Cueing at the Speed of Sound

[Byrom]

Ever noticed the Cue Ball jumping up or seen it kick, even at relatively low force? Listen.......................................you can hear it, the collision, yes, collision. It's not how hard or soft you hit it, it wasn't the choice of shot, it wasn't where you hit the CB, the clue is in the sound. The sound of your tip striking the CB. A dull sound, a kinda th-wack sound. Not crisp. This sound can happen at any force if you listen closely enough. That's the reason for the kick, or the lack of spin even when you know you struck the CB in the right place. That's what caused the collision. What could have caused this acoustic interference with the CB? There is an answer and there is a solution to both the sound and thus the kick.

Oh yes, yes there is.

yeah - this guy here has a point - mock him at your peril ....can we agree to let him back on in his original name

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wcB1mHMCzE

[luke-h]

i always find if i play a shot parallel to the table i get more kicks that if im slightly higher at the back. coincidence?

[vmax4steve]

Ever noticed the Cue Ball jumping up or seen it kick, even at relatively low force? Listen.......................................you can hear it, the collision, yes, collision. It's not how hard or soft you hit it, it wasn't the choice of shot, it wasn't where you hit the CB, the clue is in the sound. The sound of your tip striking the CB. A dull sound, a kinda th-wack sound. Not crisp. This sound can happen at any force if you listen closely enough. That's the reason for the kick, or the lack of spin even when you know you struck the CB in the right place. That's what caused the collision. What could have caused this acoustic interference with the CB? There is an answer and there is a solution to both the sound and thus the kick.

Oh yes, yes there is.

Acoustic interference my arse, the sound you hear is the sound of too much friction between the two balls on contact, not the sound of the tip striking the cue ball.

I recently bought an old set of super crystalate balls and the sound they make on contact with each other is a definite sharper click, compared to the softer click (or clunk) of the phenolic resin balls that are used today. They do not kick or induce bad contacts unless there is chalk or dirt on the exact contact point between the two balls.

Since the forced introduction of the phenolic resin balls World Snooker have tried all sorts of things to alleviate the problem to no avail, the only answer is to go back to super crystalate balls or find something new that's even better. Phenolic resin isn't fit for purpose.

[Cannonball]

yeah - this guy here has a point - mock him at your peril ....can we agree to let him back on in his original name

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wcB1mHMCzE

Spot on. Thanks for posting that vid, it highlights exactly what is going wrong. We must deliver the cue straight, not just in the horizontal but also the vertical plane, down an imaginary X that connects the tip and ball. If we don't do this, we introduce the vibration you saw in your vid. Instead of striking the ball crisply and cleanly, a vibrating tip passes on destructive interference in to the ball, making it vibrate as well. This leads to bounces and kicks (kicks are caused by many other things as well). The ball will travel less, stun less and spin less as a result. A kick or bounce can ruin a break. So how do we cue to avoid this happening and cue at the speed of sound, a sweet sound? Itsnotsoeasy has hit the nail on the head. It's all about grip. If you grip the cue too hard (the pick it up and hit someone with it grip advocated by Davis in the 80s), you are in danger of doing two things; pulling/pushing the cue off the shot line and also dipping or rising the cue in the vertical plane. This leads to lots of ham fisted th-wacking of the ball. We often see wood pushers nail the bottom of the ball, yet be shocked they achieved no screw in the shot. This is usually down to stunning the bottom of the ball with an agricultural grip and having a swing at it. If you want to hit each shot crisply and sweetly and hear the lovely resultant sound, you need to perch that cue in the first crack of your wee finger or have it balance on the last digit of said finger. Ronnie has recently opened his grip and his long game accuracy has improved. In this regard, he has copied Trump and Robbo which shows just how much Ronnie is always looking for improvement. Good on him. Opening the grip also leads to a power increase, so there are three good reasons to do it, not forgetting that it's less tiring, stressful and feels nicer and more enjoyable. At first, players will feel less secure, they're used to gripping a cue tightly. It takes some getting used to and may take three months to accommodate into a game. But it's worth it.

