POSITIONAL PLAY | How To Screw Back Easily And Effortlessly
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- Learn the following key elements of easy and effortless screw shots:
1. A simple grip hand exercise to help you learn how softly screw shots can be played
2. The ideal grip shape and tension for screw shots
3. The biggest mistake players make in learning screw shots
4. The quickest way to learn screw deep shots (note: this drill is not what you think and will not be good for the snooker player's ego!)
www.thesnookergym.com
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this video is solid gold . after many months that I tried to having a better cue-action , I simply figured out that the best and only way to improve my cue action is focusing to deliver the cue without any sudden and unnatural pressure ( tension ) in my grip .
in the pause after back-swing position , I tell my self : no adding pressure and no tension in delivery !
unfortunately I couldn't deliver the cue in every shot without that tension ( pressure ) , but it's getting better and better every time I practice .
now I see why grip is so important .
thank you so much for this video .
Thank you Samx
Allow the fingers to open on the backswing and let the magic happen!
This lesson is much appreciated. Holding the cue that way really hammered the grip issue home. I improved right away. I 'thought' I was holding it lightly but wasn't. Now I close my hand but keep the pressure off. It's a morale boost get 18 inches of draw and still make the pocket. Its odd but relaxing the grip also relaxes the body which makes for a better follow through. Thanks from Canada.
Great job Tom Aaron! Now spread the gospel of the light bridge hand as far as it will go!
2:54 That camera transition though
LOL
very good! what good cue (no extremely expensive) do you recommend?
Super stuff Nick. Great coaching . Think you learned a bit from Barry on the camera work so much better on this post.
Yes his videos are super.
Thanks Nic. I'm going to try the lettuce grip.
Hope you enjoy
It really worked ...that's amazing sir i never screwed the ball more than that ever....Really happy lolz
Start slow and controlled... then build up speed!
Hi Nick, great to see you doing more module style short videos, really informative! This should hopefully help grow the channel. As a suggestion, switch to using a dedicated mic (a clip on maybe) for better sound on your videos :)
Thank you we will consider this as time moves on
Fantastic
thanks nic great video
Thankyou Saqib
Thanks for the great video. I going to try this soon.
Dzinki!
Nick, fantastic video as always! Jist a quick question..what are the specs of your cue mate?
Cheers
58/9.5/18/29mmbutt
Hi Nick, great video. I see you're using a Mike Wooldridge cue. How does the cue feel when compared to the Acuerate cues you promoted in the past?
Someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse on the Accurate, and I knew my friend had this cue so I want to try it and learn something new about cues and my ability to play etc. It DOES have 50% more deflection than the Accurate (I have never seen a cue deflect as little as they do) but I am happy to test this for a year or two and see if if affects my game. Perhaps long balls and screw shots are slightly tougher now - so maybe it has taken a 5% edge of my game.
Thanks you for the reply, how does the black spin ferule affect your game? I'm considering getting one fitted to my cue but i'm not sold on the marketing that it adds power and spin while also reducing deflection when compared to a brass ferule.
I did not buy it because of the ferrule I brought it in spite of the ferrule! It is impossible to tell if there is a difference as you would need to make changes to the cue to replace the ferrule and find out. I would imagine it will give less throw though because it is less mass.
Nic, I think I read somewhere that regarding the black ferrule, it was very good as it throws less than normal brass ferrule. And that, ideally, would be perfect for beginners but might be trickier to use for guys who have been playing with brass (and different type of throw) for ages.
do you agree with this statement or would anyone could play wit it (and it would be just a question of time to get used to it) ?
The lighter the ferrule the less cb deflection with side
Hi Nic, thanks so much for this inspiring video! I just wonder how this technique can be further applied in a normal grip.
In your demonstration, when you let the cue drop forward (I mean when you drop the elbow as a result of a natural follow through), the circle formed by the thumb and index finger provided some space for the cue butt to move forward. But for a normal grip, when the cue move forward, the cue butt should exert some pressure against the palm, and therefore, the cue cannot drop forward naturally which limits the length of follow through. Would you please provide some recommendations on how to deal with this problem (e.g. how the fingers should be placed so that the cue can be moved naturally). Thank you!
Yes Joseph - just hold the cue more softly to prevent the palm pressing down on the cue too much on follow through, and prevent the back fingers stopping the cue coming back far enough. Imagine holding a soft toothpaste tube with the lid open.
@@TheSnookerGym Thanks for the reply, Nic! I will try it.
Let me know how you get on!
Hi Nic, thanks for making this awesome video! I have a quick question, I realized that your cue has not a brass ferrel, rather some plastic ferrel. Why most or almost all top pros play with brass and why you're not playing with brass? Moreover, what's the advantages of one over the other? Like does one throw the ball more compared to the other when playing with English? Or one produces more spins, like back spin or top spin campers to the other? Thanks!! :)
I tried both just so that I could give an answer - and honestly I did not notice any real difference.
