Dartfish Video Analysis - Shot Approach

[Nic Barrow]

This 8 minute clip gives you an idea of what pros do when they approach the shot...
http://www.dartfish.tv/Presenter.asp...c34331m1144035

Let me know if you have any questions or comments...

To find out more about using
Dartfish Video Analysis Software for Billiards & Snooker:
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Dartfish Video Analysis of your own game:
http://www.thesnookergym.com/snooker-lessons.php

[armstm]

all your videos are terrific - really the best analysis on the market imho...i like the scientific way you look at players...

of course translating this into ones own cue action is more difficult and one can end up paralysed by information overload! (did i move my head from side to side, did my cue move first!) but i see this as growing pains towards the perfect cue action

[nrage]

Excellent video... did you see the recent walk in threads on the forum? .. Is this a response to that? In any case, brilliant to see.

[mcwinch59]

I like thank you

[Giggity1984]

I can't say I'm 100percent convinced. After watching this, I went on YouTube to look at the pros. The majority step into the shot long before the head moves. The only exception I could find is Stephen Maguire. I will re watch to make sure I understood the video correctly. However, this feels a bit like overkill and worrying about something needlessly.

[armstm]

i'd be interested as to wot % of pots are missed due to

a) head moving off the line of aim on the way down

b) bridge hand not getting on the line of aim early enough ie you're down to the baize - and suddenly u realise your cue isn't pointing at the cue ball - so u move the cue without realising. b) is responsible for a lot of overcuts imho - e.g. on simple blacks. (i'm right handed, my bridge hand will on some shots be over to the left as i'm getting down, there's a subconscious adjustment which moves the cue off)

c) once down on the shot not cueing straight (e.g. tightening the grip hand too early)

i've suspected for sometime that for me a) and b) are the major culprits and that's why i found it fascinating to actually see nic's pupil doing this...

i tried the head down (and focus on wot ur head is doing, ie keep it straight on the line of aim) and allied to this moving cue early in the movement down - and found that concentrating on this means your bridge hand naturally moves smoothly onto the line of aim.


the one major exception to this is when i'm screwing a shot i'm not comfortable with (e.g. pink into the middle, screw back for the black) - i get way higher % when playing this plain ball - therefore a) or b) are not the culprits...

[magicman]

Really interesting Nic, thanks. I particularly like the falling into the line of aim rather than stepping in. Can't wait to try that out!

I also caught the session you did with Popplewell and that goes some-way to explain the good results I've seen him have early in 2012!

[Terry Davidson]

As a coach I cannot over-emphasize the importance of bringing the head straight down on the line of aim (keeping the nose on the line of aim). You are supposed to choose your line of aim whilst standing behind the shot as that's where you get the best perspective. Dropping straight down into the shot keeps you on your chosen line of aim, which is almost always correct for most players, by the way.

Coming in from the side, even just a little bit, means you must re-acquire the correct line of aim when you are down on the table where you don't get as good a picture of the line of aim. I've never noticed any pros coming in from the side, but I don't doubt some of them do and my recommendation to them would be to correct that and keep the nose on the line of aim and look at the object ball as they get down. I think that would improve their potting, especially long pots

Terry

[alabadi]

As a coach I cannot over-emphasize the importance of bringing the head straight down on the line of aim

.

Hi Terry

I have introduced this into my game now, i can't comment if it has made a huge or significant difference in my potting yet because i have only had two or three practice sessions and i am still getting use to it. however, i have noticed that it does help me with spotting the correct contact point on the OB more often and i can tell more easily if i am lined up or not.

(keeping the nose on the line of aim).

I have trouble with this, i realise that dropping straight down would probably keep everything on line,providing the correct aiming line was selected to start with. my issue is with the line itself and whether we are really have to be spot on.

let me explain
i was practicing some long pots yesterday, which i struggle with, probably age related ...lol.
on this particular shot which the OB was three quarters up the table 4 inches off the cussion, the cueball on the baulk line again 4 inches off the cussion so the shot is directly in line, i was trying to pot into the black pocket, the shot is more than three quarter ball so its almost a straight shot but not quite, i probably got 3 or 4 out of ten at best.

even though i potted a few on one occasion 3 in a row once, however the difference is so small that even a mm out would miss the shot. so lining up the nose as mentioned with the shot would be very difficult for me to detect if i was 1mm out. i lined up every shot the same.

