My first ever practice video clips... FINALLY

[Sidd]

As a tall man you are subconsciously using a long bridge over your thumb to help you sight the shot so you don't have to get down lower than is comfortable........
Oh and you need to lose weight

As mentioned above, I went to the club and switched back to boxers and it did wonders for me last night. Do you think I am on the right path here... i.e. switching back to boxers allowed me to straighten my bridge arm ... square on giving me the tendons pain ... etc ??? with square on I had to twist a lot on the hip but with boxers again i left more in to the shot and also the cue is up against chest more.... I think so

[Sidd]

Sidd:

First of all there is nothing horribly wrong with most of your technique. WOW thats great to know.. Thanks.. I feel rather confident already. I agree with vmax that you should lose some weight if you can as that is causing some alterations in your set-up, especially in the stance area and the fact that you are not getting your back down and as flat as it should be (remember this is the 'ideal' I'm talking about. Hmmmm I have decided to loose weight for snooker since today so lets see about that. Yes it is causing me to have inconsistent stance. But then how can Lee have a square on stance and still be upright. He also is large and tall ?????????????????

When you first start to deliver the cue you change the grip hand and are gripping the cue more robustly but the worst result of this is you alter the wrist joint which brings the butt of the cue in more towards your body and you are using your wrist joint to get that wrist 'flick' for more power (which is not a totally bad thing but you're using it for most of your shots at medium pace and above and it's not necessary and in your case it's taking the butt off-line). Ahan... I will stick firmly to the full hand grip and cock my wrist out a bit and try to stick to that.

Recommended corrective action:

1. Leave everything else exactly as you have it now and practice with it and cement it into your natural technique. Will do
2. If you want a more compact cue action then lose some weight. It will also help with your stamina. Will try my best but how can Lee play on ?
3. You have to stabilize your wrist joint and get all that movement out of it. So just cueing along the baulkline using the brown spot as a cueball grip the cue as you normally do and get into the address position. Check you are using your normal grip with the back 3 fingers not exerting any grip pressure and that the BACK OF THE PALM IS TOUCHING THE BUTT. SLOWLY start your backswing and observe the tip of the cue against the baulkline to see if it's covering the baulkline at all times. Then do your rear pause and SLOWLY start your delivery but at this point do not apply any pressure AT ALL with the back 3 fingers and keep the thumb and forefinger in the same configuration they are at during the address position (this is the point where you allow your wrist to go all floppy and you turn the wrist joint so the butt comes into your body...STOP THAT!). Well understood and will FOcuS on this ... when I do the baullk line thing the cue remains on line but yes I will now look out for the twist

SLOWLY complete the delivery

(This damned thing kicked me out as I was typing too long so I lost some of what I said and I'll try and recover it as it didn't auto-save)

For the wrist thing remember to keep the thumb pointed to the floor AT ALL TIMES during the backswing and delivery. You are not doing this. To check just line up a long blue with the chevrons straight up and play a stop shot and leave the cue extended and see where the chevrons have turned to (probably about 1/8th turn). Try and eliminate this and also keep the knuckles parallel (or close to it) with the butt throughout the delivery. All right ... Will do so ... wrist cocked outward is my key

Terry

Thanks a lot coach. I will copy and past all your comments to a document I have made already for me. I will paste all your comments / posts here PMs and emails and shall have a booklet of my own truly customised for my need ... Thanks a million sire.

[Sidd]

Sidd:

PART I - the grip hand

First of all, lose the watch and wear it on your right wrist as it's loose and floppy. DONE

Secondly, I re-watched the first video where we can see the grip hand. I couldn't open these videos with Kinovea so no stop action, however I recommend you download Kinovea and take a really good frame-by-frame look at what's happening with your wrist. Downloaded and installed. Will start working on it. The first thing I noticed is watching the badge on your cue at the start of the delivery it quickly rotates around a 1/4 turn and without a doubt this takes the butt off line since the only way it can rotate is by you turning your wrist. You are doing this at the very start of the delivery when your grip changes its configuration. I noticed it too for the first time and was surprised. Wrist cock outward throughout the stroke then... Configuration changing hmmm will have to stop that. I wasnt aware really.

