Alrocco.snooker secrets

[chrisg]

There is nothing more to say cos as you say if your close to the object ball and your hitting the cue ball centre within the sweet spot of centre your method doesn't ever come into play.

It's a nice theory and everything from the old days when balls were heavier and cloths were thicker but that's not snooker anymore mate, some of what your teaching is useful i think but I disagree it's some snooker secrets used by top pros cos you just said yourself 'if your less than a foot from object balls a trace of unintentional side won't matter but the pro's still play it unintenionally'

And i would agree with that but they are consistently in the sweet spots of centre ball even if the ones who say they always use a little side the key is he's still aiming close to centre, striking close to centre and close to the object ball so there is no throw. So the importance of centre ball striking and top class positional play remains in snooker, your method for a beginner may initially help them to pot a few balls but they'll never be hundred break players without learning the basics and importance of plain ball centre strikes, stroke stun and screw is snooker im afraid mate and your confirming it with your own words saying a hundred break man doesn't need this method.

I asked top pro Anthony McGill, one of my favs this on Youtube: what's your opinion on hitting the cue ball dead centre? Do you hit the cue ball dead centre or do you apply a trace of side intentionally? (or unintentionally?

He replied: "I'd say I play most angled shots with side. Probably play straight shots with side too without realising it. Very few of the top players play centre ball. You know I am not sure it even exists!

Proof go and watch his video on potting angles...

https://youtu.be/nOVyodzfe1E

[Derek P]

I asked top pro Anthony McGill, one of my favs this on Youtube: what's your opinion on hitting the cue ball dead centre? Do you hit the cue ball dead centre or do you apply a trace of side intentionally? (or unintentionally?

He replied: "I'd say I play most angled shots with side. Probably play straight shots with side too without realising it. Very few of the top players play centre ball. You know I am not sure it even exists!

Proof go and watch his video on potting angles...

https://youtu.be/nOVyodzfe1E

A trace of running side less than a foot from the object ball isn't going to do much of anything in terms of deflection and throw as Roy already pointed out. I did say wether intentional or unintentional they will still be in the sweet spot of centre ball which isn't as small as is being made out you do have a bit of margin for error hitting middle ball and still getting the pot the tolerance of the size of the bag and your aiming to try and use the throw of side and aim off the pocket is the point of roy's method i doubt mcgill and co are aiming to miss balls walking into the shot you only have to watch them to see most of them do the standard walk in and get the cue on the line 9 times out ten. the only one who looks like hes missing balls until he delivers the cue is trump but when he goes through the white he's going right through it not across it like roy's method

[vmax]

A trace of running side less than a foot from the object ball isn't going to do much of anything in terms of deflection and throw as Roy already pointed out.

If you don't compensate your aiming you'll miss, simple as that.

[Derek P]

If you don't compensate your aiming you'll miss, simple as that.

It's not as simple as that.

The throw of side will be greatly effected by:

1. The pace of the shot.
2. The type of shot - Stun, Stroke or Screw
3. The table conditions
4. The characteristics of cue Stiff, whippy, springy
5. The size of the ferrule - thickness and length

Finally the player's cue action and how he gets through the ball, timing is critical and if you can't make pots from less than a foot away without any adjustment for the throw of side from say half a tip off centre ball this is what i would call a trace of side then rather than worrying about side what i would do is spend some time cueing up and down the spots or straight blues to work on the delivery of your technique cos I can punch in medium paced balls from less than a foot away without having to adjust for throw.

The more pace I use, the farther I am from the white then yes I would adjust the potting angle but under a foot on medium pace or less then you shouldnt have lot of throw if any

[chrisg]

A trace of running side less than a foot from the object ball isn't going to do much of anything in terms of deflection and throw as Roy already pointed out. I did say wether intentional or unintentional they will still be in the sweet spot of centre ball which isn't as small as is being made out you do have a bit of margin for error hitting middle ball and still getting the pot the tolerance of the size of the bag and your aiming to try and use the throw of side and aim off the pocket is the point of roy's method i doubt mcgill and co are aiming to miss balls walking into the shot you only have to watch them to see most of them do the standard walk in and get the cue on the line 9 times out ten. the only one who looks like hes missing balls until he delivers the cue is trump but when he goes through the white he's going right through it not across it like roy's method

What McGill is saying/implying though is roughly what Roy of Snooker Secrets is saying - noone can hit the sweet spot of the cue ball every time, and so, therefore, why waste your time trying to hit the cue ball in the sweet spot everytime, when you can just apply a trace of side left or right, depending on the angle of the pot....

