Thank you Steve for these interesting tips. At 1:57: The first mistake of hitting the cueball higher than you wish is usually the result of gripping the cue too far back, so the forearm is not vertical with the ground. This causes the butt end to rise as the cue goes back, so people tend to drop the elbow to compensate, which in turn causes a seesawing effect on one's bridge in a scooping upcurve, thus hitting higher on contact, not the cue moving forward in a straight line horizontally. That could be one reason why the person is hitting higher in the first place so to fail at hitting low enough to get sufficient backspin. Some professionals such as Steve Davis turn their bridge down inwards so that their thumb is practically touching the cloth, for a more level screwing through the ball, especially for the deeper screws. The playing arm's forearm should be vertical to the floor when the cue tip is almost but not touching the cueball in the rest position. At 6:16, I can see that your forearm is perfectly vertical, good man lol. Very good and informative videos, thank you. Agape. Andrew.
I wished I had discovered your videos earlier..I've been watching the wrong videos before this. The way you explain is very easy to understand .. Keep them coming Thanks
"Not pushing through the cue" i have seen so many tutorial videos on screwing back the cue ball but no one ever mention this point! Thanx for telling so much.......
Definitely have anxiety about hitting too low, because, yes, more often than not, I end up scooping the cue ball and watching it jump over the object ball. I have not been able to self-diagnose what I'm doing wrong. Suggestions?
Another reason not mentioned is not keeping the cue strait on the follow through, a bad cue action imparts more side spin than back spin, with that, the cue ball will not pull back, it will just stun.
Great video!!! I am guilty of all three mistakes that you have mentioned. Some days, mistake 3 (hitting too hard) are worse that mistake 1 (anxiety) and other days, mistake 2 reigns supreme. Sigh......
Hi Steve, How low on the cueball can you actually go to obtain a zippy good distance screwback (like in the last example @ 5min 47 of this video) without the cueball leaping up into the air? Thank you
I should have found a coach like you 35 years ago when I started to play snooker for the first time @ the age of 27! Your coaching sessions are the best & make it look so easy. 👌
Another great tip is to move your hand further away from the white when playing shots, dont have it to close. I found moving my hand on the table further away has opened up tons more spin and other shots that I couldnt do before and given me much better cue action. Good video
Good points. I'd add some. Practice stance and cue grip > practice stroke > practice low, level cue movement > low hand bridge position > practice follow-through with accuracy of impact > get out of the way quickly for q-ball coming back. Have you ever heard of practicing with a long-neck wine bottle? It works, especially for larger q-balls for coin-operated bar pool tables. Ronnie-Rocket has a great stroke and follow-through, doesn't rely on power. Decades of practice on top of natural talent and good coaching. Challenge: getting reverse (draw, Screw) when the q-ball is less than an inch from the object ball.
Never start changing your bridge hand, that's a deffo no no, snooker is basically entirely about playing a shot repetitively over and over again, the moment you start trying to raise your bridge or lower your bridge you'll struggle.
Challenge: ...You need to play those shots carefully to make sure you don't foul with a push shot/double hit. But to generate the backspin without the cue going all the way through is a bit like playing a punch shot in golf.. LOL It is though, you stab the cue ball, you do follow through playing desired side, if you're reversing the screw shot you play the opposite side you're facing, to spin left you play bottom right and vice versa, you put the tip through the cue ball faster than you normally would. Not power, but speed of tip. A little PUNCH, and you'll get it zipping back and spinning off the cushion.
Or if you want to be flash, you come down on top of the cue ball looking down on it with your butt over your head and drop the tip through the back of the cue ball on desired side. Only you'll get glared at for drumming your tip straight down on the cloth in some snooker halls LOL, but you'll not rip it provided your steep enough.
Worlds End , All good points. Thanks. Been watching a lot of TH-cam snooker over the last year. Very different than pool in many ways. What I am not understanding is the q-ball and object ball bouncing, after rolling the q-ball straight across the table. Why the hop? I'm in US, Didn't know much about Rocket, or snooker for that matter. I think Ronnie is amazing, watched every video on him. What do you think of him? Is he controversial? $13million isn't bad for carer earnings.
Great video, I've always tried to push my screw shots with lots of power but I've noticed that causes me to stab at the ball, hit the ball higher than I want and also causes me to be less accurate. I will try and practice with much more care and hitting the shots much softer and more accurate now, focusing on follow through. Wish we had coaches like you in Germany, cheers!
BARTON is correct !! NUMBER 1) PUSH your CUE THROUGH the shot. To screw the ball back or go forward or follow through "always push the cue forward. for "ALL SHOTS". (THIS ALSO WILL STRAIGHTEN YOUR STROKE). This is why when you FIRST Practice you need to spend 5-10 minutes JUST hitting the Cue with a red ball and pushing your cue forward. Stop POKING at the ball!.You will need to do this for about 100 practice times and then the muscle memory will take hold.
Jimmy white does exactly what Steve is telling you not to do, as stated by Clive Everton, on commentary, because of the same reason as stated. Miss cue or scooping the ball.