Nice video. Can you do one explaining tip shape? I never know if mine is too flat or too rounded.
Too rounded is not good as you wont have a slight flat on top with which to give yourself more chance to hit centre cue ball. But it needs rounded edges to be able to apply spin and not miscue
just curious - what type of ferrule do you have on that cue - not brass or titanium?
Plastic from Mike Wooldridge
@@TheSnookerGym err phenolic
Indeed!
Thanks for all tips!
My pleasure Helmiton 147 On!
Hello Nick. Fantstic video, as always, will this lettuce grip help with a problem I have with screw shots, not always , but somtimes I will jump the white over the ball I want to screw back. Thanks. Terry
Please try it and let us know - but the idea is that yes it helps dissolve that very problem as it gets the strength out of the shot and the control into it
Hello Nick, tried it, not much back spin, a lot of shots stopped dead, I did start to get backspin if I raised my bridge hand, but am I supposed to do that, do I need a longer back backswing. Thanks
not a pro but im pretty sure the ideal bridge is as low as possible, preventing unwanted sidespins. i believe what you need now is more acceleration, length of backswing might help for most players as it worked for me but timing is very important here too.
Yes a slightly longer backswing will allow a smoother strike so the weight of the cue plays the stroke - rather than the muscle strength which most players use... and which tightens the hand and pulls the cue off line. Keep the cue as low as you can but no lower than being able to keep a perfect V guide for the cue - in reality pros on a screw shot are often 2 inches above the cushion with the cue as a result.
Thanks Nic, ( and Wicked Bee ) a question thou, isnt speed the same thing as strength, I dont see how you can have one without the other?
when i try to play screw,the cueball jumps,,any suggestion sir?
Hi Fahd, you are either aiming too low, and cueing straight... or aiming correctly and dipping the cue on impact.
Thank you Nic,I'll try it again trying to avoid the mistakes you told me
One trick I learned from Brandonbilliardsguy, is to line up with the tip right at the bottom of the ball and touching the cloth, and from there, just move up one tip's distance and that will give you the correct striking point so that you don't jump the cue ball.
Also, it is important that you follow through smoothly, any jerkiness in your delivery will cause your tip to strike somewhere other than where you want it to, but you absolutely must follow through and go right 'through the ball', as stopping the cue on contact will not make the cueball spin enough and probably result in a stun shot.
I sympathize with you on this one, as I have had trouble with screw shots myself recently, but I have seen a vast improvement of late by applying the aiming trick I mentioned above, hope this helps.
Simon Worrall Thank you,I'll try your aiming tip and hope it works
Let me know updates!
Hi Nic
Do you do one to one training? Or do you have any videos out. I need some training in some areas like screw back and getting on the next colour.
Thanks Vince
Hi Vince thank you for your interest. Can you visit this link and enter your email address at the bottom of the page, which will take you through the sequence where I will give you a personal recommendation on how best to improve your game www.thesnookergym.com/p/snooker-lessons
i tend to screw back a lot harder all the time. when i say a lot harder i mean like you said you were playing it between 2 and 4 out of 10. if i had to screw back on any ball i always use 7-9/10. always thought more speed/power = more drawback.
am I wrong?
would love to hear from you
You are right BUT get accurate on -4 cb height first as that makes more difference than speed... THEN gradually build up your speed.
Nic, your cue has a fibre ferule. Can you pl detail whether this is a distinct advantage? Whether this enhances the wood or solid feel of the shot? VishG
I don't know as I have not tried this cue with a brass ferrule so cannot compare. I just liked the cue and brought it in spite of the non traditional ferrule.
Hi Nic, that's really interesting and worth some focus on my next session. Do you know what Ronnie meant exactly when he referred to the 'pressure grip' during his tv series as I'm slightly confused between applying no extra pressure through the shot and increasing pressure on contact with the cue ball as I've heard others say you need to do.
No - and I don't think he does! There is no need to apply extra pressure to get better results. Just be consistent and do the same thing all the time like John Higgins for example and there will be less variables in your game. Get to 3 tons a day standard and then start approaching all shots differently!
I think Ronnie does add extra pressure on the grip. Your points is absolutely right because a player should not hold the grip too tight or too loose during 'feathering' ( the prepared action of backward and forward movement). I think what Ronnie means is that when he wants to hit the cue ball that generate utmost back/top spin, he still use your said technique because Ronnie did mention not to hold the cue too tight. But when he deliver the cue (with high speed), he extends his back swing and automatically grips the cue tighter(in the last moment and step of finishing the cue action). In the 'little soft screw' situation, he nearly doesn't use any grip at all, meaning that the grip is extremely 'lazy' in the moment of finishing deliver his cue . I have tried it and I found that it actually works for me because the pressure on the grip ( I mean at the moment of last action to deliver the cue) does serve as a pivotal point to determine the degree of speed that I deliver my cue. Maybe your technique is work for most people. But surely there are many variation of cue action. Such as Marco Fu he even doesn't have any feather/preparation of cue action, he just gets down and hits the ball. It seems that there is no universal cue action/method of grip applies to every player. As a matter of fact, it really depends on how the players feel through practicing and find the most comfortable and suitable method he/she gets used to.
