Screw back-cant do it at all!!

[monkey]

Well im really struggling to screw back the cueball on shots. Im doing everything ive read youshould do, following through, hitting as low as poss on the ball, everything. But i just cant, sometimes i comes back a few inches but thats it. Ive even imagined that the white ball aint there but it still dosent help. Anyone help me out?

[brendan147]

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ad.php?t=21723

Same thread @ the above link. Plenty of advices there. Hope this helps. Cheers.

[Lux]

When I was practising and was frustrated at my backscrew, I discovered that, on that last moments of the stroke, my cue was deflecting slightly off-target and striking towards centre of the cue ball. Even if you tried to force screw with more power, you will get little more than a 5cm stun if this is case. I think the major points that most people have been advising are constant acceleration throughout the entire stroke, even after contact; and maintain a straight stroke, avoid dipping butt at the end of the stroke. The dipping part could be what's making you strike higher than you intend when you follow through.

[mihnea]

Try to record yourself when you try to screwback, and I can tell you what is the problem. (of course Terry could give you better advices, but Im 100% sure you actualy make the feathers low and hit the cue ball much higher).
The only thing you have to do is to deliver the cue straight from the final backswing to the follow through.

[Billy_udd]

Silly question, should matter 2 much but what cue are u using ?

[Geoff]

Try holding the cue with a very light grip,this will free up your wrist and cue arm.It works for me,I am sure it will work for you.

[Terry Davidson]

monkey:

If you are doing all that you say you do, then you should be screwing back consistently. Obviously, you cannot be doing what you say.

Therefoe, the only way to find out what's going wrong is to either video yourself or else go to a coach or even have a knowledgeable player have a look and see what your doing.

My suspicion would be the most common problem, that is the grip is too tight (a lot of beginning players feel they must grip the cue tighter to get screw or more power, and just the opposite is true). This too tight grip means you are not driving the cue through level and are pushing down on the butt and then the tip will lift due to the fulcrum on the 'V' of your bridge.

So, as has been said here...you may be feathering to the bottom of the cueball and you may think you're hitting the bottom of the cueball, but you can not possibly be hitting the bottom of the cueball.

Even with one lousy inch of follow-through, if you hit the bottom of the cueball with medium pace from let's say 2ft away from the object ball, the cueball will come back at least one foot or more depending on the speed of the cloth.

The correct answer is you are NOT hitting the bottom of the cueball

Terry

[snookerfan91]

1) Place a white ball directly straight inline with the blue ball
2) Hit below the centre with a nice steady grip and follow through
3) Keep practicing, your white ball should be potting into the middle centre pocket.

Kerching!

[RGCirencester]

Not a very good excercise because you have to get quickly out of the way to stop the white hitting your bridge, where you should be staying down and observing what happens on the shot.

Far better is to set the same shot with a small angle and try to screw back and make the white land on the side cushion

[sbsnooker]

its not power i can screw back the lenght of the table by holding the cue with the tips of two fingers. and just letting the weight of the cue do the work and its not about hitting low its about hitting through the white ball by getting the feeling of the cue tip staying with the white ball as long as you can.any where below center keeping the cue level not putting the tip to the bottom of the ball and lifting the back of the cue up this is wrong. keep the cue level with the table and just feel the weight of the cue go right through with the tip on the white ball as long as you can try this and get the feeling of staying with the white ball . and remember its not about power its about timing hope this helps you .remember hold the cue nice and loose not thight keep the tension out of your arm you have to be relaxed and push the cue through

[RGCirencester]

its not power i can screw back the lenght of the table by holding the cue with the tips of two fingers. and just letting the weight of the cue do the work and its not about hitting low its about hitting through the white ball by getting the feeling of the cue tip staying with the white ball as long as you can.any where below center keeping the cue level not putting the tip to the bottom of the ball and lifting the back of the cue up this is wrong. keep the cue level with the table and just feel the weight of the cue go right through with the tip on the white ball as long as you can try this and get the feeling of staying with the white ball . and remember its not about power its about timing hope this helps you .remember hold the cue nice and loose not thight keep the tension out of your arm you have to be relaxed and push the cue through

Thats a trick nic barrow showed me and its quite amazing how much action you can get on the ball when you literally have no control over the cue because of how you are holding it.

[DandyA]

two fingers?

finger and thumb I guess you mean ... still amazingly impressive ...

[RGCirencester]

Think about making an "O" with index finger and thumb; so the fingertips touching to make an "O". Then imagine your holding the cue between your finger and thumb. So basically you hav no control over the cue whatsoever. The only thing you can do is swing it backwards and forewards and let the weight of teh cue do the work.

Now set a pot up just off straight so the white does not come back near you, and strike the white right at the bottom in this way. You'll find even people that have never managed any backspin in their lives can screw back half the length of the table. Simply because you cannot grip the cue too tight etc.

Its an excercise to teach the feeling you are looking for as you go through the cue ball.

Hope I explained that OK, its one of those things thats much easier to demonstrate in person.

[Lux]

Thats a trick nic barrow showed me and its quite amazing how much action you can get on the ball when you literally have no control over the cue because of how you are holding it.

As far as I know, only Mark Allen uses that grip religiously -- almost like holding a tea cup. Most on-tour players seem to use a milder variation of it, but keeping most of the fingers in contact with the cue. (see John Higgins)

[RGCirencester]

No this is just for practice not for playing with! You literally have no control over the cue so it is not a good grip to use lol. However it is useful to remind you of the feeling you are looking to achieve.