Hi Steve further to my recent message, was really looking forward to my weekly visit to the snooker club after watching your video on screwing the white ball back properly, I came to the conclusion that it must be the distance between my hand and the white ball, however I tried various things ie the height of your bridge, striking point of the cue, speed etc most shots were resulting in the white going over the top and in the pocket? considering a one to one session at the snooker club, would this be done through zoom ? Bill
Wrong angle on the black, a little high so you could screw in off, bags of reverse screw to make the side cushion and let the spin do the rest, it's a nice feeling LOL
Thanks for this. As I said on another video I am a billiards players not a snooker player but these screw back tips definitely will help with my potting and screw back cannons, thanks!
Also good to note a closed bridge can help players struggling with screw, as it forces the tip of the cue to stay low during the shot and in the follow through.
Great video! What about deep screw? I always struggle with distance as my cue ball loses so much spin by the time it hits the object ball when there is a lot of distance to cover.
Thanks for the video. I love the game - playing and watching, but I'm not that good, so tips like these, in this clip, are really interesting and helpful. Thank you.
Really helpful video Steve - the [deep] screw shot has always been a big weakness in my game. I now realise it's not just getting the cue low enough on the cue ball, but going through on the shot as well. Great advice!
Thankyou for this video. Reason 2 is one of those light bulb moments: I didn't know you must keep the cue moving beyond where the white ball was sat. Will be trying this revelation tonight!
I am really struggling with my long range screw back all I get is stun. What I am trying to do is long pot screw back for the blue. The red would be around the pink spot area and cue ball would be in the D
Great video,can you please make a video on which shots it is better to play with side to make positional play easier because of the speed of the cueball,a lot of shots i am not sure what is better just to play a stun shot or use side
Does the tip on the cue also make a difference? I've found that some tips generate more back spin. Which tip would you advise that for getting the desired effect. Many thanks.
What about the cloth on the table? It's quality is going to be a factor, when you are playing at different places. Also shape of the cue tip and chalking. Does the cue tip need to be rounded or flat.
I watched the video earlier tonight. Had to go out but I had some spare time so off I went to the nearest snooker club and I started practicing on my own. It's amazing how much this video helped. I was trying all sorts of back spin and I saw major improvement just after watching this video. Thank you so much, Barton! :)
You've a great way of getting the message across, that's something I'd struggle to do, you make it all so easily followed and fluent, easier to grasp all you're saying. You should get a Job doing this Steve. :D
Superb explanation which is missing from so many tutorials or thay just don't explain it rite evan top players. You on the other hand slow it down stop the shot so we can see the point of impact and slowmo .I have made all the mistakes you mentioned but now I am getting there. Thanks 2u many many thanks. Also do I have to hit the ball thicker if I play full siz.as I play 3 quarter snooker .and thinking of switching. Please reply karl
Hi Karl, Thanks a lot. Always good to know people find the videos so helpful. You shouldn't notice much difference in the potting angles with different size balls. You would soon adjust slightly and get used to it. Cheers 🙂
Hey Steve I’m wondering if club table cloths allow us to generate the same amount of screw as you demonstrated in the video without necessarily trying too hard??
That's helped considerably - now I know what I'm trying to do and why. Also, I found a looser grip for this shot helps as well. Many thanks for the lesson.
Relax your rear hand and hold it loosely between finger and thumb. You'll deliver the cue much straighter through the white and will need far less power to generate great spin. Get that cue tip all the way through the cue ball, not hard just standard pace and you'll get better and better at it, it's all in cueing, good timing and the delivery of the cue. Imagine the other side of the cue ball and your cue tip coming through.
Yeah the loose thumb and forefinger grip is a good tip, also try closing the hand on the final delivery of the cue especially on screw shots. Also pause on the final back swing, slowly accelerate through the shot (these two things are the mystery of "timing" ). Also watch how he lines up his shot from standing behind the shot and swings the cue onto line, develop this for every shot. For a fun practice go as low as you normally go, then push the boundaries and go even lower. Do this with side as well go as far as you think you can go then go a bit more so the tip is seemingly almost missing the white , you get some amazing side spin reactions. I'm a retired pool player, so these tips work well with a small white. I was practicing this once and a pro player was sitting at the bar watching me, afterwards he said he didn't know how I did a couple of those shots, I just said I just put maximum side on, he said I know, I didn't tell him I was playing side to the absolute max seemingly missing the ball :). I find I played best with a slight feeling of aggression, and slight showmanship, arrogance in a nice way. I dunno why I ended up writing all this :), hope it makes sense to someone.
hi Steve I have tried low, going through the ball, tilting the cue at different angles etc, but always seem to scoop/jump or generally miss cue the white? can you please advise me on how much of the cue tip makes contact with the white ball, on your video at time frame 5.08 you see the cue tip striking on the very edge of the tip? I play pool and am obviously aware of the different sizes of the balls, however I never have a bother screwing the white ball on the pool table?
Nice video again. Would like to understand as well the correct hand bridge technique while performing a screw shot. While my tip is already pointed correctly, do I need to then lower my hand palm till it's flat on the cushion or just remain my palm height as it is and only then angled my cue so that the tip is pointed lower at the cue ball before doing the feathering?. Thanks
Do nothing, play as you play, make your bridge hand solid and stick to it, repetitive is the way to go, when you get it right you want to continue to get it right, over and over again. Don't start upping or lowering your bridge hand, just find where it's comfortable and you feel in control of the cue and stick to it. Playing from the cushion is the same, find a way you like, and stick to it as much as you can.
