154. Straight Cue Action - Pot balls consistently

You should try to develop a reliable, consistent and preferably a straight cue action to enable you to pot balls consistently. Your aim starts with the butt end of the cue and your technique to deliver it must be repeated time after time after time. Some people claim you only need to learn the game and that technique is not so important. I disagree! Learn the game, yes, but it all starts with that sound, consistent and reliable cue action! #cueball #snookercoach #snookercoaching

[@theallseeingmaster]

It has been such a long time since you have graced my screen, I feared that you were unwell. So nice to see you and hear your voice again.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@theall. Great to be back, many thanks.

[@TheMacbatts]

Coached a World Snooker Champion. congrats Barry. You did it!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Yes! Thank you!

[@christophercoulter7782]

Barry is so good at reminding us all that once the basics and fundamentals of technique have been fully harnessed then enjoyment of playing snooker better and better each time, far exceeds anything else

[@liamwalsh4008]

Yay, Barry! Welcome back! Great to see you again 👍😁

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@lia. Many thanks.

[@FlyersNation98]

Good to see you back Barry! Very sound advice here.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thank you kindly

[@richardwright1295]

Wow welcome back Barry, we've missed you !👍

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thank you kindly

[@onsam]

OMG. You are back. So nice to hear your voice and see you. Made my day. Thanks for the great video. 🙏🏼

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

You are so welcome!

[@randyattwood]

This Kansan in America happy to hear your sage advice again.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@randy. Many thanks.

[@MisterItchy]

Looking really good, Barry! Thanks!

[@mikebest634]

Yes you need a good reliable technique ,too many recreational players look at the pros with their sometimes odd cue actions and think they can emulate them ,and of course it never works ,these guys have hit thousands of balls over countless hours and can counter one fault with another to make it work .Golf is a perfect example ,a game probably harder than snooker but still a static ball game that gives you too much time to think ,lots of golf pros have weak or strong grips and swing planes that are off line but they have learned to counter one fault with another due to the hours that they put in to their game ,but the one thing that they all have in common is that their swing is repeatable and it holds up ,for most of us normal players getting the fundamentals right for our time we have to play is the most important thing for consistency.Nice to see you back Barry .

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@mike. Well said, two very different games that rely heavily on getting the fundamentals right.

[@jason147h6]

Great content Barry and great to see you back. Like you have mentioned in one of your comments a sound basic technique has to be ingrained so much into the player that he/she does not need to think about it. Only then can they just think about playing. Certain coaches only show how they do things papering over the essential techniques they've acquired over the years almost as if they're not important. Great players don't always make great coaches🤷‍♂️

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Yes, exactly

[@jason147h6]

Hi Barry. How did you correct the alignment issue? Was it pure repitition on the baulk line?

[@errorghost_]

It has always been delightful listening to you. Thank you, sir.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Many thanks!

[@Matt-gp9gc]

A pleasant Sunday surprise. Thank you Barry and I’ll pay attention to this when I next play!

[@nickmiller3319]

Great to see you back, Barry! Glad you are well!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thank you kindly

[@barryclulow544]

Once again Barry, a commonsense no nonsense video explained in your inimitable style.

[@mzzzzz2179]

Thanks Barry! So glad to see you're still making videos, really enjoy them :)

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Glad you like them!

[@xacvishu2]

Thanks barry for being back. The day i watch your video, i am on another level of play for the following week. Then again i forget the basics and start messing up. Thanks for reminding the relevance of basics st whatever level one is.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

You can do it!

[@Yorkshirepetrolhead]

Thank you sir for passing your knowledge and experience onto us all, I have learned greatly from yourself, and your videos give me motivation, seriously thank you!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

You are very welcome

[@bighilly0]

Brilliant Barry glad to you back on the screen . I have learnt so much for you. Good heath to you sir 👍🏼keep the videos coming 🙏🏼

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@bighilly. I will try. Many thanks for the good wishes

[@sharpvidtube]

Anyone else thinking of Michael Holt while watching this? I can see both points, if you have all the technical side in your head, you aren't going to play your best natural game, but if you aren't lining up straight, you're probably going to miss anyway, unless you're Judd Trump.

[@sharpvidtube]

@@AD-kv9kj I think he's great, always liked watching him play. He sometimes doesn't get it right but nobody is perfect. His problems have been with the psychology of the game, but so few players win tournaments, it isn't like he's the only one that has that problem. I've always thought that Stephen Hendry would've won 10 world championships, if he hadn't changed his cue action so much.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@sharp. Some of the changes where forced upon him by having his cue broken by careless airport baggage employees.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@sharp. The technical side of the game to my mind always comes first. Practice that until it becomes second nature then you can concentrate on the game.