Justin Chung sounds like you are a cueing anorak just like me :-) im watching a lot of David Gilbert on You Tube at the moment and one of my cueing thoughts is to relax my grip through the shot. Gilbert is amazing to watch as there seems to be hardly any pressure through his grip at all! it's easier to do this when cue ball and object ball are close together such as black off its spot and I'm getting plenty of backspin. In fact, when i get less backspin than intended, it's usually because I've felt my grip tighten
through the shot. It's much harder to talk yourself into doing this with long shots but I'm working on it and the breaks are starting to flow.
Yes everyone has an optimum cueing method and grip hand pressure
Let us know updates please!
It was pointed out to me that in order to obtain maximum screw back you would need to elevate your elbow. This also means you would need to elevate the cue itself. Is this really true? I would also imagine that you would sacrifice to some extent the accuracy of the pot itself.
Club folklore is full of these kind of fallacies - and the advice is misleading, or at the very least incomplete. If we keep the cue the same height (eg 20mm to be safe for an intermediate club player to allow a margin of cueing error on delivery) above the cushion on top and screw back then of course we DROP the butt of the cue (and the hips / shoulders / cueing arm) for TOPSPIN, and we LIFT the back of the cue (and the hips / shoulders / cueing arm) for BACKSPIN.
What your source may have meant, which again is incorrect, is that the steeper the cue, the more the backspin.
thank you
Welcome Chalery
Hi Nick
What make cue is it you are using please?
At the moment, a Mike Wooldridge with black ferrule.
good way bro thx
Thank you
hi there, when i play a screw shot i strike the cue ball at the bottom (or what i think is the bottom) and im scared of jumping the cue ball so what could i do to get over this fear? also when i play a shot quite firmly i get a high pitch tinny sound (like a miscue) and im wondering if the sound is the quality of the cue or if the tip is ready to be replaced? - thanks tom
Often tip will need replacing as it is not glued on properly, or cue joint damaged or slightly open. There are a few other screw shot videos on this channel - but I would practice them very slowly to make 2 inch screw shots to start with then increase 2 inches per day or per week. Put a pice of cloth under the cue ball and use on old cue ball to take pressure away from the damage created by miscueing.
@@TheSnookerGym thanks for the reply! can a 3/4 joint make the high pitched sound i described?
Certainly
Hey nick I want to ask this. You say to hold the cue like lettuce that I try before it does work so effortless but then when I change into the grip I hold about the same strength as the 2 fingers but then the problem is when I go for other screw back when the cue touch the white my hand will go left and right, like it lack of strength. It feels like i have to tighten it a little bit more why is that happening???
And also I want to ask other question how can I accelerate more power without tightening my grip hand.
Because from what I notice when i deliver the cue at maybe about 6 or 7 speed i do have the tendency to grip the cue tighter due to the force im going with. How can I grip less tighter and deliver more speed.
lengthen backswing and keep it smooth which may help
Love the background picture of Bruce Lee holding a cue
Thank you Michael - are you from Hong Kong. If so I will be there from 2-8 Jan and have space for one more two hour session. You can contact me here if need be .
www.thesnookergym.com/contact-us
I have always loved the Bruce Lee movies... but his discipline, mindfullness, co-ordination, concentration, and dedication are perfect examples of the requirements serious snooker players need to follow.... PLUS he is using the Bo Staff in these pictures, which provided the perfect link to snooker that I was looking for!
Hi, in your videos I can see a scale of speed shot. But, how I can to measure my speed or my force on the shot? How I can to pratice whole levels of scale? Thank you
You can try hitting the cue ball up and down the table and try to control the speed to be 1 length, 2.5 lengths, 1.75 lengths etc. Also another great drill is to practice potting simple balls, with different potting angles, at pocket speed (meaning the ob just has enough speed to drop into the pocket)
@@TheSnookerGym Thank you for your help
Welcome
like this video if u explain deepscrew shot its will be great think about your coaching
Thankyou sir
Any video of a distance pot screw?
th-cam.com/video/eZ5c6LJVzx8/w-d-xo.html
And here is how to build up to that level of control over time!:th-cam.com/video/OjX4cIfTBYo/w-d-xo.html
i was wondering does the weight of the cue matter of how much screw you can get on the cue ball? because with my cue i can get a small amount of screw but with my dads cue (which is heavier) i can get more than i can with my cue...any thoughts
Hi Krvy OG yes if that specification is helping then keep using it or stick some weights to your cue! Everyone has slightly different requirements so there are no hard and fast rules.
