Rear Foot Angle-Snooker Pro vs 9' Pro

[Island Drive]

Rear foot.
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump.
Only watched their foot work during shot execution.
Both of em, have the back foot nearly parallel with their shot line.
Most top players on the 9' table.... have the rear foot kicked outward.
There must be a reason.
bm

 

[BRKNRUN]

Most likely the parallel back foot is due to the more open stance of snooker players....The kicked outward foot promotes a more closed stance.

What I have found from standing relaxed upright normally and letting my grip hand/arm hang relaxed naturally by my side and then bringing the grip end of the cue up into my grip hand (without moving or twisting it) the cue will naturally go right along the toe line of my foot on the same side (as the grip hand/arm) across my body....

That being said....I will put my back foot "toe line" on shot line.....This puts my foot not at 90 degree of the shot line nor parallel with the shot line.....The angle is somewhere in the middle of the two......The front foot then moves forward to the side and parallel along the shot line with the front foot pointing usually toward the right side of the CB.....(I am left handed shooter)......but the front foot can land in many different positions and angles depending on the shot and proximity of the table .......The constant for me is the back foot....It is always toe line along the shot line.......... For me at least...this is the most natural repetitive stance....and more importantly (for me) is the most comfortable to where I don't "tweak" body parts....

For me...forcing my foot open to 90 degrees tweaks my hips and lower back ....forcing my front foot to be pointed parallel along the shot line tweaks my hips and lower back ...so for me I want a repetitive but comfortable "natural" stance.

Everybody's body is different.

 

[Island Drive]

I was thinking it might improve pocketing of long shots on a 12' er.

 

[Hirsty]

The snooker stance is more open and there is more of an emphasis on locking out the back leg which encourages the foot to point forward.

 

[Bob Jewett]

The snooker stance is more open and there is more of an emphasis on locking out the back leg which encourages the foot to point forward.

It's relatively standard for pool players to have a straight back leg.

I think a lot of the difference is tradition. The stance of many snooker players looks twisted to me.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Most likely the parallel back foot is due to the more open stance of snooker players...

Yes, snooker players face the shot more full on with their hips more perpendicular to the cue, while pool players face more toward the cue. I don't know if either is better, but I know the snooker stance looks uncomfortable.

pj
chgo

 

[Hirsty]

It's relatively standard for pool players to have a straight back leg.

I think a lot of the difference is tradition. The stance of many snooker players looks twisted to me.

Give it a try yourself both in an open snooker-style stance and the more side-on pool stance. Your foot wants to naturally point in the same direction as your shin.

Personally I don't lock out my rear leg as I can't get my chin onto my cue. I blame it on lack of suppleness, my height, and age.

 

[Island Drive]

Uncomfortable and twisted, I'd also toss in ''unnatural'' body positioning.
But try this.
Stand up straight, cue in hand pointing forward with cue stick parallel to ground, toes facing forward.
Next.... pivot rear foot outward, what does it naturally do to the cue shaft/arm/body.
It pivots shaft away from ones hip.

 

[BRKNRUN]

Stand up straight, cue in hand pointing forward with cue stick parallel to ground, toes facing forward.
Next.... pivot rear foot outward, what does it naturally do to the cue shaft/arm/body.
It pivots shaft away from ones hip.

If I stand in the middle of the table...parallel to the end rail...feet pointing straight to the opposite end rail and let the cue hang balanced in a relaxed grip hand/arm.....the cue does not point straight to the opposite end rail unless I force hold it that way........relaxed and natural the cue will point toward the far edge of the side pocket....

Opening the grip side foot (and letting the hips naturally move in relation to the foot movement) makes the cue twist forward to point toward the end rail........

Holding the hips square parallel to the end rail while opening the foot is not comfortable or relaxed for me....as I open my foot...my hips have to slightly open (off of parallel from the end rail) as well.

The key for each individual....IMO is see which way the cue points in your honest true relaxed natural hanging position and open the foot just enough to make the cue naturally point forward......

For me....my natural starting point is almost the side pocket....For others the starting point may be the corner pocket....or somewhere in-between......You need to start from "your" natural starting point and adjust the foot hip from there.......JMO

 

[Island Drive]

Not my point.....
'''the cue does not point straight to the opposite end rail unless I force hold it that way''


I'm just saying put your hand in this forward/parallel to floor position, locked and see what the cue shaft does when you pivot back foot.

 

[BRKNRUN]

Not my point.....
'''the cue does not point straight to the opposite end rail unless I force hold it that way''


I'm just saying put your hand in this forward/parallel to floor position, locked and see what the cue shaft does when you pivot back foot.

For me pivoting just my foot does nothing but add a little tension to the knee...........now if I let my hips move slightly with the foot movement...I don't get that knee tension.....but other than that does nothing but want to change the direction my cue points.

Starting position of the feet makes a difference though........My arms naturally hang to the side so my foot is naturally inside the cue not directly under it so pivoting my foot does not add any clearance.

If I widen my stance and start with my feet pointed forward and hold the cue pointed in the same direction directly over the foot...(unnatural position for me).....If I then pivot my foot (and let my hips move with the pivot) It creates a bit more clearance.

 

[Poolmanis]

It's relatively standard for pool players to have a straight back leg.

I think a lot of the difference is tradition. The stance of many snooker players looks twisted to me.

i agree. One thing is that snooker table is higher than pool table. Normally almost 2 inches

 

[garczar]

Yes, snooker players face the shot more full on with their hips more perpendicular to the cue, while pool players face more toward the cue. I don't know if either is better, but I know the snooker stance looks uncomfortable.

pj
chgo

I tried it and its very un-comfy to me.

 

[Imotv8u]

i agree. One thing is that snooker table is higher than pool table. Normally almost 2 inches

I think you have it backwards but it is about 2 inch difference.

 

[Bob Jewett]

i agree. One thing is that snooker table is higher than pool table. Normally almost 2 inches

Here is the pool spec from the WPA website:

And here is the snooker spec from the WPBSA website:

To compare, we need the height of the rail top above the bed of the table. I think that's close to two inches on a pool table. That gives:

Pool table rail top: 31 1/4 to 33 inches (32 1/8 middle value)

Snooker table rail top: 33 1/2 to 34 1/4 inches (34 middle value)

So, the regulation snooker table is about 2 inches higher than the current regulation pool table. Of course not all tables match the current spec.

I play in a room with three regulation snooker tables and a bunch of Diamond and GC tables. The snooker tables are higher.