[@sharpvidtube]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach He made lots of changes before his cue was broken. I liked his cue action when he won in 1990, no long pause on the backswing, nice and simple.

[@venael]

IMO this is 100% a clap back to Holt. I understand Holts concern about going down the rabbit hole of technique tweaks, I've been there myself, however, his position that technique doesn't matter is terrible advice - although he did soften this advice by saying technique doesn't matter so long as it's repeatable, which in essence is true. However, a rock solid technical foundation that is repeatable is FAR better than a poor technique that is repeatable. It's no coincidence that all of the best players have good to great technique. I accept there have been serial winners with awful technique - Alex Higgins being the best example, but if you were to throw him into the 2023 tour at his peak, I don't think he would make the top 64 on tour and that is, for me, a direct result of the game being much more robotic and technique based than the flair style you could get away with sometimes in the 70's and 80's - Who was the king of the 80s? Davis - and he pioneered the robotic, technically excellent style of play.

[@Highran56]

I've been playing snooker/pool for around 5 years now and likewise I'm similar to the lad who approached you. (although I'm no where near as good as him with the break building) I sometimes make decent pots but I would miss easy pots and one of my friends recently saw me play and analysed that I was not delivering in a straight line. When he coached me I made an instant improvement and after seeing this video he pretty much showed me what you showed about cueing in a straight line. I hope more people see this video and realise the importance of a good cue action.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@Highran. Well said, a good cue action is essential.

[@daddyalphacooks]

Welcome back; we missed you.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Many thanks

[@LIVERNIL723]

Really enjoyed this thank you. It's always refreshing to take a step back and revisit and reenforce discipline when delivering the cue action.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@LIVERNIL. So very true, faults can creep in from time to time.

[@georgedagosdagopoulos7587]

Nice to see you back Sir, hope you are doing well, thanks for another wonderful video.

[@bullsnutsoz]

Thanks Barry, funny how you made this when this is exactly where i found myself. So what i do now is hold the Butt end on the line as I walk in on the line and go down on the shot , my head falls in line as i then place my bridge hand on the line of the pot. In effect every part is THEN in natural order and online.I make scarce adjustments in aim while feathering, this has increased my consistency remarkedly. Thanks.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@bullsnut. Great to hear that it has helped, keep working on that delivery now and further improvement is surely around the corner. Well done.

[@SnookerLoopy14Seven]

When I was a kid I had the same coach as Alan McManus. He taught us both to hold the cue at the butt and rest it on the cushion, pointing at where you were going to hit the cue ball and step into shot. It's quite similar to what you've said here. I did used to get some comments after matches but it was never intended as a long term thing. It was aimed at getting the right aim and alignment ready before you even approach the shot. It certainly brought on my game and Alan McManus had a career many would be proud of

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@DrPool. Not a bad idea to get the cue on line for beginners.

[@SnookerLoopy14Seven]

@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Thanks Barry. You're right, it was for when I first started and although the pointing of the cue was soon removed, that alignment on the shot is now always there

[@stephent3324]

Thank you for the timely advice and technique. Now i know why sometimes i missed those easy shots. This is great !

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JohnJaySnookerChannel]

Ah good man Barry back with a bang ❗️

[@honzahonza6126]

Nice to see you again Barry,ur great as always,I take of my hat, sir ..

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thank you kindly

[@NatthakritChotichaiyon]

Welcome back. Nice to u again🎉

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thank you! 😃

[@addam29]

good to see you back!

[@denniskrottje012]

Good to see you back!! ❤

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thank you!! 😊

[@whiskeyfroots]

Great to see you back !!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@whiskey. Many thanks

[@timforte147]

Good to see someone talk about how important it is to have the butt of the cue online and how to do it.

[@maniac4343]

Struggling with this at the moment. Il be trying these tips tomorrow cheers Barry

[@SonOfTheSoil834]

The old man is back 🙏🏽🙏🏽👌🏽

[@wandelust]

Most probably the best coach ever 👍👏👏

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@akram. Nice of you to say so.

[@iain8567]

Great video, full of sensible messages. Thank you again, you help my game improve.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

You are so welcome

[@harrygr8ss]

Such a great advice. I will try to incorporate this in my technique. My approach is same but during the approach i shift most of my weight on left foot. This made me cue across the ball.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@harry. I never cease to be amazed by the little but significant idiosyncrasies that cause problems in a players game.

