Not stressing about having to hit the middle of the ball almost frees you from your shackles, and ultimately not experimenting with side will limit your options
Bro - thanks for this! I’ve been playing about a year now. I was getting better until I started worrying about my stance and cue action, then I seem to have got worse. I told myself I needed to unlearn the bad habits (when I was potting balls) to learn a robotic cue action. Thanks again - refreshing to hear!
Thanks for the video. I’m just getting into the game and one of your videos popped up, I’ve seen some weird advice online so it’s nice to hear something different
Okay, this one hit me right in the heart. I stopped playing because my coach was always making me practice my not-perfectly-straight cue action and I was often adding a little side which we were trying to fix again and again. So frustrating! At the same time, we didn't focus on aiming much. As a result I was missing so many easy balls all the time. That discouraged me and I just completely gave up at some point a few months later. I was trying to achieve perfection in my technique, but I couldn't pot 3 balls in a row.
My game has improved immensely over the past few months especialy getting used to playing with Right and Left hand side on certain shots. Most certainly free’s you up as you correctly say. Guys, take Michael’s advice, it is the best out there and will def improve your ‘own’ natural ability and play the game with more feel.
If i may add to my earlier comment, here is a thought. There is no doubt that trying to continually search and practice for a cue action (which is not your natural action) that allows you to hit centre cueball more often may work for the very few. Been there worn the T-shirt and no real noticable scoring improvement. Since i have gone back to what ‘I’ feel is natural 3:22for me i have spent time working on Michael’s ideas and manipulating the cueball with my own action while learning and observing what the cueball does. After a while you get a ‘feel’ and inbuilt knowledge of the cueball and where it goes from your tip allowing you to pot more balls consistently and never worrying about centre cueball striking. Think of it like a good soccer player hitting the football with his foot and knowing by feel where he wants to send it, even curve it! ( No two footballers are the same) He is not thinking of centre-football!? Since i have adopted a more feel approach to the game i am potting twice as many balls, working on the effects of traces of side and memorising the results. Using my natural cue action. Before i was stiff and caught up in technique, stance, grip blah blah… keep it natural guys. Use what you have and study where the cue ball goes when you strike it and learn to allow
Really interested in this. I started playing snooker about 2 years ago, and had a break for 6 months. I can say without a doubt my search for getting a perfectly straight cue action has done absolutely nothing for my game. It's got to the point where I just second guess every single shot about whether I'm going to hit centre ball to pot the ball. Reading your comment, I do think I just need to go back to my natural cue action and start learning again...
@@jamalrowe7181 It is worth a try, a different approach. Just keep still on the shot! stay relaxed and use your normal action. Observe the results, adjust if necessary and observe each outcome
Hello Michael, i havnt played for a while and was wondering how much difference a titanium ferrule makes when playing with side. Does it throw the cue ball significantly less?
Hello, There is a difference but not a lot. The best thing to do is choose one and stick with it. This might help… Should you get a titanium ferrule? ua-cam.com/video/8iQCSl7exmI/v-deo.html 👍
Steve Davis & Friends interview with Willie Thorne. where Thorne said modern day playing conditions requires no helping side and plain ball striking is required as tables are so fast. Who knows as for all straight pots one must try and find centre white particularly long pots. I get helping side for both positional play and i agree its hard to find centre white and you miss pot if you go right of centre on a right cut. But i would say what really separates wheat from the chaff for best pros are they can hit the spot on the cue ball most of the time until their cue delivery becomes a bit unstable. Question is why do pros go off form? Is it their aiming or the fact that they are no longer striking the correct spot on the cue ball and come across the cue ball even though they have the cue on the chest? Just put the chest on the cue and this will take care of the cue and keep it on line. Really? Just try it and see if you can cue straight . There is a lot more to consider to control the cue and the chest is a massive part of this but you must experiment with it like anything. If you could cue straight and always strike corrects parts of the white then you would definitely find how to adjust your aiming to pot balls as you would only need to aim to pot. Snooker is mechanical for consistency and aiming depends upon your mechanics being stable and controlled.
