You need to stop trolling. http://m.bbc.com/sport/snooker/30038416 the breaks are listed in the (). You notice a theme? I do. A huge lacking of consistent 90+ breaks. Sure there's quite a few 100+ breaks. But there's a lot of 60 point breaks in there. A lot more than the 100 point breaks. So if Pidge is consistently making breaks that are better than 50% of the breaks from the most recent snooker event. I'd be willing to say that not only is Piege very wrong, you're completely blind.
Fundamentals - Stepping Into The Shot
- Thread starter Pidge
- Start date
You need to stop trolling. http://m.bbc.com/sport/snooker/30038416 the breaks are listed in the (). You notice a theme? I do. A huge lacking of consistent 90+ breaks. Sure there's quite a few 100+ breaks. But there's a lot of 60 point breaks in there. A lot more than the 100 point breaks. So if Pidge is consistently making breaks that are better than 50% of the breaks from the most recent snooker event. I'd be willing to say that not only is Piege very wrong, you're completely blind.
Excellent post Pidge! I picked up a different method to fundamentally stepping into your shot and remaining on the shot line.
We all know when you're down on your shot how your shoulder, elbow, and wrist are supposed to feel and what position they should be in. Well, take that same position and stand up with your cue in your hand and hold the cue over your dominant eye; you should see a double imaged cue stick.
That double image becomes the equivalent of the front and rear sights of a gun. That double image from the center of the CB to the contact point on the OB becomes the shot line, then all you do is simply step forward into your shot.
I was skeptical of this myself until my buddy whose ranked 9th in the entire state showed this to me as a method of pocketing long shots and tough cuts. It actually works wonders for me because my entire arm is locked in position while I'm getting down on the shot.
We all know when you're down on your shot how your shoulder, elbow, and wrist are supposed to feel and what position they should be in. Well, take that same position and stand up with your cue in your hand and hold the cue over your dominant eye; you should see a double imaged cue stick.
That double image becomes the equivalent of the front and rear sights of a gun. That double image from the center of the CB to the contact point on the OB becomes the shot line, then all you do is simply step forward into your shot.
I was skeptical of this myself until my buddy whose ranked 9th in the entire state showed this to me as a method of pocketing long shots and tough cuts. It actually works wonders for me because my entire arm is locked in position while I'm getting down on the shot.
this may be why players have drastic swings in their "good and bad" days.
Footwork is as important in pool as it is in golf - there are some ideal stances, however, the important thing is developing a system (of setting up to the shot) that you can repeat.
Distance from the cue ball to the right hip is a vital key that is most often overlooked. When we're not set up with our feet the same distance from the cue ball it forces our upper body angles off slightly......this may be why players have drastic swings in their "good and bad" days.
Footwork is as important in pool as it is in golf - there are some ideal stances, however, the important thing is developing a system (of setting up to the shot) that you can repeat.
Distance from the cue ball to the right hip is a vital key that is most often overlooked. When we're not set up with our feet the same distance from the cue ball it forces our upper body angles off slightly......this may be why players have drastic swings in their "good and bad" days.
I will put it to you a different way.
My last practice session consisted of 6 frames. Of those 6 frames I won 5, with my highest breaks being 112, 84, 69, 68 and 58. Is that consistent enough for you? It wasn't anything special, I've had worse and I've had better sessions.
Only two of those breaks are better than the consistent 70+ you said you were getting. You are confused as to what consistency really means apparently.
Against a world class opponent. On championship level equipment. In front of an audience. Live on television. With their spot in the UK championship on the line. On one of the sport's biggest stages.
See the difference between putting up regular 70+ breaks in general and putting up regular 70+s in a major professional tournament?
I've seen nothing from Pidge to make me doubt his claim.
Interesting thread.
My guess is that Pidge and Hits 'em Hard have differing views as to the meaning of 'consistency'. For Hits 'em Hard (and I am surmising here), consistency might mean being repeatable 8 or 9 times out of 10; for Pidge, it might mean being repeatable every other time.
Lots of club players in the UK and Asia can regularly (read: at least once per every 5 frames) post 70+ breaks, but that doesn't mean they would even be ranked - the level is just that high. I practised snooker a lot as a younger person, in Canada. The first time I went overseas, to Ireland, I was slaughtered by inebriated workmen at lunchtimes. Different standard, and all. Alex Pagulayan plays sporty snooker for a North American transplant, but he is clearly not competitive on the world stage. Cory Deuel even less so.
Carry on.
My guess is that Pidge and Hits 'em Hard have differing views as to the meaning of 'consistency'. For Hits 'em Hard (and I am surmising here), consistency might mean being repeatable 8 or 9 times out of 10; for Pidge, it might mean being repeatable every other time.
