The Snooker Gym LIVE 2 | Live Questions & Answers

[@listenu]

Hi Nic, just wanted to say you're doing a great job with all these videos you are posting recently.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Thankyou Colin!

[@asfand2011]

i learn a lot from this guy. hes a great teacher.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Thankyou for your kind comments

[@deejaygal]

Hi Nick. Thanks for making these videos, they have definitely helped me with my game! Especially the video where you said to always use the full backswing on shots, from the very back through to the chest. I can't believe what a difference that has made. Your videos are great 👍

[@TheSnookerGym]

Well done - it DOES make a difference which is why all pros do it! Keep letting us know progress..

[@chuckmurray2660]

Super teaching techniques and format! Much of this I can use over here in the states for american pool. I am convinced that snooker players have superior technique which results in a lot of good stuff like cue ball position and accuracy....Keep it up.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Hi Chuck yes you are right on pool fraternity getting away with errors that they think are actually helping, resulting in positively enforced negative habits.

[@WilliamHarris-fg1qh]

Hello this is William I was the one with the sore back I have been bending my knees I have to remind myself to do it it really works thanks very much

[@TheSnookerGym]

Keep it up William!

[@ganmruk]

best wishes from Poland. great video. next I going to watch live. thanks

[@TheSnookerGym]

Djinky

[@cjklz]

There ar a lot off instructors for many different subjects on you tube who aim to get as many subscribers as possible.But it seems to me that your first priority is to inform and share your knowledge first and the subscribers may come as a result of that. You share with other people for the love for the game and ar able to inspire. Thank you so much for what you ar doing.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Thank you Peter Yes I like to share the joy of what I have learned to help people's frustration reduce. Then, I wish people to know if they love me or loathe me... so that people are naturally pre qualified. They will also know 100% if they want to see me in a session or not.... Please let us know progress in your game!

[@deejaygal]

Hi Nic, I've just watched this video again and all the player mistakes you mentioned regarding screw back were all mistakes which I have been making! I also have had the fear that the cue was moving from side to side when I tried a full backswing so I ended up with a really short backswing on many shots. I am finding it quite tricky to change the way I'm playing as I've been playing the same way for years but I'm getting there. Your videos are very, very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to share your tips 👍! Stuart.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Thank you Stuart.... Let us know progress.... Here are our most popular problem solvers: TECHNIQUE - BASIC: www.thesnookergym.com/123s-dvd/ £25TECHNIQUE - ADVANCED www.thesnookergym.com/10-dvd-library/ £90POSITIONAL PLAY: www.thesnookergym.com/ultimate-training-ball/ £30AIMING AND SIGHTING: www.thesnookergym.com/aim-frame-page/ £25TECHNIQUE & CUEING BETTER: www.thesnookergym.com/CAT/ £395

[@WilliamHarris-fg1qh]

Thank you for answering my question about having a sore back I will try bending my knees that makes sense and standing farther apart

[@TheSnookerGym]

Welcome William - can you let us know how you get on?

[@Kussmeister]

You have done a lot of good videos on side spin and it’s effect or non effect on the cue ball. I would like to see an in-depth video on side effects on the object ball. Specifically how to judge the amount of compensation required.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Side effects on the object ball is MINIMAL. We can't say it's non-existent, because it isn't, but the effect is so small that we prefer to rely on aiming references to adjust instead. Hope this answers your question.

[@amarsbarr]

Hey Nic, Mark Allen has a very short and quick back swing!! Stephen Hendry in the mid to late 80's also had a fast back swing but into the mid 90's he's slowed time turtle speed. Ronnie O Sullivan in 1996 had a very quick back swing and he was super fast back then... so two of our best players both in their peak had fast backswings...

[@TheSnookerGym]

That is the exception rather than the rule - most tournament winners these days have more control in their backswing

[@syedomer6692]

god bless you bro i appreciate you keep it up

[@TheSnookerGym]

Shukran Alhuda

[@JustMitchPool]

hi Nick. What's the best safety routines to do? loving the live videos and it answers a lot of questions I had as well.

[@TheSnookerGym]

www.thesnookergym.com/cat gives a tool which will help massively with safety play mode

[@shawnsullivan2729]

Hi Nic, I'm Shawn Sullivan from the tiny island Malta :)... thank you so much for your helpful videos and sessions. You help me so much in my game. I'm just a club player and not a pro! Keep up the good work and keep them videos coming as you are helping loads of club players like me. :) 1 question: when one feels that things are coming against and the so called luck is not on your side, the opponent flukes one after the other...what one should change in the game play ??...in order to get back on track...THANK YOU

[@odmart]

Should drop by tomorrow on the live-stream!

