. It always works believe me. Sometimes maybe don’t understand exactly but I know that if I hit the ball exactly how Barry said it always works. Believe me it works exactly the way he said he does. He is amazing. Thank u Barry!
alex. Thanks for the compliments. I think we all (including me) have to realise that what can come easy for one person can be very difficult for another.
Sir what is the length of the butt of your cue ?(measuring in circle) And what length many professionals prefer ?!!! Currently I'm playing with 10cm butt length cue..
Arbaz. The length of the butt of my cue is 40cm. The diameter of the butt is 3cm. My cue is a 3/4 jointed cue and as far as I know the position of the joint is standard. Don't believe professionals have a preference if it feels right generally it is right.
Wow you just answered the question that i had. I was Playing snooker with my friend and I did not allow for adjustment. Now that I have watched the video I will make some adjustment and experiment. Thank you Barry stark hope to see you in person one day.
Can anyone help me with this question? - So in the shot at the end of the video (on the black), he wanted to widen the angle of the cue ball hitting the cushion after the screw - so he compensated for the left hand side by aiming to miss the pocket and hitting the cushion further to the right of the pocket. If he were to use right hand side (in order to decrease the angle at which the cue ball hits the cushion after screw), he should compensate by aiming to miss the pocket and hitting the cushion to the LEFT of the pocket? Thanks!
ChristopherM. You are absolutely correct, in the example shown there is a fair degree of power needed to create the movement on the cue ball, the more power that is needed requires slightly more allowance. But also the better you hit the ball the less allowance is needed so please work on your cue action, feel that cue ball and success will come.
Just subbed Barry. U a true legend of the game and just found this is actually your own channel and not a rip off. Love your coaching please please please keep these coming. A huge 👍 and I’d buy u a large 🥃 if I could from a proud Scotsman 🏴
Woody. Glad you like the channel, If I'd known there was going to be a pint in it I would have been in Scotland for the recent Professional competition.
What I noticed mainly was the entire movement of the hand. That was adjusted. It's fundamental and you can't just leave your hand placed central and rely on the change of direction from the cue. I learned something valuable from this video to remember which particular side to choose in relation to what you want to achieve with the cue ball.
I've been watching your videos and they are extremely helpful . I hail from a small city in India and there's no formal coaching available here .I've searched for lessons online and you seem to be the best . Thank you .
amazing barry thank you for these wonderful videos and yes you are absolutely right about hitting the ball better i have experienced when i hit the ball confidently and smoothly while using side i get good action on the cue ball and the pot is successful most of the times i almost feel it even before playing the whole shot that this is going right or wrong how much that effect your game barry the confidence and staying solid on your technique
Snooker Official Videos. This is such an individual thing that there is no right or wrong answer, but let me make a suggestion and then you can develop your own from there. Point the cue, perform three feathers or waggles, pause on the back swing and then deliver the cue. Initially you will hate the discipline involved in doing this but stick with it and you will start to do it with rhythm, you will soon see the benefits.
Awesome! Thanks for this. I've never known that with side that one expects the ball to slide . It always slides when I strike it but I've always thought that was just because I was so bad at striking with side that the ball was sliding. .. Really good to know and makes me want to get on a table and get to practicing.
pixel. No matter how good you get there will always be some deviation on the cue ball when you strike the ball with side, however, the better you hit the ball the less deviation there will be, so please get working on that cue action. Good luck.
Adrian. Constructive criticism is welcome, but may I remind you that this is a tutorial channel, if you just want to see the shots being played may I suggest you watch Ronnie O'Sullivan, he plays the shots a lot better than I do.
excellent video..... I hope people will pay heed to what you said about different conditions effecting the shot..... also you covered what we used to call squirt, squirm, squirrel..... they gloss over this nowadays by talking about "deflection" .... when I was first learning a hall-of-famer in America told me "shoot 3 million balls and you will have a rough idea of what the balls want to do" ...... GodBless him for telling me the truth..... I hope your students appreciate you sir
Jay. You are so right, professional table fitters are always striving to get the conditions right for the players but their efforts are often thwarted by atmospherics at the various venues.
