snooker pro tips 4, the screw shot, how to practice it and then play it

a difficult shot to play without the right information here is a 5 minute practice that will help you with the screw shot

[@ffaayyeezz123]

Great way on how to briefly explain the screw shot. Thanks Neil

[@omgiheartpie]

I can finally do screw shots consistently thanks to this video. You have an amazing ability to teach things clearly.

[@gazman1001]

This is the best example on how to do a screw back. Thankyou

[@fradaja]

you are correct about not hitting the ball hard, but you don't understand why this is, heres why, acceleration, you have to go in slow out fast, almost a push, this allows the tip to Grip the cueball for longer creating more spin, ronnie is the master at this, and has possibly the slowest delivery with the quickest smoothest acceleration, The white ball should feel SOFT if it feels hard you are delivering the cue too fast, and the white will jump off the cue and the tip will not grip. ever tried a short soft screw and overdone it? this is why.

[@OneZombieTrain]

BOLLOCKS, DRINK!

[@MrRogersjon]

congratulations on having 46562 hits on your excellent clips/lessons . really appreciate my improved understanding of the cue action . cheers from john rogers

[@gazman1001]

This is the best video on a screw back. Thankyou.

[@samdepaepe6534]

Nice video! I'm going to try it out next week! Cheers

[@MrRogersjon]

not surprising that this is your most popular lesson. I would never practice the screw shot dead in line if you put it at an angle it encourages you to push the cue through without the cue ball hitting the cue on the follow through so i can pose on the shot. I have been told that when potting into a blind to put running side on the shot by Sidney Lee . could you do a lesson on pottig the black off its spot into a blind pocket please, your coaching is right up there with the greats Cheers J.R.

[@neilmaxman]

very well put pistol..........neil

[@Zidane87]

excellent video neil really works, played today for the first time and was shocked at how much back spin i was getting, over screwing at times lol thanks again : )

[@davidkendall5988]

I thought the same mate...in Snooker Tips he demonstrates the shot on the green at an angle. I mean I haven't played for years and I struggled with the screw shot but even I could generate a fair amount of screw from half ball angle.

[@roverthedawg]

Sir, absolutely brilliant coaching! incredible how easy it is to understand you over videos compared to people who explain to me by person. Our entire snooker club settles arguments over technicalities by looking over NeilMaxman's videos. Hats off from all Indian Cue sport players. :-)

[@MagnificentKot]

Very good tutorial. Excellent!!! Keep up the good work my friend.

[@achmalach64]

Damn Neil, I was completely overpowering my screw! thanks!

[@VishwaNathGummaRaju]

NM, this is repetition of comment; but I cant help noticing you have a perfect timing of lifting the cue off the bridge, which eliminates possibility of damaging the nap. This confidence itself enhances your ability to strike really low. pl do elaborate as i can at best manage a stun shot.

[@CharlesHarrisonMusicTuition]

@sevonfold You really need to concentrate on pushing through the cue ball, follow-through. Once contact has been made with the cue ball, keep the forward momentum going. The tip of the cue should finish its swing an inch or two beyond where the cue ball originally was. You are most likely stopping your cues movement as soon as you make contact with the cue ball- not a good move! Follow through is key! Hope that helped =S

[@BGFutureBG]

the most important tipp for me is to go through the cueball like it is not there. to go much further than through the cueball. So the queue should stop after the place where the queue ball was before your shot.... I hope you can deliver :O

[@pkscarr]

from my experience of teaching and playing this shot, power does come into it to get the desired amount of screw BUT, learning this shot most people seem to play too hard, and as a result the pot goes wrong. you can get screw back using a fast, consistent hit, but you can get the same amount with less risk by applying a slower initial stroke, and accelerating through contact. it just gives a better contact, with usually more consistent results both for pot and position.

[@neilmaxman]

@PIONNERPAKAS its most important that you keep very still and also relax on the shot ........keep the cue action as smooth as possible and most of all hit through the cue ball

[@neilmaxman]

to explain .... its more timing than physical strength ......and to some degree you are correct with the ammount of practice .....but rather than hitting the cueball hard ....its the speed of the cue accelerating through the cueball .......the main reason in the clip i say not to hit too hard .......is simply to get players who can't screw the ball to start with ......able to do it and use to it ......then you can add the power at a later date

[@michaelparanormal]

Great tips, i am good at screw backs but when it comes to long potting distance screwbacks i cant get the screw to take affect i think its down to timing and the longer bridge hand that i noticed your doing to get it to screw back a long way down the table i will try this thanks!