Relax your rear hand and hold it loosely between finger and thumb. You'll deliver the cue much straighter through the white and will need far less power to generate great spin. Get that cue tip all the way through the cue ball, not hard just standard pace and you'll get better and better at it, it's all in cueing, good timing and the delivery of the cue. Imagine the other side of the cue ball and your cue tip coming through.
Hi Steve. I have the same issue from time to time and I`m now going to go to a smaller millimeter tip. From a 13 maybe to a 12. Its said that a smaller tip can create more dramatic spin. Also the curvature of the tip. I`ve recently went from a nickel curve to a dime curve(American coins). The dime has a steeper angle and seems to generate more spin for me. Thanks for the video and keep them coming.👍
@@uFlavaMe Smaller the tip, the better you must be cueing or you'll generate lots of side you don't want, it's actually easier slightly larger, an 11 is about right, either an Elk Master or a Blue Diamond tip is the way to go.
Hard Wired 11mm is way bigger than any professional uses. I play the game to a decent standard. 9.5mm is typically what players tend to go for. And for tips, Century tips are a lot better than both blue diamond and elkmaster.
@@uFlavaMe They go shiny to quickly and need really good-looking after, the Diamond will go on and on, the elk master helps spin as it's a more grippy loser leather. I use a 10 and practice regularly with Andy Hicks who uses a 9... So what?
I can screw back with my left hand pretty well but better with my weaker hand my right, I’m ambidextrous and can get breaks of 40’s and 50’s with either hand but would like some advice on why I can control the cue ball a bit better with my weaker hand my right hand?
Awesome video! How much of a difference do you think cue tips and chalk make on getting a good screw back? Are certain brands all they’re talked up to be in improving your control of the white?
Hi Steve. I struggle to get back spin specifically with my cue.. but have no problem with the club cue. Is it possible an issue with the tip can be the cause?
Confidence on hitting the ball low to achieve backspin. I’d advice players who have this problem to shoot balls in the pocket, hitting an object balls while applying backspin. Follow through is important and fix your eyes after getting on line on where you want to hit the cue ball. Soft, controlled and good follow through will achieve a better controlled backspin than I hard hitting attempt. Increasing the power will decrease your accuracy. Nice video and very useful for those who struggle with this.
I think your fine demonstrations would be greatly aided by using a ball that has a stripe on it. One can purchase snooker balls 9-15 that we in the US call stripes. You can set the stripe parallel to the table, deliver the cue to the ball and a mark should be left where you actually hit the ball. I have found the use of the striped ball to be invaluable. Following through as you do does certainly generate professional looking screw.
0:16 lots of times we find in frames, this happens ...but the cueball didn’t follow the black into the pocket. And how did you manage to screw it back so far?
I don't get the theory of follow through (through I do believe the effect). As soon as contact is made with the white ball with the cue, the white ball moves away from the cue at a speed faster than the cue is moving, so follow through surely doesn't have any physical impact. Is it a mental thing to discourage "stabbing"?
No. It's because we're human and the only way to be at maximum speed when you hit the white, is to follow through. Imagine if you tried to stop 1cm after contact was made?? It's not possible to do that and be at maximum speed as you strike is it! So that's why us humans have to follow through past the contact point. If you built a machine, well yeah, you could make it stop 2mm after contact with the white was made. No problem. But for you, you have to go past and beyond the white, otherwise you won't be at maximum speed as the tip makes contact... You'd already be decelerating. Hope that helps 🙂
@@BartonSnooker thanks, thought so. So, it kinda is a mental thing (rather than a physical action/reaction) the follow through ensuring cue speed is at maximum (desired) speed during impact. Make sense - thanks.
@@HCMCDrives hi. Erm, not really a mental thing, no. It's the only way it's physically possible for you to hit the cue-ball at the desired speed. Let's say you need to strike the cue-ball at 9 mph. You can't hit it at 9 mph and then stop 1mm after impact, it's not humanly possibly. So it's basically the only way human beings can hit at the correct speed.
@@BartonSnooker when I say mental thing, I should really say, not a physical action or reaction thing. The follow through doesn't create any effect on the ball, it's simply allows the correct cue speed. So yeah, I agree, it's absolutely necessary, but i would say it's not impossible for a human to stop the cue 1mm after contact, it's just very, very, very hard (~0.0000001%), so the follow through action increases that percentage considerably. Apologies, my crap choice of words.
I certainly was surprised by reason 2 - it goes counter-intuitive for me! I always striked with a low dry hit, pushing the cue back as fast as I can! Thanks for this tip!
Thanking You Sir. Highly Valuable as this is all True To The Bone. I have fell into this trap of the 3 Pointers highlighted on here purely being naive or just somebody in over excitement. The accuracy of the contact and follow through is the Key. The Pre-shot routine will come into consideration, but this is a case of "a little going a long way".
