Swerve shot

[Blondie]

Hi guys,

..............and just got back from practise, and just wondering if any of you have any tips on playing the swerve shot? And tried bringing it in to my game more, mainly to avoid snookers, but only having 50% success rate.

I'm ok with striking the cue-ball off centre, and play left-hand spin more than right, and usually I only need to swerve say half an inch to an inch or so, but notice when I raise the back of the cue, only about 8 inches, the swerve works, but if I need more swerve on a shot, and I raise the cue higher, and sometimes add a little more side as well, more often than not I'll mis-cue. And to be honest, I'm not really sure why, lately I've been thinking it's because I'm following through to much with the cue, or playing with too much power, or even too much speed. Would any of you know at all?

To practise I usually set up the colour spots, black, pink, and blue in the centre, I also have the cue-ball positioned bottom left pocket, and the red top right pocket, the target. And play the swerve with left-hand spin, around the right-hand side of the blue. Usually ok with point of aim, but sometimes I'm much too close and end up striking the blue.

I also feel sometimes that even though I'm striking down on the cue-ball, and the back of the cue is raised, it feels as if I'm striking across it, if that makes sense. Again, not sure if this is because I'm holding the cue in the wrong position, maybe too near the end.

And if you did have any tips guys, greatly appreciated, as I value your expertise.

Lol.....xx

[dannyd0g]

Wow i wonder if the forum stats are correct for this post. 278 reads since 13.43 today, but no replies

I dont think the forum is that busy at the moment

Anyway, back to your post....

I'm certainly no expert, but got quite good at controlling swerves when i played regularly. I found it helped to play them fairly gently, usually with just about enough pace for the white to comfortably reach the object ball, plus a bit more for luck. The swerve grips much better, and is more controllable and reliable at that pace.

Also I tended to raise the butt of the cue quite high, and not be scared to follow right through on the shot. So much so that you may unavaiodably be nicking a bit of the cloth at times.

As always with these things its all about practice.

[PaulTheSoave]

Personally I am more an expert on the screw shot.

All banter set aside, in continental billiards this kind of technique is used much more often than in snooker. Its is called masse or pique. The more vertical position the cue has the more spin and rotation it will develop. In snooker most of the time you just have to bend around the obstacle ball which just needs a gentle swerve and the cue in a 30 to 45 angle. I wonder whether the quality of the cloth has some impact on playing this kind of shot. I guess on a thicker cloth it will bend less easy than on fine cloth(e)s.

[Blondie]

Wow i wonder if the forum stats are correct for this post. 278 reads since 13.43 today, but no replies

I dont think the forum is that busy at the moment

Anyway, back to your post....

I'm certainly no expert, but got quite good at controlling swerves when i played regularly. I found it helped to play them fairly gently, usually with just about enough pace for the white to comfortably reach the object ball, plus a bit more for luck. The swerve grips much better, and is more controllable and reliable at that pace.

Also I tended to raise the butt of the cue quite high, and not be scared to follow right through on the shot. So much so that you may unavaiodably be nicking a bit of the cloth at times.

As always with these things its all about practice.

Hi Dan,

...........and thanks for your reply, , greatly appreciated, and only just got a chance now to log back in.......

And as you say I think 'control' is probably a key word in explaining the technical side of the shot, and see what you mean about playing the shot fairly gently, do tend to play it a bit harder than that, and also your point on just enough pace, will try this as well in next practice as currently I play this quite quickly.

Also interested that you raise your cue quite high, and follow through, will try to raise cue to about 12 inches or so, and see how this develops too. And yes, the higher I raise my cue, the more I'm likely to nick a bit of the cloth as well, or completely mis-cue, sometimes, but not always. But will definitely give this a go.

And just thinking about it a bit more, wonder if you'd have complete control over the shot as well, if the cue was completely vertical? [Knowing me if I did that the cue would go straight through the cloth, but will give it a try anyway.] And keep practising too.

.........and thanks for all your advice Dan, a great help...

Lol...xx

[ADR147]

try to hit it at the same angle as when you are good at it but smoother and a fraction further through the ball and a fraction nearer the edge of the ball - also rough you tip up a bit first

[Blondie]

Personally I am more an expert on the screw shot.

All banter set aside, in continental billiards this kind of technique is used much more often than in snooker. Its is called masse or pique. The more vertical position the cue has the more spin and rotation it will develop. In snooker most of the time you just have to bend around the obstacle ball which just needs a gentle swerve and the cue in a 30 to 45 angle. I wonder whether the quality of the cloth has some impact on playing this kind of shot. I guess on a thicker cloth it will bend less easy than on fine cloth(e)s.

Hi Paul,

........., thanks for your reply, greatly appreciated, and must admit I don't know very much about continental billiards, but pick up your point on vertical positioning, and elevation. And mentioned to Dan earlier as well that I will try raising the back of the cue higher, and see how this develops, and play the shot more gently, with just enough pace.

Just thinking about it further, I remember watching Vincent Facquet [world champion trick shot artist] at the WC's, Crucible, this year, who seemed to always have his cue pretty much vertical when doing swerve type trick shots, or semi vertical anyway, and they were really amazing, always seemed to work, and an incredible talent.

And I also think the cloth has alot to do with being able to play the shot too, always seem to be able to get more curve/swerve on a finer cloth, but it's a bit harder to get a 'reaction' on thicker cloths, if that makes sense, and it's probably just me though.

..........and thanks for all your advice Paul, a great help, and will see also if I can find out a bit more about masse/pique as well, sounds interesting, and maybe look for some vids on youtube. Thanks again...

Lol....xx

[ADR147]

his cue tip would not be legal for you to play with!

[Sam_92]

just another tip for you. Some players hit the ball hard when they do this but it doesnt have to be hit hard for it to work, I find it for effective if i hit softer but still slightly firm. So just experiment with different weights and angles.. Good Luck!

[Blondie]

just another tip for you. Some players hit the ball hard when they do this but it doesnt have to be hit hard for it to work, I find it for effective if i hit softer but still slightly firm. So just experiment with different weights and angles.. Good Luck!

Hi Sam,

........thanks for your reply, and agree as well it is a bit of a balancing act hitting the cue-ball soft-hard, but still quite firm. Had another good practise last night, so it's coming along, and must admit playing softer, but with just enough pace does the trick too.

Lol...xx