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Players and their technical quirks

Postby rekoons

Warning long post ahead!

A lot of the top players have their own technique, or parts of it, that could be considered suboptimal or a bit odd compared to what should be the norm or standard approach, but obviously suits them just fine.

Below are the things that I noticed, feel free to join in and discuss these or other current or past players if you like.

Shaun Murphy
Probably closest to what the textbook set up and technique would be, stays down very long after finishing the shot, be it a good pot or a bad miss to assess what went wrong.

Mark Williams
Stands square to the table, short feathers, rarely uses more pace than necessary

Mark Allen
Short stabby cue action with short feathers, goes through the ball well and straight with his wrist flick. I think he also relaxes his back finger more than others, letting them hang by merely touching the butt of the cue at times, gripping more by just the index and thumb.

Ronnie O Sullivan
Very good at generating spin through the use of dropping his shoulder on power shots to drive the cue forward achieving a lot of follow through. Very technical and difficult to achieve without deviating the cue from the line of aim, but he mastered this. Stephen Lee is another perfect example of this. Ronnie also seems to let his thumb has straight down next to the cue, not using it to grip it. When the shot is completed he seems to have relaxed the index finger and holds the cue with his back three fingers.

Judd Trump
Contrary to Ronnie, Judd does not seem to drop his shoulder on power shots, instead keeping his shoulder high and only using the elbow joint. This, together with his very wide stance with quite a lot of forward lean might possibly aid him with his massive cuepower according to Alan Mc Manus.
Also well documented is the fact he cues across the white badly when feathering, but then leans into the line of aim when striking it so effectively hitting it dead straight on impact. An example of a ‘faulty technique’ with an over time in built correction/compensation (leaning over when striking) which results in achieving the end goal (striking through the white dead centre in a straight line).

John Higgins
Not much I can think of, probably also close to textbook? I do notice he unfurls his fingers more than some of the other players do on power shots. Has a long backswing pulling the cuetip all the way back to the V in his bridge.

Mark Selby
Used to have a lot of sideways head movement earlier in his career, normally speaking the head should stay absolutely still, but I guess he keeps his head still when actually striking the white so it suits him fine. Methodical in his approach to the shot, tends to always use the exact same number of feathers.
Come to think of it, actually Ronnie is also always moving about on his shot, but more of a up and down head movement…

Neil Robertson
Just like Judd he has i.m.o. a lot of cue power and only uses the elbow joint, not dropping the shoulder à la Ronnie. Has a very flat back with his lower back arched a lot because he’s a tall dude and because he straightens his leg has to do something to get low and parallel to the table I guess. Judd seems to bend his lower back the opposite way, rounded instead of flattened. Experts agree this prolonged expore of Judd's lumbar region to suboptimal posture will lead to premature invertebral disc generation leading to early retirement of the game without fulfilling his full potential!

Kyren Wilson
Tall dude, bends both legs to get down low enough, methodical, looooong backswings

Ding Junhui
For me also more classic and textbook. Has a more firm grip on the cue not opening the fingers as much on the backswing. Gets his head very low.

Gary Wilson
Don’t know where to begin really <laugh> twists and turns around his cue like a constrictor around it’s prey but suits him just fine.

Nigel Bond
Flares his elbow outwards a lot, also has some kind of movement or ‘tic’ right after he strikes the ball.

Well that’s all I can think of now…
Last edited by rekoons on 13 Dec 2019, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby rekoons

Dan-cat wrote:Ronnie has movement on his shot, almost looks to me like a panther ready to pounce.


Ha Yes, saw that too, good description; like our cat calculating before it's jump.

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby rekoons

Dan-cat wrote:
rekoons wrote:
Dan-cat wrote:Ronnie has movement on his shot, almost looks to me like a panther ready to pounce.


Ha Yes, saw that too, good description; like our cat calculating before it's jump.


I've sort of adopted it a bit.


You adopted my cat? :chin:

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby Iranu

McManusFan wrote:Don't forget the Alan McManus body lift. I think another player does this as well, but I forget who, and I don't think it is as pronounced.

Is it Marco Fu? :chin: I can’t remember myself.

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby Iranu

John Higgins keeps his cue tip much further from the cue ball than most players when feathering. A good inch or more.

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby Andre147

Iranu wrote:
McManusFan wrote:Don't forget the Alan McManus body lift. I think another player does this as well, but I forget who, and I don't think it is as pronounced.

Is it Marco Fu? :chin: I can’t remember myself.


Fu and McManus yes.

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby rekoons

Andre147 wrote:
Iranu wrote:
McManusFan wrote:Don't forget the Alan McManus body lift. I think another player does this as well, but I forget who, and I don't think it is as pronounced.

Is it Marco Fu? :chin: I can’t remember myself.


Fu and McManus yes.


And is it just a tic, or do they do it on purpose for some reason you think?

Re: Players and their technical quirks

Postby Iranu

When Hawkins plays off the cushion, the cue’s a centimetre or two above the cushion rather than resting on it like most players.