I am not a professional but I can make ball come back..but today I bought a players cue stick and the thing has no grip:( I never had a problem making white ball come back until now. Is there a chance tip could be bad?? I have an old 20oz duffering cue stick and very easy to make white ball come back .
This is an awesome video. I have commented before to make video on screw shots and how to make a snooker when there are not enough points left on the table, especially when there are only color balls left (I often see pros control the white so that the object ball which they want to get a snooker on takes a different path and goes to another side of the table, while the cue ball takes another path and comes directly behind some other color ball, blocking that object ball, I really wanna know how we can achieve that). Also my problem is, (please gimme some tips) whenever I try to screw the ball I hit low on the cue ball, but instead of screwing effect I get the top spin effect, even tho I hit it very low almost dead low right in the center but it always gets the top spin effect (for example, in an almost straight shot instead of screwing back, it goes forward). 1 - It is exactly like that first example you showed but I am pretty sure I am hitting dead low. 2 - And about that pushing through, it does feel unnatural, and I cant do it even tho I try to, but I think my hand is usually place much closer to the cue ball, do you think it affects the my shot? If so, how far should I place my hand? 3 - I agree about the power thing, but even when I hit it softly it does not get the screw effect. So any help is appreciated my brother. Keep making these videos, you are one of the best snooker teachers on youtube, and I am learning a lot.
Does the grip of the cue have any effect on screw shots? I was told to hold the cue loose all the time. What do you Suggest? Thanks for making these videos, it helped the beginners like me alot.
Massively, yes.. Relax your rear hand and hold it loosely between finger and thumb. You'll deliver the cue much straighter through the white and will need far less power to generate great spin. Get that cue tip all the way through the cue ball, not hard just standard pace and you'll get better and better at it, it's all in cueing, good timing and the delivery of the cue. Imagine the other side of the cue ball and your cue tip coming through
My screw back is actually quite fine (baulk line to pink back to blue area or more). but I can't do top spin properly, most of the time it becomes like a stun shot, I'm raising my bridge and hitting top of cue ball smoothly with good follow through but still I just don't get it. Please help thanks.
Have a look at my video on, 'The Basics'. Each person will need to grip the cue in a different position depending on their bridge length, their height, their arm span.
Thank you Steve for these interesting tips. At 1:57: The first mistake of hitting the cueball higher than you wish is usually the result of gripping the cue too far back, so the forearm is not vertical with the ground. This causes the butt end to rise as the cue goes back, so people tend to drop the elbow to compensate, which in turn causes a seesawing effect on one's bridge in a scooping upcurve, thus hitting higher on contact, not the cue moving forward in a straight line horizontally. That could be one reason why the person is hitting higher in the first place so to fail at hitting low enough to get sufficient backspin.
Some professionals such as Steve Davis turn their bridge down inwards so that their thumb is practically touching the cloth, for a more level screwing through the ball, especially for the deeper screws.
The playing arm's forearm should be vertical to the floor when the cue tip is almost but not touching the cueball in the rest position. At 6:16, I can see that your forearm is perfectly vertical, good man lol. Very good and informative videos, thank you. Agape. Andrew.
Hey that's also great advice. Thankyou!
thanks bro
Imagine being so good that you can intentionally mess up perfectly
Only now I realized I've made a comment about the same thing!! incredible!
YOU MEAN BEING RONNIE ??
@Vicente Joaquin Why hack your gf account. If you don't trust her you shouldn't be with her. Grow up!
Ikr😂😂😂
I wished I had discovered your videos earlier..I've been watching the wrong videos before this. The way you explain is very easy to understand ..
Keep them coming
Thanks
Like wise
"Not pushing through the cue" i have seen so many tutorial videos on screwing back the cue ball but no one ever mention this point! Thanx for telling so much.......
Definitely have anxiety about hitting too low, because, yes, more often than not, I end up scooping the cue ball and watching it jump over the object ball. I have not been able to self-diagnose what I'm doing wrong. Suggestions?
4:45 unless your name is judd trump
Go fuck yaself!
Thank you for this. I keep stunning instead of screwing back and it's because of the exact reason you say of fear of chipping the ball! Cheers.
Thanks Steve, it’s really helpful. I always hit the ball to hard and the cue ball always out of position.
Another reason not mentioned is not keeping the cue strait on the follow through, a bad cue action imparts more side spin than back spin, with that, the cue ball will not pull back, it will just stun.
Great video!!! I am guilty of all three mistakes that you have mentioned. Some days, mistake 3 (hitting too hard) are worse that mistake 1 (anxiety) and other days, mistake 2 reigns supreme. Sigh......
Hi Steve, How low on the cueball can you actually go to obtain a zippy good distance screwback (like in the last example
@ 5min 47 of this video) without the cueball leaping up into the air?
Thank you
I should have found a coach like you 35 years ago when I started to play snooker for the first time @ the age of 27! Your coaching sessions are the best & make it look so easy. 👌
Natural teaching capability Barton.👍
Screwing back!!..A game changing weapon...I got my screwing back technique from this video..Thanks
Love these tips as it is the part of my game I struggle with
Another great tip is to move your hand further away from the white when playing shots, dont have it to close. I found moving my hand on the table further away has opened up tons more spin and other shots that I couldnt do before and given me much better cue action. Good video
Good points. I'd add some. Practice stance and cue grip > practice stroke > practice low, level cue movement > low hand bridge position > practice follow-through with accuracy of impact > get out of the way quickly for q-ball coming back.