How can one tell if they are off the line when the margins are so small? i mean just a small tilt of the head and the cue could rest on the chin a mm to the left or right and we wouldn't know or be unable to detect it.

cheers

Alabbadi

[Gerry Armstrong]

.

Hi Terry

I have introduced this into my game now, i can't comment if it has made a huge or significant difference in my potting yet because i have only had two or three practice sessions and i am still getting use to it. however, i have noticed that it does help me with spotting the correct contact point on the OB more often and i can tell more easily if i am lined up or not.



I have trouble with this, i realise that dropping straight down would probably keep everything on line,providing the correct aiming line was selected to start with. my issue is with the line itself and whether we are really have to be spot on.

let me explain
i was practicing some long pots yesterday, which i struggle with, probably age related ...lol.
on this particular shot which the OB was three quarters up the table 4 inches off the cussion, the cueball on the baulk line again 4 inches off the cussion so the shot is directly in line, i was trying to pot into the black pocket, the shot is more than three quarter ball so its almost a straight shot but not quite, i probably got 3 or 4 out of ten at best.

even though i potted a few on one occasion 3 in a row once, however the difference is so small that even a mm out would miss the shot. so lining up the nose as mentioned with the shot would be very difficult for me to detect if i was 1mm out. i lined up every shot the same.

How can one tell if they are off the line when the margins are so small? i mean just a small tilt of the head and the cue could rest on the chin a mm to the left or right and we wouldn't know or be unable to detect it.

cheers

Alabbadi

If you're only getting 3 or 4 out of 10 on a shot like that, it's almost certainly becasue you're not delivering the cue straight.

[alabadi]

If you're only getting 3 or 4 out of 10 on a shot like that, it's almost certainly becasue you're not delivering the cue straight.

it was my first time of practicing this shot, so i will leave the analysis until i have tried it a few times, if no improvements are made then i will have to check my technique rather than blaiming my aiming

Alabbadi

[Gerry Armstrong]

it was my first time of practicing this shot, so i will leave the analysis until i have tried it a few times, if no improvements are made then i will have to check my technique rather than blaiming my aiming

Alabbadi

How many times out of 10 do you pot a similar length shot if you make it dead straight i.e. no angle to worry about?

[alabadi]

How many times out of 10 do you pot a similar length shot if you make it dead straight i.e. no angle to worry about?

around 6-7/10

[Gerry Armstrong]

around 6-7/10

Keep working on the straight shot until it's consistently 9 out of 10.

A wee tip for the angled shot - don't be afraid to "cheat" i.e. make chalk marks on the cloth to put all the balls in exactly the same place each time and another chalk mark at the back of the object ball so you know exactly where to aim for each time. Then just concentrate on pushing the cue through and see what happens.

[Terry Davidson]

alabadi:

I'm not sure just what you expect to achieve or what your expectations are. As I understand it you are attempting to pot a 10ft or so shot to a closed pocket and are COMPLAINING?? because you are only getting 4 out of 10!

Keeping the nose on line simply means keep the eyes and head on the line of aim as you fall down into the shot but most people relate easier to the nose reference.

Gerry probably has it correct. In trying this shot a player must be absolutely certain he is delivering the cue straight 100% of the time and not even the pros can do that. They are just a bit more consistent than the rest of us. Whenever a pro misses a shot the cause is that he hasn't delivered the cue straight.

Remember, potting to a closed pocket from near the cushion only gives about 1/8th" room for error as there isn't a pocket opening from that angle that is anywhere near one ball width and the shot must be potted off the far jaw, missing the near jaw by 1/8" or less and at speed on a templated table these shot are almost impossible and likely wouldn't be a 70% shot for the best players.

If you want to know if you deliver the cue straight all the time then do long blues where you are potting both balls into the same top pocket. If you can take all 21 object balls and pot 21 blues and cueballs into that top pocket then I would say you are cueing consistently straight. Steve Davis in his PRIME said he struggled to make 10 in a row and said if you did make 10 in a row your cue action was as good or better than his.

Terry