Why do snooker and pool players have different ant cue actions and which is better?

Question

I play snooker and i was told that you always have to have 4 points of contact with the cue, the bridge, chin, chest and cueing hand. Though i've been watching many pool players and notice that they dont have any contact with the chin or chest. Some barely even get down to the ball! They all so seem to have a much larger and loose cue action. I was wondering why this is and which is better!

Answer 1

For pure shot making a snooker stance is usually better. It is more stable and has less moving parts, making it more repeatable and consistant. This works well in snooker because it is unusual that one requires a lot of cue ball movement.

In pool, especially 9-ball(or any rotation game), there is often a greater need to move the cueball around the table. A lot of people find it easier to get the necessary cueball movement by using more of their body. This is most noticed on the break shot, and also on power shots that you would seldom see in snooker.

I think over all the more traditional snooker stance is the more consistant way of doing things, but it is good to know how to put some power into the shots as well if you are going to be playing a lot of pool.

Even top professional snooker players have a hard time doing well at 9-ball at first, until the learn to break well and incorporate some power shot into their game. Most find it difficult at first, because their stance is not well suited for this type of game. However, when it comes to simply potting balls, the snooker players are machines.

Experiment with different strokes and stances and use what works the best for you. Have fun!

Answer 2

Whatever fells better for you. If you are un comfortable you are going to have a hard time sinking balls. it is important to get down on the ball but you do not have to touch you chin to the cue, as long as you have a good line of sight from the "cues eye" as for the chest this is also if that fells right for you. I am 6'6 and have a hard time getting low enough to touch my chin to the cue and when I do I can’t see across the table very well from being so hunched over. and if I just used my legs i might as well just get down to my knees. Then touching it to my chest at the same time would be even worse. And that would give me a tendency to pull my cue to the left or push it out to the right. thus s******g me up even more. What works for one person does not work for others. Whatever fells better for you. The most important things are

A solid bridge.

A true Stroke.

And of course knowing were to hit the ball and how.

Answer 3

Most of the Answers have all been spot on.  The more vertical stance gives you a little better visibility in pool vs snooker, and a little more power.  If you watch pool players closely enough, you'll see a lot of them will get quite low when its time to actually make the shot.  I myself will use 3 points, bridge hand, back hand, and chest.  I find this lets me get a very consistent stroke, and still allows me all the power I need.  Truth be told, in most cases I really don't find a need to generate great power on the vast majority of my shots, so acuracy is far more important.  Of course the need varies by table.  Tables that aren't well maintained (read as in bars) or use a cheaper cloth tend to be slower, and require a little more force to do what you want.  Where as almost every snooker table I've played on was immaculately maintained.

Answer 4

Before I go into it, I will say that many modern pool coaches teach a more snooker style approach to the game. Right now there are still a lot of pool players set in the older style of playing, but as the years progress you will see more and more professional pool players with snooker-like mechanics.

In snooker, the primary focus is on accuracy. You must be able to sink 8-10 foot cut shots, so precise aiming and pinpoint accuracy are paramount. In pool you still need to be accurate, but it's not as critical. You are also using more power (in general) and more spin on the cue ball. Mechanically, it is easier to generate power with a more upright stance and a looser wrist, and you can still accurate enough to make just about every shot you encounter.

Anyway, if you're a snooker player, stick with snooker mechanics. You're not going to see much, if any, advantages to using a pool style approach at the snooker table. And if you decide to venture into the world of pool, you can still play well with snooker mechanics.

Answer 5

I don't really know snooker that match but as a sports fan, I rather watch 9-ball than snooker. It is much enjoyable and almost anyone can play it. and the rules in 9-ball are pretty simple, bring the 9 down legally, the game is done, no scoring. but having a snooker background is huge upperhand because players play snooker and then go pool is more sharp and simple in their shots since in snooker the table is bigger and the holes are smaller.

Answer 6

They are 2 diffrent games  and a diffrent style of play for each

the high stance is so you can see the ball and the playing surface better a snooker will play i shot at a time with an idea where the cue should be  A pool player is really playing 4 to 5 shots ahead at all times

Or Matt has a pretty good explaination

Answer 7

well it really depends on where you are really comfortable with..stance does matter but as you can see the basic does matter..a good stance and follow through.ive  watched a lot of billiard and snooker games and each player adapts to its own comfort stance even diango bustamante has a wavy cueing action but still he manages to pot the ball and even made it to the world champion..practise makes perfect!!goodluck.one advice,if you want to be good in billiards .go to philippines,youll meet the best calibers in billiard.