Support me on Patreon! / bartonsnooker Email: steve@bartonsnooker.co.uk Website: www.bartonsnoo... Twitter: / bartonsnooker Facebook: / bartonsnooker Like and subscribe!
Steve. I haven’t played snooker regularly in nearly 10 years. I used to play weekly with my Dad before he passed in 2013. I’ve just moved to a city with a nice club and signed up. I’ve only been there for a few hours over the last 2 days yet, thanks to watching your videos, I have already come close to beating my highest ever break with relative ease. Snooker will always be special to me and I feel like my old man is still in the club with me. I’m excited to continue my development and look forward to booking a session with you in the near future. Thank you for everything you’re doing.
Hey Brad. That's fantastic. Great to hear you're back on the table and enjoying things. Also really nice to know that you've seen good improvements quickly. It would definitely be good to work with you personally on the table 👍🙂
I think it's very important to note that you're not just rotating horizontally. You are essentially twisting your spine, rotating both horizontally and vertically. In other words: You bring your bridge hand shoulder DIAGONALLY past your chest and then slide the hand onto the table! Since I'm not talented and since I didn't have any real help, it took me forever to figure that out. Once you get the hang of it, you realise that there's no need for discomfort when doing this.
Wow, just wow. I never comment on videos, but this small piece of information has solved my puzzle. I had been wondering why I was having the consistent issue of feeling like my stance and everything was proper, but I would cue differently from day to day. Sometimes I’d just lock in this position and shoot very well , and other days my shoulder would be in this out of line position. This tip is gonna have me rethinking every approach to the table, and for cueing consistently, this is single-handedly the best advice I’ve gotten. Thanks for this!
This is the best video on this topic, Steve. I think some instructors are reluctant to go into this much detail because everyone is different, and there are top pros who do it differently. But for beginners like myself, we don't always know what we are looking at and it helps to have someone point out what the best practices are so we can at least be aware of it and try it out. Thank you :)
To new and seasoned players this is a massive tip! Especially the part about twisting the hip ever so slightly, moving your chest away so that your cue can slide along the side of the chest helping your cue action to stay as straight as possible. If you've pretty much mastered your stance and your walking into your shots nicely, this extra tip about using ur chest to stabilise your cue and keep ur cue action dead straight will make one hell of a difference. These things come second nature after months of practice. After a few years of playing regular snooker these are things that you will do naturally and won't forget. You may have to tune up now n then if you notice your cueing badly but once you've got it it's usually there for good. If you play regularly ofcourse. Great tips your sharing with everyone Steve, they really are! People pay good money to get taught these basics. Good job thankyou....I'm sure you've transformed many many players games.😉
Started playing this year and despite some progress I was still routinely missing easy shots and my breaks would usually end after one or two pots. I notice I sometimes brush my hip when playing so I tried the suggestion in this video and it has done wonders. I've just had by far my best ever session; regularly making breaks of 4+ balls and making some nice mid distance shots I usually miss. My cue action felt so much more natural (contrary to what you said might happen) and I was delivering the cue much straighter with ease. Thanks for your vids, can't wait to get back to the table!
I have been having alignment and aiming issue for years and recently I found that while standing and while my right leg is on line of aim (even if I line up with belly button/middle of body\) , so while standing I lean my head or upper body towards my right leg, I feel like I was told to bring the head on top of my right foot and hold it there and then walk in, so while doing the mini walk , putting right leg, and left leg I make sure that head stays there. However when I am down I feel like I am leaning towards my right side, and ofcourse no matter what I try I have alignment and aiming issue. ----------------------------- I also can see that while standing even before doing the mini walk my shoulders are not level and I am leaning towards right while sighting the shot, and ofcourse when I do the mini walk and get down my head stays there, but feels that I am leaning to right. However I tried to hold the my shoulder straight, but it all ends up the same. I tried pointing my nose to object ball while standing, don’t know why but I am leaning or bringing my head on top of my right feet (line of aim or behind cueball) while standing. And I am down I am not balanced and this is causing alignment and aiming problem. I changed stance to square or boxing, still same bad habbit. Please help me if you can
Watched this and immediately went and filmed myself addressing my cue trainer on the dinning room table. I think I am too square but it really does feel awkward twisting more, I think I need to get my hips around more. Another cracking watch Steve!