Have you ever heard of practicing with a long-neck wine bottle? It works, especially for larger q-balls for coin-operated bar pool tables.
Ronnie-Rocket has a great stroke and follow-through, doesn't rely on power. Decades of practice on top of natural talent and good coaching.
Challenge: getting reverse (draw, Screw) when the q-ball is less than an inch from the object ball.
Never start changing your bridge hand, that's a deffo no no, snooker is basically entirely about playing a shot repetitively over and over again, the moment you start trying to raise your bridge or lower your bridge you'll struggle.
Challenge: ...You need to play those shots carefully to make sure you don't foul with a push shot/double hit. But to generate the backspin without the cue going all the way through is a bit like playing a punch shot in golf.. LOL It is though, you stab the cue ball, you do follow through playing desired side, if you're reversing the screw shot you play the opposite side you're facing, to spin left you play bottom right and vice versa, you put the tip through the cue ball faster than you normally would. Not power, but speed of tip. A little PUNCH, and you'll get it zipping back and spinning off the cushion.
Or if you want to be flash, you come down on top of the cue ball looking down on it with your butt over your head and drop the tip through the back of the cue ball on desired side. Only you'll get glared at for drumming your tip straight down on the cloth in some snooker halls LOL, but you'll not rip it provided your steep enough.
Worlds End , All good points. Thanks. Been watching a lot of TH-cam snooker over the last year. Very different than pool in many ways.
What I am not understanding is the q-ball and object ball bouncing, after rolling the q-ball straight across the table. Why the hop?
I'm in US, Didn't know much about Rocket, or snooker for that matter. I think Ronnie is amazing, watched every video on him.
What do you think of him? Is he controversial? $13million isn't bad for carer earnings.
Great video, I've always tried to push my screw shots with lots of power but I've noticed that causes me to stab at the ball, hit the ball higher than I want and also causes me to be less accurate. I will try and practice with much more care and hitting the shots much softer and more accurate now, focusing on follow through. Wish we had coaches like you in Germany, cheers!
BARTON is correct !! NUMBER 1) PUSH your CUE THROUGH the shot. To screw the ball back or go forward or follow through "always push the cue forward. for "ALL SHOTS". (THIS ALSO WILL STRAIGHTEN YOUR STROKE).
This is why when you FIRST Practice you need to spend 5-10 minutes JUST hitting the Cue with a red ball and pushing your cue forward. Stop POKING at the ball!.You will need to do this for about 100 practice times and then the muscle memory will take hold.
I am a beginner but trust me my game just improved so much in couple of weeks following this channel. Best online coach :)
really interesting ,the balls make a noticeable sound when struck properly i find
Definitely
I notice that aswell there’s a sound the balls make when you just no you’ve hit it right and you think “that’s in” 😆
Click...Click...BOOM
@Paul Mathews The trick is to find the best queue and share it, and know when you can get away with licking the chalk off it before passing it
Jimmy white does exactly what Steve is telling you not to do, as stated by Clive Everton, on commentary, because of the same reason as stated. Miss cue or scooping the ball.
Thanks for the upload, what about loosing up the stroking arm while cueing? I think that makes a huge difference
Well l am definitely 1) a&b. Hence, deeply loved this topic. 🙏
Hi Steve
further to my recent message, was really looking forward to my weekly visit to the snooker club after watching your video on screwing the white ball back properly, I came to the conclusion that it must be the distance between my hand and the white ball, however I tried various things ie the height of your bridge, striking point of the cue, speed etc most shots were resulting in the white going over the top and in the pocket? considering a one to one session at the snooker club, would this be done through zoom ?
Bill
謝謝！
You are so kind to give us all yr knowledge. Thanks from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Wrong angle on the black, a little high so you could screw in off, bags of reverse screw to make the side cushion and let the spin do the rest, it's a nice feeling LOL
Thanks for this. As I said on another video I am a billiards players not a snooker player but these screw back tips definitely will help with my potting and screw back cannons, thanks!
Thank you!
Gonna try these thanks!
Also good to note a closed bridge can help players struggling with screw, as it forces the tip of the cue to stay low during the shot and in the follow through.
Great video! What about deep screw? I always struggle with distance as my cue ball loses so much spin by the time it hits the object ball when there is a lot of distance to cover.
This video was recommended. Didn't it help! Been playing since I was 4 and this has helped alot. Definite subscriber from me. Thanks
Thank you 🙂
No, Thank you. I got a game on Tuesday. Getting all the hints and tips I can before the season starts again. :D
Thanks for the video. I love the game - playing and watching, but I'm not that good, so tips like these, in this clip, are really interesting and helpful. Thank you.
Question if you Hit The Lettle Ball and Then Big Ball do you hit the Any ball in the Shot in the Hole do you go Backwards
Really helpful video Steve - the [deep] screw shot has always been a big weakness in my game. I now realise it's not just getting the cue low enough on the cue ball, but going through on the shot as well. Great advice!
