Nice video Steve. Straight shots; especially over distance, are the ultimate test of overall cuing technique, stance and of course not forgetting pre shot routine. Lots to get right and lots to go wrong.
Now i know my cueing and stance is pretty good im looking forward to playing with more confidence in the shots, I know it can make a difference! Thanks Steve 👍🏻
It also comes down to not really having points of reference (I'm not on about just the point where you hit the object ball) on a straight shot, unlike what you have on angled shots.
Another great video Steve. With my playing I’ve noticed that if I put a bit of bottom check side on the cue ball I tend to get the pot but if I put running side on I frequently miss ? But I still enjoy playing. 👍👍
Start shooting those straight blues 1 month ago and the best i got is 5 in a row. Doing it with spotted white.Its a nice way to find your grip as well.
So is it more important to cue straight on a straight shot than an angled one? I always thought straight shots are the easiest ones because they are the only shots that don’t require you to have to work out the potting angle.
Hi Steve, I've noticed that some nights that I play better than others. Question: if one doesn't push through the ball on each shot does this play a part in accuracy? And, if I wanted to come to Willenhall, how much would you charge for a lesson? Assuming that is where you live. 😆
@@nicholasperry-mason4640 yes, if you don't accelerate through the cue ball, this can definitely be a cause of missing shots. If you send me an email or WhatsApp, I will be happy to send you a copy of my training sheet with all my details on. www.bartonsnooker.co.uk
It's good to practice straight cueing with spotted ball, so you can see how much off centre you hit it. Also playing topspins, stop balls, backspins. Saying that, hitting the perfect centre is very hard. When I play center ball stop balls, I'm rarely able to hit it so perfect that cueball does not spin to the side at least a bit (easier on a short distance, but very hard on long shots).
Thanks Steve. I have an unusual thing going on that maybe you might be able to explain bud When I try my hardest to pot a long straight ball I miss...but when I play off the cuff with just pure instinct I pot every one????
Well, I beg to disagree. All shots are straight shots, and all shots need straight cueing, and all shots require the player to hit the ball at the correct address position to prevent the cueball veering off line. In terms of the corrections players make in angled shots, that also holds for straight shots. I once used to play all straight shots with left hand side because I knew I was sighting the shot somewhat wrong. The left hand side would compensate for the aiming error and the balls would go in. I'm talking 10/10 going in. My opinion is that straight shots seem more troubling mostly because players are simply afraid of them more than they are of angled shots. Expectations are higher (it's a straight shot, after all) and since the angle is straight, players feel that any mistake on straight shots suggests cueing errors (which is not the case, it's quite possible to sight straight shots wrong). Under pressure, they are more reluctant to let go of the cue and squeeze the butt of the cue during delivery to intuitively exert more control over the shot. But as we all know, too much control in snooker is poor control, and squeezing the butt of the cue during delivery almost always imparts accidental side to the cue ball, leading to a miss. Anyway, my two cents on this topic.
Agreed. The logic in the opening section describes behaviour that does happen, but simply isn’t the whole story for missing straight shots. I suspect a contributing factor to the confusion is that - all else being equal and adjusted for - a straight-on shot will throw the object ball more from sidespin than on a thinner cut, and so the effects of not adjusting for inherent technique-induced side are more pronounced. I’d hope Mr Barton might re-think the logic he’s put forward in this video in light of your comment and consider taking down this mis-information.
What I learned from a lot of chinese coaches is that the long straight shots have the least margin of error, which I tink is pretty much the same as what Barton said in this video.
@@jameszheng7699 just not true - a LONG short has the least margin of error but whether or not they are straight vs angled shots does not change that. If anything - a straight shot "should" be easier because there is no need to "judge" the aim - because you know exactly where you need to hit the object ball.
For us mediocre players at least, the advice is useful. I have found that I "naturally" tend to shift the cue slightly to one side, perhaps 1/4 tip or maybe less, when I shoot even when aimed correctly. And I'm told this is a very common problem even for high level tournament players. The result is a tendency for all shots to shift a small amount to one side, sometimes missing the pocket or "wiping its feet in the way into the pocket". On angle shots as he says, I was automatically compensating, but that doesn't work on straight shots. Unless you are aware of the real problem, you can't fix it. Now that I'm much more careful of this, _and_ assuring that I'm aiming the cue and not just my eye-line, I've had a step improvement in my shotmaking. This is exactly what he is describin
Hi mr barton from india . As a player I request you to show graphics of how much white ball u r hitting on object ball . That means aiming ghost ball. Like Force , cue tip u show in graphics.
I disagree 100%. You're saying that players pot the angled shots because of the bad cueing? When I follow your theory, I can also misline a straight shot to the left, hit it badly with a left hand side and still pot the ball. On an angled show I have much more room for error because i can play it with helping side and still pot the ball. On a stratight show, it will be difficult.
