Zen Billiards/ Plain Ball Stroke/BWEJ

The diagram seen above was developed by Joe Davis as his foundation and starting point in regard to his practice of Billiards and Snooker. He suggests referring back to this on a regular basis, and it is clearly one of his most important organizing principles. This is a simple diagram. It depicts the line of the stroke for full ball contact, showing the three sighting points: a) bridge, b) cue-ball, and c) object ball. On the surface this is straightforward (!) and is not over complicated. However, recognizing the primacy of this provides the basis of all of the practice techniques and considerations that follow. Because of this fundamental importance, I have selected this emphasis on the “straight line” as the first and primary theme for consideration and reflection.

Plain-ball stroke describes the action of driving a straight line dead centre through the cue ball. This shot has a mathematical integrity, and driving a straight line through the centre of the circle is an elegant act. This provides an anchor point for other types of shots that are essentially variations of this fundamental action. Having the correct point of contact (ie dead centre) is so important that Davis reccomends that this practice be the starting point for professional practice sessions in snooker.

Practice Format: Place the cue ball about 12-18 inches from the object ball along the diagonal line leading to the corner pocket. Take 10 shots and mark down the percentage of successful pots (for example 4 out of 10). Gradually adapt your stroke form to increase the percentage of successful pots. Once you are consistantly potting 80-100% of these shots then move the cue ball back six inches further away from the object ball (along the diagonal line leading to the corner pocket). Continue this until the cue ball is on the baulk line as shown in the diagram above. This could take months or even years to accomplish and it is a fundamental practice form for all levels of play. An additional and useful variation is to put top spin on the cue ball so that it follows the object ball into the pocket.

BWEJ/Billiards/The Straight Line/Stability/BWEJ

Click on Picture to enlarge!

There is an expression in Billiards lore that suggests that “doing simple things well” is the main business at hand, and there is surely some truth to this. It is not really all that difficult to pick up a Billiards cue and “draw a straight line” between the centre of the cue ball and the center of the object ball. However, it does requires the development of a stance that provides stability, to reduce interference, and allow the unimpeded application of “the stroke”. It is helpful to recognize from the onset that the reason that it is worthwhile to develop a solid stance is that this provides a stabile platform that, in turn, enables us to draw a straight line. Joe Davis (Complete Snooker; page 24) suggested that: “absolutely no movement whatever on the stroke of any part of the body except the striking arm” was a fundamental principle of snooker. Proper stance allows us to accomplish this. It is no accident that many excellent Billiard players will judge the proficiency of a potential opponent by simply observing carefully the integrity of “the stroke”. This is the main event and “doing simple things well” in this regard is a foundational practice.