Go down the club, have a look at the wood pushers, watch how they kick and jump the ball every shot.

[itsnoteasy]

I'll give you that Cannonball, it's fair to say you will hit the ball sweeter and time it better with a good grip and a cue on a level plane as you can cue right through the sweet spot , instead of hitting it but cueing down or up on it.

[ADR147]

yeah - this guy here has a point - mock him at your peril ....can we agree to let him back on in his original name

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wcB1mHMCzE

Only to have to ban him again.....

[Byrom]

Only to have to ban him again.....

Why ban him he is a character? Mischievous - but funny - he livens up the place - takes conversations to different places, invokes new thinking, quite intelligent and articulate and he is seldom offensive if ever and lets face it its better than talking about new tips and same old stuff all the time.

If everyone in the world where the same it would be a dull place and finally you right - he probably been banned a dozen times already - so just give up and let him on as master blaster or he will just come back anyway.... you never win with this one he too stubborn - clearly.

[ADR147]

Why ban him he is a character? Mischievous - but funny - he livens up the place - takes conversations to different places, invokes new thinking, quite intelligent and articulate and he is seldom offensive if ever and lets face it its better than talking about new tips and same old stuff all the time.

If everyone in the world where the same it would be a dull place

Because I get lots of complaints and he breaks the rules and upsets people.

[Byrom]

Because I get lots of complaints and he breaks the rules and upsets people.

He just banters them ..

I don't think I ever saw him be offensive or swear, just likes a wind up now and again and a bit of a laugh clearly - obsessed with different wood and cues and snooker but isn't everyone on here?

You worked on a door back in your youth... if you barred everyone in that club for a bit of banter a laugh and a wind up - yours would be a pretty empty club on a Saturday night.

[ADR147]

He just banters them ..

I don't think I ever saw him be offensive or swear, just likes a wind up now and again and a bit of a laugh clearly - obsessed with different wood and cues and snooker but isn't everyone on here?

You worked on a door back in your youth... if you barred everyone in that club for a bit of banter a laugh and a wind up - yours would be a pretty empty club on a Saturday night.

That is where you are wrong, if you ban the trouble makers from a club you end up with a busier club. most people are put off by stupid drivel.

[Byrom]

That is where you are wrong, if you ban the trouble makers from a club you end up with a busier club. most people are put off by stupid drivel.

Ok well a few ways at looking at everything - that can be right too.

Anyway I stop my drivel now cos lads are here and I off out got drinks to drink and places to be - see ya

[GeordieDS]

pardon ???

deaf!!!

[GeordieDS]

Because I get lots of complaints and he breaks the rules and upsets people.

You should ban the people that complained to be honest, they're the type who always had snotty noses when they were kids and now spend their life moaning their tits off

[itsnoteasy]

Spot on. Thanks for posting that vid, it highlights exactly what is going wrong. We must deliver the cue straight, not just in the horizontal but also the vertical plane, down an imaginary X that connects the tip and ball. If we don't do this, we introduce the vibration you saw in your vid. Instead of striking the ball crisply and cleanly, a vibrating tip passes on destructive interference in to the ball, making it vibrate as well. This leads to bounces and kicks (kicks are caused by many other things as well). The ball will travel less, stun less and spin less as a result. A kick or bounce can ruin a break. So how do we cue to avoid this happening and cue at the speed of sound, a sweet sound? Itsnotsoeasy has hit the nail on the head. It's all about grip. If you grip the cue too hard (the pick it up and hit someone with it grip advocated by Davis in the 80s), you are in danger of doing two things; pulling/pushing the cue off the shot line and also dipping or rising the cue in the vertical plane. This leads to lots of ham fisted th-wacking of the ball. We often see wood pushers nail the bottom of the ball, yet be shocked they achieved no screw in the shot. This is usually down to stunning the bottom of the ball with an agricultural grip and having a swing at it. If you want to hit each shot crisply and sweetly and hear the lovely resultant sound, you need to perch that cue in the first crack of your wee finger or have it balance on the last digit of said finger. Ronnie has recently opened his grip and his long game accuracy has improved. In this regard, he has copied Trump and Robbo which shows just how much Ronnie is always looking for improvement. Good on him. Opening the grip also leads to a power increase, so there are three good reasons to do it, not forgetting that it's less tiring, stressful and feels nicer and more enjoyable. At first, players will feel less secure, they're used to gripping a cue tightly. It takes some getting used to and may take three months to accommodate into a game. But it's worth it.