[@TheSnookerGym]

Try this idea on and see if it fits: There is no luck - only limited skill. For example, if you played every shot PERFECTLY, you would not lose. This brings responsibility back to you, so you will look within for improvement. I have a rule with a player I work with: You can talk about luck - but first tell me three ways you could have played shots better and how you will go about practicing them.

[@shawnsullivan2729]

The Snooker Gym Thanks so much Nic!! You are the BEST!!! Will definately keep on following your tips to further improve my game...regards from Malta :) all the best for this festive season!!

[@TheSnookerGym]

Please let us know updates!

[@saadatkhan1835]

hii nic ., your tips are very usefull and im following you since a year i have started playing snooker ., please if you can help in your next video on how to pot in centre pocket when high and low on the object ball as mostly the jaw of pocket reflects back the ball in my case

[@TheSnookerGym]

Choose one point to aim the object ball at (not just 'the whole pocket') and go for that instead of worrying about jaws.

[@mustafaansarie]

should the cue be in contact with the chin while delivering ? i have seen judd does it all the time and ronnie does it on soft shots

[@TheSnookerGym]

Deliver cue as flat and piston like as you can like Neil R and Ding - to help with your consistency of positional play.

[@VishwaNathGummaRaju]

Nic, This question is on behalf of very senior players, who have played the game for decades, without proper initiation, stuck with every wrong move that be ever possible, with no pre/post shot routine except for one common thing; love of the game and desire to improve even now. How does one do that? unlearn, rid of the muscle memory and start over again: how does one do that? how does one remember the right things? pl guide if possible in the next live session. rgrds. VishG

[@TheSnookerGym]

Your habits will be like trying to turn an oil tanker around... with a young child it will be like trying to turn a toy car around. First, you must be convinced of the change you seek, then realise that you cannot achieve the new whilst keeping the old!

[@skidz8426]

Just want to say a couple of things from American glad I found your channel. I tried to do the bottom spin reverse as I was shooting top spin and my buddy called me on feet off the ground foul. I wanted to say. what helps me with pressure is I quit. In practice of course. I'm a potter I teach pottery classes. When I first demonstrate how to throw a cup I cut it off the wheel and smash it. Because it's no big deal I can do it again. Confidence especially in snooker is key. I like to feel my highest break is achievable again not that by some miracle I managed to hit 2 balls in a row. We have one snooker table in probably the whole state of Illinois it's covered with a billiards (carom) cloth. I'd rather play on hardwood flooring. So this long comment here's a question. Is there a way to judge how fast a cloth plays? Thanks

[@TheSnookerGym]

Hi Brian that is so interesting what you said - like writers 'writing for the trash can' to release pressure. Also, can you put a pic or a video of that table in illinois? Would love to see it. Every table has a different speed - but your maximum speed and strike profile remains the same, so you must accept you can do less with the cue ball with a slower table. From there, it is easy to judge the speed as you are observing it, not judging it.

[@pinkarey_]

hi nick, could you cover judd trumps cue action please? it looks like he cues across the ball and ive heard pundits talking about it but not explaining how it works and how he hits the ball in a straight line

[@TheSnookerGym]

May be able to cover this on sunday in the next tsg live at 2pm gmt

[@ketansharma3893]

While aiming a straight pot on blue. How much should be the power of screw back? More power and less power both will result in trouble.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Strike at the lowest part of the cue ball - the speed required to go in off varies from table to table

[@Zeefood4life]

hi nic hope you would be fine my question is that " when I try to long pot from the bulk area with slight angle either right or left hand side , why does the cue ball changes angle and goes in the same pocket being a follow-up shot??? as I try to create top spin but it goes wrong.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Do not play side spin on long shots!