Great video Steve, had my best practice session in ages trying this. Feel like it could be a game changer for me as I tend to cue across the line, feel like this definitely helped. Don't know if this is a strange analogy... Getting into position felt like pulling a bow and arrow back... More side on than I usually would be. Was thinking.. Pull back... Pause.. release. 😃 Fingers crossed it keeps working.
Really good video, thanks so much. By the way, I found it much easier to get that shoulder rotation by changing my stance a bit to bring my left foot further forward (being right handed), as previously my feet were both square on. This also seems to have helped with getting through the cue ball a bit more and finishing at the chest
Hi Steve, a really great video.I gave up snooker to play golf about 15 years ago, but recently started playing snooker again last year. I've gone from making around twenty 50 breaks a week to three 50 breaks in 18 months.I tried everything to get better from moving bridge hand further to the right and moving my right foot to left of aim line.They were all inconsistent, then i watched this video,game changer.I'm enjoying my snooker again and i thank you for that.A lot more shots i miss now i can put down to not getting the potting angle right and not really poor cue action
Fantastic video - thanks Steve for more excellent content. Players like Mark J Williams don't seem to twist the back much, and still play OK. Also it gets harder as you get older and the joints stiffen up...I'm off to practise my yoga!
Steve. Great video as always. I see myself in that one! Looking forward to your comments after today's coaching. Thanks for your excellent and enjoyable instruction.
Any question or inquiry about snooker, the answer is enclosed here with this able coach. The video has a very strong and useful explanation. I asked a lot and no one was able to provide me with this accuracy and ease. Thank you, Barton.👌🏼💚
One snooker session I tried this instinctively and it worked before watching this video… but stopped as thought its surely not its a placebo! But so glad i found this… a key component i can add to a repeatable pre-shot routine
Hi Steve. Been trying this out now for three weeks now. It really has improved how well the pot looks when down on shot! I must add I’ve lost lots of weight and have been trying to gauge how much gap I need between cue and chest and I think for me now a tiny gap actually helps my cue delivery. Thanks ! It certainly does feel weird if not used to it but it certainly has helped my approach to getting down on shot! Cheers
Awesome Chris. I've seen how well you have done with your snooker and also your own personal development. It's definitely inspiring for a lot of players. Maybe a write up on SnookerZone talking about self development and setting goals? I think it's a fantastic topic.
I don't remember if anyone ever shared this vital point on the net. Before this I just get it from my snooker coach. He kept asking me to push my shoulder joint inside. Although sometimes painful and awkward posture in the beginning, it has HUGE HUGE impact on straight cueing. You can easily see how your long shots improves if you perform this and center striking correctly! If you do this correctly even you can pot the ball with closed eyes. MUCH APPRECIATED dear STEVE for sharing such lessons!
great tip for starters, although some pros dont really do it that way (eg Williams). If you get the cue to go strait then it certainly doesn t harm and may help consistency. Thanks.
Ahhh the twist, always reminds me of a sixties song. I remember that hurted in my legs and back for a while, probably should look into that again because i don't think i'm still doing it.
Thanks this really helped get my arm straight finally. I was really struggling with the twisting at first and feeling very uncomfortable and scrunched up. But then after looking at myself from the side view, I noticed I had my chin way too far forward on the cue which was causing me to lean forward a lot and my arm to not be straight from the side. After adjusting it back significantly I felt way more comfortable and found it even easier to twist without strain.
excellent video, nice and informative. would you mind making a video on learning to play with your opposite hand? it's a skill I'd let to get a lot better at to avoid using the rest as much as possible, and I think you'll raise a few handy points I haven't seen mentioned yet.
Hey Steve, yet another interesting information. Thank you. Could you guide us more on the importance of confidence during the shot and what should be going on in the mind when we are on the shot. Why do players sip water during the match? Plz explain the grip, if it should be on the fingers or it should be on the palm grabbed by fingers? And while delivering the shot is there a slight squeeze or just a flow of the grip? And please explain the timing in detail. And techniques to be more reliable during the game getting back the concentration and consistency after every shot. Thank you so much for your help and keep making awesome videos for the players of the green blaze. Thank you.
If you look through the videos on this channel, you will find that all of those questions are answered. With the possible exception of why people sip water. Not all players do. Bill Werbeniuk and Alex Higgins were allergic to water, so they drank other things.
