What do people think of Roy Chisholm's Snooker Secrets?

[Neil Taperell]

About a year and a half ago I happened to have the pleasure of being in the company of a current top 16 player. I was watching him play some shots .

He potted a 3/4 ball yellow into its own pocket (the yellow was not on its spot , it was closer to the brown ) to run maybe 6inches across for the green . He played the shot with about a tip of left hand side (which would be running side for that shot ) . Cue ball was nowhere near the cushion

I asked him why he played it with side and he just said "everyone would " . There was an ex pro there aswell and he said it just makes the shot easier and most pros or top amatures would play it with side .

Found that quite interesting ......I still don't play with side though lol

That's exactly what my mate showed me [ also an Ex-Pro ranked in the 30's ] , made a marked improvement in my game .

[chrisg]

I'm afraid I disagree with you.

I have struggled with the textbook theory on walk in and approach, (I have coaching by someone else) and it's all down to the coordination of my feet on step in and I end up on the wrong line.

With this technique I have noticed when I am down on the shot I am hitting the ball in the same line that I saw when I stood up and back from the table to first see the line.

The textbook way of doing it is designed for the 90% of people who can get on with that way of doing it. It doesn't mean it's the right way, it just means it's the popular way! For those 10% of people who just cant get their heads around the textbook way they need to find some other way and this was the way that seems to have cured my issue with approach and walk in.

Like I said before, IMHO there is no right or wrong way, just the way it suits the individual!

[blahblah01]

I am agreeing with you in that you have the same idiosyncracy....

I'm not sure where you get the 90% of people from: but I agree (with the above) 90% of the shot being done if the Prep is right, although 90% may be an underestimation.

[Byrom]

Roy is like the grandfather of my dreams..

Can you imagine having someone that keen on snooker helping you as a kid. Don't discount someone just because of age he does know a few things.

[jonny66]

That's exactly what my mate showed me [ also an Ex-Pro ranked in the 30's ] , made a marked improvement in my game .

I take it this is helping side? I do often notice that a lot of pros seem to be lining up to the left or right of the cue ball, but I thought it was maybe just the camera angle making it look like that. Do you use it on every pot?

[blahblah01]

Is this side thing on any of his Channel clips?

It does make sense in other games\sports where balls are rarely played straight eg golf balls will draw\fade, similarly football passes will curve, usually draw as it is more accurate to play that way. I'm sure that the logic is that there is more margin for error by drawing\fading than trying to hit straight as more or less fade will at worst be straight: whereas going for straight means the ball could go either way.

I'm not sure where the margin fits in with Snooker, but it could be aim to the straight side of the pocket with running side, so any throw helps the OB into the pocket? As above, Barry Stark mentions this re hitting more of the OB so having more control of the CB.

[chrisg]

Is this side thing on any of his Channel clips?

It does make sense in other games\sports where balls are rarely played straight eg golf balls will draw\fade, similarly football passes will curve, usually draw as it is more accurate to play that way. I'm sure that the logic is that there is more margin for error by drawing\fading than trying to hit straight as more or less fade will at worst be straight: whereas going for straight means the ball could go either way.

I'm not sure where the margin fits in with Snooker, but it could be aim to the straight side of the pocket with running side, so any throw helps the OB into the pocket? As above, Barry Stark mentions this re hitting more of the OB so having more control of the CB.

I'm not sure if you've read the book, or seen the video, but the harder you hit the ball, the wider it goes, so therefore, it's advisable not to hit the ball too hard as you will miss.

In terms of side, you need to aim thicker on OB to allow to compensate for the throw on shots with extreme side...But the side we are talking about on "normal" pots is only a trace, half a tip, so makes very little difference....I know cos I have been testing it out for last two weeks...

[blahblah01]

I'm not sure if you've read the book, or seen the video, but the harder you hit the ball, the wider it goes, so therefore, it's advisable not to hit the ball too hard as you will miss.

In terms of side, you need to aim thicker on OB to allow to compensate for the throw on shots with extreme side...But the side we are talking about on "normal" pots is only a trace, half a tip, so makes very little difference....I know cos I have been testing it out for last two weeks...