If a professional goes off form & struggles, I'm pretty sure it's because of the pressure - it causes the muscles in the hand & arm to tighten up which affects the delivery of the cue - also, they forget to judge the speed of the shot, which sub-consciously affects their aiming - once again, this happens because of the pressure of the situation. If there's a top amateur or professional in your area, go & take look at how he practices, & you'll see that he pots just about everything. We had Neil Robertson in our area for several years before he turned pro, & he used to take on all comers for practice - some of those guys he was playing were excellent amateurs, capable of winning the game in one visit, & I swear, Neil was making big break after big break, for hours & hours - & quick as well - much quicker than we get to see him on TV - & all of us were reduced to pulling out balls for him. We hardly ever got a shot. Once time, Neil had left his cue at home, so he had to pick out a cue from the rack in order to play - he found one with a decent tip, & proceeded to make 5 centuries in 8 frames - with a rack cue ! And yet we see Neil in a slightly different light when he plays other top professionals - his pace slows down, & sometimes he struggles & tightens up because he knows what his opponent can do - it has to be the pressure.
@@NoName-eo2mv There have been some top 16 professionals that try to avoid using side, but the majority use a trace of side. It seems good advice for people to get used to using a trace of side, but like any rule, there will be exceptions. Personally, I love not using any side, I love straight pots, whenever I try a trace of side, it feels wrong, but I'm unusual. I don't think its that hard to find the middle of the white and I think you have to be able to find it, to use a trace of side, but it obviously works for most professionals, so good luck to them.
hi Michael, I love your channel & the no-nonsense advice you give. I do have one question - You mention "a trace" of side often in your videos but I'm not sure how much side is "a trace". It would be helpful if you could show just how much side you use for "helping side" in a future video. Thanks in advance.
@@rhombus-l5w half a tip either side of centre i believe. I too like his approach to teaching as he does simplify things. However i also understand when you can do something (anything) really well, its easy to say ‘just do it like this or that ‘ - whether it be snooker, darts, ice skating, drawing, playing the flute or whatever, if it comes easy to you it comes easy to you and ‘just do this .. look it’s easy’ isnt always gonna cut the mustard with some. We all learn differently so i say whatever teaching method works for you go for it. Personally i believe playing with better players as often as possible (2 or 3 days a week) will improve your game immensely, as you are never really gonna learn owt and develop playing others at your own level once a week. Atb. .
Snooker like golf is a static ball game ,it’s difficult,both look easy when you watch it on tv ,both are extremely tough games in reality.When you’ve played snooker for a long time you’ll make decent breaks with out knowing how you’ve done it ,I’ve seen people talk about imagine there’s a ghost ball between cue and object ball ,this just puts more crap in you’re head ,it’s terrible advise,just practice clearing the colours off their spots on a regular basis as an easy routine ,the scenario will be slightly different every time ,position eventually will became automatic ,most of those shots will be enough to make decent breaks and play to a reasonable standard if you can clear with out missing 7 out of 10 times .I agree there’s no perfect cue action ,if there was the person that had it would never ever miss .
Depending on positioning the cue ball after potting the object ball it's easier to play every shot with a trace of spin. Then you can hit the object ball fuller, but it takes a lot of time of practice to master this.
Whilst I completely agree that trying to hit the white right in the middle is rarely, if ever, going to be worthwhile, the thing I'm not quite understanding is: if hitting the white in the middle is so hard surely that means that hitting any particular spot on the white is just as hard. So if you're aiming for that trace of left/right hand side, surely there is a good chance that you'd go a little bit further to the left/right. Is there just more margin for error if you're not aiming for the exact middle? If so, why?
This is a common mistake people make. It’s impossible to explain properly here, I explain and demonstrate this in my sessions. If Nottingham is too far I do online sessions. All the information is in my bio. 👍
In my humble opinion digging deep inside the COD, using side (helping or even more) helps to judge the potting angles a lot more than trying to hit the center.
Hi Michael, quick question - Do you put helping side when the cue ball is further away from the object ball, say baulk line to black area? Amazing work with your channel. Please keep it coming 🙏
Devils advocate on point 3 Holty; my aiming is ok(ish), problem i have is not hitting intended spot on object ball because im cueing across the cue ball on delivery. Over past month, i feel like ive lost cue action all together, no consistency. Knock in some tough shots/long/acute etc then miss a 4ft unmissable pot. Confidence then goes and then its becomes pyscological and im missing before ive even got down on the shot. I should be making regular 50s but recently, cant make regular 20s because playing with fear instead of freedom
I’m a Bricky when I was learning they would team beginners up with decent bricklayers not rocket science thanks for your tips Michael your simplifying everything I’m learning a lot from you
@@freedomforthebrave The world needs more love haha I have learnt very similar techniques and mindset from a snooker coach irl , getting a good mindset or beware of those domb-loops is really a key part of improving This bro love the game and love to share , give him a like
There are things you can do to help work with it. Also, it’s highly unlikely your aiming can’t be improved. If you come and see me we can work it out. 👍
Is helping side always check side? I’m confused. I seem to pot better with a trace of rubbing side but I saw a video where he is potting all the blacks off the spot with a trace of check
Helping side is the opposite. You are confusing helping side with running/check side. Helping side is referring to the spin off the object ball, not the cushion. You use check/running side off cushions.
