'Timing'? How To Generate Screw & Spin Power Like The Pros?

[Pool_Is_More_Fun]

I can get all of the types of spin but in order to get a foot or so of spin I normally seem to have to whack the ball into the pocket - not ideal! If I hit the ball lower I often tend to chip it. How do the pro's get so much screwing power from not hitting the ball that hard? I'd love to know how to do it, obviously I don't expect to manage judd trump's levels! How far is a reasonable amount to expect to screw back if you've got a straight shot? I get really frustrated when I see all of this effortless cue ball control, soft flat shots with so much swerve on them etc. How do they do it, what am I doing wrong?

[stewart31]

every shot in snooker requires you to stroke through the cue ball, rather than hit the white, same in golf, tennis, you name it,easier said than done, ive made the odd ton, and the last two days ive played like a donkey, as ive not been cueing confidently and getting the cue through the white, simple, harder to do, hope this helps

[Straight strike]

The harder you hit does not mean the more spin you generate, sometimes it's just the opposite cos you are overhitting. Try to play the shot nice and smooth. To avoid chipping, relax your fingers a bit more, do not squeeze on the butt when you deliver the cue and do not dig the tip onto the cue ball. Try to keep the cue as horizontal as possiible to the surface of the table. Hope this help.

[aussie147]

especially over distance between cue ball and object ball say 10ft for example deep screw shots are difficult for the average player to pull off. In my opinion its probably one of the most difficult shots you can play in the game when there is lots of distance between the cue ball and object ball. Its all about acceleration, timing and following through the cue ball with your cue and NOT stopping on impact with the cue ball. With regards to players like Robertson and trump etc they make it look so easy, there are a few others with great technique who can get so much reaction on the cue ball without hitting or bashing the balls hard.

[Pool_Is_More_Fun]

Thanks for the reply. I can only make under 30 but I'm pretty good at pool - snoooker's such a hard game and I need to develop real cue ball control. I can pull out some great pots a fair bit but then I'm constantly dealing with tough pots so I can't break build. Roughly how far through the ball should i be going? Could it also be to do with how close my bridge hand is to the ball? Any rough ideas on that too?

[Loose Red]

Hi mate Im not the best player in the world (high break of 36) but manage to apply a decent bit of screw when needed, as said above keep the cue horizontal. I usually try to follow through 2-2.5 ball lengths. Hope this is some help

[Pool_Is_More_Fun]

Even on shots where there is little distance between the red and cue ball I still don't generate much. I'll try experimenting with the follow through and those tips. How far down do I roughly do I want to be striking the white?

[aussie147]

experiment, as long as you dont dig down and keep the cue horizontal and cue it nicely then you can cue low down. Have a look at some videos, Jimmy white in particular when playing deep screw, exhibition shots cues the cue ball very low.

[Loose Red]

Basically as above, it depends shot by shot how much screw you need mate, all I can say is get some balls on the table and experiment, just don't forget to chalk up!!

[Straight strike]

You may be hitting too hard, or not hitting low enough on the cue ball, or not having enough follow through(should stop when your cue hand hits your chest). Sometimes you may not check it out easily, may ask some guys who play well at your snooker club for some advice. Don't just ask but play in front of them, let them point out what your problems are.

[Straight strike]

It is funny that where you aim on the cue ball isn't really the point you actually hitting. You will almost automatically raise you tip a bit to avoid miscue when you play a deep screw shot. Check it out.

[Luke Hooper]

keep the cue nice and level, and stroke through the ball rather than hitting the white...always cue through the ball...

i cant really manage a deep screw shot, i will say that it is much easier to do on a star table with the ncie clothe and also with a new clothe makes everything so much more reactive. on a club table its more difficult as the clothe is older and thicker so dont be disheartened.

its very rare youll ever need a deep screw shot so forget that, learn to crawl before you run

probably what youll find is that your holding the cue to tight, and feel you need to hit it harder to get the reaction so you tense up and just on the point of contact you raise the tip of the cue because your grip is too tight and subsequently your not cueing at the bottom of hte ball....

hope that helps

[Luke Hooper]

edit. double post.

[nrage]

I've had the same trouble you're talking about, one visit to a coach (Terry Davidson) and I was sorted, almost without him having to do/suggest anything. My problem was my grip, it was too tight. If you think about it, a tense muscle is going to inhibit/stop movement, not help it. So, a tight muscle is going to slow/stop the cue, not accelerate it.

Of course, you have to tense some muscles to start the cue moving, but the key is that the muscles involved are in your elbow, not your hand, and secondly that they impart the speed/acceleration initially but then relax and allow the cue to come to stop naturally when your grip hits your chest.

So, the basics of screwing a ball.

Set up a brown to the green or yellow pocket, whichever is more comfortable for your right/left handedness. Place the white slightly off straight, so that when you screw it back it will miss your cue, and you don't have to get up off the shot in a hurry.

1. Setup normally, bridge hand 8-12 inches from the white, make sure your bridge is as low as possible, basically just lie your hand on the table with the thumb tucked into the first finger and just squeeze it a little to raise it a tiny amount and give you a V.

2. Address the cue tip to the white, ensure you are 1/2" or less from the white at address position. Try this, push the cue forward very slowly and look at the white just in front of the cue tip. Stop when you see the white change colour, to the colour of your chalk. It happens when the tip is very close. If you can cue up at address this close, you're doing very well.

3. Feather slowly, watch the cue and make sure it's travelling back and forth on the same plane i.e. almost horizontal with no shift in angle. I have a very slight rocking action, which means I am relying on the timing of the rocking to strike the white where I intend, this is not ideal and I'm working on it.

4. Pause at the front, eyes on the contact point on the white, check the colour of the white and where the tip is striking.

5. Final back swing, slow, and pause at the rear. Eyes would normally go to the brown here, but keep them on the white for this shot.

6. Push through. Concentrate on accelerating gradually, and with no movement in the head, body, or shoulder. Do not drop the elbow too soon, this will raise the tip. You should finish the stroke with the cue at full extension, and the tip resting on the table top. Do not get up off the shot until all the balls have come to rest. Check your alignment, is the cue pointing in the right direction, did the cue tip rise up in the stroke, etc.

[Straight strike]

It gives me an impression that you should have played a stun shot instead of a screw shot as you may have wished so the cue ball did not travel backwards. If a screw shot is properly played, the cue ball will go back regardless how slow the table is, the difference will be the length of distance it travels.