@@jasonparker6138 yes ofcourse Mr. Parker I do agree with you and I have gone through all the videos on the platform, but the way Mr. Steve explains things it's highly motivating and the miner changes that he defines helps to execute better. My intention is not to offend or demand a video. It was just a kind request to Mr. Steve. Because it is very exciting when I get a pop up notification about his new video arrival. I have gone through all his videos in the past and follow his training. But when he says the same things again in a fresh video it is refreshing the memory and motivating. To put an extra effort to improve the game.
Hi Barton, this is a great point but just a quick one on this. If you only rotate your shoulders your cueing elbow will also come inwards, shifting the elbow away from that vertical position (elbow will point to the left for a right handed player) would you also adjust this? Any fix on how to do that without altering that elbow? Many thanks and keep up the great content!
Good video Steve ,my right elbow sticks out to the side ,like Ray Reardon ,broke my arm and it was never straight after that ,but I keep the cue straight and in-line and it’s not a hinderance .
I think that that particular fault with players (including myself) is very common and it's another example of how thorough your teaching methods have helped to improve everyone who is struggling to gain an insight into how the modern player should approach and refine their game by taking it to the next level. Can't thank you enough for your invaluable insight and patience in delivering the best snooker tutorials to be found anywhere on the internet. Hat off to you sir! Alex
Good video Barton, you are my best coach on the internet. But some questions: 1. I don't feel strange to do it but I don't know HOW MUCH TWIST I should do, not everyone is able to put a camera or mirror in front of him or ask somebody to correct him. Is there a method to do a self-check? 2. I naturally have chicken-wing when playing, but that is very natural for me and my cueing is straight most of time when I let the chicken wing happen. Of course if I corrected the chicken wing to make my shoulder align to the cue I play the game better, but I always did it hard and did it extreme intentionally even let my shoulder become an reversed chicken wing to get a better result, because I have no way to remember or measure whether my shoulder is in correct position everytime. 3. My vision center is in the bottom of my left-eye, does it affect the whole stance or I need to make some slight modifications to fit the vision center?
Belive me , Iam allways ask how ican sure about the shoulder , your explaining is very useful , and make big changing ,, very useful , thank you very much coach ,
I notice that even when pros like Ronnie and Judd playing with opposite hand, they might also have shoulders going out. The perfect alignment really takes time. Thank you Steve for answering this FAQ ❤
Good video and explanation. Do you have any advice if your elbow goes too far the other way? E.g. tucks towards your body. I try to force my elbow out so it is inline with the cue but feels far too forced.
Interesting.. I will have a go at this this weekend. I wonder why this never came to my mind before. Actually whenever I do up and down the spots I have noticed that my CB always and I mean always comes back with a trace of left hand side and never right hand side which means I ma imparting a trace of left hand side to the shots. Now I ma a lefty and imparting left hand side ... to remove this glitch I have been changing my stance, hip adjustment loosening the grip increasing follow through by a margin ... nothing ever worked. I know this is happening because I am bringing my cue inside on delivery meaning I am bringing it a bit to the inside upon delivery so the butt is moving to the right hand side hence imparting left hand side on CB... Now then I have a clue here that maybe this could disallow that free movement and perhaps I could cue straight ?????? Something to work on ... thanks mate lovely tip very good video... two thumbs up coach !!! love ya for this
I’ve been playing pool competitively for four years now and I believe if you switch to a snooker stance versus a pool stance, you will see a tremendous amount of improvement in your cue action, potting success, and consistency
If you change your stance so left leg is further forward, ahead of the right, then the shoulders will automatically do this, reducing the need to twist the shoulders
as i put my bridge arm on table the cue goes offline, the cue butt goes towards bridge arm, i tried to slide through my bridge arm on table but still cue goes offline. do you touch the bridge arm to table first or first you put the chin and chest on cue then the bridge arm , the birdge hand ofcourse has to be first but im talking about bridge arm thank you
Coach, I shall be greatly obliged if you could please help me out. I used to be very comfortable in my stance with my side of chest facing away from line of the aim nicely and the cue brushing back and forth. I could send the cue ball where I aim and it used to be so satisfying when the cue ball nestles nicely in the intended area. My best break in snooker was 69 and 75 in billiards and usually small breaks regularly. I had also won a few club level matches. I suffered a break of ten years when I could not play et-al and again three years during the corona. Now my stance is most awkward and my shot alignment is all wrong. Though I try to bring the cue on the line of aim which is so clear to me standing up, when I drop down my head on to the shot, the drop is not vertical and goes down at an angle and even every shot is an agony coz I know that I am not on the lime of the shot. and cue is off line When I pause at the back, my arm shivers. I am on verge of gifting my cue and pack up. Any suggestion for a person pushing seventy two years but in love with this wonderful discipline I am addicted to.