[@kxmadhu]

I don't know if you have observed, most natural learners without coaching tend to pull back on the cue with strength on this shot and I have a fair bit of strength may I say, but I learnt it wrong. The best way to strengthen your screw shot is to strengthen your 'Follow' or 'Top Spin'. The follow up is the six o clock method on your top spin. The video is great though! The fundamentals lie in cueing and cueing straight.

[@forugg1]

very good tutorial. thanks pal.. :)

[@pistolpeeroy]

Its all timing mate, not how hard you hit it but how sweet you hit it. let your elbow do all the work...picture it like the whites an egg shell and try n go through one side n directly through the other side in a parralel line...

[@jiminsuraj8002]

Thank you so much, now I know no hard just slow to cew back Screw...

[@oXFalconXo]

Nice table =P cloth is pretty much perfect.

[@TimBrooks2009]

Hi Neil, great video! u mentioned that you are a coach so I wanted to ask what your prices are for lessons,I'm an absolute beginner and really feel I could benefit from some lessons so would be very grateful if u could let me know and where abouts u are located. Many thanks. Tim

[@Karlos360Ace]

brilliant video it really helped with my screwback but i still struggle to bring the cue back as far as you do at the end of the video. Also does your cue tip affect your screwback?

[@scouserdan3]

if ur miscueing on screw shots.. try hitting the ball slightly higher to the middle, and also dont raise your cue as u hit the ball. Also helps to stay down and keep in the position u were for a few seconds after the shot as it keeps the cue ball going in the correct direction hope i helped a little :D.. need any more tips ask me

[@neilmaxman]

not sure about the language .......but you're right about the cue lifting off the bridge good spot, one of my many faults but nobody is perfect.....as for the yellow i could have started again and made it look like it was done first time ..........i didn't plan on missing but it happens to everyone i left it in

[@Psynthesized]

Neil your my hero

[@raghavgoyal866]

Best screw shot ..explained

[@neilmaxman]

@Quickfireflame great comment .........not sure you'll be able to see though ........but it really is a good idea

[@johngowerweb]

Neil thank you for the videos, a particular shot I have trouble with is screwing off the black spot onto the side rail and getting the white to spin to get on a red on the other side of the pack, can you do something on this to show exactly where I need to be hitting the white. Seen Judd do the same shot also but getting the white to go into the pack on the reverse angle for the same shot

[@BushcraftMatt]

@MrController12345 To create back-spin with no side, it's crucial to hit the Cue Ball perfectly inline with the "verticle centre". (Imagine a line drawn from top to bottom of the Cue Ball) I think Neil, the coach in the video, lines up to this "imaginary line" by aiming at the point where the Cue Ball is touching the cloth when he is doing his practice strokes. Then when pushing forwards to take the actual shot, raises his tip slightly, to not jump the cue ball. Look closely at 7:40

[@scouserdan3]

@alang184 yea your right it should mate.. have u tried putting the white.. inline with the blue ball and potting the blue in the middle... whilst screwing the white into the adjacent middle pocket? good way to practice it

[@neilmaxman]

you definitely need to do both ......pull the cue back and hit through the ball ........you need to pull the cue back in order to generate the power needed to play the shot properly........imagine trying to kick a football without pulling you're foot back........or a putt at golf without pulling the club head back .......same with snooker

[@PIONNERPAKAS]

@neilmaxman thank you!! and something else.. the snooker balls its the same with the English pool? (with the reds and yellows and the 8ball)

[@matt926uk1]

cool, i use talismans too. what hardness do u use? i tried hard ones but i didn't like the feel, so now im using medium

[@neilmaxman]

@stardustie i figured as much ........thank you for clearing it up

[@arunmahider]

ty sir for your time

[@achmalach64]

I am experiencing the same thing. My potting angle also changes quite a lot when playing with more (or less) power.

[@gonkie4658]

At 7:43 you screw back ok but miss potting the yellow. That's one of the main problems I have. Whenever I concentrate on screwing the white I tend to miss hitting the target ball correctly. I dunno if I'm concentrating so much on where the white will end up I'm taking my eye off the target ball but I think it's more to do with the cue ball going slightly off target cos of how I'm hitting it. ie, I try to get left screw by hitting the cue ball on the left and that pushes it slightly to the right. In fact with any kinda screw I attempt, it feels like I'm altering the direction of the cue ball as well. Do you think that's what's happening and if so how can I avoid this?

[@scouserdan3]

@alang184 ye i use triangle chalk.. its a greenish colour.. its alot softer than the blue chalk and helps alot more

[@neilmaxman]

@12390271 well thanks for watching

[@abratemili6811]

That video is (well obviously) kept secure on VHS tape and someone made a .avi/.mp4 out of it. My guess is that this video is 20+ years old. So taking into account luminosity of that room, C8 taping and keeping it safe on VHS tape for over 20 years, I would say that quality of this video is nearly great. Who cares about camera anyway, watch the tips.:P

[@theallseeingmaster]

Good teaching, from talented teacher, will always be good teaching, no matter when it happened.

