The Rest

[Particle Physics]

Has anyone got any tips about using the rest they'd like to share please? It's not going well for me with the rest, it's more of a stab along the line of shot, than getting any real action on the white with success and making the pot. Are there any video guides out there on the net?

[FOXMULDER]

are you dropping your elbow? keep it level/parallel with your cue

[Particle Physics]

And what about the forearm angle to the cue, 90 degrees at strike?

[tomw]

I'm a tall guy, but still a very good rest player.
My tips:
- don't try to do too much with the cueball
- be sure you hit the cueball 100% in the middle
- don't make your backswing too long
- keep your body absolutely still
- search for a stance that keeps your body balanced throughout the whole shot (for me, that's a whole different stance from the "normal" one, I put my other leg backwards)
- don't play (too) hard, your cue will go off line almost every time!
- keep your swing fluent, don't "stab" the cueball
- make sure you follow through the cueball, and try to do it perfectly straight
- if you're a fast player, play (much) slower than on normal shots

If I forgot anything important, I'm sure Terry or someone else will complete my list ;-)

[tomw]

I forgot two tips:
- always use the "low" side of the X, even for topspin shots
- keep the cue as horizontal as possible; this said: don't make the bridge too long (to keep the cue as horizontal as possible, the bridge should be longer for screw shots than for topspin shots but don't exagerate this!)

[pottr]

The easiest tips I could offer anyone wanting to improve their rest game would be:

1 - Approach each rest shot the same
2 - Keep your head still

[NorthWestJunior]

A little bit cliche but practice. Play various shots over and over and just get used to the rest. Combined with what people have said above you will improve with it. I'm well above 6ft so I don't use the rest much and as a consequence I sucked with it. So I just practiced the full range of shots with it and I've improved considerably. I still cue across the white occasionally but nowhere near as much as I used to.

[Terry Davidson]

particle:

Tomw has it right. All I would add is remember to keep your eyes on the object ball as many players when using the rest will focus on the cueball. The grip should be firm but not tight, the same pressure as a normal grip but of course upside down basically, using the thumb and forefinger as the primary hold on the butt of the cue.

Try and keep the forearm as level as possible to the table and keep the delivery as level as possible too. Don't be ambitious with the rest and don't shoot hard.

Terry

[nrage]

Has anyone got any tips about using the rest they'd like to share please? It's not going well for me with the rest, it's more of a stab along the line of shot, than getting any real action on the white with success and making the pot. Are there any video guides out there on the net?

Snooker Pro Tips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9TEtwtlU_o&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Noftv_ZMteg&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bThycJjWRU&feature=plcp

Sign up to free membership for thesnookergym:
http://www.thesnookergym.com/

Then go to "Beat your highest break", "login to members area", login with your details. Click "red level", "technique", "step A", 3rd video "DVD001CH13L.flv" and Nic will give some pointers on rest play which I've found very useful.

Essentially here is what I (should) do

Stand directly behind the line of aim, place the rest low side up on the line of aim the same distance from the white as I would place my bridge, or a little shorter (7-11 inches).

Place my cue on the rest with tip as close as I can get to the white without fouling it, and my other hand on top of the rest shaft.

Drop straight down so that my rest arm elbow lies on the table and bring my cueing arm up so that it is bent approx 90 degrees with the elbow out to the side at a comfortable height. The cue should be on a fairly low angle/plane and my chin should be directly behind the butt of the cue along that same plane.

From here I feather, pulling the cue directly back toward the chin. When feathering I concentrate on keeping my whole body still, the only moving parts should be the forearm and elbow, the shoulder and upper arm should be able to remain still. If you find the upper arm and shoulder are moving, then shift your body forward so you're starting with a more bent arm position - tip to the white. I feather long as is comfortable on rest shots to really get the feeling of the cue moving straight back and forward.

I pause at the front confirming my line of aim, cue in center of the white, and as close as possible. Then I pull back slowly, have a very minor pause, and deliver. The delivery should be as smooth as possible, and you should concentrate on just pushing the cue right through the white as straight as you can. It starts just like the feathers, forearm and elbow moving, everything else still up until the cue strikes the white, at this point the upper arm and shoulder have to get involved to drive the cue right through the white.

The idea is to be completely still on the shot, until you strike the white, same as with any other stroke. When it all works it feels very controlled and smooth, when it goes wrong it's usually my shoulder getting involved too soon and pushing the cue across the line. I am not consistent yet, but with this technique I can even manage some screw back and can usually manage stun over reasonable distances.

[Particle Physics]

I just did a bit of practice on the pool table, and found everything you say Nrage, to be spot on. Cheers chap. I found that 8" is a good gap to the cue ball from the rest bridge, with a gap of 10-12 inches to the chin being good, leaving enough open room for the right hand to cue. My elbow is just below horizontal and the 90 degree angle between forearm to cue is good too. I'm cueing over my opposite foot, as another player here recommended, and that seems to produce a straight aim. The principles of good cueing carry over to the rest, so a few feathers, pause and engage is spot on. Getting through the white appears essential, to get action on the white. No movement is critical. I'll check the links later, once I have some time.

Thanks for all the tips guys, and have a great weekend. I hope you have some big breaks and smash the opposition!

[Particle Physics]

I just did a bit of practice on the pool table, and found everything you say Nrage, to be spot on. Cheers chap. I found that 8" is a good gap to the cue ball from the rest bridge, with a gap of 10-12 inches to the chin being good, leaving enough open room for the right hand to cue. My elbow is just below horizontal and the 90 degree angle between forearm to cue is good too. I'm cueing over my opposite foot, as another player here recommended, and that seems to produce a straight aim. The principles of good cueing carry over to the rest, so a few feathers, pause and engage is spot on. Getting through the white appears essential, to get action on the white. No movement is critical. I'll check the links later, once I have some time.

Thanks for all the tips guys, and have a great weekend. I hope you have some big breaks and smash the opposition!

[Particle Physics]

Played on the snooker table yesterday and today. Yesterday, I potted some shots with the rest, and it felt so solid as a result of putting the tips on this thread into practice. Today, I even screwed back a foot or so with the rest so I was really pleased. It can be the difference between continuing a break or messing one up. Today, I played a long red and a long blue in succession with the rest and made a nice little break. If I'd played the shot wrongly as before with the rest, or over-reached instead of taking the rest, the break would have been over. So a big thankyou to everyone on this thread again for your wise advice.