I need positional play help

[Simon Whitehead]

Hi ive got a not bad potting game but my positional play is a hit shoddy! I try and screw the white back some times and instead of screwing back it stuns to the side or just stops dead! Ive also played against a few guys that can get abit of like an arc action on the cue ball and I wondered how this was done! Snooker is like a drug to me I cant stand not playing it and get a decent break or anything like that and I would really appreciate some advice! I dont care about winning at the minute I just want to play a hd game and get some highish breaks! At the minute its 25! I had a 69 on a three quarter size snooker table which at the time was very impressive but its nothing like playing on a full size its a completely different game!

[nrage]

This is a good video about screw shots, in particular the types of problems people have:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqqakiKbhHI

I suspect that on the shots where it does not screw back you've struck the white higher than you intend or you've decelerated the cue before or during the contact with the white.

There was another thread, very recently, about positional play:
http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...ght=positional

[Simon Whitehead]

I dont think I have the right cue action either thats why I dont get the screw back I require or the action in the cue ball id like to get

[nrage]

I dont think I have the right cue action either thats why I dont get the screw back I require or the action in the cue ball id like to get

I don't personally think I get a heck of a lot of screw and it's certainly not consistent or well controlled yet. Terry (Davidson - who posts on this forum) thought I was doing fine when I got a bit of coaching from him a couple of years back but since then I haven't worked on it, nor improved as a result.

I found the thing that really helped me learn to screw the ball (starting from just about zero ability) was to set up short pots on the blue spot to the middle pockets. You want to be a little off straight so that when you play the shot the white will screw back past your cue and you don't have to leap up to get out of the way. Leaping up is a terrible habit, and can creep in earlier and earlier and ruin your ability to strike nice and low.

So, the goal is to play the softest shot you can while getting enough screw to draw the white back to the cushion. This is a true test of where and how you are striking the ball vs how much power you are using. Anyone can get more screw with more power, the goal is more screw with less power and more control. So, you want to get good at striking the ball well first and then add power.

I found that by focusing my eyes on the spot on the white I wanted to strike was helpful, rather than looking at the object ball as I would normally. I also found using a white with markings on it, and chalking before every shot helped because sometimes I would leave a chalk mark and I could see where I was striking the ball - initially I was striking much too high on the white. You want to be 1/2-1 tip width above the cloth, tho some people can get lower than that.

If you pull the cue all the way back on all shots then do so, but concentrate on smooth acceleration to a low power shot and make sure to push/drive the cue right through the white ball. Don't slow the action until after you strike the white.

If you vary your pull back for the power of the shot, then pull back to 1/4 or 1/3rd the full distance and again concentrate on smooth acceleration to a low power and push right through the white.

Do 5-10 mins of this each time you play and you should find that you gradually improve both in cue power and consistency. Once you're getting good results try varying the distance and/or adding power but concentrate on keeping it as smooth and controlled as possible.