So I recommend you do the following:

Cue slowly along the baulkline and watch the chevrons on your shaft. I was mistaken in my first post as the badge rotates from the left side of the grip hand to the top and that means your chevrons will rotate 1/4-turn to the RIGHT. Your problem begins in the address position. Get a good wrist cock with the thumb pointed to the floor AND the knuckles of the hand (all 4 of them) parallel to the cue. This means you will have to hold the cue a little more towards the end of the fingers. Great... consider it done

In addition at address the back of the butt should be against the back of the palm (look at Ronnie for an example). As you draw the cue back, keep the thumb pointed straight down and let the cue push the back 3 fingers out of the way. Right at the start of the delivery I can see the badge rotating up or around towards the right and you must keep the thumb pointed to the floor from the start of the delivery to the finish when the hand hits your chest. Keep the grip RELAXED BUT FIRM. Yours is a little too loose in the address position. Now this is confusing for me .. has been so for some time now.. how do i do that. If you remember I posted long ago that I feel my grip is too loose and floppy ... what is your take on that ? if I keep thumb down throughout .. hold cue butt more towards the finger pads... cock it outward a bit... have back of palm touching the butt at address... would that ensure this floppy touch is removed ??? I think having a tighter grip and trying to keep it loose made me over do it and now its rather too loose and hence the hand/wrist moves as well due to that ??? am I right in this regard here ???

Practice this by cueing SLOWLY along the baulkline and keep your eyes on the chevrons. Will do so

Terry

Thanks coach

[Sidd]

Hi Sidd,

I really admire you, Sidd, a good honest video which is not in any way edited, fair play to you sir.... Thanks mate, I did not edit it in order to get a clear simple analysis so I can improve. The devil in me did tell me I missed a lot of balls so crop it out but then I thought no if I need improvement I needed you all to show me the mirror ... so.

1, GRIP, true as I have been struggling with this for quite some time. Might take a little time in tuning it in. Wrist turn yes indeed and am working on it since now.

2, AIMING, you are right I do rush that. Will do it consciously and slowly now.

3, TAKE YOUR TIME very right indeed. Watching Ron made me feel like a rocket whereas I am not even a hand granade I have determined to take my time on harder shots now.

Good luck...

Will learn these things pointed, cement them in my technique and finally play naturally indeed.

[Sidd]

Sidd:

PART II - Pre-shot routine

Now, keeping your eyes on the object ball and your head centered on the line of aim, move your right foot to where you normally place it. It helps here to bend the right leg and twist the hips to the right to keep the head online or some players lean over (to the left in your case). Then drop the head straight down on the line of aim keeping the eyes on the object ball and assume the address position. NEVER, EVER RUSH THIS PHASE (you tend to do it a little quickly but do it slower so it's easier to keep everything online). Understood.. Yes I also think I rush it a little. Got it.. Will remain slow and relaxed.

Now...STOP THE CUE IN THE ADDRESS POSITION FOR 1-2 SECONDS (I call this the 'preliminary pause) and check everything is as you want it. Then do your feathers, FRONT PAUSE in the address position and backswing, rear pause if you want one and then your delivery. DO NOT FORGET THE FRONT PAUSE BEFORE THE FINAL BACKSWING, this is very important. I do have both the front pause and back. Will have it done more pronounced now.

I couldn't see your eye rhythm but you seem to rush the shot a little bit and this could be because you're leaving the eye switch to the object ball too late and too close to the strike on the cueball and this will cause a rushed delivery. Understood. Although I do the switch lock on OB at front pause but at times I do that at the very last moment and yes indeed rush the shot... Will remain careful now to keep the eyes locked on front pause...

Terry

Got it sir.

[Sidd]

Sidd:

PART III - repeat of wrist action

I managed to download the first video and then watch the first couple of shots frame-by-frame. You will have to do the same as it is very easy to see what is happening with your wrist by watching your wristwatch.

In these shots the cue badge starts out at address at the 12 o'clock position, then at the end of the backswing at about 2 o'clock, then during the delivery it moves over to about 10 o'clock. THIS MOVEMENT WAS HAPPENING BEFORE YOU EVEN HIT THE ADDRESS POSITION. This means you are turning the wrist during the delivery and well before the strike.

Terry

I have got the software will see frame-by-frame today. Yes I noticed already the butt rotation and got surprised as I wasnt aware of that. correcting this alone might help me a lot. Will try to correct it, first thing.

[Sidd]

Sidd:

PART IV - a little extra

Try this just along the baulkline with no balls. When you get down into the address position I would like you to try pushing your RIGHT ELBOW out into the table a bit and parallel to the line of the shot. You can accomplish this by twisting the hips a bit more to the right. I achieved this by switching to the boxers stance. Is that correct ? If yes, I feel ok with it for boxers stance helped me in getting the hip ot the right a little and straightening my bridge arm.

