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Extract of text from our Coaching DVD
`PLAYING
THE GAME TO WIN`
How to play Screw-shots
If
you are mainly employing plain ball tactics during your competitive pool, you
will probably at best be potting two or three balls in a row.
There
is no mystery about cue ball control at pool, it is simply a combination of
particular strokes.
To
make sizeable runs regularly, you must possess potting accuracy and the mastery
of certain skills and techniques which will gain you reasonable position for the
next ball.
Reasonable
position
is the appropriate phrase here, because the best anybody can hope for is to stop
the white in a general area of the table.
To
stop the cue ball on a sixpence is virtually impossible - even for
professionals.
The
first of these techniques we shall analyse is called the ‘screw’ shot.
The
interesting spectacle of a ball rotating backwards, but moving forwards,
which is what actually occurs during the screw shot, can be nicely illustrated
in slow motion using a striped ball.
Jason then demonstrates a few basic screw shots,
and there is a graphic in the corner of the screen,
that
depicts the cue ball itself. The flashing blue circle represents the exact
point on the white where the professional is aiming in order to perform the
controlled positional strokes we are witnessing.
In
order to effectively strike the cue ball below centre like this, it is important
to lower your bridge hand and not simply raise the butt end of the cue,
which can lead to spectacular mistakes. Basically,
the bridge is the only part of your body that alters when you play a screw shot.
You must lower it as much as possible
(as shown in close up), and drop the
cocked thumb slightly to allow for a smooth follow through.
The
amount of backspin you will achieve when playing screw shots depends on the pace
of the shot, and where on the white you actually make contact with the cue.
Jason
then highlights some of the different
degrees of backspin that are attainable by varying the depth of aim, and the
speed in the stroke.
Another
factor influencing the successful execution of a screw shot - is the actual grip
adopted on the butt of the cue.
A
useful analogy is to imagine throwing a hoop and making it spin back towards
you.
Some examples are then shown
from an overhead camera.
The
cue ball is on the black’s spot, almost in a direct line with a yellow about
halfway to the nearest pocket. The professional first pots this yellow plain
ball, and shows the resulting resting
place of the white.
The object ball
is then replaced, and the shot is replayed using backspin, the difference
between the original plainly struck white and the second ‘screwed’ cue ball
is obvious. This shows clearly the advantages of cue ball control in the game of pool.
Shot
selection will only come with experience, and it is vital if you have any
aspirations of making regular winning clearances.
To increase the
difficulty of these screw shot exercises, it is simply a matter of setting up
some straight pots around the table and practicing them - gradually moving the
white further and further away from the object ball.
Don’t forget the
basics we have covered such as stance, sighting, bridging and grip.
Once you have
mastered these full ball ‘draw’ shots, you can then begin to experiment with
the effects of engaging backspin on angled pots, and the wide range of options
this knowledge can bring to your game.
Practicing Screwing the white
into a corner pocket is probably the best way to
help beginners comprehend the basic principals of the angled screw shot. Use and practice these techniques to generate backspin and you will learn this skill very quickly! |
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