Escaping Snookers

[davipp]

Next time you are near a pool table take note of the large buttons on the top of the rails, these assist a pool player in escaping from snookers (known as the 'Diamond System'. I have divided each rail on my full size snooker table & put 3 stickers on each, With practise when aiming anywhere on the table to one of these spots, you must use running side, you will see the cue ball go from one spot on a cushion to another and to another.
There is a mathematical way of determining the out as each spot on the rail has a value. I suggest you find a pool book which will show the 'Diamond System' in more detail. Though I probably don't use the system to it's full potential it certainly allows me to understand how to play out of snookers off more than one cushion.

[RocketRoy1983]

It is the difference between having a snooker brain or not. I dont think it is something you can be taught. Do you have anyone in your club who plays billiards? I believe this will help you immensely in your game.

[renniwevarb]

Hi... we have often seen on TV how the pros seem to be able to quickly figure out an escape route from a difficult snooker, sometimes using 3, 4 or even more cushions before the cueball comes to rest on the object ball at a perfect pace, leaving no shot on...

I can understand a one cushion escape by gauging the angle of incidence / reflection... but having to visualise an escape off multiple cushions is a mystery to me... it's mostly guesswork then hit and hope...

Are there any methods to visualise or calculate angles off multiple cushions effectively? Would appreciate some advice pls... Thx...

Hi damienlch, good topic raised here... for myself I also use the "mirror" method for 1 cushion escape coupled with visualisation of the actual cue ball travel path (based on whatever little memory/experience I have from previous escapes).

You can try extending this to 2 cushion escapes as I find that it works well for me. Instead of aiming for the "ball in the mirror", I'm actually deciding which point on the 2nd cushion to hit, coupled with the "180 degree rule" mentioned earlier in this thread and the above (visualise ball path + previous memory/experience)... but from what I have tried on the table I need some running side to make the 2 cushion escape, as somehow the final angle the cue ball comes off the 2nd cushion is always narrower than what I expect if I hit it plain ball. Not too sure why though. Maybe it's a 3D visual effect (if only you can view the table from plan view, that would surely make it easier!)

As for 3 or more cushions... I don't have any more methods! Erm just use some imagination or extension of the above methods, and hit and hope!

[damienlch]

thanks for sharing guys... i was fretting that this thread is fading...

angle off 1 cushion i can understand, although getting it correct is another thing altogether... but i find judging the angle off the 2nd cushion to be trickier... the angle tends to "throw" wider... so, what i can think of is either i'm 1. visualising incorrectly 2. applying unwanted side or 3. table not running true...

maybe i really should pick up billiards to understand the angles better... if i only know the rules (i've read it, but still don't get it and frankly, it sounds a tad boring although i have no doubt that it takes great skill to play) or find someone who plays it... or i'll imagine i'm snookered and play an indirect shot, which too sounds kind of boring as compared to practising pots and not to mention people at other tables thinking this guy's not right in his head..

[thelongbomber]

You should come to Vancouver, Canada and play one of my friends

No seriously though, I think angles, side, spin, and all the various combinations all become familiar once you have played the game long enough. I don't think about angles much anymore and only when I'm really stuck or it's a key point in the frame/match. I still miss snookers but only because I'm trying to hit the object ball in a particular way ("pro side").

If it's just a matter of hitting the object ball from a snooker without care for the results, then that's easy to do. The outcome, however, isn't always in your favor.

How I learned: play a grinder. Truthfully when I was first learning this game (about 8 years back), I played a friend who couldn't pot (and I could, thus the nickname) as well as me and would get a real kick and have a good laugh every time he snookered me because I couldn't hit object ball for some reason (probably lack of experience). Secretly, I was schemeing, planning, and reading about the game and came back to eventually start beating him at his own game.

To this day, I always pay homage to those early days of being constantly snookered and thank my friend every chance I get for the lessons he taught me.

[McNeill]

since ive been playing snooker in the past 6 months, i played several people who were amazing obviously not in comparison with proffesional snooker players. One thing i noticed is certain people have the ability to picture where the ball goes no matter what the pace or how many cushions they're are to bounce off. Not sure if that helps but in short some people just have the mind ability to do it some dont.