[@neilmaxman]

@MrRogersjon thank you very much john

[@tejbirsingh]

hey neil dats great quein dere .........and nice screw as well ...............i am just startin snooker .......i ws wonderin how far normally da bridge shud b ..........frm da que ball .........and also are u based in london ??? i need a snooker coach .........thankx

[@neilmaxman]

@cryofwar3 thanks scott .....no i play at a different club to there ......glad you enjoyed the clip

[@mtesh0094]

wont you rip the felt if its too low? by the way great videos. helps me a lot. Thank you

[@MrBrookscolin]

When you finally pot the yellow into the corner your cue lifts off your thumb a couple of inches, is this necessary to get the deep screw? Cheers

[@navjot4086604]

hey neil, Is it the same table as is used in professional matches because they seem to get huge backspin with little effort.is there a difference in cloth or table bed or is it just about their talent and if its not then could u show me a screw shot from baulk line back to baulk cushion after potting a long red?

[@twestd]

when you do the screw shot, does your cue need level with the cue ball does it need to be at an angle because when i put an angle when i hit the ball i get a better reaction.

[@xboxlivegstar11]

hey there great tut is there any diffrence beetween elkmaster and blue diamond tips thanks

[@neilmaxman]

the reason my cues jumps is because i hold the cue in the back of my hand.......thus i have a hole a the front of my grip and if i don't squeeze on impact which sometimes i don't then cue lifts off the bridge......but when you play the screw shot you don't raise the butt because this would mean hitting down on the cueball and if you have any unwanted side on the cueball it will be greatly exaggerated...next time you watch on tv see how many pro's raise the butt to play this shot...not too many

[@artymowycz]

you have to use great follow through.

[@ArjitMehra]

hmm..i tried what neil said..i did get the ball to screw back a bit ...but not like all the pros(like neil)..i will try hard :) gonna get new set of balls and cues :D lets see how that works out :) thanks mate :D

[@TheAtoque2865]

Well its best that your cue is level with the cue ball. Yes putting an angel will get a better reaction but you also risking your shot to be miss cue or sometimes the cue ball will jump.

[@lhasungpa]

Can U plz explain the screw with right & left hand side and where to aim the object ball to pot it perfectly.

[@interests1094]

hm good. but after going through, do we raise the cue , I do this when am doing the screw shot.

[@ismailsaffrizan8100]

Thanks for that...

[@alifshafari]

i read a thread about billiard technique,it;s about cue ball control exactly.and one thing i read was about back spin or screw shot.they explained to me,to screw back cue ball i had to do a good follow-through stroke,not follow through (top spin).they didnt explained whit videos so i was just gueesing that follow-through shot is just like you "push" the cue ball is that correct?please reply.im nebie.

[@neilmaxman]

thank you milosz

[@user-hh2ew5fk3q]

I cant screw back over long distances. I can screw back when potting into the middle but not down into the corner pockets. Its like it all gets too much and I jab. Any tips ?

[@mohammadwaleed2499]

So i challenged my homie in snooker and I'm here learning snooker :)

[@neilmaxman]

the cloth can play its part ............but more than likely your still not striking the cueball low enough.........start off by not striking the cue ball to hard then gradually try and build up the power.........

[@othmannejjar]

some said that to screw the cue ball you need to pull the cue back and others to just hit through the ball there is any difference ?

[@DrClawizdead]

@sevonfold When you try to screw the ball, a big part of it is follow through. If you jab at the ball you're not giving the ball any english and that's why the ball doesn't screw back. Also don't hit the ball too hard or you'll "stun" it and lose all your action. Also try to keep your cue level.

[@fredrik9086]

I think i do have the problem which u said that i hit the ball sometimes too hard .. and i thought that if u hit the ball very hard then it will come back very fast and long but sometimes it just comes back for a little bit .. so u r saying that the thing that effects on the cue ball on this one which is speed and how low u hit the ball ... do u know how to practice the speed ? Thanks very much for answering

[@neilmaxman]

if your miscueing alang your aiming to low just gradually aim higher on the cueball.............the chalk you're using the blue stuff is no good ..........you want to use triangle .......its a greeny colour ..........in a green and yellow wrapper neil

[@neilmaxman]

@detectiveinspekta i'm using no side (english) at all and just hitting at 6 o'clock on the cueball

[@wesleyvickers1398]

Hi Neil, I find the closer the cue ball is to the object ball the easier and further I can screw backwards. The further the distance the more difficult I find it, is this just a case of needing to push the cue through the white more or do I need to add a little more strength to these shots? Also I find little delicate screw shots often go wrong for me as I often end up stunning the white rather than screwing back a few inches, is this due to not hitting the white hard enough (I often don't with a delicate shot as I don't want to over screw). Cheers and see you soon mate.