Michael can you please clarify the difference between queuing straight and aiming? I guess most intermediate players know where they need to hit, for example a straight shot, so what is the difference? Not a trick question, just someone that is trying to work out why the white ball doesn't always go where I want it to go.
You don't have to cue straight. That is a myth. Cueing better is pointless if you aren't aiming correctly. Watch Judd Trump. He does not cue straight. How many tournaments did he win this past season? He AIMS correctly and uses his knowledge of positional play, how hard to hit, etc. in order to keep the breaks coming. Technique is only relevant until the point where you can repeatedly hit the ball where you want to.
I've played "helping side" since I started in 1989. The problem now is that when I need to play the opposite side/check, especially when its running side, my brain wants to fight against it or I can't see the angle. This limits my shot choice in some areas, but I think I fall into the "can't teach an old dog new tricks" category.
I was the same until I took the game up again a couple of years ago and tried to become better. The solution for me was take a fairly easy shot and play nothing but opposite side or check side for about 10 minutes. Then do it on another shot for 5 min. In the beginning it’s a horror show and feels really weird. But then your brain just starts to see what happens.
aiming correctly and straight cue action is not a contradiction. when you play with "helping side" you still got to hit the cue ball in the place its need to be hit. as student of coaching , bare in mind that you need to get to the head of average amateur , not a professional state of mind , maybe its "natural" for professional players who got the talent and years of practicing on +- same conditions . by the way , aiming is a measurable thing , cue action tends to vary .
No, it's not a contradiction, I agree. But, aiming correctly is much more valuable that straight cueing. Judd Trump does NOT cue straight. But he is a very good aimer. If an beginner follows exactly what Michael says, they will get to a point fairly quickly where they aren't thinking about cueing straight, as this will happen automatically as they are getting more accurate with their aiming. What goes into aiming correctly? Your bridge hand position & how still it is. The other hand not having a seesaw action, and using your wrist/fingers. Keeping your head and body still. That is all that goes into the technique in principle. However, if you focus on that and not think too much about the spot on the cue ball you want to hit, and more importantly WHY you want to hit there, the you will get absolutely nowhere. And helping side makes that part a hell of a lot more simple; choose trace of left or right,then pick the height on the cue ball. This is a much better focus than thinking about "cueing striaght". That should happen anyway as a result of you looking at the point on the object ball and cueing at that point through the desired point on the white
I have to admit I have grown to like your advice over time. At first I could not agree with your last bit advice because how can aim consistently if your fitting across the ball. Surly cuing straight and aiming go hand in hand! Anyway the penny has dropped now ! Just get a consistent cue action that’s not affect the shot differently affecting the shot then you can focus on just the aiming and where the cue ball’s going to end up! Keep the contact coming very insightful.
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching 1999-2012 -Twelve years Hendry could not win a major title 2005-2012-Seven years Hendry couldn't win a ranking title until he retired in 2012 after a proper pummeling from Maguire 13-2. Why was it so many years he went without winning a ranking or TC event. Why is that? Yips, lost the cue BS? Stephen Hendry is no Ronnie O'Sullivan.
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching Shocking to see you slag of Ronnie the other day with Hendry. It was cringe AF. From Hendry whom Ronnie owns H2H & 9-4 in finals, and the height of fooking Irony Michael coming from you? A player who has won fuckall apart from a shoot-OUT
Is it ok to lose the confidence and match when you don't have any chances like your you are unlucky and the opponent always have chances and the good run of balls like many kind of flukes and even when you get the Chance and the balls dont help you like they are helping your opponent and even when you play aggressive you always left easy balls and when you defense the opponent destroy your safety is it better to lose i think so but i am talking can we win over luck
No idea who he is referring to, but sounds like good advice. You know what would be great to see, 2 coaches play a best of 9 say Michael holt v barton snooker it would sell out by us students of the game.