Hmmm. I just realized I don't think my leg is straight/knee locked in when I shoot. I think I bend my knee probably about 20 degrees. This could potentially allow your body to sway ever so slightly without you even noticing. Would I be correct to assume this? I don't think I have ever heard anyone speak of this.
it really helpfull...can u plz help me how to increase my cue power with accurate pot..couple of hour ago to try to hit the top ball with full power i only manage to touch the 3 cusion...1st n 2nd cusion it touch nicely but the 3rd cusion its touched slowly..how to increase my cue power
Yes it should. The elbow drops slightly so that the cue remains flat on the backswing. Search "Barton snooker cue action". I talk about it in detail on those videos 👍
@@meeemalef5849 just depends how long your feathers are. If you do long feathers then yes, if short, then no. Mark Williams does very short feathers to feel the shot, so he won't drop the elbow. Kyren Wilson does long feathers, do his elbow will drop even on the feathers. Remember to do everything for a reason, not just because someone said to do it
Hi Steve! A little off topic here and a bit panicky - I noticed the shaft of my cue started feeling super rough like a piece of plank sliding through my bridge. am i supposed to be using some kind of oil to restore the smoothness ? Please advise.
I generally look like the 'before' in this video. small problem for me is when trying to do the correct one it makes my knee sore because my locked out right knee twists a bit when I do the chest rotation which is annoying (i'm not old also). also I can't quite figure out the movement to get my right shoulder behind my head perfectly, just got to turn my shoulders more I guess
It doesn't have to be perfect. As long as you are close it's fine. You'd rather be comfortable than have it perfect and then feel like you're folded up like a pretzel 😅
@@BartonSnooker thanks for your reply. I found I can get into the better position with my right shoulder if I let my right foot point off to the right (instead of pointing straight down my target line). do you think that's a worthwhile trade?
Shame you don't live in the land of OZ. Very difficult to find any personal coaching here. That being said though, i find your online stuff really useful.
Some days I’m making 20-40 breaks, other days I can’t feather straight. Very frustrating, I filmed myself and my elbow protrudes outward looks downright uncomfortable. Going to try and get it sorted.
My alignment looks good now, only bad thing is I am missing pots. It’s my sighting. That tiny adjustment has made me see the ball more face on now. So frustrating but playing well in patches and got a 50 break.
Is there any strong evidence that chest touch really helps? I think it prevents smoothness and how freely you can move the cue and some coaches seem to suggest the same. Do you think touching cue with chest has helped your game any significantly? What about professionals?
It doesn't need to be perfect. As long you are rotating a bit and most importantly you FEEL COMFORTABLE, that's all that matters. Not all part of technique need to be absolutely perfect.
The twist is worth a try - whatever helps others deliver the ball is definitely worth a look. I do believe though, that a perfectly straight cue action is not really necessary, even to get to a super elite pro level. You could argue that straight cueing is a nice standard to strive for and teach, but eg. Ronnie has a lot of flexibility and variation in the way he hits the ball, he's a monster talent, and both Ronnie and Judd's cue actions are neither perfectly straight - but they are elegant, and they can repeat difficult shots with high accuracy. There are a lot of other top pros both historical and present, Jimmy White or Alex Higgins eg. each with their unique way to swing the cue to the ball with timing and feel, but despite all the differences, on contact they all hit the white sweet as a nut and send it off perfect regardless. That's hard to teach, maybe even impossible - like trying to teach someone who plays music to be more expressive or musical. They have to discover control through practice, and the shape of what's already inside, and for some there's just more in there than others.
Man this is the lazy issue I have. Takes about half a frame for me to realise this lazy attitude I'm taking in to the shot. As soon as I put the effort in the 50 plus breaks start to flow nicely.