Superb lesson.
Great video!! Does the quality of the tip make any difference? 🤔
-"Tries to Screw Back the ball"-
_Ends screwing up the game_
Holy shit - who is your opponent? O'Sullivan?
Ive done that a few times
Hahahhahah right
What about grip pressure for screw back shots . Both Ronnie and Jimmy’s video coaching talkg about a tighter grip for screw back shots
Thankyou for this video. Reason 2 is one of those light bulb moments: I didn't know you must keep the cue moving beyond where the white ball was sat. Will be trying this revelation tonight!
I am really struggling with my long range screw back all I get is stun. What I am trying to do is long pot screw back for the blue. The red would be around the pink spot area and cue ball would be in the D
Great video,can you please make a video on which shots it is better to play with side to make positional play easier because of the speed of the cueball,a lot of shots i am not sure what is better just to play a stun shot or use side
Does the tip on the cue also make a difference? I've found that some tips generate more back spin. Which tip would you advise that for getting the desired effect. Many thanks.
What about the cloth on the table? It's quality is going to be a factor, when you are playing at different places. Also shape of the cue tip and chalking. Does the cue tip need to be rounded or flat.
I will practice this in the morning. If it works then I b happy. Am a good player but was failing to draw back cue ball
Big thanks from Uganda
Hi Steve, very good video however would like your take on more distance between cue ball and object ball and screw back , thanks again
Brilliant mate, exactly the questions i struggle with. Going tomorrow to test. Thanks a lot
You explain everything so well.
I watched the video earlier tonight. Had to go out but I had some spare time so off I went to the nearest snooker club and I started practicing on my own. It's amazing how much this video helped. I was trying all sorts of back spin and I saw major improvement just after watching this video. Thank you so much, Barton! :)
You've a great way of getting the message across, that's something I'd struggle to do, you make it all so easily followed and fluent, easier to grasp all you're saying. You should get a Job doing this Steve. :D
Ha! Many thanks. That's much appreciated 🙂
Excellent video. Great info and practice examples. Thanks a lot.
Superb explanation which is missing from so many tutorials or thay just don't explain it rite evan top players. You on the other hand slow it down stop the shot so we can see the point of impact and slowmo .I have made all the mistakes you mentioned but now I am getting there. Thanks 2u many many thanks. Also do I have to hit the ball thicker if I play full siz.as I play 3 quarter snooker .and thinking of switching. Please reply karl
Hi Karl,
Thanks a lot. Always good to know people find the videos so helpful.
You shouldn't notice much difference in the potting angles with different size balls. You would soon adjust slightly and get used to it.
Cheers 🙂
@@BartonSnooker thanks so much .and for replying .could do with ur coaching .
Hey Steve I’m wondering if club table cloths allow us to generate the same amount of screw as you demonstrated in the video without necessarily trying too hard??
That's helped considerably - now I know what I'm trying to do and why. Also, I found a looser grip for this shot helps as well. Many thanks for the lesson.
Relax your rear hand and hold it loosely between finger and thumb. You'll deliver the cue much straighter through the white and will need far less power to generate great spin. Get that cue tip all the way through the cue ball, not hard just standard pace and you'll get better and better at it, it's all in cueing, good timing and the delivery of the cue. Imagine the other side of the cue ball and your cue tip coming through.
Yeah the loose thumb and forefinger grip is a good tip, also try closing the hand on the final delivery of the cue especially on screw shots. Also pause on the final back swing, slowly accelerate through the shot (these two things are the mystery of "timing" ). Also watch how he lines up his shot from standing behind the shot and swings the cue onto line, develop this for every shot.
For a fun practice go as low as you normally go, then push the boundaries and go even lower. Do this with side as well go as far as you think you can go then go a bit more so the tip is seemingly almost missing the white , you get some amazing side spin reactions. I'm a retired pool player, so these tips work well with a small white. I was practicing this once and a pro player was sitting at the bar watching me, afterwards he said he didn't know how I did a couple of those shots, I just said I just put maximum side on, he said I know, I didn't tell him I was playing side to the absolute max seemingly missing the ball :).
I find I played best with a slight feeling of aggression, and slight showmanship, arrogance in a nice way.
I dunno why I ended up writing all this :), hope it makes sense to someone.
really needed this thanks
Really good tuition 👍
wonderful hint man. great job. I just couldnt figure out what was my problem so far. Good luck
Again steve another great and useful video. Keep up the good work
Great video as always...thanks. Do you have a lower, flatter bridge hand when screwing back?
Yes you do. Lower the hand and that helps the cue stay flat, whilst also hitting low on the cue ball.
@@BartonSnooker thanks for the quick response. I get my table next week and can't wait to learn from your tutorials. Keep up the good work
hi Steve
I have tried low, going through the ball, tilting the cue at different angles etc, but always seem to scoop/jump or generally miss cue the white? can you please advise me on how much of the cue tip makes contact with the white ball, on your video at time frame 5.08 you see the cue tip striking on the very edge of the tip? I play pool and am obviously aware of the different sizes of the balls, however I never have a bother screwing the white ball on the pool table?
Nice video again.
Would like to understand as well the correct hand bridge technique while performing a screw shot.