@@wojtekpastor2127 you're agreeing with exactly what I say in the video. On an angled shot you can aim with a touch of helping side as you say, and throw the ball in a bit. On the straight one, you need to hit perfectly centre cue ball, cue straight, and then you should pot it. Much less margin for error on the straight one because if you did aim off and then correct it with bad cueing or side, it needs to all align perfectly. But on the angled one, there's more room for error.
Surely the margin of error on straight shots or angled shots is exactly the same? I think it's all in the head that makes a straight shot APPEAR harder. They aren't in fact any different to angled shots. You have to aim at a point just the same.
@@michaelwaring it feels like it, doesn't it. Snooker players and golfers alike do not like the ball to be absolutely straight. You'd much rather work with a tiny angle. Intuitively and scientifically you'd think it should make no difference, and I completely agree, but it does feel trickier on a straight pot (as Shaun Murphy alluded to last season).
@@BartonSnooker Haha, don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be rude of course! I think your assessment of these shots being more difficult, along with the pros', is obviously the gospel truth. But the thrust of the rationale you've used in this video seems incredibly suspect. You seem to be saying "If a player knows he tends to cue slightly across the ball, he can aim slightly differently to correct for this." That's true enough, but it still requires him to hit the ball in precisely that way. If he adjusts his aim to correct for his cue action but Fails to cue the ball with his anticipated fault, to the Precise extent he has allowed for, he will miss. Even if he does cue across the ball in precisely the way he expects, he then needs to have precisely adjusted his aim, or else he still misses. On all fronts, there is no less requirement for precision. The argument also says that the same allowances couldn't be made on a straight shot. But why not? It could, and the shot would then be just as easy. It would in fact be easier, disregarding confounding factors like psychology, since on the straight shot he can be in no doubt as to what the contact point on the cue ball needs to be, so there are fewer variables for him to judge and execute correctly. There's a bunch of other reasons that straight shots may be more difficult, that I and others in the comments have mentioned. But I've never heard anyone make your argument in a way that addresses its apparent logical inconsistency. If I'm misunderstanding things, I'd genuinely love it to be explained why. Otherwise, it would be amazing if someone like you or a pro would finally set the record straight that this argument has simply been a long-held misconceptualisation of the matter.
2:38 a little tip with a shot like this is to remove the red ball and just pot the cue ball into the pocket a few times, trying to avoid the edge of the pocket and enter it in the centre and do that several times (adjusting if need be) until you can make say five or six in a row that go in the centre of the pocket. Then set the shot up again but this time with the red ball but try to pretend that it is not there and still try to 'pot' the cue ball into the centre of the pocket.
@@seanscanlon9067 I've talked about this in previous videos. Because the aiming is so precise, you can't really just do this. You must aim to pot the actual ball very, very accurately. It's not a good idea to have a "hack" for one particular type of shot. Always try to aim in the same way for all shots.
@@BartonSnooker Oh OK, that's fair enough then and not saying this in a sarcastic or stroppy way, but it does not always convey the intention with the written word without hearing tone like when spoken, and you are a better coach and player than me, but I thought it might act a bit like a muscle memory thing, in that you can try to recreate the feeling once you put the red ball back in line for the shot. I suppose I was thinking a little along the lines of a free throw from the free throw line in basketball or a mid-range putt in golf, so that after you are successful with a few back to back efforts, you try to 'lock in' that feeling in order to try to repeat it.
Straight shots are actually more difficult than cut shots. This is because the cueball contacts the object ball the hardest on a straight shot, and therefore, straight shots have the most friction between the two balls. Any accidental or unwanted sidespin on the cueball throws the object ball more on a straight shot than on a cut shot. See pages 73-74 of "The Science of Pocket Billiards" -Koehler I think I read it somewhere else also.
@@arsalan1229 thanks. Lots of other people say the videos have become better and better. I guess as they say "you can't please all of the people all of the time".
Nice video Steve. Straight shots; especially over distance, are the ultimate test of overall cuing technique, stance and of course not forgetting pre shot routine. Lots to get right and lots to go wrong.
Thankyou Steve,just ruthless,and effortless,the finesse in your shots,not always power,but timing,and how much acceleration.👌👍
Great video as always Steve!😊
Great detailed video Barton snooker as always great video Barton snooker
Now i know my cueing and stance is pretty good im looking forward to playing with more confidence in the shots, I know it can make a difference! Thanks Steve 👍🏻
Cheers from Brazil 👍
Thank you 😊
It also comes down to not really having points of reference (I'm not on about just the point where you hit the object ball) on a straight shot, unlike what you have on angled shots.
