no improvement

[ccfook2123]

i have been playing so hard
but it seems no improvement

something is wrong with my technique i guess
and i need some guidance to clear off my doubt

so my questions

1)how do i know if i'm doing correctly and how do i know if i'm wrong?

2)chin on cue- if you are using dirty club cue, will your chin have the chalk mark? when you do feathering, is the cue brushing your chin? brushing very hard? because i often few some pain on my chin after i play for 1 hour

3) chest- same question with the chin on cue, the cue is brushing the chest hard?or just slightly, i often have chalk mark on my chest too, because the cue and table too dirty

4) stance- how do i know if im in the line? my leg few pain if im playing too long or if i too concern about my stance, if i just playing normal game, then no feel pain, feel pain when i practice alone, something is wrong i know, but whats wrong?

[CoachGavin]

To me it sounds like your body is straining a lot and surely that is not a good thing. Chin should just brush cue lightly and so should the chest. If its too hard it will impede straight cueing. If you are right handed the foot of your right leg should be on the line of aim. If you are cueing straight you should be able to play up and down the spots. You should also be confident of potting a long straight blue into the corner and following the white into the pocket. i hope that helps.

[nrage]

i have been playing so hard
but it seems no improvement

something is wrong with my technique i guess
and i need some guidance to clear off my doubt

so my questions

1)how do i know if i'm doing correctly and how do i know if i'm wrong?

Your best option is to get some coaching, even one session should clear away some doubt and highlight areas where you can improve. This will give you something to focus on, the right things to focus on.

Potting long blues is the best test IMO. Start by playing them gently, the object ball should go quietly into the pocket, it should not hit the back of the pocket with speed. The reason to play slower is that you're less likely to introduce body movement and in-accuracy and you have more time to really see where the white strikes the blue, and where the blue goes. Start with the white 2 feet behind the blue, to make it easier to strike the correct spot on the object ball, and gradually get farther and farther away. The farther away you are, the greater the effect of even a small amount of left or right hand side spin.

2)chin on cue- if you are using dirty club cue, will your chin have the chalk mark? when you do feathering, is the cue brushing your chin? brushing very hard? because i often few some pain on my chin after i play for 1 hour

As CoachGavin said, it's very light/gentle. Too hard and it will rub, slowing the cue and causing pain.

3) chest- same question with the chin on cue, the cue is brushing the chest hard?or just slightly, i often have chalk mark on my chest too, because the cue and table too dirty

As above. You do not want the chest applying pressure on the cue, or it will force the cue off line.

4) stance- how do i know if im in the line? my leg few pain if im playing too long or if i too concern about my stance, if i just playing normal game, then no feel pain, feel pain when i practice alone, something is wrong i know, but whats wrong?

(Thanks to Terry Davidson for this one) Hold your cue in the normal grip position, in the normal hand. Place it on the table in the address position, tip nearly touching the white, on the line of the shot, but do not get down on the shot. Place a coin or other small object on the floor, directly below your grip hand. This is where you want to place your back (right?) foot.

.. I used a 2nd cue to find the spot on the floor. I stood the 2nd cue up vertically and lined it up with my grip hand, where it stood on the floor was where I put the coin.

When you walk into the shot, place you back (right?) foot on this coin/spot. Your foot does not need to be pointing down the line of the shot, it might be pointing outwards, but place the same part of the foot (toe, ball, heel) on the spot each time, and experiment with what gets the best results and feels comfortable, then just stick with it until it's consistent.

[damienlch]

... my leg few pain if im playing too long or if i too concern about my stance, if i just playing normal game, then no feel pain, feel pain when i practice alone, something is wrong i know, but whats wrong?

hi fook, which part of your leg is experiencing the pain?

and how many hours do you play before the pain sets in?

[ccfook2123]

long straight blue is almost impossible to me
i often miss this shoot when i tried, something is really wrong

i will update on this thread again after i get on a training table

most probably a few days later , now im outstation...

thanks for all the reply will get back soon

[nrage]

long straight blue is almost impossible to me
i often miss this shoot when i tried, something is really wrong

I had the same trouble, maybe 6 months back. But I believe that the following practice routine is the reason I can now pot at least 6/10 long blues from 2 ft back, and 1-2/10 long blues with the white on the baulk line, and I'm still improving slowly.