Lots of club players in the UK and Asia can regularly (read: at least once per every 5 frames) post 70+ breaks, but that doesn't mean they would even be ranked - the level is just that high. I practised snooker a lot as a younger person, in Canada. The first time I went overseas, to Ireland, I was slaughtered by inebriated workmen at lunchtimes. Different standard, and all. Alex Pagulayan plays sporty snooker for a North American transplant, but he is clearly not competitive on the world stage. Cory Deuel even less so.
Carry on.
That's from one short two hour practice session. If I had of played for 8 hours who knows.
The average of my breaks in the 5 frames I won is like 78. I view that as consistently being able to make 70 breaks. And like I said, it was a purely average session. Some sessions I will play out of this world, others I will struggle to get a 30 break. But for an average break of over 70 for 5 frames I'd say I'm capable of consistently making 70 breaks. If you want to be pedantic about it then crack on son. I don't hold grudges
Remember, the harder you hit them the more consistent you become. Consistent....word of the thread.
I'm going to ignore the rest of the nonsense in your post, and focus on this little gem.
Of course it matters.
If I (as a right hander) step into the shot with my right foot and head way to the right of the shot line, I'm really going to struggle with comfort and making balls. And no matter how consistent I get with stepping into the shot that way those struggles will always be there.
The method that Pidge prescribes isn't the only way (not even sure he said it was), but it's certainly what works best for him and countless other players. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine, but to say it truly doesn't matter just shows your ignorance on the subject.
You don't suddenly go from consistently making 70+ point breaks in a club setting to making 30 point breaks in competition, unless that consistently is really your comfort level being mislabeled. Ronnie still puts up game winning breaks an astounding amount of time, but to say he consistently makes 100+ point breaks would be pushing it. It's the same for Pidge saying he consistently makes 70+ point breaks. It's pushing the bounds of terminology. Pidge has learned to consistently deliver the cue in a manner that achieves positive results. From that point he can now learn how to consistently play better patterns and routes. But the way he insinuated that stepping into the line of the shot a certain way was the only way to develope consistency is a problem.
People who are current pros in their variously fields all do things differently. Ronnie O. doesn't set down into his shot like SVB does. Jeff Gordon doesn't drive like Dale Jr. drives. Tiger Woods doesn't swing like Jim Furyk does. Saying you're anti one method and pro another introduces bias that's unneeded. It really doesn't matter how you decide to step into the shot. It just matters that you are consistent in doing so. Pidge finds stepping from his back foot into the shot works for him. That's cool. I find myself stepping into the line from the left or right with my front foot then positioning my back foot where needed. It helps with my aiming to compensate for squirt. Does it work for other people? Don't know, don't care. It's helped me develope consistency and that's all I care for. There's a million ways to deliver the cue to the cue ball, but there's only one way that the tip can contact the cue ball to achieve the desired cue ball action. But sometimes the desired action can never be achieved and no matter how much consistency you've developed.
That's from one short two hour practice session. If I had of played for 8 hours who knows.
The average of my breaks in the 5 frames I won is like 78. I view that as consistently being able to make 70 breaks. And like I said, it was a purely average session. Some sessions I will play out of this world, others I will struggle to get a 30 break. But for an average break of over 70 for 5 frames I'd say I'm capable of consistently making 70 breaks. If you want to be pedantic about it then crack on son. I don't hold grudges
Remember, the harder you hit them the more consistent you become. Consistent....word of the thread.
What a world you live in that average now has the same definition as consistency.
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I didn't insinuate that my original post was the only way to do things. I merely offered advice to those who are willing to try it to see if it can better their game. What pissed you off was because I said I wouldn't advise taking a step backwards like Mika has a tendency to do. What pissed you off was me, a nobody, dared to say something a professional is doing wouldn't be advisable. Get used to it, its a public forum. People slate pros far worse than I ever could on here day in day out. You will be hard pushed to find an instructor that recommends moving your feet or foot backwards in your PSR. In snooker I can safely say you wont find one anywhere. Every single one will advise to always move forward in the PSR. In pool most will advise on what CJ advises. To have the back foot planted and use the hand by the hip with your cue to judge how far away this back foot should be planted then step out or forward with the front foot. It works for Mika, but I cant bring my self to tell anyone its ok to move the feet back. It could ruin someone's game and I may be responsible for that.
You consistently use the words consistent, consistently and consistency. I counted 10. I can confidently say you are consistent.
You consistently use the words consistent, consistently and consistency. I counted 10. I can confidently say you are consistent.
Well, then, how about a little numerical doodling diversion.
In the 7 matches of the quarter-finals through finals of the 2014 UK Championship, the distribution of largest breaks for each of the 78 frames was as follows:
Under 50 -- 25 (32%)
50-59 -- 15 (19%)
60-69 -- 15 (19%)
70-79 -- 4 (5%)
80-89 -- 3 (4%)
90-99 -- 5 (6%)
100 & over -- 11 (14%)
Total -- 78
For the 42 breaks of at least 50 but less than 100, the median was 66 and the mean 67.
