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To
be in control of everything at snooker, there must be a
method; a routine for each shot. I call this the "DRILL".
The drill breaks down into four parts.
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Then
comes what I call the 95 per cent. Having looked at the
pocket and decided the spot on the object ball that must
be hit, address the cue ball where you intend to hit it,
(Figure 2). It is no good getting down before you have
decided what to do. If your brain has not a clear message,
how can it possibly send directions to your cue hand?
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You should now be 95 per  cent
certain of potting the ball. You begin your waggle trying
to 'feel' the shot you are about to play. You have made
up your mind whether to play with topspin, sidespin or
backspin, and how hard you are going to hit the cue ball.
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This
takes care of the second part of the shot, which is
the positioning of the cue ball.
Your
waggles should be short, medium or long according to the
type of shot you are about to play. For example, if you
are playing a deep screw shot and have reached the last
waggles, the cue has to go back several inches if power
is to be obtained on the follow-through, (Figure 3).
If
you address the cue ball with, say, no more than a two
inch (5 cm) waggle before playing the shot itself, you
will have to judge the pace, power and feel of the shot
with one last movement. This is asking a lot of your brain
and takes concentration away from the pot, which, after
all is the main priority. The waggles should be an aid
to aiming only to a very small extent.
You
should have assessed the angle before you even start them.
The primary purpose of the waggle is to 'feel' the positional
side of the shot. By getting the right movement from the
start, you have more chance of achieving the shot successfully
because you will have more feel for it beforehand.
This is what I call the 5 per cent. Without observing the
last 5 per cent of the drill, you will not be giving the
shot 100 per cent effort.
How many times have you seen professional players miss
simple shots and wondered why? This is usually because
they have neglected the 5 per cent, that is, getting the
eyes back on the object ball.
How many times have you seen professional players get
down for a shot and then get up, stand back and start
his preparation again? This is because he/she has realized
that his 95 per cent was wrong because, in his opinion,
he was aiming at the object ball either too thick or too
thin.
I don't claim that 95 per cent and 5 per cent are mathematically
accurate, but the terms are there for you to relate to.
Each shot, in my opinion, consists of the thrust forward
of the cue from the pause at the end of the last back swing,
to the completion of the follow-through.
Everything else is preparation - albeit very important
preparation.
The
Frank Callan Suite - 8 Collinson Street - Ribbleton - Preston
- PR1 5EY
t.
+ 44 (01772) 702211 - f. 44 (01772) 793700
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