[damienlch]

You should come to Vancouver, Canada and play one of my friends ...

was wondering which gentleman you are referring to... but yes, i'd love to visit Vancouver one of these days; being voted the most liveable city in the world 2010 by the Economist.

...One thing i noticed is certain people have the ability to picture where the ball goes no matter what the pace or how many cushions they're are to bounce off. Not sure if that helps but in short some people just have the mind ability to do it some dont.

yeah, don't you just hate them?

[thelongbomber]

since ive been playing snooker in the past 6 months, i played several people who were amazing obviously not in comparison with proffesional snooker players. One thing i noticed is certain people have the ability to picture where the ball goes no matter what the pace or how many cushions they're are to bounce off. Not sure if that helps but in short some people just have the mind ability to do it some dont.

When I first started playing, I thought many parts of this game were like magic and unattainable. You know what? Very little is out of your reach, IF you are willing to put in the time, practice, and keep an open mind.

Those players that seem to picture where the balls go just have more experience. That's all.

After all, if you think about it, snooker is not like painting art or cutting a sculpture out of raw stone (although artists might tell you even those skills can be mastered). Generally, it's a pretty straightforward setup: 6' x 12' table with rubber cushions, some green cloth, 21 round balls, 6 pockets, and a stick. The balls roll and then they stop.

The magic comes from learning angles, knowing how to strike the cue ball, and recognizing ball patterns for making big breaks. Probably the most challenging thing you can learn in this game are the last two points: ball striking and break building. Why? Ball striking requires understanding your own body - arm, hand, etc and it's the one area you should strive to master and understand fully. Cue action and ball striking, I believe, is a never ending process of learning, and adapting, and one that invariably changes over time as you get older.

Break building is the one I used to struggle with but now realize (from actual results) that it comes down to cue ball control. I'm finding that as I improve cue action and cue delivery, I get better cue ball control because I can accurately hit the cue ball in a consistent way. Better cue ball control helps break building where pace and position are key factors in success.

Lastly, learning angles off cushions is pretty easy if you have a basic grasp of physics or a logical/engineering mind. Just get down on the practice table and send the white around to understand. Read up on snooker as well. Most books and online material give you a basic grasp of how cushions work and they resulting natural angles they provide.

So you see, it's not all that hard to learn this game.

[thelongbomber]

was wondering which gentleman you are referring to... but yes, i'd love to visit Vancouver one of these days; being voted the most liveable city in the world 2010 by the Economist.

It is a great place to live yes! The gentlemen I refer to is a good friend. Can't get a hold of him right now tho

[deant1982]

nice video, therowdyone... haven't heard that unmistakable voice in a long time... forgot how much i used to enjoy it whenever donald blows his fuse... "What's the big idea!!... then he goes unintelligible... never failed to crack me up... lol...

i know there's a complex looking "Diamond system" in american pool where players use the markings on the rail to calculate the angles but i have also read somewhere before that many pool pros themselves do not use or advocate that system...

there are practice routines for cueing, ball control, break building etc... but i have yet to come across any on escaping snookers... i guess i can always practise hitting object balls indirectly off cushions... but i wonder if there are there any drills developed specifically to improve a player's knowledge of the cushion angles or a more systematic way of gauging them...

I recently posted this one in a different thread, but it is exactly what you are looking for.
One of the drills I used when I was learning the angles, was to set the colours up on their spots. Then, put a right behind the black. (start with it on the cushion, then when you do hit it, move it just over a ball's distance away from the cushion). Hide the white behind the yellow, and try to escape the snooker. Repeat, adjusting your shot (as if you played a "foul and a miss") until you do hit the red 2 or 3 times on the trot. When you get the red tight on the black, and hit it a few times, put the white behind the green, and do it again. After green, hide behind brown, then blue etc. Do this, until you end up having with the red one side of the black, and the white the other.
When these are pretty regular hits, put the red touching the black the other side (between pink and black) and start again hidden behind the yellow, then green, then brown etc.
The only thing is, don't make any marks on the table where you played the last shot from/to, as next time you will know you need to go near to that point. Look at every shot as if it is your first attempt at it. You will learn your angles doing this, and snookers will not be as daunting!


Alternatively, start playing billiards. lol