[@joewizard100]

I was always worried about hitting me hand on the table when I went straight through to my chest lol

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes in that position you have to cue 2 inches or so above the cushion rail

[@Seen-ev7yn]

Hi nic. Just curious does screw ball technique works only if there is full ball contact on the object ball or is it possible when i m hitting a half ball

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes of course - but at a slightly different angle

[@nedren1434]

Hi Nic, have some doubts on approaching. Before my approach starts, I stand with the line between my two feet, and when I fall into the setup, I tend to have my right heel on the line instead of the arch (I'm right handed, 6 ft tall and right foot points out about 20 degree), should I adjust my approach to make the arch on the line? Since I have a feeling my setup is leaning to the left, probably to make room for the grip hand. Thank you! - Ned Ren from Shanghai, China

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes try it. Usually front of feet needs to be on line to allow enough grip hip gap

[@dadadada-ww4gm]

Hi Nic, should I aim differently when im using left or right english, should i aim to miss ? Asking because I saw one clip where Stephen Lee talked about that. Thank you , greetings from Belgrade.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Pros are always aiming to pot the ball. So, what Stephen means is to allow for compensation of english, it may look as if it is going to miss based on where the cue is pointing. This is what I call Object Ball Compensation. The other method is simply to adjust the aim of the CUE BALL based on how much the cue will push it off line, all the while 'aiming' the object ball at the pocket. This is what I call Cue Ball Compensation. I was taught the former as a kid, but ultimately found the latter simpler and easier to do consistently

[@dadadada-ww4gm]

Thank you very much for quick reply :)

[@albertmontanes7705]

Hi nick, here's one for you.... When examining judd or dings action it looks like there is a lot of flex in the shaft of the cue, like its deliberate to assist it in straightness and getting through the ball. If you look at ding's bridge hand on take away there is defo downward pressure being applied on the cue to create this flex. Is this something you're aware of. Or seen done? Thanks Read more

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes I am aware of it - I believe the best players over the net 50 years will not do this

[@albertmontanes7705]

Why? Noticed John Higgins uses this technique as well, interestingly, Ronnie doesn't - neither does Robertson. I've also noticed judd, since using his new cue which is obviously less whippy seems to be moving away from it.

[@SnifferDogBen]

@@albertmontanes7705 I think this must be to do with the camera angles changing our perception. Since players don't apply lots of force to the cue, surely the shaft shouldn't bend?

[@TheSnookerGym]

Many players have no cue bend - I used to have it but the 360 purecue and Cue Action Trainer really helped me keep the cue pressure light on the chin all the way through the cueing action which helped me remain stiller and become a better cueist / player

[@SparKcod]

hey nic i really need help regarding a problem iam facing. My question is, i know where is the contact point of the object ball to pot it, but the problem iam facing is where to aim and how to aim, basically what do i imagine and is there any kind of aiming system for snooker does pro use like ronnie or trump? Thank you!

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes: www.thesnookergym.com/aim-frame-page/

[@dombond9172]

I have a few questions Nic, what sort of rhythm should you have on your waggles then back swing? I see players look like they are sawing wood their waggles are so jerky, but at the same time we have people who take 3-4 seconds per waggle and it looks like they have no rhythm in the shot. I try to time mine with what I imagine would be roughly equivalent to1 a second, this allows for time for my eyes to shift and focus on the cue ball to object ball and back again, is this the correct way to do this, the people I play with say I spend too long on my pre-shot as I'm down for maybe 7-8 seconds before finally playing my shot, would you say this is too long? Thank you for your time, Regards Dominic

[@TheSnookerGym]

I will answer this on sunday at 2pm gmt if I can! Where are you from so i can give you a mention?

[@dombond9172]

I'm from Leeds, thank you Nic.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Can you email me your address and the product you wanted Dom - we seem not to have sent it i am on nic147 at thesnookergym dot com

[@TheMaara1]

My advice to handling a pressure is "Play as many tournaments as you can".

[@TheSnookerGym]

Great advice!

[@relaxandsleepmeditation50]

my cue is below nipple and the cue is very parrarel to the table, and i have alignment issue, the cue butt offline to left side of me ( im right hander) tried every stance, body position nothing is fixing this alignement issue. should i bring my cue as high as i can so that the cue is way above the nipple?

[@TheSnookerGym]

That may give you more cueing room and follow through... but this tool I believe will help you a lot to solve all these issues and questions: www.thesnookergym.com/cue-action-trainer

[@relaxandsleepmeditation50]

hi a question please? I have been playing with my right foot online for years and the butt of the cue is has always been offline (its to the left of line of aim) i am right handed. i have tried all square and boxing stance, and also changed my right foot position to all angles but nothing has fixed the alignment issue. ofcourse i bring my body to the cue but the cue always goes offline because if it does not then the shot will look offline. so it has always been the body position problem. today i tried something new: i tried to move my right foot to the right side of line of aim, i can clearly see that now my right foot is not even touching the line of aim. its just to the right side of line of aim. to clearify it i can see that my right foot is no longer below my grip hand, infact my grip hand looks somewhere above my right knee now, but everything looks perfect and for the first time ever the shot looks online and at the same time the alignment is perfect too. also i can see that, my right leg, it used to be straight with no bent knee but now my right knee is also not bent but i can see that my leg is no longer straight and it has an angle should i stick to what works for me? or my right foot must be under my grip hand? thank you so much