This will have the effect of stabilizing your right shoulder down and out and in turn this should move your LEFT SHOULDER a little bit higher and more behind the head and it should stop you dropping that elbow too early. With boxers I think this can be done as well ? When i converted to boxers I straightened my right arm and the shoulder braced the neck without pain or discomfort. Would this help in reducing the elbow drop ???

When you do this have a feel for how loose and fluid the left elbow feels and how easy it is to keep the upper arm stable until after the strike. This slight change should give you more accuracy when potting and will also help you to hit the cueball at the height you intended and will make for much better position. So...better accuracy and better position...what's to lose? All right i shall keep in mind to swivel on the hips a bit more.

Terry

Got it sir.

[Sidd]

Any goals? Well yes getting my first century and then getting em every now and then perhaps a 147 before I die and clearing the table to win frames etc ...

What's your other commitments and passions in life? I have established my own NGO and am serving there as a CEO. Developing it as a top class national level and even international development organisation is my main aim in life. I work 9-5 here... Then play 5-9 at the club... I do have a bad feeling these days that I am not giving enough time to my three year old boy.

I see that you really like this game. You look like you like watching it by some of your Ronnieisms.. Plus your time on tsf
I wouldn't get involved in heavy 'how to play so much'. I'd ask the above plus a few more Q's and take it from there.
Being a good snooker player really takes patients, practice and dedication. No doubt, so..
It would be helpfull to know what you can bring to the table?

I dont like this game I LOVE it... I dont watch any TV these days dont have time so whenever I do I would watch snooker instead and at times BBC during breakfasts. I was young man of 15 or 16 when i saw for the first time the likes of Davis, higgins, Taylor and others of the 80s with my uncle whose friend sent him some tapes from UK... internet had not been invented at that time yeah since then my love started but I actually took this game seriously back in 99 perhaps. a break for two years but other than that almost regular play at least 5 days a week for the last 12 years is what I can bring to the table. I miss the fact that the whispering Ted cant commentate anymore but I adore Dennis in the box. By only listening to the voice of a player, commentator, new, old, even Hazel and Walker I can tell you who is speaking these days, i see play read and write snooker

[Sidd]

Is there a plane taking off in that room?

No dude that would be a fan at high speed even with the AC on ... Its Pakistan and its June so its normally 47 degrees these days. You can even see sweat mark on my t-shirt in the video.

[Sidd]

You'd better believe it, it's waiting to bring Sidd over here to Q school. I WISH

I love this guys passion. We all know what he wants to achieve and that is to be a frequent century player and one that can win a frame in one visit when the chance presents itself.

Sidd, you believe, buddy, you have the game and the passion. Go for it......

Thanks mate. I am sure that after this I will improve my game and become a consistent player and stop missing those easy bizy chances to score heavily. What goes on in my mind is- Passion can defy many odds and this shall be one of em. With devotion and passion one can achieve many things that seem impossible in the first place.

My friends here call me crazy ... I am perhaps but then this life will not come again so snooker for me is like "do it or die trying"

On a lighter note, they say you would get 72 virgins if you get to heaven ... I am not a sex freak and will request God to trade my 70 virgins with a snooker table, a Peradon Sandringham cue (my current cue) and unlimited supply of chalks and tips yeah yeah I have kept 2 out of 72 ya know

Last but not the least all those freakin Taliban and al-qaida etc think they will be greeted by the virgins after their suicide bombings well well well they will be greeted by the devil with a cup of coffee filled with hell fire for it is in the Quran and Allah says "if you fear God and are righteous and pious then you should not be afraid if you die a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or a Sabieen (dont know its english, its a race not anymore)" and this very verse advocates global peace and international harmony. Let God be the judge. Dont know why I wrote it here but it just came out on its own

Cheers

[vmax4steve]

As mentioned above, I went to the club and switched back to boxers and it did wonders for me last night. Do you think I am on the right path here... i.e. switching back to boxers allowed me to straighten my bridge arm ... square on giving me the tendons pain ... etc ??? with square on I had to twist a lot on the hip but with boxers again i left more in to the shot and also the cue is up against chest more.... I think so

Definately Sidd, the square on stance for a tall man means having to twist the hips to an uncomfortable position in order to get the body down low enough. Don't put too much emphasis on getting your left foot on the line of the shot and pointing in the direction of the shot. Get your left foot on the line of the shot but pointing about 45 degrees to the left of the line of the shot, ie when potting a straight blue into the middle pocket your left foot should be pointing at the corner pocket.
This will shift your body slightly to the left and put you in the correct position for the boxer stance, after that it's all about finding the correct postion for you right foot and that is something you can find yourself through trial and error.