Mark Wilson discusses the importance of a proper consistent setup. An instructor who doesn’t talk about the setup doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Then how is Trump such a great player when he doesn't line any shots up correctly? He starts his action way to the side, then slides it over as he delivers. Rubbish action, great player, because he just does the same thing consistently.
Something i disagree with as an average player , you keep saying dont focus on cue action. I think 99% of times you aim correct or atleast you aim good enough to miss the ball by a small margin (this only applies if you played the game for a couple of years). But you keep see people missing by miles and i think it’s because of one thing and that one thing is 99% of snooker and that is the GRIP .the goddamn G*R*I*P . I dont care how you grip it but if your grip isnt consistant you can never dream to be a good player. People like michael and other pros can do it naturally without even thinking about and they all say it i heard it from them all. Key advice*: dont add any pressure on the back swing , neither on delivery . Also dont soften as you deliver . Just try having a consistant pressure on your grip and let your fingers relax and squeeze a bit in a consistant manner and i promise it makes dramatic difference
I could be wrong but I think what Michael is saying in the video is the exact opposite of what you are saying here. That said i do get if you are grinding the butt (of the cue 😉) to tight it can make you arch the cue upwards on delivery.
@@bbwnpat i agree with almost every thing michael says. But i have a theory that the most important thing in snooker is the grip as i already said if you played the game long enough you know that you aim right 99% of the time even when you aim wrong you shouldnt miss by a mile which most average players do. And i really do think that the only cause is inconsistent grip . I believe most people just either stiffen or loosen their grip as they are delivering the final feather which changes the direction of the cue ball . You can concentrate when you play the next time i really believe that you will feel what im saying
@@bbwnpat pros don’t think about their grip . They just do it right naturally .so they can’t understand how hard it is for an average player with average gifts and skills to be consistent in the right way
if you snooker yourself on the last red, always belt the white hard enough so if you do hit the red there's always a chance of it ricocheting in to a pocket somewhere
Well the first advice was definitely given by BartonSnooker but he tells you to build a feedback for a few shots before changing anything about your aiming.
Barton Snooker doesn’t say to keep hitting the ball in the same place. He says, miss when your a beginner miss the ball right then miss the ball left and then shoot for the pocket
Not very nice to attack a fellow coach i think, even call him a 'self confessed high level', when he clearly is high level. Can't say i'm surprised though, i heard bad evaluations from people that had coaching with MH too. Can't we just keep playing fun?
Michael is the best coach around! straight forward practical advice
Not stressing about having to hit the middle of the ball almost frees you from your shackles, and ultimately not experimenting with side will limit your options
Bro - thanks for this! I’ve been playing about a year now. I was getting better until I started worrying about my stance and cue action, then I seem to have got worse.
I told myself I needed to unlearn the bad habits (when I was potting balls) to learn a robotic cue action.
Thanks again - refreshing to hear!
Thanks for the video. I’m just getting into the game and one of your videos popped up, I’ve seen some weird advice online so it’s nice to hear something different
My pleasure.
Keep it simple and enjoy the game. 👍
Okay, this one hit me right in the heart. I stopped playing because my coach was always making me practice my not-perfectly-straight cue action and I was often adding a little side which we were trying to fix again and again. So frustrating! At the same time, we didn't focus on aiming much. As a result I was missing so many easy balls all the time. That discouraged me and I just completely gave up at some point a few months later. I was trying to achieve perfection in my technique, but I couldn't pot 3 balls in a row.
My game has improved immensely over the past few months especialy getting used to playing with Right and Left hand side on certain shots. Most certainly free’s you up as you correctly say. Guys, take Michael’s advice, it is the best out there and will def improve your ‘own’ natural ability and play the game with more feel.
Thank you Pat.
☺️
Doom loop. I like it.
So many people trapped in it.
Thanks for addressing the middle of the white! I mean...kind of...well, near enough... ;)
If i may add to my earlier comment, here is a thought. There is no doubt that trying to continually search and practice for a cue action (which is not your natural action) that allows you to hit centre cueball more often may work for the very few. Been there worn the T-shirt and no real noticable scoring improvement. Since i have gone back to what ‘I’ feel is natural 3:22for me i have spent time working on Michael’s ideas and manipulating the cueball with my own action while learning and observing what the cueball does. After a while you get a ‘feel’ and inbuilt knowledge of the cueball and where it goes from your tip allowing you to pot more balls consistently and never worrying about centre cueball striking. Think of it like a good soccer player hitting the football with his foot and knowing by feel where he wants to send it, even curve it! ( No two footballers are the same) He is not thinking of centre-football!? Since i have adopted a more feel approach to the game i am potting twice as many balls, working on the effects of traces of side and memorising the results. Using my natural cue action. Before i was stiff and caught up in technique, stance, grip blah blah… keep it natural guys. Use what you have and study where the cue ball goes when you strike it and learn to allow
Really interested in this. I started playing snooker about 2 years ago, and had a break for 6 months. I can say without a doubt my search for getting a perfectly straight cue action has done absolutely nothing for my game. It's got to the point where I just second guess every single shot about whether I'm going to hit centre ball to pot the ball. Reading your comment, I do think I just need to go back to my natural cue action and start learning again...
