Snooker discussion : Importance of the follow-through.

Follow-through should be avoided at all costs. Especially if it is early in the session.

Good morning Naydam.  Hope you are well, sir.

These snooker discussion threads are not quite so popular as they once were; I end up chatting to myself half the time.

pokermonster, are you by any chance cj from eggheads?  no offence meant if you're not.

No, I'm not, Munch.  None taken.

Nothing to do with follow-through, but were you aware that the snooker baize company, Strachan (seen on the side of the tables at the world championships) actually pronounce their name "strawn."

they emphasize the follow through to try and stop you messing up the shot

if you follow through correctly, ie dont get up early or throw your shoulder at it the shot has more chance of being right

maybe you should try posting them on the snooker forum PM? just an idea...

I did post something similar on the snooker forum some time ago, Mr Badger, but the traffic over there is so slow it makes for a very stilted debate.

However, I will give the topspin thread another outing over there just to see the response.

Maybe some of the regulars will have already seen it, maybe not.

I'm not particularly good at snooker, but I find when playing with backspin, i have a tendency to to pull the object ball left when playing badly - if I remember to follow through straight, and over-emphasise it it does tend to correct my alignment

that down the cushion information was v interesting - will prob get on a table this week, so will try out the theory of catching cushion slightly before ball

Glad you found it interesting, FM.

Please remember it really is just a tiny fraction you need to catch the cushion before the object ball.

There's a famous trickshot (ususally called THE IMPOSSIBLE CUT) which highlights this effect very nicely.

A player can place the cueball on the yellow spot and a red tight on the rail directly behind the black spot.  Believe it or not, it is possible to clip the red backwards along the cushion into the LEFT hand black pocket (as you would look at the table on a television screen).

This impressive feat is only achievable with lots of right hand side and by hitting the cushion before the red.  In effect, the cueball clips the red along the rail on its way back to baulk.

As stated above pokermonster, I don't suppose what you do with the cue after you have connected with the white makes much difference, but it is surely all about the timing of the shot, i.e you want to be hitting the white during your stroke, rather than at its end, so that you can maintain better control of the shot.

And that Impossible cut shot is easy, if you know what you're doing.

That's right, Tucky.

The follow-through plays no part in any action applied to the cueball.  It is only advisable to have a smooth follow-through because it is easier than arresting one's cue action before its natural conclusion.  That is all.

I sometimes play a trickshot/wager whereby I screw the white two lengths of the table with no follow-through whatsoever.  This can be achieved by careful measurement of the backswing and timing it so your backhand slams into the side of the table as tip meets cueball.

I am sure that the monetary reward is more than adequate compensation for the broken hand.

PM

at 0.35 of this commercial is it topspin or follow throw being applied to the cueball please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyT7ymfiJFg

The follow through is important as the cue tip should still be accelerating on contact with the cue ball.  The sooner your cue tip starts to decelerate after the contact is what's described as 'good timing'.  You get a more powerful shot this way, a bit like a boxer gets more power through following through his punch.

Hello WH.

No idea, sir, I was looking at her tits.  Sorry.

I'm gonna have a go at bullsh1tting myself to an answer.

In cricket, golf and in darts and in most sports where you can have a follow through I think it is good to have a smooth natural follow through.  You strike through the ball in one motion, it is kind of a psychological thing - in cricket when you get it right you don't change your position just standing there like a tw@t holding the position and though this of course makes no difference as you've already hit the ball, it is kind of a state of mind that begins before you strike the ball.  unfortunately if you hold it too long and you don't remember to return to the real world you might miss out on valuable runs, give away a foul as a ball hits your cue or just look like a tw@t overstaying his welcome at the oche.

Fair points, UTI.

It's a difficult concept for me to understand. What I mean is how does what you do after hitting the cue ball affect what happens?

watch dennis taylor from yesterdays seniors to see what we mean

Steve Davis talked about this subject at the break a little earlier.  For the first time ever a commentator actually stated it correctly, they usually claim something like "a smooth cue action is crucial" for one particular shot or another.  The follow-through part of a cue action has no effect on the cueball, once it's gone it's gone, and it goes very quickly.

I nearly followed through this morning, all that Bolly I quaffed on Saturday