Unless you have an easy chance of a snooker you quite often have to
leave your opponent the chance of a pot. So try to make that pot as
difficult as you can. The more pressure you can put on your opponent
makes it more likely that he will make a mistake or become frustrated.
When you do leave your opponent a very difficult pot, and he makes
the shot of his life and pots it - don't let it get you down. You did your
best and a good shot deserves respect. Remember that no one can keep
potting difficult balls. So if you leave your opponents in the most trouble
you can you will become a very difficult player to beat.
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You constantly see professionals trying to get the
cue-ball close to one of the two baulk pockets.
Leaving the cue-ball close to a corner pocket makes
cueing very difficult for many players. If the remaining
reds are in a cluster behind the pink they will need to
be struck thick and hard, so scattering the reds; or
thin with side to get the cue-ball back to baulk.
Although a triangular area is marked in the diagram
consider leaving the cue-ball nearer the side cushion.
Cueing diagonally across the side cushion is far more
difficult than striking the cue-ball when it's close to
the baulk cushion.
Experiment with these, try under hitting them if you're
concerned about going in-off into the corner pocket. And
spend some time practicing from these areas - you need
to be confident if your opponent leaves you there.
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This is a variation of the same strategy that is little known
and rarely played, but which quite often creates an opening.
The temptation of course is to send the cue-ball into baulk,
hopefully behind one of the baulk colours. But even if you
succeed in getting the snooker a reasonable player should
manage to escape without doing too much damage. If you
don't get a snooker you leave an easy safety shot for your
opponent, one he will have played thousands of times
before.
But leave the cue-ball just beyond the middle pocket and
tight on the cushion, and you'll give your opponent no easy
reply and a great problem.
You'll be surprised how gently this delicate shot needs to be
played, so it really is worth a few minutes practice. Leaving
the cue-ball tight on the cushion is critical so strength is the
key to the success of this shot.
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So what do you do if you're left in this position?
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Any thickish contact to take the cue-ball back to baulk
will scatter the reds towards the corner pocket. A thin
contact played slowly is too dangerous - you may miss
and hit the black. Rolling slowly into the pack is negative
and unnecessary.
The secret is to play with top right-hand side, but cueing is
difficult and very few can play with confidence from such a
position. This really is one to practice, and it's also one of
the very few shots where it might help to keep your eyes
on the cue-ball when you strike it - especially at first!
You'll need to aim for a very thin contact with enough
strength to take the cue-ball back to baulk. This isn't
easy when playing with the cue-ball tight on the
cushion, so this is another reason to practice this shot.
And if you don't fancy practicing this - imagine how your
opponent would feel if you left him there during a match!
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Here's a shot I saw played over twenty years ago. Quite
a simple stroke, but no one saw it coming.
I spoke to the player after the match who told me that
he saw the possibility of it straight away. It was a simple
half-ball contact and if he got the strength right he knew
there was a very good chance of a snooker.
He said that although he could have easily played a
more conventional safety by rolling up behind the yellow
or brown, he chose this shot to try and force a mistake
from his opponent, who was a county standard player.
The cue-ball finished tight up against both the green and
the cushion. His opponent was so frustrated he played a
double off the opposite cushion with side, crashed into
the reds leaving several on, and lost the frame.
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