As you state above you can lean more into the shot and get down lower, get the cue more level to the table, shorten your bridge and get that cue arm elbow behind the vertical at the address position so that you don't bring the shoulder into the shot before the strike. Sometimes all a player needs is an inch of adjustment to achieve this and it makes a hell of a difference to his game.

Losing weight is easy peasy mate, eat less, excercise more, that's all there is to it. I would also suggest 50 press ups a day, 25 in the morning and 25 at night to lose those man boobs and tighten those chest muscles. Do the easier ones at first, stretched out but raise your upper body off the floor with your arms with knees on the floor

Having said all this though it could very well be that switching back to the boxer stance was giving you the very same effect that you had before when concentrating on the contact point, ie taking your mind off everything else and allowing you the freedom to play naturally. You have walked many roads trying to get your game together and you have walked this same road before but it could be the right road that was signposted wrongly and you mistook it for a wrong turn.

Let's hope it's the right one this time and you recognise it as such even when you play badly playing this way, as you will undoubtedly do, because someone will tell you (your doubting inner voice) once again that square is the "correct" way but there is in fact no correct way there is only the way that is correct for you.

Start with this before doing anything else to you cue action, oh but do lose that inner movement of the wrist. I did notice it on your video but thought I would leave that to Terry to sort out for you as he is more expert on the minutiae of the game and could tell you how rather than just to stop it.

What we really need now Sidd is a video showing you playing really well to make comparisons.

[Sidd]

Definately Sidd, the square on stance for a tall man means having to twist the hips to an uncomfortable position ............ What we really need now Sidd is a video showing you playing really well to make comparisons.

Thanks Steve,

I am pretty confident that it is the way to go for me. Although Lee has a square on but still he is pretty much down on the shot but then different people have different builds.

I think shifting to boxers gave me the following results:

1. I am down on the shot properly with my right armpit on the cushion
2. My bridge arm is straightened
3. my shoulder braces the neck and hence encourages the other to go well up behind the head in turn bringing the cue arm elbow up and behind the head resulting in a lesser elbow drop and stopping that shoulder muscle in the shot.

With this, all I need now is to work on my grip and wrist in the light of detailed recommendations Terry has shared with me and also to get my pre-shot routine in shape again. This will take some time and once done i shall share fresh videos again once some consistency and progress is achieved.

Overall, i am happy that my technique is not as bad as i thought it would be.

Cheers.

[throtts]

On a lighter note, they say you would get 72 virgins if you get to heaven ... I am not a sex freak and will request God to trade my 70 virgins with a snooker table, a Peradon Sandringham cue (my current cue) and unlimited supply of chalks and tips yeah yeah I have kept 2 out of 72 ya know
Cheers

Hahaha,

Do you think we will be answering God with regard to the amount of hours we put in to snooker, I think that maybe coming, Sidd..

Stay positive as always like you do, the mind set plays a enormous part in our game.

Fantastic thread too...

[vmax4steve]

On a lighter note, they say you would get 72 virgins if you get to heaven ... I am not a sex freak and will request God to trade my 70 virgins with a snooker table, a Peradon Sandringham cue (my current cue) and unlimited supply of chalks and tips yeah yeah I have kept 2 out of 72 ya know

Promise me 72 bisexual sluts and I could be converted and strap on some semtex, but virgins, what good are they ?

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

Vmax made one very important point just in passing and maybe it was missed by you and other readers.

He said 'Don't put too much emphasis on getting your left foot on the line of the shot and pointing in the direction of the shot. Get your left foot on the line of the shot but pointing about 45 degrees to the left of the line of the shot, ie when potting a straight blue into the middle pocket your left foot should be pointing at the corner pocket.'

There are a lot of players out there who have been told the straight leg foot should be pointed along the line of the shot for better stability. This may be fine for those players under 20yrs of age but it will play HELL on the hip, knee and ankle joints for players that are above 25yrs old or so and it goes against the first rule of the snooker set-up, which is COMFORT.

So for Sidd and a lot of other players, turn the straight leg foot outwards anywhere from 30-45degrees and save your hip, knee and ankle joints PLUS gain more stability. It also helps the spine to turn a little more freely too.

Terry