While my tip is already pointed correctly, do I need to then lower my hand palm till it's flat on the cushion or just remain my palm height as it is and only then angled my cue so that the tip is pointed lower at the cue ball before doing the feathering?. Thanks
Do nothing, play as you play, make your bridge hand solid and stick to it, repetitive is the way to go, when you get it right you want to continue to get it right, over and over again. Don't start upping or lowering your bridge hand, just find where it's comfortable and you feel in control of the cue and stick to it. Playing from the cushion is the same, find a way you like, and stick to it as much as you can.
Relax your rear hand and hold it loosely between finger and thumb. You'll deliver the cue much straighter through the white and will need far less power to generate great spin. Get that cue tip all the way through the cue ball, not hard just standard pace and you'll get better and better at it, it's all in cueing, good timing and the delivery of the cue. Imagine the other side of the cue ball and your cue tip coming through.
Hi Steve. I have the same issue from time to time and I`m now going to go to a smaller millimeter tip. From a 13 maybe to a 12. Its said that a smaller tip can create more dramatic spin. Also the curvature of the tip. I`ve recently went from a nickel curve to a dime curve(American coins). The dime has a steeper angle and seems to generate more spin for me. Thanks for the video and keep them coming.👍
Brian B. A 13mm or 12mm is massive! You should be using between a 9.5mm to as low as 9.2mm
@@uFlavaMe Smaller the tip, the better you must be cueing or you'll generate lots of side you don't want, it's actually easier slightly larger, an 11 is about right, either an Elk Master or a Blue Diamond tip is the way to go.
Slight dome is nice, to round and again you need to be deadly accurate through the cue ball
Hard Wired 11mm is way bigger than any professional uses. I play the game to a decent standard. 9.5mm is typically what players tend to go for. And for tips, Century tips are a lot better than both blue diamond and elkmaster.
@@uFlavaMe They go shiny to quickly and need really good-looking after, the Diamond will go on and on, the elk master helps spin as it's a more grippy loser leather. I use a 10 and practice regularly with Andy Hicks who uses a 9... So what?
Excelente Steve.... Muchas gracias
Explained in such simple terms amazing Thanks, Barton!
I can screw back with my left hand pretty well but better with my weaker hand my right, I’m ambidextrous and can get breaks of 40’s and 50’s with either hand but would like some advice on why I can control the cue ball a bit better with my weaker hand my right hand?
Thanks for mentioning that 3rd reason especially ;-) Doesn't hitting too hard also mean that the ball starts sliding much more than rolling?
Awesome video! How much of a difference do you think cue tips and chalk make on getting a good screw back? Are certain brands all they’re talked up to be in improving your control of the white?
Cheers Steve, I forward this to my pal who still has trouble getting through the ball.
I practiced it works automatically
Great love from Uganda.
Hi Steve. I struggle to get back spin specifically with my cue.. but have no problem with the club cue. Is it possible an issue with the tip can be the cause?
Confidence on hitting the ball low to achieve backspin. I’d advice players who have this problem to shoot balls in the pocket, hitting an object balls while applying backspin. Follow through is important and fix your eyes after getting on line on where you want to hit the cue ball. Soft, controlled and good follow through will achieve a better controlled backspin than I hard hitting attempt. Increasing the power will decrease your accuracy.
Nice video and very useful for those who struggle with this.
I think your fine demonstrations would be greatly aided by using a ball that has a stripe on it. One can purchase snooker balls 9-15 that we in the US call stripes. You can set the stripe parallel to the table, deliver the cue to the ball and a mark should be left where you actually hit the ball. I have found the use of the striped ball to be invaluable. Following through as you do does certainly generate professional looking screw.
0:16 lots of times we find in frames, this happens
...but the cueball didn’t follow the black into the pocket. And how did you manage to screw it back so far?
Do you have any videos regarding follow through.
Yes!
Have a look here:
th-cam.com/video/0WNHuxlIjOE/w-d-xo.html
I don't get the theory of follow through (through I do believe the effect). As soon as contact is made with the white ball with the cue, the white ball moves away from the cue at a speed faster than the cue is moving, so follow through surely doesn't have any physical impact. Is it a mental thing to discourage "stabbing"?
No. It's because we're human and the only way to be at maximum speed when you hit the white, is to follow through. Imagine if you tried to stop 1cm after contact was made?? It's not possible to do that and be at maximum speed as you strike is it! So that's why us humans have to follow through past the contact point.
If you built a machine, well yeah, you could make it stop 2mm after contact with the white was made. No problem. But for you, you have to go past and beyond the white, otherwise you won't be at maximum speed as the tip makes contact... You'd already be decelerating.
Hope that helps 🙂
@@BartonSnooker thanks, thought so. So, it kinda is a mental thing (rather than a physical action/reaction) the follow through ensuring cue speed is at maximum (desired) speed during impact. Make sense - thanks.
@@HCMCDrives hi. Erm, not really a mental thing, no. It's the only way it's physically possible for you to hit the cue-ball at the desired speed.
Let's say you need to strike the cue-ball at 9 mph. You can't hit it at 9 mph and then stop 1mm after impact, it's not humanly possibly.