Yup
Another great video Steve. With my playing I’ve noticed that if I put a bit of bottom check side on the cue ball I tend to get the pot but if I put running side on I frequently miss ? But I still enjoy playing. 👍👍
Start shooting those straight blues 1 month ago and the best i got is 5 in a row. Doing it with spotted white.Its a nice way to find your grip as well.
@@StefanDLazarov well done. Keep up the hard work 👍
So is it more important to cue straight on a straight shot than an angled one? I always thought straight shots are the easiest ones because they are the only shots that don’t require you to have to work out the potting angle.
Actually, cueing straight is the same important for straight shots as for angled shots
Hi Steve, I've noticed that some nights that I play better than others. Question: if one doesn't push through the ball on each shot does this play a part in accuracy? And, if I wanted to come to Willenhall, how much would you charge for a lesson? Assuming that is where you live. 😆
@@nicholasperry-mason4640 yes, if you don't accelerate through the cue ball, this can definitely be a cause of missing shots.
If you send me an email or WhatsApp, I will be happy to send you a copy of my training sheet with all my details on.
www.bartonsnooker.co.uk
It's good to practice straight cueing with spotted ball, so you can see how much off centre you hit it. Also playing topspins, stop balls, backspins. Saying that, hitting the perfect centre is very hard. When I play center ball stop balls, I'm rarely able to hit it so perfect that cueball does not spin to the side at least a bit (easier on a short distance, but very hard on long shots).
Very good
Best test is long straight blue with top to put the white in the same pocket.
As always sir❤
Tnx
Thanks Steve. I have an unusual thing going on that maybe you might be able to explain bud
When I try my hardest to pot a long straight ball I miss...but when I play off the cuff with just pure instinct I pot every one????
@@sj460162 maybe there is a lesson there in letting yourself relax.
@@BartonSnooker I think youre right. Relaxing is very hard with my anxiety.
The first fault is definitely me, I can see the white skidding every time I hit but have no idea why!
Well, I beg to disagree. All shots are straight shots, and all shots need straight cueing, and all shots require the player to hit the ball at the correct address position to prevent the cueball veering off line. In terms of the corrections players make in angled shots, that also holds for straight shots. I once used to play all straight shots with left hand side because I knew I was sighting the shot somewhat wrong. The left hand side would compensate for the aiming error and the balls would go in. I'm talking 10/10 going in.
My opinion is that straight shots seem more troubling mostly because players are simply afraid of them more than they are of angled shots. Expectations are higher (it's a straight shot, after all) and since the angle is straight, players feel that any mistake on straight shots suggests cueing errors (which is not the case, it's quite possible to sight straight shots wrong). Under pressure, they are more reluctant to let go of the cue and squeeze the butt of the cue during delivery to intuitively exert more control over the shot. But as we all know, too much control in snooker is poor control, and squeezing the butt of the cue during delivery almost always imparts accidental side to the cue ball, leading to a miss.
Anyway, my two cents on this topic.
Agreed. The logic in the opening section describes behaviour that does happen, but simply isn’t the whole story for missing straight shots.
I suspect a contributing factor to the confusion is that - all else being equal and adjusted for - a straight-on shot will throw the object ball more from sidespin than on a thinner cut, and so the effects of not adjusting for inherent technique-induced side are more pronounced. I’d hope Mr Barton might re-think the logic he’s put forward in this video in light of your comment and consider taking down this mis-information.
What I learned from a lot of chinese coaches is that the long straight shots have the least margin of error, which I tink is pretty much the same as what Barton said in this video.
Hit a straight shot.... straight.... fabulous
@@jameszheng7699 just not true - a LONG short has the least margin of error but whether or not they are straight vs angled shots does not change that. If anything - a straight shot "should" be easier because there is no need to "judge" the aim - because you know exactly where you need to hit the object ball.
For us mediocre players at least, the advice is useful. I have found that I "naturally" tend to shift the cue slightly to one side, perhaps 1/4 tip or maybe less, when I shoot even when aimed correctly. And I'm told this is a very common problem even for high level tournament players. The result is a tendency for all shots to shift a small amount to one side, sometimes missing the pocket or "wiping its feet in the way into the pocket". On angle shots as he says, I was automatically compensating, but that doesn't work on straight shots. Unless you are aware of the real problem, you can't fix it. Now that I'm much more careful of this, _and_ assuring that I'm aiming the cue and not just my eye-line, I've had a step improvement in my shotmaking.
This is exactly what he is describin
Hi mr barton from india . As a player I request you to show graphics of how much white ball u r hitting on object ball . That means aiming ghost ball. Like Force , cue tip u show in graphics.
