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I think you should address that the fingers coming away from the cue happens naturally from a relaxed grip and not forced. I see a lot of players flicking their wrist or snatching at the cue thinking that they're doing it correctly by forcing their fingers away from the cue on their back swing and delivery which is restricting their follow through and causing an inconsistent hit each time.
Once again an excellent instructional video highlighting the key points on the grip all the way from address to final delivery. I've yet to see another coach go into so much detail on topics covered. Great explanation on your own elbow drop Steve emphasizing the importance of it being AFTER contact with cueball. Bravo👏👏👍👍
Another wonderful lesson! I had always the issue of tension (like squeezing my muscles). It extremely impacts potting although my line and cue delivery was almost OK.
My harddrive says this is video 141, getting towards that 147 which will be hopefully be something extra great. Thanks for all the amazing videos mate.
You made the best video ever on the grip on the entire RU-vid. Can you please make another one the front side of it? Explaining just the grip. As a player, obviously, one can't see their own grip from the back side. But if you can explain, how to hold the cue and then just focus on the line, instead of the grip, that'll surely help. Thanks a lot.
I started tightening my grip on the delivery and it felt a lot better actually. Admittedly I did twitch a couple and overtighten, completely throwing off the shot, but generally could feel the shot a lot more when I tightened. Before, I was maybe a bit over-loose. Occasionally I'd "throw" the cue a little bit if I was cuing off the cushion. Probably need a bit of practice to get the minimum amount of squeeze to avoid throwing the cue off line but still feel the weight of the shot, I think that would really sort out my timing on cue delivery.
Thanks @bartonsnooker, this latest series on technique is solid gold. Great comment below from Hello hello about not forcing the hand to open which I am trying very hard to eliminate. Just one question, is the forward movement of the cue initiated by the hand or the forearm muscle? Cheers
Amazing and very helpful training video🎥 on snooker.. Very helpful tips💡💡💡 we never realise.. Thanks for sharing Warm regards and best👍💯 wishes The UnknownManCub 👍😎👨🏭
Great video. Im struggling with this part of the game (and a fair few others parts as well 😅) at the moment. Somtimes I get down on a shot and everything just works, feels comfortable, just natural. Cut to a frame or sometimes a shot later, and it just feels awkward, uncomfortable etc. From watching this video, I dont think I pay enough attention to the way I walk/approach in to the shot. Would make sense, arm is not directly behind the potting angle etc! I shall definitely practice the approach and feet placement more now!
Watched the clips dozens of times, very useful tips! Tons of thanks!! But can you explain more on how the shoulder rotation in detail and what needed to take care? I struggled to change my q deliver in straight line after my shoulder rotation (right handed player, so turn my chest point to right, Correct?)the cue always found delivered to left of my alignment (on the back hand moving away of my body, Maybe i m feeling my chest is in the way so the hand unintentionally moving away I m not sure) should I get used to the new action or I still missing some tips in the shoulder rotation? Many thanks Tony
Thanks for your instruction. But I try to do the same cue action by myself, but can do it very well and always inconsistent. Can't do very good screw back or top spin.
I heard one pool instructor say the grip tightness should be about the tightness you would have around a bird in your hands to not crush it but to keep it from escaping. Sound about right? I thought it was a pretty good way to say it.
If you hold your cue out in front of you, so you're holding the butt of the cue (tip pointing at the ceiling)... It should be just enough pressure that the cue doesn't fall through the hand 👍🙂
Also worth talking about is the angle of the wrist to the arm. I suffered for a long time for having the wrist cocked slightly inwards, whereas Steve's is neutral or even slightly outwards. These small things make such a difference.
the thing that matters is last delivery.....if all other fundamentals are 100% like aiming ,sighting,stance etc.....but last delivery makes the difference.
I have excellent capacity to give great safety. Most of the time the cue ball is tight in the bolk cushion in my safe shot. It's easy for me to give snooke. I can play easy placing for next shot. My short potting is very good. But sometimes I miss easy hots. My long potting is worst. Even long easy pots near pocket... I miss randomly. But in practice..I play far better than match. I think ..fear of missing shot are too much in my head I badly badly badly need your advice. Please help.
Hi Steve, I was watching league snooker on Thursday at Woking and it was very interesting to see some players in the league, not with basics such as having their elbow NOT vertical on address position and holding their hand at the very end of the cue which meant their cueing was very jagged. Remarkably, some of these players were still able to pot balls. These were older players and I guess that's the way they have been playing since the year dot! Also, some had unusual stances! I just wondered if as a coach you would advise them to change or would it be a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it. In some respects, some cue actions and addresses people have are very unusual but seem to "work to some degree". But certainly could be improved if they wanted. Your thoughts?
Hi Chris, You're right in that to a certain extent you'll be able to pot balls using lots of different styles (grips, stances, delivery), so for me as a coach it would come down to the individual goal of the person I'm working with. Do they just enjoy playing and want to learn some extra shots that will helps them get a bit more enjoyment? Do they want to make more regular 50s? Do they want to make century breaks? How much time do they invest into playing a practising? So all of those things would help me decide what I do want to change and what I don't. Lots of players get "stuck" at their certain level of ability because they never look for the next thing thing that's going to help them achieve new goals and targets. Good question!