@@jamalrowe7181 It is worth a try, a different approach. Just keep still on the shot! stay relaxed and use your normal action. Observe the results, adjust if necessary and observe each outcome
Brilliant as usual
Hello Michael, i havnt played for a while and was wondering how much difference a titanium ferrule makes when playing with side. Does it throw the cue ball significantly less?
Hello,
There is a difference but not a lot. The best thing to do is choose one and stick with it.
This might help…
Should you get a titanium ferrule?
ua-cam.com/video/8iQCSl7exmI/v-deo.html
👍
A very helpful video Michael, I'll be working on my aiming alot more now 👍
Steve Davis & Friends interview with Willie Thorne. where Thorne said modern day playing conditions requires no helping side and plain ball striking is required as tables are so fast. Who knows as for all straight pots one must try and find centre white particularly long pots. I get helping side for both positional play and i agree its hard to find centre white and you miss pot if you go right of centre on a right cut. But i would say what really separates wheat from the chaff for best pros are they can hit the spot on the cue ball most of the time until their cue delivery becomes a bit unstable. Question is why do pros go off form? Is it their aiming or the fact that they are no longer striking the correct spot on the cue ball and come across the cue ball even though they have the cue on the chest? Just put the chest on the cue and this will take care of the cue and keep it on line. Really? Just try it and see if you can cue straight . There is a lot more to consider to control the cue and the chest is a massive part of this but you must experiment with it like anything. If you could cue straight and always strike corrects parts of the white then you would definitely find how to adjust your aiming to pot balls as you would only need to aim to pot. Snooker is mechanical for consistency and aiming depends upon your mechanics being stable and controlled.
If a professional goes off form & struggles, I'm pretty sure it's because of the pressure - it causes the muscles in the hand & arm to tighten up which affects the delivery of the cue - also, they forget to judge the speed of the shot, which sub-consciously affects their aiming - once again, this happens because of the pressure of the situation.
If there's a top amateur or professional in your area, go & take look at how he practices, & you'll see that he pots just about everything.
We had Neil Robertson in our area for several years before he turned pro, & he used to take on all comers for practice - some of those guys he was playing were excellent amateurs, capable of winning the game in one visit, & I swear, Neil was making big break after big break, for hours & hours - & quick as well - much quicker than we get to see him on TV - & all of us were reduced to pulling out balls for him. We hardly ever got a shot.
Once time, Neil had left his cue at home, so he had to pick out a cue from the rack in order to play - he found one with a decent tip, & proceeded to make 5 centuries in 8 frames - with a rack cue !
And yet we see Neil in a slightly different light when he plays other top professionals - his pace slows down, & sometimes he struggles & tightens up because he knows what his opponent can do - it has to be the pressure.
They kept saying bingtao success was partly down to him playing plain ball constantly, so there’s lots of mixed messaging
@@NoName-eo2mv There have been some top 16 professionals that try to avoid using side, but the majority use a trace of side. It seems good advice for people to get used to using a trace of side, but like any rule, there will be exceptions. Personally, I love not using any side, I love straight pots, whenever I try a trace of side, it feels wrong, but I'm unusual. I don't think its that hard to find the middle of the white and I think you have to be able to find it, to use a trace of side, but it obviously works for most professionals, so good luck to them.
@@sharpvidtube Ronnie leads hazbin Hendry 9-4 in finals.
@@sharpvidtube Steven Mathew owns Hendry 2.0 in finals and has a overall winning record over Hendry 👍
hi Michael, I love your channel & the no-nonsense advice you give. I do have one question - You mention "a trace" of side often in your videos but I'm not sure how much side is "a trace". It would be helpful if you could show just how much side you use for "helping side" in a future video. Thanks in advance.