Go down the club, have a look at the wood pushers, watch how they kick and jump the ball every shot.

I got to see Judd Trump up close(ten feet away from table ) in an exhibition in our club on Friday just gone. He used a cue that shuddered every shot above slow paced, it looked the whippiest cue you could imagine and just the weight of it made it sag a little as he pulled it back to full draw, this was mentioned on here a good while back and folk thought he might have been pressing with his chest or chin or even putting pressure on with his grip hand , well I have seen him and it's none of them, he has a very very light grip, and has no downward pressure on the cue from anywhere, it's just that whippy it's own weight can bow it at full draw back, it's quite strange to see.
From the front he definitely cues up to the right on the cue ball and looks to play across it on the way through to hit centre but from bang inline from behind his cue comes back dead straight and goes through just as straight so I don't know what's going on there, he seems to use his pinky as a trigger or guide, when that unfolds off the cue he knows he's come back far enough and it's the point to end the back swing. His timing was beautiful, never hit a ball hard all night just stroked it round the table,sweet as a nut. Great player, very quiet but got a little chat out of him.

[Cannonball]

I got to see Judd Trump up close(ten feet away from table ) in an exhibition in our club on Friday just gone. He used a cue that shuddered every shot above slow paced, it looked the whippiest cue you could imagine and just the weight of it made it sag a little as he pulled it back to full draw, this was mentioned on here a good while back and folk thought he might have been pressing with his chest or chin or even putting pressure on with his grip hand , well I have seen him and it's none of them, he has a very very light grip, and has no downward pressure on the cue from anywhere, it's just that whippy it's own weight can bow it at full draw back, it's quite strange to see.
From the front he definitely cues up to the right on the cue ball and looks to play across it on the way through to hit centre but from bang inline from behind his cue comes back dead straight and goes through just as straight so I don't know what's going on there, he seems to use his pinky as a trigger or guide, when that unfolds off the cue he knows he's come back far enough and it's the point to end the back swing. His timing was beautiful, never hit a ball hard all night just stroked it round the table,sweet as a nut. Great player, very quiet but got a little chat out of him.

That's how WS coaches talk about it now, like balancing a wee birdie from a bush on your pinkie. The closed grip of Higgins/Davis etc, it's toast, history. Judd on form has great timing, let's the cue do the work so to speak. As they say, you only need the ring to pot a ball, the back fingers shouldn't be doing loads of work, it's not a sledge hammer, less is more. Whenever I see a bad shot or contact, I'm listening. If there's no dull or strange sound from the tip to the ball, I know it's a genuine kick from chalk/the bloomin heaters/grease, whatever. If the sound is terrible, I know the guy cued it badly.

You and Byrom know your beans. The cue I believe is one of Parris' 'rack' cues, extra whippy, like Judd's old Cue Craft cue. That's right, he used a Cue Craft and it didn't cost a grand or whatever. You can't buy timing and no cue-maker can make it. He was on the Ronnie show in November, it's on Youtube, take a look, a great episode with Wilson and Ronnie talking us through a practice 147, unreal. He had an interesting chat with Ronnie. He seems to be louder on Twitter but quiet in person. Nice lad.