[@harrygr8ss]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Today, i incorporated your advice and certainly my shot making improved drastically. Now the goal is to engrave this in my technique.

[@akramkhan-bs6tn]

Great to see you back Sir❤

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

So nice of you

[@mantequilla9336]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

My pleasure

[@ashraf1988ification]

Hi Barry Great to have seen you at Northern Snooker Centre Pro Am a few weeks ago. You saw me playing James Silverwood. Hope you remember ?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@ashraf. Lovely people at the Northern, great venue. Getting too old to be a player but love to see the various ways that good players play the game.

[@AsmaNureen-d9k]

Thank you so much Barry ❤

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@user. My pleasure.

[@battlefieldclips7013]

Nice advice from such a young man….

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@battle. Oh! to turn the clock back having acquired the knowledge gained through more than 60 years in the game.

[@LIVERNIL723]

I think the only player (maybe O'Sullivan too at times on some shots) to my knowledge is Judd Trump who has a slight curve/bend to his cue action. This somewhats enables the white to spin and you end up with a different reaction as opposed to a stand alone pot. I could be wrong.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@LIVERNIL. Judd is certainly a one off, he has grown up with action from being a top junior to his status as a top pro. When something is not broken you don't try to fix it.

[@byromtaylor6482]

totally agree with this ...i once watched kyren doing this at the academy its the same thing as the sight right thing really ... one flaw a lot of players have sometimes is foot placement too so they may get down straight then pull the cue in towards the hip at the back when getting down ....I was doing this its hard to see it yourself ....it was actually barry that spotted me doing it ....good coach ...would make a good teacher is a prison this man. ha ha...

[@Brodensson]

I think this might be the one thing I don't think of in my game. On a 7 foot Pool table, very rarely a problem due to shorter distances, but very quickly goes pear shaped on a 10 footer. Next time I practice, I'll take note of the back of my cue, see what happens!

[@ronniecortex4936]

HI Barry Stark! From Brazil! 03-09-23, 12:36h.

[@Burtonupontrentrailwaystoday]

Barry you helped create a world champion tonight well done to Kyren and you

[@richardjones9007]

Ok, I get that good cue action is important, but this video did scant all to teach me how to achieve that.

[@PhilCockbill]

No it doesn’t, but I don’t think that was the purpose of this video. There are over 150 videos on his channel and many of them teach you aspects of cueing technique needed to help you cue straight.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@richard. Phil has answered this for me.

[@jh230377]

Brilliant. Thank you. I’m going to try this, 👍

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Hope you enjoy

[@jeffreystricko7656]

Great video thank you.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Glad you liked it!

[@zanebeasley6246]

Good advice thank you for your knowledge.

[@bentoncheung349]

You hv made it so clear.........the aim starts with the butt

[@michaelgrayrn4579]

PERFECTION

[@strictlysport3624]

Great content as always Starkey 👌👌

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Glad you think so!

[@jama211]

Thank you for this!!!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@jama. My pleasure.

[@aquajew3000]

I was watching Judd in the european masters last week and his cue action didn't seem as extreme as it used to be.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@aqua. Take your word for that I haven't seen him play for a while.

[@tarcisiocoach9667]

Excelente video

[@the_alchemy_method]

Absolutely agree we need a solid technique however if a player doesn’t believe he can pot that ball and make that clearance under pressure then he won’t. In my experience technical failure always follows mental failure.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@james. Nobody can disagree with that, but building a solid pre-shot routine in practise can only help when the pressure emerges.

[@gazza42069]

Hi Mr. Stark, just wanted to ask a question, do you utilise any new or modern technology to help coach players? Understand that you are an “old school” coach, but I want to know how you would coach players. Cheers

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@gazza. The only technology I use is video. What a player does and what he /she thinks he/she does are often two different things, a video can convince them of all manner of things.

[@dhirajpallin2572]

Thanks for this great little tip Barry. May I ask, in your opinion is it possible for one to see whether they are shooting across the ball once they are in the down position? Or are the eyes simply not capable of seeing that the back end is off once you are down?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@dhira. What you do and what you think you do are very often two different things, that is why another set of eyes are so useful, very difficult on your own.

[@MrCoops8]

I tend to steer too much, recognised it was because of my sighting, having changed at the point of sighting I feel I’m hitting the ball a lot straighter

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@MrCooper. That's good to hear.