@@rhombus-l5w half a tip either side of centre i believe. I too like his approach to teaching as he does simplify things. However i also understand when you can do something (anything) really well, its easy to say ‘just do it like this or that ‘ - whether it be snooker, darts, ice skating, drawing, playing the flute or whatever, if it comes easy to you it comes easy to you and ‘just do this .. look it’s easy’ isnt always gonna cut the mustard with some. We all learn differently so i say whatever teaching method works for you go for it. Personally i believe playing with better players as often as possible (2 or 3 days a week) will improve your game immensely, as you are never really gonna learn owt and develop playing others at your own level once a week. Atb. .
Snooker like golf is a static ball game ,it’s difficult,both look easy when you watch it on tv ,both are extremely tough games in reality.When you’ve played snooker for a long time you’ll make decent breaks with out knowing how you’ve done it ,I’ve seen people talk about imagine there’s a ghost ball between cue and object ball ,this just puts more crap in you’re head ,it’s terrible advise,just practice clearing the colours off their spots on a regular basis as an easy routine ,the scenario will be slightly different every time ,position eventually will became automatic ,most of those shots will be enough to make decent breaks and play to a reasonable standard if you can clear with out missing 7 out of 10 times .I agree there’s no perfect cue action ,if there was the person that had it would never ever miss .
Depending on positioning the cue ball after potting the object ball it's easier to play every shot with a trace of spin. Then you can hit the object ball fuller, but it takes a lot of time of practice to master this.
Whilst I completely agree that trying to hit the white right in the middle is rarely, if ever, going to be worthwhile, the thing I'm not quite understanding is: if hitting the white in the middle is so hard surely that means that hitting any particular spot on the white is just as hard. So if you're aiming for that trace of left/right hand side, surely there is a good chance that you'd go a little bit further to the left/right. Is there just more margin for error if you're not aiming for the exact middle? If so, why?
This is a common mistake people make.
It’s impossible to explain properly here, I explain and demonstrate this in my sessions.
If Nottingham is too far I do online sessions. All the information is in my bio. 👍
In my humble opinion digging deep inside the COD, using side (helping or even more) helps to judge the potting angles a lot more than trying to hit the center.
Hi Michael, quick question - Do you put helping side when the cue ball is further away from the object ball, say baulk line to black area?
Amazing work with your channel. Please keep it coming 🙏
Thank you.
Yes. Make it a habit. 👍
Hi michael, love you videos. What's the best way to practise your aiming. Cheers
I don't think my aiming is off when I miss a relatively easy straight pot. If it's not my cue action the pocket must move.
If the pocket isn’t moving (this can happen) 😂 your aiming is off.
yes i like 3rd point thats aiming..that i struggle a lot and i know i am not aiming correctly.
Devils advocate on point 3 Holty; my aiming is ok(ish), problem i have is not hitting intended spot on object ball because im cueing across the cue ball on delivery.
Over past month, i feel like ive lost cue action all together, no consistency.
Knock in some tough shots/long/acute etc then miss a 4ft unmissable pot.
Confidence then goes and then its becomes pyscological and im missing before ive even got down on the shot.
I should be making regular 50s but recently, cant make regular 20s because playing with fear instead of freedom
I’m a Bricky when I was learning they would team beginners up with decent bricklayers not rocket science thanks for your tips Michael your simplifying everything I’m learning a lot from you
My pleasure. Thank you.
Great lesson 👍
Can’t wait to watch the aiming part
Love you bro
A bit to much love there mate calm down son
@@freedomforthebrave The world needs more love haha
I have learnt very similar techniques and mindset from a snooker coach irl , getting a good mindset or beware of those domb-loops is really a key part of improving
This bro love the game and love to share , give him a like
It definitely does need more love.
Aiming isn’t the same for everyone. In my sessions I show you this and find your way. 👍
Michael, what about sightright? Have u ever adopted their system? What do u think about it? Thanks
Make your own sightritght out of scrap wood, free of charge
You can find your line of sight with 2 balls and a baulk line.
It takes about 1 min. 👍
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching but Top pros use their system, What's you view on that?
🤐
Michael I have a small tremor playing so I find where I'm aiming and where the cue hits can be different. I can't say totally steady. Really annoying
There are things you can do to help work with it.
Also, it’s highly unlikely your aiming can’t be improved.
If you come and see me we can work it out. 👍
A video with your recommended drills to get better at aiming would be great. From beginner to pro aiming level.