For the 11 breaks of 100 or more, the median and mean were both 117.
For all 53 breaks of 50 or more, the median was 68 and the mean 78.
[Edit: and remember, this excludes all breaks in each frame other than the largest one.]
In the 7 matches of the quarter-finals through finals of the 2014 UK Championship, the distribution of largest breaks for each of the 78 frames was as follows:
Under 50 -- 25 (32%)
50-59 -- 15 (19%)
60-69 -- 15 (19%)
70-79 -- 4 (5%)
80-89 -- 3 (4%)
90-99 -- 5 (6%)
100 & over -- 11 (14%)
Total -- 78
For the 42 breaks of at least 50 but less than 100, the median was 66 and the mean 67.
For the 11 breaks of 100 or more, the median and mean were both 117.
For all 53 breaks of 50 or more, the median was 68 and the mean 78.
[Edit: and remember, this excludes all breaks in each frame other than the largest one.]
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I can't believe how much crap someone can get for posting something so completely uncontroversial as this. Pretty much every high level snooker player (I had to put the qualifier in there because someone would find some wheelchair guy or something if I just said every) steps into the shot. It is what is being taught by most coaches and academies for a long time now, and for good reasons. Stepping in will mean that the back foot placement will be different depending on your body type, eye dominance etc, but in some way or another the snooker players on tv will come into the line on the shot and place their back foot in a consistent relation to the shot line. They are human and some times they will do it less than perfectly, but a majority of the time they are doing it. I base this on playing and watching the game on tv for close to 15 years. Yes, here in Europe snooker is shown on tv regularly, round the clock when there is a big tournament.
Moving your back foot after going down is not impossible, but it will take a lot of practice to avoid moving off the line of the shot. It is also vulnerable to failure, as generally it is harder to pick up the right line when over the cue.
I'm going out on a limb here: I don't think too many people on this forum truely understand snooker. It is clear from the level of the discussion. Snooker is not like straight pool where you have to score 150. Instead in snooker there is a finite number of points on the table, which is also affected by your opponent. Your oppenent can limit the points available to you by scoring heavily. The important thing is to score heavily when you do get the chance and a game winning break is usually 60-70 points or more. A person might have ran 100+ with all the reds on the table, but what if a lot of them are all ready off the table? You need to factor this into the statistics.
In professional competition the openings you do get are usually not simple layouts. Playing an amateur you will often get somewhat open tables etc, with a pro that is unlikely to happen. Making 70+ against an amateur is completely different from doing it against O'Sullivan, with a huge crowd and pressure, not to mention that you will probably have to make the first shot from a long distance with a small position window.
I remember reading a quote by Jimmy White (I think) which said that once you get to the point that you can make century breaks somewhat regularly you are not even halfway to a professional career...That should give you some idea of the level of competition on the pro circuit.
Moving your back foot after going down is not impossible, but it will take a lot of practice to avoid moving off the line of the shot. It is also vulnerable to failure, as generally it is harder to pick up the right line when over the cue.
I'm going out on a limb here: I don't think too many people on this forum truely understand snooker. It is clear from the level of the discussion. Snooker is not like straight pool where you have to score 150. Instead in snooker there is a finite number of points on the table, which is also affected by your opponent. Your oppenent can limit the points available to you by scoring heavily. The important thing is to score heavily when you do get the chance and a game winning break is usually 60-70 points or more. A person might have ran 100+ with all the reds on the table, but what if a lot of them are all ready off the table? You need to factor this into the statistics.
In professional competition the openings you do get are usually not simple layouts. Playing an amateur you will often get somewhat open tables etc, with a pro that is unlikely to happen. Making 70+ against an amateur is completely different from doing it against O'Sullivan, with a huge crowd and pressure, not to mention that you will probably have to make the first shot from a long distance with a small position window.
I remember reading a quote by Jimmy White (I think) which said that once you get to the point that you can make century breaks somewhat regularly you are not even halfway to a professional career...That should give you some idea of the level of competition on the pro circuit.
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I got mine
When I first played with it the spring was extremely stiff. I took the cue and waved it around in the air until the spring loosened up. Now it is really loose. I am very pleased with the training cue. If anyone can run a rack with this cue they are a very good player. I would highly recommend it. My points are not painted on they are inlayed much like a house cue. Sorry but you may have gotten a knock off as mine sounds nothing like the one you described.
Wedge
When I first played with it the spring was extremely stiff. I took the cue and waved it around in the air until the spring loosened up. Now it is really loose. I am very pleased with the training cue. If anyone can run a rack with this cue they are a very good player. I would highly recommend it. My points are not painted on they are inlayed much like a house cue. Sorry but you may have gotten a knock off as mine sounds nothing like the one you described.
Wedge
Why is the recommended age 5-9?
This game does look challenging, why is the recommended age 5-9?:groucho:
This game does look challenging, why is the recommended age 5-9?:groucho: