Hi Nic, I must say you are the best and generous in sharing the most difficult technique in snooker. I have never seen such a detailed explanation of playing side. This is an eye opener. 2 thumbs up.
At the 7:20 example aiming at the center pocket that showed me it's a pre-swivel with a strait delivery. I think I can learn that faster then getting a feel for cue swivel while cueing.
Yes ultimately aiming with side cannot be taught, only learned - and this is the quickest way I know of to learn it (the straight delivery removing all the variables that stop most people learning to aim with side properly). If you find a quicker way please let me know and I will upgrade my information for my students...
Hi Nic, a quick question about what your eyes are doing when playing with side. What's in the center of your vision? Say you're playing with extreme side, are you looking down the cue with the cue dead center of your vision? Or keeping the center of the white ball in the center of your vision with the cue tip a bit off center? Personally I have the white in the center and I'm very consistent with it but I gather I'm the minority. I think of it kind of like looking at the object ball when you strike vs looking at the cue ball, just do whatever you do naturally and get on with it. Would that be fair?
Wait then, are you setting up for a sode english shot with feet eyes and cue or doing some sort of front hand english before you put your bridge hand down?
Every shot is a straight shot, every strike is a straight delivery. I stand behind, and approach, the cue line of aim whether I uses side spin or not. Approach one line on the table with no cue ball - that is how you approach every shot.
Nice to see new material from Nic, very thorough - lots of information. I'm curious if a player should always use a practice mindset when playing? I find if I play carefully and pay attention to details, slowing down to get everything exactly right - I miss more pots than when I speed up a bit and play more on instinct. Do you have a video about this sort of thing? Would you recommend always paying careful attention in games and in practice, or should you learn to switch between the two? It's a bit like improvisational music, I know that whilst playing guitar I don't even think about what I am playing when I play best, but in practice I slow everything down so that I can understand the process and build the 'instinct'.
Thank you Phil. I would build the discipline to treat every practice frame as if it is the deciding frame of the world final. This way, matches will have less 'pressure', and practice will have more.... Occasionally just have fun and having no routine is appropriate to 'blow the cobwebs out'.... but taking John Higgins as an example, he could not play 'carefree' to his highest standard. We all need a mental structure at the table to give the mind something to do to take the pressure away to a degree.
@@TheSnookerGym I've heard, and been told by coaches and other players to play slowly with careful and deliberate attention to details, to strive for perfection and bring my practice mindset to the game. I'm not sure if when I play slower and more carefully with deliberate attention to every detail, that it is necessarily helping me play at all. I'm naturally quite a fast player and thinker, and it definitely doesn't make playing games more pleasurable to slow down. I just find more time = more things to think about, and more inconsistencies and problems with my playing turn up the more time I spend on a shot. Careful attention to details is an ideal awareness mindset for the practice room I agree, but I feel I miss more balls when playing games like this because my concentration is diverted, and I'm not playing my natural pace. I have time to starting doubting my technique by checking it, and loose the flow of focussed attention on the shot. I just can't see how you can 'play' with your mind on anything other than the balls, and still have any 'flow' left at all. Post shot, it's also easier for me to be blaming one of a million details as a cause for a missed ball, which eats away at my confidence in my cue action, plus, it also let's bad aiming or timing (which I used to blame for misses) slip off the hook, as I can also miss balls even if I get everything about my cue action right.
So what I suggest Phil is that you find that ideal tempo in practice, and transport it it religiously into matches no matter what the pressure level is: 'Live by the sword, die by the sword". You might feel you miss some by not taking enough care - but do it for a month and I would be interested to hear if there is a net benefit to your game.
Yes the issue that most players never are able to play maximum side / top / screw is fear of the miscue. So their experience of positional play possibilities is muted. Half the spin available to us probably comes from the last 25% gap between centre cue ball and the miscue limit I would say.
It was to exaggerate what players do when they do not deliver straight... as most players who swoop the cue to the side are in fact not aware of doing it.
Love this Nic, using balls on cushion as visual aids👍🏻 simple but effective and allows them to check their delivery easily. Can I ask though, the white line you use on the cloth is that pencilled on or a temporary line you can remove after?
Thank you John... I should have put that in the description.... it is black board chalk that we used to have at school. I drew it with a baulk line marker ruler and then just brushed it our afterwards
I really like your distinction between using side English and point of aim. I think I have been changing my point if aim when adding side. you give me something to practice with in this video that I think is vary useful. thnx.
Thank for explanation. Would you help to make a video for aiming technique with spin? I mean that touching half-ball, 1/4 ball/ 1/8 ball, full ball,... with many spin(L/R). How does the tip will aim to ? How many distances does the tip aim far away from the object ball for each touching ?
Eventually it is trial and error - but players FIRST have to be comfortable aiming with side on straight shots of different distance / speed / amount of side. Only then, (and when they can successfully aim angled pots with no side spin) have they earned to right to apply that default foundation to aiming with side on angled pots.
Hi , great video ,I really enjoy watching your videos as they have helped me improve my cueing and break building, I look forward to seeing your next video 🟢🟤🟡
I saw Judd Trump cue swivel while shooting this year's in one shot, he made it down the long end of the table, he usually cues vary strait, I don't think he even new he did it on that shot.
That is not to do with side spin swopping though - his vision centre is wrong and he aims everything to miss... correcting the error on delivery with a sideways correction to get back to the line of aim.
Hi Nic, I must say you are the best and generous in sharing the most difficult technique in snooker. I have never seen such a detailed explanation of playing side. This is an eye opener. 2 thumbs up.
Wow, thanks George! I really appreciate your comments
At the 7:20 example aiming at the center pocket that showed me it's a pre-swivel with a strait delivery. I think I can learn that faster then getting a feel for cue swivel while cueing.
Whichever way serves the mind and brain to aim properly, is best!
@@TheSnookerGym your example seems to provide a measured way to gain the feel for side spin.
Yes ultimately aiming with side cannot be taught, only learned - and this is the quickest way I know of to learn it (the straight delivery removing all the variables that stop most people learning to aim with side properly). If you find a quicker way please let me know and I will upgrade my information for my students...
What is a pre swivel in terms of bhe and fhe? Seems a combination of both.
Hi Nic, a quick question about what your eyes are doing when playing with side. What's in the center of your vision? Say you're playing with extreme side, are you looking down the cue with the cue dead center of your vision? Or keeping the center of the white ball in the center of your vision with the cue tip a bit off center? Personally I have the white in the center and I'm very consistent with it but I gather I'm the minority. I think of it kind of like looking at the object ball when you strike vs looking at the cue ball, just do whatever you do naturally and get on with it. Would that be fair?
Wait then, are you setting up for a sode english shot with feet eyes and cue or doing some sort of front hand english before you put your bridge hand down?
Every shot is a straight shot, every strike is a straight delivery. I stand behind, and approach, the cue line of aim whether I uses side spin or not. Approach one line on the table with no cue ball - that is how you approach every shot.
Nice to see new material from Nic, very thorough - lots of information. I'm curious if a player should always use a practice mindset when playing? I find if I play carefully and pay attention to details, slowing down to get everything exactly right - I miss more pots than when I speed up a bit and play more on instinct. Do you have a video about this sort of thing? Would you recommend always paying careful attention in games and in practice, or should you learn to switch between the two? It's a bit like improvisational music, I know that whilst playing guitar I don't even think about what I am playing when I play best, but in practice I slow everything down so that I can understand the process and build the 'instinct'.
Thank you Phil. I would build the discipline to treat every practice frame as if it is the deciding frame of the world final. This way, matches will have less 'pressure', and practice will have more.... Occasionally just have fun and having no routine is appropriate to 'blow the cobwebs out'.... but taking John Higgins as an example, he could not play 'carefree' to his highest standard. We all need a mental structure at the table to give the mind something to do to take the pressure away to a degree.
@@TheSnookerGym
I've heard, and been told by coaches and other players to play slowly with careful and deliberate attention to details, to strive for perfection and bring my practice mindset to the game. I'm not sure if when I play slower and more carefully with deliberate attention to every detail, that it is necessarily helping me play at all. I'm naturally quite a fast player and thinker, and it definitely doesn't make playing games more pleasurable to slow down. I just find more time = more things to think about, and more inconsistencies and problems with my playing turn up the more time I spend on a shot.
Careful attention to details is an ideal awareness mindset for the practice room I agree, but I feel I miss more balls when playing games like this because my concentration is diverted, and I'm not playing my natural pace. I have time to starting doubting my technique by checking it, and loose the flow of focussed attention on the shot.
I just can't see how you can 'play' with your mind on anything other than the balls, and still have any 'flow' left at all. Post shot, it's also easier for me to be blaming one of a million details as a cause for a missed ball, which eats away at my confidence in my cue action, plus, it also let's bad aiming or timing (which I used to blame for misses) slip off the hook, as I can also miss balls even if I get everything about my cue action right.
So what I suggest Phil is that you find that ideal tempo in practice, and transport it it religiously into matches no matter what the pressure level is: 'Live by the sword, die by the sword". You might feel you miss some by not taking enough care - but do it for a month and I would be interested to hear if there is a net benefit to your game.
Excellent advice NIc
Forcing myself to miscue after watching this was liberating and let me test different chalks
Yes the issue that most players never are able to play maximum side / top / screw is fear of the miscue. So their experience of positional play possibilities is muted. Half the spin available to us probably comes from the last 25% gap between centre cue ball and the miscue limit I would say.
great 😃👍 system for getting a estimate on English.
Glad you think so!
@@TheSnookerGym I just watched the Buddy Hall click system video, another good guide for this.
Thank you for the input
Soory, I don`t understand why you woild want to throw your cue off like that, As you so aptly showed the cue ball did nothing.?.
It was to exaggerate what players do when they do not deliver straight... as most players who swoop the cue to the side are in fact not aware of doing it.
Love this Nic, using balls on cushion as visual aids👍🏻 simple but effective and allows them to check their delivery easily. Can I ask though, the white line you use on the cloth is that pencilled on or a temporary line you can remove after?
Thank you John... I should have put that in the description.... it is black board chalk that we used to have at school. I drew it with a baulk line marker ruler and then just brushed it our afterwards
I really like your distinction between using side English and point of aim. I think I have been changing my point if aim when adding side. you give me something to practice with in this video that I think is vary useful. thnx.
Glad it was helpful!
Most appreciated. Your free video lessons have helped me immensely. Such attention to detail. Many thanks!
Thank you Richard - much appreciated!
Hey Nic, nice watching your new coaching video, can't wait to start working with you. God bless you.
Can't wait Oluwole! Full details of directions on how to contact The Snooker Gym Academy can be found here...
www.thesnookergym.com/contact-us
Thank for explanation. Would you help to make a video for aiming technique with spin? I mean that touching half-ball, 1/4 ball/ 1/8 ball, full ball,... with many spin(L/R). How does the tip will aim to ? How many distances does the tip aim far away from the object ball for each touching ?
Eventually it is trial and error - but players FIRST have to be comfortable aiming with side on straight shots of different distance / speed / amount of side. Only then, (and when they can successfully aim angled pots with no side spin) have they earned to right to apply that default foundation to aiming with side on angled pots.
@@TheSnookerGym Thank for your advise.
Welcome
Hi , great video ,I really enjoy watching your videos as they have helped me improve my cueing and break building, I look forward to seeing your next video 🟢🟤🟡
You make it sound so simple. Thank You. Kind Regards
Glad you like them Barry - thank you for your feedback.
I saw Judd Trump cue swivel while shooting this year's in one shot, he made it down the long end of the table, he usually cues vary strait, I don't think he even new he did it on that shot.
That is not to do with side spin swopping though - his vision centre is wrong and he aims everything to miss... correcting the error on delivery with a sideways correction to get back to the line of aim.
@@TheSnookerGym it does look funny to see a right hander more lined up under his left eye.
Or out of his right ear!
Amazing video!
You are so kind
Amazing
Thank you! Cheers!