So it's basically the only way human beings can hit at the correct speed.
@@BartonSnooker when I say mental thing, I should really say, not a physical action or reaction thing. The follow through doesn't create any effect on the ball, it's simply allows the correct cue speed. So yeah, I agree, it's absolutely necessary, but i would say it's not impossible for a human to stop the cue 1mm after contact, it's just very, very, very hard (~0.0000001%), so the follow through action increases that percentage considerably.
Apologies, my crap choice of words.
@@HCMCDrives no, you're exacy right! It allows the correct speed as you say.
I certainly was surprised by reason 2 - it goes counter-intuitive for me! I always striked with a low dry hit, pushing the cue back as fast as I can! Thanks for this tip!
1st and 2nd reasons is why I can't screw back most of the time. Very helpful lesson
Wish you were in the southwest Steve, you would be a great coach for me..
Thanking You Sir. Highly Valuable as this is all True To The Bone. I have fell into this trap of the 3 Pointers highlighted on here purely being naive or just somebody in over excitement.
The accuracy of the contact and follow through is the Key. The Pre-shot routine will come into consideration, but this is a case of "a little going a long way".
I wish there was TH-cam and this video back in the 90's.
I am not a professional but I can make ball come back..but today I bought a players cue stick and the thing has no grip:( I never had a problem making white ball come back until now. Is there a chance tip could be bad??
I have an old 20oz duffering cue stick and very easy to make white ball come back .
This is an awesome video. I have commented before to make video on screw shots and how to make a snooker when there are not enough points left on the table, especially when there are only color balls left (I often see pros control the white so that the object ball which they want to get a snooker on takes a different path and goes to another side of the table, while the cue ball takes another path and comes directly behind some other color ball, blocking that object ball, I really wanna know how we can achieve that). Also my problem is, (please gimme some tips) whenever I try to screw the ball I hit low on the cue ball, but instead of screwing effect I get the top spin effect, even tho I hit it very low almost dead low right in the center but it always gets the top spin effect (for example, in an almost straight shot instead of screwing back, it goes forward).
1 - It is exactly like that first example you showed but I am pretty sure I am hitting dead low.
2 - And about that pushing through, it does feel unnatural, and I cant do it even tho I try to, but I think my hand is usually place much closer to the cue ball, do you think it affects the my shot? If so, how far should I place my hand?
3 - I agree about the power thing, but even when I hit it softly it does not get the screw effect.
So any help is appreciated my brother. Keep making these videos, you are one of the best snooker teachers on youtube, and I am learning a lot.
Steve IS the best snooker coach on you tube or any tube.
@@scott7706 yes. My game improved a lot.
Another excellent video! Thank you.
Terrific. Thank you.
Very well explained, Steve. Many thanks.
What about when playing long deep screw shot it won’t be possible with out hitting with power .
Yes, you'll need to hit with power. That's the reason they are so difficult!!!!
Timing, not power, you can cue a long 3/4s pot and draw the white half-way back without jamming the cue ball like a bullet.
Hi Steve another well presented video, just out of interest doe's the shape of your snooker tip make any difference to playing this shot.
Can't wait to try this out. I've been stabbing to get a screw back and hitting as hard as I can
Boy Racer same to be honest
What about a lack of chalk on the tip, can that affect your ability to play with screw?
Never mind the screw. How do i pot the bloody black?
Does the grip of the cue have any effect on screw shots? I was told to hold the cue loose all the time. What do you Suggest? Thanks for making these videos, it helped the beginners like me alot.
Hold it just hard enough to not lose the stick.
Don't grip it too tight, it has to be fluent. The cue and the timing must do the work not arm strenght.
Massively, yes.. Relax your rear hand and hold it loosely between finger and thumb. You'll deliver the cue much straighter through the white and will need far less power to generate great spin. Get that cue tip all the way through the cue ball, not hard just standard pace and you'll get better and better at it, it's all in cueing, good timing and the delivery of the cue. Imagine the other side of the cue ball and your cue tip coming through
Awesome teacher!
sir i dont understand the aiming technique ....... where to aim exactly(during last follow through)
Very helpful.. Thanks Sir!!
My screw back is actually quite fine (baulk line to pink back to blue area or more). but I can't do top spin properly, most of the time it becomes like a stun shot, I'm raising my bridge and hitting top of cue ball smoothly with good follow through but still I just don't get it. Please help thanks.
Hi. Noted down and I will cover this is a future video 🙂
@@BartonSnooker Thank you so much!
Play top spin exactly as you play screw only striking near the top of the cue ball rather than the bottom.
It's all in the timing and follow through, top spin is probably the most used shot in snooker bar centre cue ball striking.
How would get the white to screw back over say six foot between white and object ball Steve
Can 1 7/8" balls screw back as much as normal size balls? I can get very little screw back with them.
Is that a blank clock hanging on the wall?
Dose it make a difference how far back you grip the cue .??as I noticed you hold yours just befor the back of ur cue about 2inch from the end.
Have a look at my video on, 'The Basics'. Each person will need to grip the cue in a different position depending on their bridge length, their height, their arm span.
@@BartonSnooker thank u.
Thank you for making this video. Explained a lot.