Striking centre ball

[jonny66]

I did the spots test again today, up and down and when I strike what looks like the centre of the cue ball to me, I get a touch of right hand side on it. I can strike a touch more to the left and it comes back straight, obviously too much and it puts left on the cue ball. Anyone else get this? Do you just strike what looks a little off all the time?

[Csmith]

I did the spots test again today, up and down and when I strike what looks like the centre of the cue ball to me, I get a touch of right hand side on it. I can strike a touch more to the left and it comes back straight, obviously too much and it puts left on the cue ball. Anyone else get this? Do you just strike what looks a little off all the time?

Yup, I had a lesson at the end of last year and it seems that I cue to the right a bit. I would have sworn I was hitting centre ball. I made a slight adjustment to my stance to ensure I was coming down on the proper line (turned my right foot inwards a bit). Also had to get used to where centre ball actually was, but it didn't take too long. Still cue to right a bit sometimes, so it hasn't been the easiet of fixes.

[Mark1]

I think it's more important to walk into the shot with an emphasis on the cue being in line with the shot letting your feet walk in naturally rather than making sure your foot is in line as you step which can throw the cue out of line slightly. I found that just walking in to the shot with the emphasis always being on the cue being in line works best for me.

[ace man]

I can adjust to get over those spots perfectly within a few tries. But those are all soft or normal shots. Could even be that bits of unwanted side are lost by the time cue ball returns to baulk.
Try some genuine power shots to see how much unwanted side you get. Warning! Could make you feel terrible.
If I try power screw for example, as much as I can muster, then I get wild unwanted side, different error every time. Sometimes the cue ball misses the D completely on it's way back.

My problem is really with shots requiring big power, be it heavy screw or top. Staying still and relaxed on those is a real challenge. Now you may ask, why on Earth would you ever need such shots? Well, if you have those in your arsenal, you could create a shot to nothing which is not really there.
And who are the best long potters in the game? Well of course, those who have big cue power shots in their arsenal.

[tomwalker147]

I think the up and down the spots test gives you artificial results. The fact you aren't aiming at an object ball means you're not sighting the shot properly or as you normally would.
Why not try putting the cue ball on the brown spot and aim at the blue ball. See if you can get the blue ball to hit the black cushion and come back inline with the spots to hit the cue ball again. This is quite tough for some people but I was pleased when I tried it!

[jonny66]

Yeah, I did that hit the blue then get it to come back to hit the white one, takes ages to set it up right and you can't do it if you don't set it it up right.. Mark King's one of just putting a ball right over the middle pocket, or a corner pocket and you have to just hit it and make sure the white stops dead is basically the same but quicker to set up. I did that one with a spotted white though and half the time the white stopped dead it was spinning as well.

[itsnoteasy]

Yeah, I did that hit the blue then get it to come back to hit the white one, takes ages to set it up right and you can't do it if you don't set it it up right.. Mark King's one of just putting a ball right over the middle pocket, or a corner pocket and you have to just hit it and make sure the white stops dead is basically the same but quicker to set up. I did that one with a spotted white though and half the time the white stopped dead it was spinning as well.

Why does it take ages to set up Jonny? Blue on blue spot, white on brown spot, job done.

[tomwalker147]

Why does it take ages to set up Jonny? Blue on blue spot, white on brown spot, job done.

I was trying to work out how to phrase that exact response! Do you guys hit centre ball or do you find you are a little bit out?

[jonny66]

Why does it take ages to set up Jonny? Blue on blue spot, white on brown spot, job done.

Well, if you put it like that

It's just if the blue or white are a little touch off their spots it won't work. Plus if the table you play on has dips that the balls sit in, they may not quite be on the spots and almost definitely won't be lined up with each other. So I do this one just off the spots to the left or right, and it takes a while getting things straight.

[Shockerz]

Why not place the black on top of the cushion behind it's spot exactly in line with the spots; then place the pink on it's own spot and the white on the brown spot.

Now aim everything the pink at the dead centre of the black.

If you hit dead centre then the pink will come back and hit the white dead centre.

I fluked a couple when this was showed to me.

See how many you get out of 10 and it shows up small off centre hits.

[Byrom]

Don't worry about it most players hit either to the left or right of centre and yes that include all the pro players.

I cue all over white - I would need a sat nav to find it.

[Dynamics]

In snooker technique, what people often think they are doing is a product of something else.

Its easy to find the middle of the white and if you are correctly looking at the white and the point through it as you get down into the shot. Generally it harder to find the centre ball with some players, but left or right is very obvious if vision is normal or corrected with glasses etc.

Its more likely to be the fact that the cue is going across the shot to put side on the white. If the tip isn't in the middle (but left or right of middle) at the address position before the cue has even started the backswing or follow through, you should see it, and then get up from the shot and try and work out why you are unintentionally addressing the cue ball with side at the address positon.

If its not this then its side developed on the follow through which will be a cueing issue and not, what the original questioner appears to think it would seem, an issue just seeing the middle.

[EdwardGribble]

Likewise I don't rate that up and down the spots routine as it doesn't take into account bottom of the ball striking. For years I've been trying to unpick the awful cueing I taught myself as a kid by learning where the centre of the white ball is by lining up a straight blue into the centre pocket and seeing if my cue is going through the exact middle of the pocket leather. I've then learned to pull the cue back in a straight line. It's laborious and frustrating but it's slowly working it's way into my game but one thing I've had to relearn is the potting angles. I wish somebody would have taught me a proper technique as a kid.

Anyway, one thing I've learned along the way is that if I pull the cue back on a straight line I have a much better chance of potting the ball. Obvious really but difficult to do consistently.

Dropping the cue then through is a killer and any tightness too. I play best when I'm completely tensionless but difficult to do when under pressure...

(that was tough typing from a Blackberry)

[15yellows]

I did the spots test again today, up and down and when I strike what looks like the centre of the cue ball to me, I get a touch of right hand side on it. I can strike a touch more to the left and it comes back straight, obviously too much and it puts left on the cue ball. Anyone else get this? Do you just strike what looks a little off all the time?

Wow can't believe this, thought I had this problem
Saw my coach many times and still can't fix this

Exactly same problem , nothing to do with stance

Please share stuff that you thing might have helped you and I will update too

[TheIslandProf]

I was having a friendly game with a mate last night and got into a rut where I couldn't pot a straight ball, and I was missing long shots by a few feet. I then remembered something I saw Terry Davidson had said about 90% of cueing problems starting in the backswing. I slowed down my backswing and very deliberately made sure it was straight. After that I started knocking in some decent long balls and making some breaks. It may be a placebo (Like so many little tweaks in snooker), but it certainly seemed to help, and I didn't lose a frame after.

I haven't had a practice session doing that yet, but I used to often put some accidental right hand side on the ball when playing up and down the spots, so it'll be interesting to see if that helps reduce it.