Hi Mr Nic. I got a small problem on my cue actions. When I’m playing follow sides, top spins and stun shots I can get enough action of follow through on my cue. But, when I’m striking the ball for long potting , drag shots and screw shots. I don’t know why I can’t get the desired follow through on my cue actions. Is there any methods to overcome this? Thanks in advance.
This may be of interest to you Minho: Here is our Cue Action Trainer - The Fastest Way, To Perfect Cueing… thesnookergym.com/shop/cue-action-trainer/
Just a possibility; something pointed out to me, when attempting to play screw shots, I was pulling up from the shot and moving away from the table almost immediately after striking the ball. I think subconsciously my brain was telling me to get out the way expecting the cue ball to fly towards me.. try staying down on the shot, either until the object ball goes into the pocket, or you have to move for the white.
I’m also finding the way I strike the ball/ my timing, is far more important than the amount of power I put into a screw shot. So make sure you’re following through the cue ball with your cue , not jabbing.
Pretend the screw shot is an upside down top spin shot - you want the same strike. Stay down until you get the foul and you will find you have much more time than you think.
When I screw back the white either jumps or just stun, any suggestions?
Player shorter slower shots to start with, LOOSER hand and fingers, backswing MUCH SLOWER than you have ever done so that it is under control, look at cue ball when you hit cue ball, stay down until cue ball comes back to hit tip, keep going lower and lower until you miscue so that you know the limit, follow through grip hand into chest (DO NOT pull it back after you delivery cue like most club players do)
Tht. But I seem to mostly able to do back spin with american pool balls, but the tables I've got it home is 6ft by 3ft and balls are smaller than even snooker balls.Will try and get back to you thanks.
Great tips by snooker gym but one thing that a lot of snooker coaches tend to leave out of lessons is the fact that the table makes a LOT of difference. If the table you are using is old or low quality it will be near impossible to learn on
Sure
If it is flat that is the most important thing
How large is your tip here, Nic? Looks like a 10mm? I've currently got a 10.5mm cue on its way to me, just as a bit of an experiment and to see how I play with it, really. Might even end up sticking with it, who knows!
I would be interested to hear how you get on - but my view is that screw back will be tough and the cue will be so stiff that it will deflect a huge amount with side spin
Yeah, it'll of course be more deflection than what most snooker players are used to with a 9.5-10mm. Thought I'd try it as I'm just getting back into cue sports after a long break, I used to be a snooker player but I got back into it and have been playing American pool with an 11.8mm tip (with a Chinese 8 ball cue with a brass ferrule, though). I played snooker with a 9.5 again and it felt really weird, total different level of deflection.
So I did a quick bit of maths for the ball:tip diameter ratio with my 11.8mm tip against the 57mm balls and I should get a similar level of deflection with a 10.5-10.75mm tip on a snooker ball so I can be consistent across all games. I'll see how it goes, though, just a bit of an experiment tbh!
Interesting... and that makes sense coming from a pool background. Let us know how you get on.
Got the new shaft and played with it yesterday, I love it. My potting accuracy with side has gone up due to the level of deflection being what I'm used to, plus I find it easier to "see" the centre of the white, generally. I actually think there's a case to be argued for the larger tip as well - if you do accidentally cue off-centre, then the deflection can send the cue ball on the desired path, whereas with a smaller tip and lack of deflection the cue ball will of course follow the direction of the cue a lot more. Though goes without saying, if a player is accustomed to a 9.5mm and has learned to play with side using that tip size, then stick with a 9.5!
Yes there are variables - although 'what we are used to' can always be quickly and easily engineered out if there is a net benefit to a new habit.
i don't know any player who holds a cue with just 2 fingers? as long as you have a relaxed grip and deliver the cue in a straight line through the cue ball below centre striking you will generate back spin
It depends how much below centre. Over tightening the grip is one of the most common reason for players losing accuracy and not hitting the lowest part of the cue ball required for the softest screw shot. PS this is just a drill to show people how little strength they need to screw back. 99% of players way way waaaay overestimate the grip strength they need on screw shots, power shots, and long shots.
Can't see that grip working on long distance screw shots???
It's all touch really ...see Jimmy White or Alex Higgins 80-95 ish
It is a foundational drill to train the mind the concept of the law of minimal effort.
The voice is ridiculous. Please buy a microphone
Can you send one to me please? Thanks ;-)
It works, but why. You don’t explain the physics of it being better. Thanks.
Sometimes we do not need to know the why, only the how.... it is an interesting question to ask where to draw that line on each topic though