Practice with the blue (I use reds) to the side pocket.

Initially just line up a dead straight shot and pot it, center ball on the white. Get comfortable with this, make it a game, see how many you can pot out of 10, and how many you can get in a row.

Then to really test/practice straight cueing play the same shot, but with top spin. Not a lot, and not hard, just enough so that the white follows the blue, it doesn't have to reach the pocket initially tho it's better if you can pot the white as well.

The key is to take your time, and to really concentrate on the spot on the blue as you play the stroke. Really relax the hand and arm, and gently push the white into the blue, but making sure to finish with the hand on the chest (a full stroke, don't snatch/stop early).

After the stroke, stay down and watch the path of both balls. If your aim is off, or you strike with side and throw the white to the side you will either miss the pot, or pot the red into the side of the pocket. When this happens watch the white, see what path it's following and if/when it hits the cushion what path it takes off the cushion - as this is the only indication you can get with a normal cue ball as to what spin you've imparted.

I tend to use just one red and the white, pot both balls, walk round, pot both balls the other way, repeat. My record is 8 in a row, but I haven't repeated it lately as I have been concentrating on the long blues instead.

I have a training ball, which has markings on it, they show me when I accidently play with side. When I get it right, the markings stay in the center of the ball (vertically) and it almost forms a solid line of colour as it rolls. This tells me I have not imparted any side spin on the ball.

The same training ball is useful for "playing the spots". I play it with a trace of top spin and when I cue well the markings form the solid line and the white goes straight up and back.

The ball is the aramith one shown here:
http://www.saluc.com/html/billiard/index.php?idlien=17

[Freddie Ng]

Maybe you can try close distance between the cue ball and blue, then slowly increase it as your potting get consistent..

[Citrus138]

Try and stay relaxed, but still and 'planted' during your shots.
Try placing a large mirror on or near the table (if able to) to see if you can spot any defects in your stance, cueing, delivery, head movement etc. If you can't use a mirror, get a make to film you for half an hour or so playing a practise session. You'll be amazed at what you'll see in you set up, and that, hopefully, will give you some idea of what you can change or improve on.

What sort of breaks are you making in practise sessions and in game situations?
Would give us an idea of what sort of standard you are to start with.

[nrage]

Maybe you can try close distance between the cue ball and blue, then slowly increase it as your potting get consistent..

Exactly!

If you're really struggling (like I was initially) you start with blues to the middle with the blue (red) closer to the pocket, maybe 1/2 way between pocket and blue spot and the white 1ft or less behind it. Then you increase the blue/red distance till it's on the blue spot. Then you increase the white distance until you're playing them off the rail (which adds it's own difficulty).

Once you can do that, with some consistency, you move to the longer pots, blues off the spot to the corner, or even as an intermediate stage pink off the spot to the corner.

[vendetta_revived]

Maybe you can try close distance between the cue ball and blue, then slowly increase it as your potting get consistent..

I see you like Neilmaxman's videos on youtube ?

[Freddie Ng]

I see you like Neilmaxman's videos on youtube ?

Maybe.. Some of his snooker tips are very helpful to me.

[damienlch]

me too... i think it's great what he's doing... i benefitted much from his videos... :snooker:

[Terry Davidson]

ccfook & freddie:

I have just certified a Master Coach who is returning to Malaysia after being in the States for a long time.

I understand he (Jo) will be the only certified Master Coach in Malaysia and will likely be chosen to coach your national team for the Asian Games.

He intends to start a coaching program although I'm not really certain which city he is in. He is 'jorock' on here

Terry

[Freddie Ng]

Thank you so much on the info.. Terry.

That's good we've got a certified coach around. I'm just starting my sem break.
Most probably will try to book a session from him.

[ccfook2123]

i can only pot 1 or 2 out of 5 from baulk line on the blue spot

i checked, my cueing is straight, i asked the other fellow to stand in front of me check in front of me, im not putting my cue in line

im not aiming where i suppose to hit

what can i do to solve this problem? i do walk in the line

after i tried to use only right eye to aim, the problem solved, but i feel uncomfortable

any advice on this?