Straight shot requires head still cueing in centre of cue ball and dont move body while deliver
The best Snooker coach going around ❤
I disagree 100%. You're saying that players pot the angled shots because of the bad cueing? When I follow your theory, I can also misline a straight shot to the left, hit it badly with a left hand side and still pot the ball. On an angled show I have much more room for error because i can play it with helping side and still pot the ball. On a stratight show, it will be difficult.
@@wojtekpastor2127 you're agreeing with exactly what I say in the video. On an angled shot you can aim with a touch of helping side as you say, and throw the ball in a bit. On the straight one, you need to hit perfectly centre cue ball, cue straight, and then you should pot it.
Much less margin for error on the straight one because if you did aim off and then correct it with bad cueing or side, it needs to all align perfectly. But on the angled one, there's more room for error.
Surely the margin of error on straight shots or angled shots is exactly the same?
I think it's all in the head that makes a straight shot APPEAR harder. They aren't in fact any different to angled shots. You have to aim at a point just the same.
@@michaelwaring it feels like it, doesn't it. Snooker players and golfers alike do not like the ball to be absolutely straight. You'd much rather work with a tiny angle.
Intuitively and scientifically you'd think it should make no difference, and I completely agree, but it does feel trickier on a straight pot (as Shaun Murphy alluded to last season).
Michael, see melihegemen6033's comment above, and my reply to it. For my money Steve and Shaun Murphy are completely off the mark on this issue.
@@apiyo_puzzles oh no!
@@BartonSnooker Haha, don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be rude of course! I think your assessment of these shots being more difficult, along with the pros', is obviously the gospel truth. But the thrust of the rationale you've used in this video seems incredibly suspect.
You seem to be saying "If a player knows he tends to cue slightly across the ball, he can aim slightly differently to correct for this."
That's true enough, but it still requires him to hit the ball in precisely that way. If he adjusts his aim to correct for his cue action but Fails to cue the ball with his anticipated fault, to the Precise extent he has allowed for, he will miss. Even if he does cue across the ball in precisely the way he expects, he then needs to have precisely adjusted his aim, or else he still misses. On all fronts, there is no less requirement for precision.
The argument also says that the same allowances couldn't be made on a straight shot. But why not? It could, and the shot would then be just as easy. It would in fact be easier, disregarding confounding factors like psychology, since on the straight shot he can be in no doubt as to what the contact point on the cue ball needs to be, so there are fewer variables for him to judge and execute correctly.
There's a bunch of other reasons that straight shots may be more difficult, that I and others in the comments have mentioned. But I've never heard anyone make your argument in a way that addresses its apparent logical inconsistency. If I'm misunderstanding things, I'd genuinely love it to be explained why. Otherwise, it would be amazing if someone like you or a pro would finally set the record straight that this argument has simply been a long-held misconceptualisation of the matter.
Meu sonho era traduzir essas palavras para o português
2:38 a little tip with a shot like this is to remove the red ball and just pot the cue ball into the pocket a few times, trying to avoid the edge of the pocket and enter it in the centre and do that several times (adjusting if need be) until you can make say five or six in a row that go in the centre of the pocket.
Then set the shot up again but this time with the red ball but try to pretend that it is not there and still try to 'pot' the cue ball into the centre of the pocket.
@@seanscanlon9067 I've talked about this in previous videos. Because the aiming is so precise, you can't really just do this. You must aim to pot the actual ball very, very accurately. It's not a good idea to have a "hack" for one particular type of shot. Always try to aim in the same way for all shots.
@@BartonSnooker Oh OK, that's fair enough then and not saying this in a sarcastic or stroppy way, but it does not always convey the intention with the written word without hearing tone like when spoken, and you are a better coach and player than me, but I thought it might act a bit like a muscle memory thing, in that you can try to recreate the feeling once you put the red ball back in line for the shot.
I suppose I was thinking a little along the lines of a free throw from the free throw line in basketball or a mid-range putt in golf, so that after you are successful with a few back to back efforts, you try to 'lock in' that feeling in order to try to repeat it.
I pot long straight blues nearly every time. Then I miss blacks off the spot from twelve inches. I think it's called lack of concentration! 😁
Straight shots are actually more difficult than cut shots. This is because the cueball contacts the object ball the hardest on a straight shot, and therefore, straight shots have the most friction between the two balls.
Any accidental or unwanted sidespin on the cueball throws the object ball more on a straight shot than on a cut shot.
See pages 73-74 of "The Science of Pocket Billiards" -Koehler
I think I read it somewhere else also.
Some honest feedback. Videos are becoming annoying to watch with all the extra graphics.
@@arsalan1229 thanks. Lots of other people say the videos have become better and better. I guess as they say "you can't please all of the people all of the time".
U r doing great@@BartonSnooker
Awesome as usual
if snooker tutorial videos were a olympic discipline you'd won gold