[@TheSnookerGym]

Forget everything you THINK you know about stance as I want you to PRETEND that it is all harmful. Then just watch these please and let me know what you think: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3e5gGmBiKlga5Y kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqa3e4dmpp6smM0

[@relaxandsleepmeditation50]

@@TheSnookerGym tnx i just watched your video How do I decide on my optimum stance? at 0:59 where your right foot is to the right of line of aim , this position feels perfect for me. but when i look down my grip hand is no longer above my right foot. should it matter? tnx huge for sharing the link

[@relaxandsleepmeditation50]

@@TheSnookerGym i watched your other video too Myth Busters #7: "Stand Square" and you said one of your client feels the left foot must be alittle bit, wow i am the same as him. i feel the same, but i dont have balance that way, but i can see straight and cue straight that way. so should i try that way or my right foot to right line of aim ? tnxx

[@TheSnookerGym]

@@relaxandsleepmeditation50 This is a bit more involved than can be covered through comments - so a video analysis may be something to consider: You can visit this link and enter your email address at the bottom of the page, which will take you through a player profile that will enable me to give you a personal recommendation on how best to improve your game and remove 100% of your confusion and doubt forever www.thesnookergym.com/snooker-lessons

[@kostaszontoner]

hi nic what are the causes of side to side elbow movement when feathering and stroking the ball?i'm right handed and my shooting arm goes slightly to my right on the backswing (away from my body) and then to the left on the forward stroke unless i twist my wrist inwards to compensate.i've tried many things but nothing seems to work,is it possible that it's just my body anatomy?

[@TheSnookerGym]

My first reaction is that it would be excess tension in the arm and hand. Hold the cue like your arm is a relaxed dishcloth. Then, it may be that your stance is pushing the right side of your body away from and to the right of the line (assuming you are right handed). Try pushing left foot a bit wider and see if that pulls the arm back onto the line of aim, perhaps by cueing up in front of a mirror at the club or at home when cueing on the kitchen table for example.

[@kostaszontoner]

thanks for the advice.i think it's most likely my body alignment because my shooting arm and cue always travel slightly right to left and not on the line of aim no matter what grip i use.and my temporary solution is to turn my wrist a bit inwards on the final stroke.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Do not twist the wrist as you hit the ball as you will pull the cue off line. Have you seen this solution to the issues you mention? Here is our Cue Action Trainer - The Fastest Way, To Perfect Cueing… thesnookergym.com/shop/cue-action-trainer/

[@kostaszontoner]

nic are you doing skype coaching sessions?maybe this could help me more

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes I am Kostas: thesnookergym.com/distance-snooker-coaching/

[@WilliamHarris-fg1qh]

I have a sore back anything I can do to play better

[@TheSnookerGym]

You can try bending both knees and / or standing further apart to reduce the pressure on the back, William

[@kahafzariyat2172]

Sir i have a question plz tell me is elbow should be tight

[@TheSnookerGym]

No - loose and relaxed

[@1981lookasz]

Nick -at some point it seems a bit too much on theory side.... just like black magic :) keep up the good work! enjoy ur vids a lot! ..but what about natural inborn abilty as it plays a great role in every sport nowadayz>?

[@TheSnookerGym]

Yes it does - but at some point you cannot rely on guess work and have to get into the nitty gritty as the game does not care if you know how it works or not

[@tulioflorencio4227]

Qual tamanho desse taco ?

[@TheSnookerGym]

Obrigado!

[@أبوكنزي-ح7ت]

ما في بالعربي

[@TheSnookerGym]

La - ma attakallam fil lughat 3arabiyya. Asif jiddan ya sheikh

[@TheSnookerGym]

Here is our most popular problem solver for POSITIONAL PLAY: www.thesnookergym.com/ultimate-training-ball This one is in arabic though in the video too!

[@lakmeister]

Like a boring maths teacher...and writing on that board??? err bland as owt...dull as dish water...did he teach Selby?? Might explain a few things!

[@TheSnookerGym]

What should I do to make myself not as dull as dish water? Nic