Love your no nonsense style haha 👍
Thank you. ☺️
Is helping side always check side? I’m confused. I seem to pot better with a trace of rubbing side but I saw a video where he is potting all the blacks off the spot with a trace of check
Helping side is the opposite.
You are confusing helping side with running/check side. Helping side is referring to the spin off the object ball, not the cushion.
You use check/running side off cushions.
A game of aim.
Michael can you please clarify the difference between queuing straight and aiming? I guess most intermediate players know where they need to hit, for example a straight shot, so what is the difference? Not a trick question, just someone that is trying to work out why the white ball doesn't always go where I want it to go.
‘The white ball doesn’t always go where i want’ Get used to it. 😂😂
You don't have to cue straight. That is a myth.
Cueing better is pointless if you aren't aiming correctly.
Watch Judd Trump. He does not cue straight. How many tournaments did he win this past season? He AIMS correctly and uses his knowledge of positional play, how hard to hit, etc. in order to keep the breaks coming.
Technique is only relevant until the point where you can repeatedly hit the ball where you want to.
I've played "helping side" since I started in 1989. The problem now is that when I need to play the opposite side/check, especially when its running side, my brain wants to fight against it or I can't see the angle. This limits my shot choice in some areas, but I think I fall into the "can't teach an old dog new tricks" category.
I was the same until I took the game up again a couple of years ago and tried to become better.
The solution for me was take a fairly easy shot and play nothing but opposite side or check side for about 10 minutes. Then do it on another shot for 5 min.
In the beginning it’s a horror show and feels really weird. But then your brain just starts to see what happens.
Another great video Michael 👏
aiming correctly and straight cue action is not a contradiction.
when you play with "helping side" you still got to hit the cue ball in the place its need to be hit.
as student of coaching , bare in mind that you need to get to the head of average amateur ,
not a professional state of mind , maybe its "natural" for professional players who got the talent and years of practicing on +- same conditions .
by the way , aiming is a measurable thing , cue action tends to vary .
No, it's not a contradiction, I agree. But, aiming correctly is much more valuable that straight cueing. Judd Trump does NOT cue straight. But he is a very good aimer. If an beginner follows exactly what Michael says, they will get to a point fairly quickly where they aren't thinking about cueing straight, as this will happen automatically as they are getting more accurate with their aiming.
What goes into aiming correctly? Your bridge hand position & how still it is. The other hand not having a seesaw action, and using your wrist/fingers. Keeping your head and body still. That is all that goes into the technique in principle. However, if you focus on that and not think too much about the spot on the cue ball you want to hit, and more importantly WHY you want to hit there, the you will get absolutely nowhere.
And helping side makes that part a hell of a lot more simple; choose trace of left or right,then pick the height on the cue ball.
This is a much better focus than thinking about "cueing striaght". That should happen anyway as a result of you looking at the point on the object ball and cueing at that point through the desired point on the white
I have to admit I have grown to like your advice over time. At first I could not agree with your last bit advice because how can aim consistently if your fitting across the ball. Surly cuing straight and aiming go hand in hand! Anyway the penny has dropped now ! Just get a consistent cue action that’s not affect the shot differently affecting the shot then you can focus on just the aiming and where the cue ball’s going to end up! Keep the contact coming very insightful.
Thank you.
I’m glad I’ve finally won you over. 😃
Keep going. 👍
Easy really just aim for the pocket 😂
Iam a begginer pls make a video on angle❤
Changing a cue action to pot better is the equivalent of pulling the trigger on a rifle differently to try to hit the centre of a target.
Very true! 👍
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching
1999-2012 -Twelve years Hendry could not win a major title
2005-2012-Seven years Hendry couldn't win a ranking title until he retired in 2012 after a proper pummeling from Maguire 13-2.
Why was it so many years he went without winning a ranking or TC event. Why is that? Yips, lost the cue BS? Stephen Hendry is no Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Using side will not help you pot a ball. It might help you get the white to a better position.
Not hearing this 20 years ago is my biggest regret, superb advice as always 👌🏻👍🏻
Don’t have regrets.
It’s never too late to improve. 👍
one of your best video's mate - very nicely explained
Thank you. ☺️
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching Shocking to see you slag of Ronnie the other day with Hendry. It was cringe AF. From Hendry whom Ronnie owns H2H & 9-4 in finals, and the height of fooking Irony Michael coming from you? A player who has won fuckall apart from a shoot-OUT
Slag Ronnie off? I’m a huge fan! 🤷🏻♂️
I definitely didn’t. What did I say?
