Snooker Coaching – Stance & Cue Action

Hello this is Paul from www.snookerguide.co.uk and let me welcome you to the first of my 4-part guest post series on improving your game of snooker.

It’s a new year so what better time to start learning how to pot balls more consistently and start making higher breaks?  At the worst becoming a better player will help increase your enjoyment of the game even if your dreams of playing in a Crucible final are still a long way off!

Now this series will be mostly targeted towards players at a beginner level – those are struggling to make regular 30-40 breaks, however even more advanced players may benefit from a few reminders of the basic techniques.

We are going to start off with what is probably the single most important aspect of playing good snooker and that is your stance and cue action. If you can get this right then much of the rest will follow quite naturally although of course it all needs plenty of practice.

So lets start this off with a short video from the Snooker Guide members area:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rBe54E4rbE

The key thing you are trying to achieve in order to increase your accuracy is to remain complete still throughout the shot, stance is therefore important in providing a comfortable base to allow this to happen.

Stance can be personalised as it is about being comfortable through the shot, however most professionals will stand at the table with one leg straight and the other bent.  This allows them to get down on the table with optimum stability and minimal movement.

When you hold your cue in your stance you want to grip it as you would a tennis racket – not too loose and not too tight otherwise you will lose control of your shot. The strength of the gripshould be similar to how tightly you would hold an egg without crushing or dropping it.

There are four points of contact the cue will have with the body – in the cue hand, on the bridge hand, brushing alongside the torso and brushing against your chin.  Some people do not like the feeling of the cue brushing alongside their chin and will wear a plaster during play to get rid of this discomfort.

Main Learning Points:

  • Your stance should provide stability for the shot
  • Keep your body still throughout the shot
  • Do not grip too tightly or too loosely
  • Keep your head still throughout the shot

About Snooker Guide:

Snooker Guide is an online video snooker coaching program developed in conjunction with professional snooker player Daniel Wells. Featuring over 50 minutes of video tuition plus many written lessons and features it is a complete beginners course suitable for anyone struggling to make breaks over 40 on a regular basis.

For more information please visit: www.snookerguide.co.uk