Your Cue Arm is Dead?
Hi there,
Beginner snooker player…
When SnookerZone first got coaching, one of the first things he was told was holding his game back was, your cue arm is dead…
What does this mean?
No, your cue arm isn’t dead, literally…
It means your cue arm isn’t extending enough either backwards or forwards!
What that means is that SnookerZone wasn’t getting through the ball enough and this is done by the cue arm extending enough on the backswing, and then the cue arm going right through to the chest on the forward swing! On some shots, you don’t need too much backswing, but if you want power, then it’s important that you extend enough on the backswing to generate that power!
A coach will tell you that to get any spin on the ball (power) you need to follow through the white with your cue so you get the intended amount of spin you want on the ball.
Following through is also important for another two reasons!
- It helps you pot the ball! (yes, the more you follow through properly, the more chance you’ll have of potting the ball! sounds weird, doesn’t it? But it’s true!)
- It helps you to check you’ve completed the shot properly and if you have you will find your cue arm is forward of the vertical and not in the upright vertical position. Get someone to take a pic of your cue action and see if your cue arm is forward of the vertical when you have played the shot.
- Remember to stay down on the shot after so you can see if your cue is not only pointing straight but, also, the cue has extended enough, a sign you have followed through on the shot!
Players who don’t follow through tend to…
- Get a stabbing motion leading to no spin on the cue ball
- Miss the pot (mostly) and…
- Look unprofessional!
Tips:
- Watch the top players and they all do this one thing! They get through the white ball well and make sure their hand is touching the chest on the delivery of the cue.
- Get chalk and a tape measure – place the chalk to the side of the cue ball. Play a shot and then, after, measure with the tape how far your cue went through on playing the shot. You don’t even need a snooker table for this! You can then work on your follow through and continue to keep getting as much follow through as humanly possible!
- Take a picture of your ideal position where the cue arm is forward of the vertical position and the grip hand is touching the chest after playing the shot! Imagine you’re in that position on every shot!
Do this one essential technical part of the technique, and you’ll find your game will improve much more quickly, and you’ll be able to play a much wider range of shots on the table!
Watch this video below on straight cueing from Barry Stark…
