Snooker Straight Shot Why So Difficult? Cueing Straight

Why does it sometimes appear to be more difficult to play a shot without any angle? You may have noticed one of the most difficult shots to play is a dead straight shot, especially over distance. But these should be the easiest shots because you can't get the angle wrong. I mean, everybody knows where straight is. Or do they? Because there are a number of things you could easily get wrong that will result in you not quite seeing where you're aiming. Although there's also a number of ways to make potting straight shots a lot easier. It would be easy for me at this stage to simply tell you to play shots with less sidespin, but instead we're going to look at something that rarely gets discussed. Although it might be straightforward to see where we need to strike the red in order to pot it on a shot like this, it's still difficult to find the centre of the cue ball. And if you're aiming the side of the cue ball at the centre of the red, then it's simply not going to go in a straight line. Although I'm aiming for the centre of the object ball, I'm not doing it with the centre of the cue ball, and this is clearly going to have the same effect. And it's a very common problem that most aren't even aware they're getting wrong. Simply being aware of this can improve your game, because if my brain knows I'm using this point on the left side of the cue ball to line the shot up with, then in order to pot it, I'm going to have to hit the same point on the left side of the red. When you don't know where the centre of the cue ball is, finding the right angle on any shot is difficult. It's just on a straight shot that it looks the most wrong. So if you need to pot a straight shot, you've actually got to pot it at what looks like an angle. And because that doesn't look right, you end up playing straight shots like this at an angle that looks straight, and end up missing them. And there's something very simple you can do with your eyes to find out if this is something you're having a problem with. When you get down on the shot, simply close them and practise some pots. If you find you're potting as many shots, or possibly even more than you would with your eyes open, then it's highly likely that what you're seeing is actually causing you to make worse decisions. But this just makes the game harder, so fortunately there's an easy way to fix this. Line up some dead straight shots and aim to strike the reflection at the centre of the object ball. To start off with, this might not go quite as straight as you would like, but over time you'll learn where the centre of the cue ball is, and this just means you'll start to strike the shots and play them straighter and straighter every time. Meaning you'll be aiming for the centre of the backside of the cue ball to be striking the centre of the front side of the red. And if you can see straighter on a simple shot like this one, then that really makes a big difference on a longer shot like this one. Because if you're confident you're getting this right, then you're going to be less likely to move around on the shot, which as I've shown in previous videos, can actually make things worse, not better. And even if you do pop the ball, you're really not going to know where you are. It doesn't really matter how good your cue action is if you're unable to sense where you're going to strike the object ball. In order to play shots straight, you first need to be able to see where you're aiming. And this is what makes snooker so difficult. Not unwanted sidespin, nor the complexities of the cue action, but understanding the exact way the cue ball interacts with the object ball. And how you see it in this way can change drastically from session to session, which makes snooker such a hard game to play consistently well. That's why it can be really helpful to line all 21 balls down the table and attempt to pot them all in one go. Although this isn't necessarily one of the most challenging routines, the high number of relatively straightforward shots can help you understand where you're striking the object ball. And that doesn't always look the same. We've got some more advanced tips after we find TKO from Nassau in the Bahamas. Which is there. Being able to see the balls like this doesn't just help you with straight shots. Understanding exactly what part of the cue ball needs to contact the object ball will obviously help you with angled shots like these as well. But if you find you're missing the shot to the same side every single time, no matter what the angle, just like how I'm missing all of these shots by a little bit to the left-hand side, if this happens, just assume you don't fully understand where the centre of the cue ball is first. It's not about unwanted sidespin, or indeed your cue action. It's about me aiming a little bit too far to the right. And this can easily be solved by lining the shot up with what I think is very slightly the right side of the cue ball, aiming for the centre of the red on a straight shot like this. So, for example, on a shot like this one, if the red is going to the right of where I'm aiming, then I assume I'm not finding the centre of the cue ball. And the centre of the cue ball is actually very slightly to the left of where I think it is. And I aim that to the centre of the red. Before you start worrying about your cue action or playing shots with unwanted sidespin, have a look at this first, because it's far more likely to go wrong. And if you find the centre of the cue ball, then within just a few shots you'll discover you're potting a lot more consistently, and you won't really have to think about this any more, which should allow you to play with a lot more freedom. So, in summary, although most players will know exactly where they want to strike the object ball, they won't necessarily be sending the centre of the cue ball in this direction. And if you've lined up the side of the cue ball to the centre of the object ball, then you definitely won't be playing a straight shot. In order to get this right, it helps to play some simple shots as straight as possible, while aiming for the centre of the object ball. And if you're aiming for the centre and it's going exactly straight, it's almost like calibrating your aim, and this will help you with every shot you come up against. Although you may see the shot slightly differently, every new time you go to play, so you may need some basic practice before you're lining shots up perfectly again. But this does mean we have an answer to the question of why straight shots can appear to be harder than shots at a slight angle. On a shot like this, if I have to hit a little bit further to the left than normal, then I probably won't notice it. However, on a straight shot, it's a lot more obvious. And that's why these shots can look horribly wrong. And the fact that it looks so horribly wrong makes it less likely you'll play a straight shot at the correct angle. And that's the main reason that shots like this one appear harder than a shot with a slight angle. And after all that, if you're still missing shots, then this could be caused by unwanted sidespin, or by the fact that you're not quite standing in the right place. But don't worry, because these two videos are specially designed to help you stand in a more effective position and aim shots with sidespin. And remember, don't just watch play, and make the commitment to becoming a better player by subscribing to the channel and visit the website. See you later.