What Is The Trick To Snooker Aiming

It really doesn't matter how difficult the shot you're playing is, aiming it correctly is going to be more beneficial to you than anything else. So here's the surprisingly simple aiming tricks that will help you with every shot in the game. This is Break From Life. Welcome back and if it's your first time watching one of our videos then it's fantastic to have you here. Most of the time aiming a shot is something a player doesn't even need to think about because they'll do it perfectly well subconsciously. But there are times when falling into your usual rhythm just simply won't be enough and you need to make a conscious decision on how you're going to align the shot. And these are usually on the most vital shots like your first few shots of the day, difficult and complex shots as well as any time you feel under pressure. Interestingly players often blame this on their cue action but I often find that if I'm stood behind the shot I can tell if a player is going to miss it or not, which side of the pocket they're going to miss and how far by. So how do you consciously line up a shot? Well there's a fairly simple three-step process that will work on almost any shot you want to play. And the first step is to simply imagine placing the cue ball behind the object ball in line with the pocket. It may seem simple but everything we're about to do involves this space, including the second step which requires you to draw an imaginary line between where the cue ball is and where the cue ball needs to go. What's incredibly vital to be aware of here is if you draw a straight line between where the cue ball is and where the cue ball's going it doesn't match up to the same place that the cue ball is striking the object ball. But this is in fact a very easy mistake to make and it's one that not just new players to the game actually make. Your brain can be overcautious and stop you from allowing for this and it's usually on the shots that you need to pop the most. And because this makes you miss straighter shots by a little bit and more angled shots by a lot it can be very confusing. It's absolutely vital that you find the true line of the shot and you can only do that by allowing for the space that the cue ball's going to take up. Step three. The trouble is on a shot aiming for a target of that size is very difficult to do. It's actually far easier to aim for a smaller target but that means you do need to know where the centre of the cue ball's going. Now if you keep this line in mind without the ball being there that gives you a target on the object ball. A point to aim for. So that means I'm going to play the centre of the cue ball to here. As long as I'm striking through the centre of the cue ball then the real trick here is to ignore it entirely and play my cue straight along the line of the shot to where I'm aiming on the object ball. I can then ignore the cue ball and the pocket entirely and just aim my tip to a predetermined position on the object ball. But learning to do that is actually surprisingly difficult. Most of the time you just won't trust yourself unless you practice doing it exactly like this. Line up a close shot absolutely dead straight. It's difficult to show you with a camera but with your eyes you'll easily be able to see the reflection of the cue ball in the object ball. Again you want to be making sure you're striking through the centre of the cue ball and then ignore it and the pocket and just hit the reflection of the white and the red with the tip of your cue. And this can teach you something vital but overlooked. The difference between where you're aiming and where you think you're aiming. Because if you can get the hang of that then you'll be able to line shots up of almost any angle. But of course it isn't quite that simple. Off that shot on the black we've left ourselves this red in the middle pocket but it's thin. Very thin. However we can still use the same trick as long as we make one slight adjustment. Because if we imagine where our tip needs to go now then it won't even be making contact with the red. So we're not going to bother and instead we're going to aim using the contacting edge of the cue ball. And this does seem difficult. Judging where the edge of the cue ball is going is actually a lot easier to do than you'd think. And it makes really tough pots like these actually possible to play. So the trick to lining any shot up is to first find the space behind the object ball that the cue ball needs in order to pot the ball. Then second find the line of the shot that runs from where the cue ball is to where the cue ball needs to go. And finally deliver your cue on this line aiming for the point where the line meets the object ball. Now the problem with this is if you're playing a shot at an angle it will slightly affect the direction the object ball takes. But these effects can be so small that they're really not worth worrying about. And over time you will find yourself automatically adjusting for these tiny differences. Now a lot of people may be thinking if only my technique and cue action was actually good enough to allow me to take advantage of that. But the fact is on the more straightforward shots like this one there's not actually time for the cue ball to move offline very far. Meaning if you line a shot up right like this you're probably going to pot it. Because it's probably only shots of a greater distance than this where straight cueing actually becomes a necessity. But that's not to say they're not important and after Nathan from Glasgow in Scotland I can tell you that you can still pot balls without having a good technique but you won't be as consistent as you'd like to be. How you aim is incredibly vital but you need a good technique to be able to take advantage of that and allow you to make your game more predictable and consistently get higher breaks. So if you want to find out more about that have a look at the video right here that will show you exactly what the trick is to having a good snooker technique. 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.