[@thesoultwins72]

Totally agree with you Barry! When I first became interested in snooker as a teenager, the most exciting player around was the mercurial Alex Higgins - he broke all the rules and his potting ability was phenomenal. But as he grew older and became a victim of his 'excesses' his exceptional natural talent started to wane. His cue action was always quite poor in truth - he moved constantly on the shot, his head bobbing continually up and down. I am convinced that if Higgins would have had a solid technique to fall back on, he would have won many more world championships. By comparison, Higgin's nemesis Steve Davis had been relentlessly coached by Frank Callen - and both players' styles were like night and day. As someone famously said - 'it's not enough. If you rely only on your natural talent - you'll fail'.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@thesoul. Loved to watch them both for the very reasons you say.

[@janetairlines1351]

Barry is it a good sign if you can stroke deep into a plastic water bottle that has a little opening without touching the sides?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@janet. Very good sign, it is not the be all and end all but it certainly goes someway towards it.

[@farazahmed1699]

Barry very good helpful video how would i now that i am bringing my cue on theline of aim

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@faraz. Use the baulk line to guide you. It is a straight line so place your cue on it, then take up your stance without moving it laterally, there you have the answer.

[@NikhilSri21]

Great to see you back....Sir. A question for you is waiting for so long. If the bridge hand thumb is leant down or lifted up while creating the 'V' shape, what will be the effect? For a right handed player, will leaning down the thumb give unwanted Left English? Vice-versa lifting up the thumb will give unwanted Right English? Hope the question is meaningful..

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@Nikhil. The thumb should be locked against the forefinger creating the 'V' it should now remain perfectly still during the cue action. Its height should be determined by lowering or raising the knuckles of the hand which in turn is determined by where you want to hit the cue ball, high or low. If you have problems with this try turning the hand over slightly so that the thumb rests on the table.

[@NikhilSri21]

Sorry Sir! But I think you misunderstood the question. I mean to say, if the 'V' shape is tilted either left or right side, what will be the effect? Assume the V in the image 🤸 is tilted towards left. By lifting up only the thumb the 'V' will look like 🤸 this. And vice-versa by lifting down only the thumb. Hope the question is understood and meaningful!

[@theshahram1960]

So nice to see you again Sir would you please give me a few hours of lesson please. Let me know please

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@the. Sorry but I do not have access to a suitable venue for private lessons at the moment.

[@theshahram1960]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach thank Sir I appreciate it if you let me know when you gain access to a venue.

[@theshahram1960]

I even can come to your local snooker club in your area, anytime that is convenient for you,for a couple of hours, I live in Leicester🙏

[@simonpoole3053]

I know I don’t cue straight and it affects long pots primarily. I can make 100 breaks around the black though. My issue is that when I pull back it doesn’t come back straight and I hit across ball. I have narrowed it down to the grip and how far I pull back. If my grip is too tight I hit across. Too loose and I don’t have enough control and even miss short pots. Pull the cue as far back as the pros and def hit across ball. The grip and unfurling I believe is my issue… any suggestions on what might be happening and what to try? Cheers

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@simon. I really do sympathise with this, sounds as if you are hitting the ball very nicely which is allowing you to get away with your error until the distance between the balls shows it up. May I suggest you cue along the baulk line to examine your cueing, do this without hitting a ball firstly with your cue touching your chest and then without touching your chest. It is sometimes amazing how when the cue is touching the chest and lending support how it can hide little cueing flaws, take the chest away and it straight away exposes those flaws. I am not in favour of hiding a flaw, rather I prefer to expose the flaw and try to put it right, then bring the chest back into the cueing. I hope that will help.

[@jimclausen9990]

Question! It's possible I missed something. Are you making sure the grip hand is on the line of the shot while you are putting the right foot (;for right handed players) on the line? Before placing the right foot? After? Thank you in advance.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@jim. The first priority is always the cue, get that on line and then take up your position without moving the cue. Placing the right foot on line is a guide, it is a very good guide but ultimately that is what it is a guide. Once you have taken up your stance take a look at the position of your right foot in relation to the cue then try to duplicate it for each shot.

[@jimclausen9990]

I will try it. Thanks.@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach

[@djelalhassan7631]

Great

[@viswanathgummaraju3572]

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! Sir, how does one fix the problem of seeing the line of aim clearly but while bringing the cue on the line of aim every time it is across and while feathering the shot does not feel right. Any number of times getting up and repeating the routine still the same defect of being unarmed to bring the cue onto the line of aim. How do I fix this?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@vis. This is were the baulk line comes in very handy, place the cue the line, then take up you stance without moving the cue. Get someone to video you doing this, it is surprising what you can see and learn from a video.