Great info as usual Steve,,can I ask a serious question,,,as a coach would you say that anyone can reach the 100 break,after the right practice/coaching,,,or is it as I believe,some humans just the ability to be generally better at certain things,,as in some guys will come into the game and be say 50 break,player within months of picking a cue up, while others can practice day in day out and never get over 50? Regards Tony Brownhill.
Hi Tony, Yes, in my opinion we can all get to a very high standard with the right focussed practice and knowledge of doing the correct things. It's if fallacy that people are a 50 break break player within months of playing. I have been around snooker a very long time now and see hundreds of players, and I have never seen anyone walk into a club having never held a cue and make 50+ breaks within months. I mean what is natural talent? The ability to pick out an angle for a shot easier than the person standing next to you? That's one example. But if the other person practises the angles, then why can't they learn them as well? Or the ability to cue straight without much effort? Doesn't really help if you can see the angles. Or the ability to control the white ball by imparting different spins on it? Doesn't help if you can't cue straight or read angles. What I'm saying is, there are so many factors and facets to being a good snooker player (hitting spheres around with a wooden stick), that's it hard to imagine any person has an innate advantage over someone else.
@@BartonSnooker thanks Steve,,its just that due to your coaching,personal and vids,,,I managed a 57 break,,practicing 2 hours every day I now struggle to get the first red down.
Steve - one thing I am curious about is on follow through. I’m always trying to work on my straight cuing which is my biggest issue. If I squeeze my hand on follow through I’m able to cue off the cushion and also around the black spot very consistently and straight. However squeezing on follow through doesn’t work with stun shots and long shots only on roll in shots. What is your perspective on that? Cheers Simon Poole
Hi Simon, hope you're good! I have a bit of extra pressure on the grip if I'm cueing off the cushion and playing top. You don't want the cue tip to slip off the white ball, so that added bit of resistance and stability provided by the slight extra pressure helps to get a cleaner contact. It's only a little bit extra though. I wouldn't say I'm ever squeezing very tightly. Just a tad of extra pressure to stop the cue top slipping off as I say. They're the exceptions. Most shots require no tension on the grip hand. The more relaxed, the better 👍
@@BartonSnooker thanks Steve. Note that I’m not gripping it tighter overall. Just that once I have pushed through I squeeze my hand at the end of the cuing action once I’m pushing through the cue ball. But only in roll shots and off cushion
So the hand opens on the backswing, but what happens to the grip on follow through? Surely the reverse? Otherwise the cue would lift off the bridge hand, no? What part of the hand ends up gripping the cue if the front fingers release it? Does the cue get thrown back into the third and fourth finger? (btw not THAT JP!!! he might know this stuff already!)
This is completely random but I’m hoping you could help me because I’m assuming you know. How is somebody picked for county snooker or how does it differ to regular league snooker? I know you have to be a very decent player but how does it all work? I’d love a reply if you have the time! Thank you.
It's all a little random Ryan. Obviously you'll be one of the top players in your area, and then it depends on who you know that plays in the local area. It's not always guaranteed that the best players will be the ones playing. They'll always be very, very good players obviously. But sometimes it the comes down to: - exact location - what team you play for in your local area - who runs the league - how well you've been playing recently It's all a bit random really. Just depends.
@@BartonSnooker thank you for your reply! Would you say it matters what team you enter? And basically just try to win as much as you can and hope for the best?:) sorry to badger you
Quick question about the twist of the wrist. What is the key or what practice would you suggest to avoid this? I find it more prevalent on power screw shots
The table I use has been there for over 100 years, so I leave the table as it is. Steel block Cushions provide a consistent bounce, that's what they're for. But on a very good table that is regularly maintained like mine, you wouldn't notice whether it was steel blocked or not.
This is all very well and would seem to be logically correct, but a rear view of Ray Reardon's cue arm would show it to be nearly at 45 degrees to the vertical plane. Of course, this could be the exception that proves the rule, but Ray didn't do too bad, did he? Different strokes for different folks?
Why copy one exception, when you can name another 20 players that all do it the same way? There are always things we all do a bit differently, but to pick one player that does something specifically, that none of the other top players do, doesn't seem logical to me. Try to emulate what MOST of the best people do.
I guess you're right Barton, but Ray was world champ 6 times. It might be worth looking at his action to find out how he could be so consistent over so many years. Just because it looks right doesn't necessarily mean it is, and with Ray's action it was certainly hard to understand how he could be number one. I'm merely wondering if there really is a "best" way to cue as everyone is different. Trying to constrain players to a certain method may do more harm than good. I know when I used to play I found that with a relaxed swing I played my best. But I never tried to align my cue arm. You just can't see it anyway, never mind do it. I'm not criticising, just my two pennorth for argument's sake. Cheers and best wishes, Ken
@@kennyc3670 I agree Ken. Whenever I am working with players on the table, I am also helping them to improve their OWN cue action and style. I never tell players to copy a particular way of playing. All I can do in videos is give 'best practice' ideas to people as I can't see every individual. So I just throw out as much useful advice as possible so that players know what to work on. Obviously in a tailored 1-2-1 session, I can see what's holding certain players back and work specifically on the things they need to improve on. But yes, I fully agree we are all different and there is no 'ONE CORRECT WAY' to do it - we're all different 😀