Makes sense to me.

It's one less variable to worry about and there's enough of them in snooker as it is!

[Derek P]

What McGill is saying/implying though is roughly what Roy of Snooker Secrets is saying - noone can hit the sweet spot of the cue ball every time, and so, therefore, why waste your time trying to hit the cue ball in the sweet spot everytime, when you can just apply a trace of side left or right, depending on the angle of the pot....

Makes sense to me.

It's one less variable to worry about and there's enough of them in snooker as it is!

You know McGill was brought through the amateur ranks by Jim Donnelly dont you?
His Dad Tam spent lot of money at the q club on Anthony's practice time and for Jim's lessons. I would imagine what Jim taught me I would think Mcgill would have got the same lessons on centre striking cueing long blues for warm up at amateur events I've seen him do it. Last week I heard he practised potting long straight shots for five hours solid by a guy who was on the table next to him so why is he doing that?

This is the bit I disagree with and this is the bit I think is a huge misinterpretation of what's going on, I'm no Anthony McGill but I can hit a ball and even I after 20 minutes of practice can cue 8 out 10 long straight blues bang in the middle of the bang the other 2 I'll wobble on the jaws so that's me a lowly amatuer with a decent cue action McGill will be like rolls royce compared to me and the point is centre ball is not some mythical little aread the size of a pin in the middle of the white theres a little bit of margin for error on centre and that's what the trace of side is they are on about, that's the sweet spot he's hitting and most likely aiming to hit on angled pots but when he cues centre he may be fractionally off hence why he's saying he probably hits off centre on straight shots but the fact is if you see a guy cueing straight blues from 12ft and they are going in the bag he's hitting the middle of the white and it's not that hard to do.

[GeordieDS]

So what i've learned from this thread is

1) If i dont want to put side on i will put a little on
2) If i do want to put a trace of side on i will put a lot on
3) if i want to put a lot of side on i will shank it

I think

[j6uk]

What McGill is saying/implying though is roughly what Roy of Snooker Secrets is saying - noone can hit the sweet spot of the cue ball every time, and so, therefore, why waste your time trying to hit the cue ball in the sweet spot everytime, when you can just apply a trace of side left or right, depending on the angle of the pot....

Makes sense to me.

It's one less variable to worry about and there's enough of them in snooker as it is!

seams difficult, positionally limited, and inconsistent. let alone when confronted with a plain ball shot, but i guess those are the ones that your aloud to miss.

[Slasher]

So what i've learned from this thread is

1) If i dont want to put side on i will put a little on
2) If i do want to put a trace of side on i will put a lot on
3) if i want to put a lot of side on i will shank it

I think

Actually if you want a little side on and because "no one can hit center ball" you will occasionally hit center ball when you meant to put a little side on

[alrocco]

You know every ball game has a sweet spot, and as for striking across the cb that is absolute a no no, my technique is to deliver the cue in a straight line through the cb to the point of aim on object ball. Also my approach technique will bring you down EXACTLEY on your line of aim without any adjustment of your balance therefore making it very easy to deliver in a straight line.Roy of Snooker Secrets.

[GeordieDS]

Actually if you want a little side on and because "no one can hit center ball" you will occasionally hit center ball when you meant to put a little side on

TY i now have a 4)

[alrocco]

You are an exceptional player being able to pot 8 out of10 blues, being the blue is on its spot and cb in the D. Well done you. Roy of Snooker Secrets.

[j6uk]

You know every ball game has a sweet spot, and as for striking across the cb that is absolute a no no, my technique is to deliver the cue in a straight line through the cb to the point of aim on object ball. Also my approach technique will bring you down EXACTLEY on your line of aim without any adjustment of your balance therefore making it very easy to deliver in a straight line.Roy of Snooker Secrets.

now your talking roy, do you have any examples of this method?

[Terry Davidson]

now your talking roy, do you have any examples of this method?

I would like to see how the cue is pointed at the point of aim on an OB on a 1/4-ball cut, since the cue would be aimed at an air molecule outside of the OB, or at least that's my experience but perhaps Roy has a different take on it.

[sealer]

I would like to see how the cue is pointed at the point of aim on an OB on a 1/4-ball cut, since the cue would be aimed at an air molecule outside of the OB, or at least that's my experience but perhaps Roy has a different take on it.

Doesn't mean he will not pot the ball. Whatever your aiming method it at the end it is all about a nice stroke and balls when it gets shaky :-)