[@viswanathgummaraju3572]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach 🙏🏼

[@farazahmed1699]

Barry hope you're fine .How to contact you for snooker coaching online .

[@DeanWhipper]

Haha I love this, direct shot at Michael Holt.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@Dean. Not really, this video was recorded before.

[@DeanWhipper]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Haha just having a laugh Barry. Love your content

[@xDuWuTang]

In American pool, it helps to physically move the cue on the desired shooting line, while you're still standing up. This allows you to double check your aiming references, while also getting a feel for the speed of the shot.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@xDuWu. Snooker players can learn a lot from the way pool is played and of course vice versa.

[@abbashaider9252]

Barry hope you're doing great.. Tell me which type of cue is more suitable for left hander one piece cue or two piece

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@abb. No preference at all, whatever the player likes is right for him.

[@ivandate9972]

find your perfect vision centre, your grip and your stance.. and the rest is video game

[@asadali-wf9wf]

Hi, can you please tell me the role. Situation is I need to play the red ball butt cue ball touches the red and I called a free ball and played the cue ball away from the red without moving it but parallel I want safe the red so when I played a shot and cue ball move on table and touch the any colour directly or indirect (after touching cushions) without disturbing the red which were play on, is it foul ot not?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@asadali. Your explanation is a little unclear. If the cue ball is touching the red you must play away from it and the red must not move. If a red is the ball on you will be deemed to have hit it, if a red is not the ball on you will be deemed to have missed it. You say a free ball has been given which means a colour must be the ball on (otherwise a free ball should not be given in this instance) you must nominate the free ball and you must hit that ball either directly or indirectly.

[@asadali-wf9wf]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach sorry little confusion I mean to say. I need to play a red ball and Cue ball touching the red and referee called a touching ball and I hitting a cue ball without moving the red and then after releasing cue ball hits any colour directly or indirect (after touching cushions). Is it a foul or not?

[@AJsVIEW]

I'm not I understood what I must learn from this video, can anyone please point what we're supposed to learn/implement from this?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@AJ. The most important aspect of this video is to draw your attention to the importance of a straight cue action whilst trying to learn the game. There are over 150 videos on this channel, quite a few give pointers on how to achieve it.

[@AJsVIEW]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Got it! Thank you, Sir. 😊

[@uttamnegi7433]

Hello sir

[@MrCoops8]

Sighting

[@HillbillyIslandLife]

First! And an Honor!

[@timmy-qh1hb]

I sense that Matty Holt shouldn't watch this 😅

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@timmy. There are exceptions to every rule, Tom is a good friend and a wonderful player.

[@timmy-qh1hb]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach apologies I ment Matthew Holt

[@JoshJackson-lq7tj]

Can’t do nothing without a decent cue action same as can’t play football without decent feet

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@Josh. Pleasing to know a lot of people, including yourself, share my views.

[@mikerussell2296]

Unfortunately a straight technique is no good for snooker.. Its great for straight blues tho.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@mike. I would love you to justify that statement by way of explanation.

[@dnbmania]

Elaborate please

[@filhuwz]

greatest billiard player of modern area.

[@alecspyrou2134]

It's great to see you back Barry. I wonder what this passionate video was promoted by? You stated there is some emerging thinking in the game about straight cueing not being important. Date I ask is this in response to videos coming out by Michael Holt? Suggest it's best to be clear and perhaps chat to these 'people' first to clarify if you haven't already. Please keep up the great work.

[@urbanzoneleague]

Same could be said the other way round, Michael Holt's statements are a response to Barry (and others).

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@alec. The subject matter of my videos are influenced purely by requests made from pupils or subscribers to the channel.

[@alecspyrou2134]

@@urbanzoneleague good point.

[@alecspyrou2134]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Thank you Barry

[@exhainca]

Did that kid have a tattoo sleeve?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@ex. No it was only transfers.

[@tiparewilson7675]

Hello there when potting balls are all shots straight and do you only apply spin for position or can you use spin to pot balls cheers

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@tipare. A good percentage of top players (not all) use a trace of side on cut shots, e.g. a cut to the left some use a little right hand side, a cut to the right a little left hand side is used. This should only be small amounts of side.

[@tiparewilson7675]

Is it possible to cut a ball left using left and right using right