Yep, I have seen the harder Clip.

So literally just off-centre, rather than "side"?

[itsnoteasy]

Let's think about this, he is saying most folk can't hit centre, so you should deliberately hit off centre. So you can hit off centre exactly where you want every single time but you can't hit centre, are you seriously saying that's right! You can't hit centre because you don't cue well enough, end of story and because you can't cue well enough you won't hit exactly where you want off centre either, it's not rocket science. Pros can hit the cue ball where they want that's why they are pros, it's like saying how can Messi stick the ball in the top corner all the time and I can't, it's because he's bloody good and I'm not, it's the same in snooker. The fact we can all hit a little off centre and still pot balls is because the pockets much wider than the ball so we have a margine of error, start hitting off centre and don't hit exactly where you want and your margine of error has gone.

[guernseygooner]

Let's think about this, he is saying most folk can't hit centre, so you should deliberately hit off centre. So you can hit off centre exactly where you want every single time but you can't hit centre, are you seriously saying that's right! You can't hit centre because you don't cue well enough, end of story and because you can't cue well enough you won't hit exactly where you want off centre either, it's not rocket science. Pros can hit the cue ball where they want that's why they are pros, it's like saying how can Messi stick the ball in the top corner all the time and I can't, it's because he's bloody good and I'm not, it's the same in snooker. The fact we can all hit a little off centre and still pot balls is because the pockets much wider than the ball so we have a margine of error, start hitting off centre and don't hit exactly where you want and your margine of error has gone.

I was trying to think how to word it - can't really add to that!

[itsnoteasy]

I was trying to think how to word it - can't really add to that!

Don't get me started on his point your cue way off line walk in method, I think I would have a melt down lol.

[blahblah01]

Don't get me started on his point your cue way off line walk in method, I think I would have a melt down lol.

I agree totally - the whole thumb pointing down fked my game, then when I got it out of my head I was doing it already

re Messi: he doesn't kick a ball straight: he will curve it, usually with the inside of his foot; golfers hit draws and fades rather than straight balls - so there are plenty of precedents: BUT I doubt golfers putt with fades and draws.

[itsnoteasy]

I agree totally - the whole thumb pointing down fked my game, then when I got it out of my head I was doing it already

re Messi: he doesn't kick a ball straight: he will curve it, usually with the inside of his foot; golfers hit draws and fades rather than straight balls - so there are plenty of precedents: BUT I doubt golfers putt with fades and draws.

The point is pro footballers and pro golfers hit the ball exactly where and how they want to. We don't , so how on earth if you can't hit centre all the time are you going to hit exactly off centre all the time, it's making something hard even harder as you now have to adjust aiming ,take into account pace and then distance and finally how much throw your cue produces. Hit the centre as best you can, none of that applies.

[blahblah01]

The point is pro footballers and pro golfers hit the ball exactly where and how they want to. We don't , so how on earth if you can't hit centre all the time are you going to hit exactly off centre all the time, it's making something hard even harder as you now have to adjust aiming ,take into account pace and then distance and finally how much throw your cue produces. Hit the centre as best you can, none of that applies.

As above: I'm not convinced re the complete precision of snooker: but a golfer is better off lining up down one side of the fairway and hitting the draw\fade imho as they have the whole width of the far away as margin, rather than half... Admittedly most golfers will have a natural draw\fade (Woosnam for example could not fade a ball for love nor money, much to Faldo's chagrin\amusement when he found out during a Ryder Cup doubles match.

I would guess that a lot of decent Snooker players actually cue across the cue ball to some extent' but their subconcious changes the target line to compensate.....

PS: I think you are overdoing the skill level of the footballers and golfers: or they would all be a lot better?

[Catch 22]

The point is pro footballers and pro golfers hit the ball exactly where and how they want to. We don't , so how on earth if you can't hit centre all the time are you going to hit exactly off centre all the time, it's making something hard even harder as you now have to adjust aiming ,take into account pace and then distance and finally how much throw your cue produces. Hit the centre as best you can, none of that applies.

But footballers and golfers are looking at the ball when they hit it .....they are CB players ......OH YES , I WENT THERE !! ....hahaha