Choosing the shot line like professionals

[DrumBass]

Sorry if this question seems stupid but how professionals know the correct shot line without going to look at it? They don't walk behind the object ball and find the correct spot to hit they somehow just know it. Is it just years of practise that they know the correct line by heart or are there some other "magic" involved?

[Ramon]

To be honest, I do'nt think that Any magic involved in snooker !!! Just years of practise . Btw , even pros have to take their time, sometimes and think about what they re gonna do !! Imo !!!

[Alba_]

It's simple mate. you just stand on the line of the shot and look at the angle to the pocket from off your straight line. You need to practice quarter ball half ball and three quarter ball pots over and over down the club to start recognizing them. oldschool_cut_shot_template_with_GBs.jpg ---- ---- ball-hit_fractions.jpg

This also helps for your positional play as a half ball pot angle is roughly the same angle as what the white takes with a rolling cue ball from just under quarter ball to just under three quarter ball. You start to see the angle that the white ball travels. Recognize the angles is what it's all about. You can use bob contact point (back of ball) too if the ball is close enough to see bob. I use it for really close shots. Everyone on here will play in different ways no doubt and so will the pro's.

[j6uk]

the only magic that would help you is dropping the head down straight onto your chosen line, and the other would be to choose the right cue that sends the white down that line
enjoy

[warren132]

The reason pros just get down on there shot without fidgeting around is simple they have been doing the same thing since they started playing snooker so it just becomes second nature/natural to them.

[thelongbomber]

At the top end of the game, the pros play shots, angles, and positions that they favour and have consistently used in the past. The differences are subtle but to the trained eye its very clear. Look at how often John Higgins is bridging off the rail when in form. Look at how often Ronnie isn't (actually his cue ball is very often on the yellow/green line when he is really on). Both have their styles so getting down into the shot is second nature most of the time. It's when they are left a shot that they have to take a bit more time.

To answer your question, it becomes second nature after a while, but it's physics and memory in the end, so sometimes, they need to re-assess angles and they do miss.

Look at Hendry and how often he would flick his eyes to the pocket.

[DrumBass]

At the top end of the game, the pros play shots, angles, and positions that they favour and have consistently used in the past. The differences are subtle but to the trained eye its very clear. Look at how often John Higgins is bridging off the rail when in form. Look at how often Ronnie isn't (actually his cue ball is very often on the yellow/green line when he is really on). Both have their styles so getting down into the shot is second nature most of the time. It's when they are left a shot that they have to take a bit more time.

To answer your question, it becomes second nature after a while, but it's physics and memory in the end, so sometimes, they need to re-assess angles and they do miss.

Look at Hendry and how often he would flick his eyes to the pocket.

For me this was the answer I was looking for. I have never really watched it with this angle, that they always leave themselves with their own favourite angles and this is why they don't need to look the line so often and shoot it without looking the line.

Why I asked the question was because after looking Nic Barrows lineup demo when he shoot 134 under 4 minutes and he never walked behind the red to choose the correct point to hit and wondered is there some "magic" involved Unfortunately no magic just years of practise and perfect cueing.