You're the best!
Is it ok to lose the confidence and match when you don't have any chances like your you are unlucky and the opponent always have chances and the good run of balls like many kind of flukes and even when you get the Chance and the balls dont help you like they are helping your opponent and even when you play aggressive you always left easy balls and when you defense the opponent destroy your safety is it better to lose i think so but i am talking can we win over luck
Well and truly you need to find your own technique
Correct. 👍
I think tattoos like you have will help me
No idea who he is referring to, but sounds like good advice.
You know what would be great to see, 2 coaches play a best of 9 say Michael holt v barton snooker it would sell out by us students of the game.
Barton is good but Michael would win easily
Good luck vs Reanne tonight 😊
The hitman, hitting all the rights spots again
😃
Nice to see you've calmed down after the qualifier the other day lol
That trace of right sent you too high on the blue. I agree with using helping side though, but it can be dangerous
I played high on the blue. 😃
🥰❤
What is a dog with a bone he says every video?
Won't let it go...
You teaches us very well but I watched your qualifiers matches you have not played like you coach us can you really help us how to be a better player
Yes but real tournaments have real different conditions like pressure
This is your 147th video on the channel. Cool
Yes.
Hope you get “maximum” enjoyment from it. 😃
Mark Wilson discusses the importance of a proper consistent setup. An instructor who doesn’t talk about the setup doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Then how is Trump such a great player when he doesn't line any shots up correctly? He starts his action way to the side, then slides it over as he delivers. Rubbish action, great player, because he just does the same thing consistently.
Who’s Mark wilson?
Nice advice 👌 M H
Checking out. Click bait.
Bloody hell Holt you dont look like you lol . Look totally different then when you playing on tv 📺
Good luck in China
Something i disagree with as an average player , you keep saying dont focus on cue action. I think 99% of times you aim correct or atleast you aim good enough to miss the ball by a small margin (this only applies if you played the game for a couple of years). But you keep see people missing by miles and i think it’s because of one thing and that one thing is 99% of snooker and that is the GRIP .the goddamn G*R*I*P . I dont care how you grip it but if your grip isnt consistant you can never dream to be a good player.
People like michael and other pros can do it naturally without even thinking about and they all say it i heard it from them all.
Key advice*: dont add any pressure on the back swing , neither on delivery . Also dont soften as you deliver . Just try having a consistant pressure on your grip and let your fingers relax and squeeze a bit in a consistant manner and i promise it makes dramatic difference
I could be wrong but I think what Michael is saying in the video is the exact opposite of what you are saying here. That said i do get if you are grinding the butt (of the cue 😉) to tight it can make you arch the cue upwards on delivery.
@@bbwnpat i agree with almost every thing michael says. But i have a theory that the most important thing in snooker is the grip as i already said if you played the game long enough you know that you aim right 99% of the time even when you aim wrong you shouldnt miss by a mile which most average players do. And i really do think that the only cause is inconsistent grip . I believe most people just either stiffen or loosen their grip as they are delivering the final feather which changes the direction of the cue ball . You can concentrate when you play the next time i really believe that you will feel what im saying
@@bbwnpat pros don’t think about their grip . They just do it right naturally .so they can’t understand how hard it is for an average player with average gifts and skills to be consistent in the right way
ua-cam.com/video/FAujbBYwIG8/v-deo.htmlsi=1b67UhWKABIC_7DW
@michaelholtsnookercoach umm... what happened in Xi An? Why did you smash the ball? 🤦🏻♂️😁😅
Please don't take offense. Hehe.
I had a big bounce off the cushion…
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching oh.. okok hahaha.
if you snooker yourself on the last red, always belt the white hard enough
so if you do hit the red there's always a chance of it ricocheting in to a pocket
somewhere
Great advice. 👍
@@MichaelHoltSnookerCoaching lol
@BartonSnooker
@@kamran-h8tYou sure 😅
Well the first advice was definitely given by BartonSnooker but he tells you to build a feedback for a few shots before changing anything about your aiming.
Barton Snooker doesn’t say to keep hitting the ball in the same place. He says, miss when your a beginner miss the ball right then miss the ball left and then shoot for the pocket
@@donnakager5453 no you wrong he said exactly that
Not very nice to attack a fellow coach i think, even call him a 'self confessed high level', when he clearly is high level.
Can't say i'm surprised though, i heard bad evaluations from people that had coaching with MH too.
Can't we just keep playing fun?