[@Ferret9T2]

+Wesley Vickers Your brain will tell you to pull away as soon as you hit the white but remember to go through the cueball fully and stay down

[@ernoeskeli1139]

Yeah, it's obviously harder to screw back from distance as the friction tends to wear the spin off. You have to use more power and there's less room for error. The tip above is to the point, when you're close to the object call just do the same thing as on longer shots but after the shot get the tip out of the way faster.

[@jimjones8208]

Your brain will tell you to put the cue away and go home.

[@neilmaxman]

@jimmydooney1 thanks jimmy ........maybe check out pro tips 52 aswell

[@neilmaxman]

thx for the nice comment yes there are others i've done and have more on the way

[@IntrebuloN]

it's probably a combination of not stroking through the ball and possibly hitting too high on the white.

[@neilmaxman]

you might also like to take a look at snooker pro tips 34

[@asian1nvasion]

i followed exactly the same thing he's doing and it only moves slightly after collision, is it something to do with the cloth? (im playing in a local snooker club)

[@hajimubashir]

Having own personnel snooker balls set does that make any defference in screwback as i think my club have really shit snooker balls set. plz reply

[@neilmaxman]

@xboxlivegstar11 not a great deal of difference .........the diamond maybe a little softer ........but the elkmaster is probably the more popular brand of that type of tip

[@fredrik9086]

U said don't hit the cue ball too hard .... but many times when i watched some matches .when those players need to draw the cue ball back .it seemed they played really really hard on the cue ball .... can u explain it ?　Thanks ... is this because that they practice a lot so they still have the control even when they hit it like really really hard

[@matt926uk1]

what tip are you using?

[@ongong3825]

i'm just not comfortable putting my bridge low for a back screw....

[@spifface]

This time without talking he says - as he carries on talking !!

[@GabrielFFontes]

Can i screw the cue ball without having a nice tip? My cue stick has a plastic tip...

[@detectiveinspekta]

Are you using any right hand or left hand english?

[@vrchacho]

@TheGrimReeper1000 Either it's too far away, you don't apply the spin low enough, or the shot is too weak.

[@SimpVeggie]

@PIONNERPAKAS not that low. You have to get the balance right.

[@neilmaxman]

@spandy234 noooooooooo it was at least 8 o'clock .........besides i'm not quite that old yet !!!!!!!!!

[@SimpVeggie]

@SimpVeggie also make sure you have enough chalk.

[@ArjitMehra]

ive tried everything but i always fail to screw it...does the mat ,ball and cue play an important role while screwing the ball??i mean...the mat is quite rough..the balls are old and not good in condition...+ the cue is also not in a good condition...

[@GuillermoSTD]

And what would pulling the cue back accomplish? The cue only impacts the cue ball when the it is moving forward, pulling it back serves no purpose. The reason why you have you hit through the ball is so that the tip is moving at a roughly constant speed when it finally impacts the ball, as opposed to the unpredictable speed you would get if your cue was decelerating because you were pulling it back.

[@ArjitMehra]

yes :)

[@siddharthp009]

cue ball just jumps most of the times...hELLLLPPP

[@roverthedawg]

the issue is either that u aren't dropping the bridge, or u are trying to strike as low as the ball-cloth interface, in which case, there is no way of getting enough contact. Test out the lowest point you can go without jumping it. In that particular stance, grip power, and grip position, that would be the maximum deep screw you can achieve.

[@dnbmania]

You could possibly be hitting the ball too low. Also, you'll need a newish tip on your cue that holds chalk well. If you have a old, hard tip which doesn't hold chalk well then you won't get enough grip on the cue ball and it will chip up like you're experiencing.

[@neilmaxman]

@lukepalmer100 i'm getting old now ..........is horse good or bad

[@Koshear1]

hello.....can u send me some pictures of your cue tip i dont think i have a good cue tip for this shot i cant do it like you

[@thegamingfamily7039]

how do i get better in snooker

[@raymondphillips7107]

Keep your cue level! Do not raise the back of the cue and stroke through the shot! Pretend your shooting the shot with a center ball. Practice practice practice!

[@neilmaxman]

your welcome

[@TomCoulter]

you are up north ish and I'm looking for lessons. I can drive in in Preston

[@jimjones8208]

Sorry Tom, this guy videos these clips in the local snooker club with an antique camera, he is not actually a coach, he will fob you off with some excuse if you ask him for lessons.

[@axnlife]

you can use the hands.