Cant pot balls!!!

[vainparasite]

After a 10 year lay off from snooker i have now returned to find out

1 - I cant pot balls
2 - I cant control the white

Therefore

3 - I cant play snooker anymore

I used to play ok and get the odd 30+ and an occasional low 40+ but after the lay off due to having a son with health problems and losing touch with the lads i played with I just cant get it right, Its so frustrating, I either concentrate too much on the pot and the white goes nowhere near where i wanted it to or i try for position and miss the pot. Usually i accomplish both at the same time ie i miss the pot and miss the position

I must admit the cue im using now is covered in sticky varnish and puts me off no end but i surely shouldnt be missing balls like i am. Im in the process of getting a cue from ADR147 so hopefully that will solve the cue anxt but i dont think that will solve the aim problem. Its driving me MAD.
Anyone else gone through this that can help???

[MattCash]

You can't expect to come back to the game after 10 years and play like you used to...
You need to relearn all the basics again, to retain your form, all you can do is practice.

[RGCirencester]

My problem is im much better at positional play than potting balls, i tend to hit the jaws of the pocket with the object ball, then leave my friend in perfect position around the pack. Playing blacks off the spot continuously and doing line ups have helped no end, but i'm still rubbish!

[MattCash]

rob, why don't you organise to see a coach?

a short session with a good coach will surely improve your game.

[drlog147]

i have this problem every season with only losing afew games then xmas comes and it all goes wrong with no idea why
before won 18 lost 2
after won 6 lost 8
whats it all about?
at the moment i'm lucky to put a 20 together and cant see potting angles to save my life its a total joke

[RGCirencester]

rob, why don't you organise to see a coach?

a short session with a good coach will surely improve your game.

Probably a good idea but not much money and uni is takign all my time. I play once a week with a friend and practice for 2 hours after he goes to lectures. I get tips from the eperienced league players while there. My cue action isn't wonderful but it isn't bad. Its just learning the potting angles at the moment. Anything up to half ball im fine its cuts i can't pot.

[drlog147]

a coach would be great but dont know any
any idea's for the bury st edmunds area

[noel]

Rob... gone through... well, still going through that transition myself...
and the wisest advice I got from the good players around me was... forget the past...
rebuild your game from the ground up... avoid "The Older I Get The Better I Was Syndrome"...
snookerloopy_08's get coaching is very good advice if you intend to build your game anew from a solid base... books can help but a little cash well-spent on a lesson or two can get you off and running with awarenes of your own body's proper form... avoiding mistakes that would otherwise have to be unlearned later... practice properly what you can't do until you can... stay the course because it'll pay off in much future enjoyment of the sport...

When I re-started I had to forget I used to run tons and settle on realistic 10-20 breaks... then 20-30... now with a few years of proper practice 40-50...

I have been lucky to be able to get fellow players to watch my form... see if I'm striking centre-ball where I intend... do I lift my head inadvertently on some shots... is my stroke level... etc. etc. etc...
this kind of input has helped me enormously.
Remember... even pros like Mark Selby and others just hit a wall they can't bust through without a complete overhaul and the same kind of re-learning we have the opportunity to do right now!

Best of luck!


=o)

Noel

[RocketRoy1983]

My problem is im much better at positional play than potting balls, i tend to hit the jaws of the pocket with the object ball, then leave my friend in perfect position around the pack. Playing blacks off the spot continuously and doing line ups have helped no end, but i'm still rubbish!

Worrying because if you had got the pot you wouldnt have got the good position you have on your next ball. Pot MUST come first RGC.

[RGCirencester]

I am aware the position would not be the same, but i usually dont miss by that much and the ball ends up roughly where i wanted it to. Maybe i was overstretching a bit with "perfect position", but when playing amongst the reds my friend is usually still on one from where the white ends.
The main problem is I aim at the wrong part of the ball to pot it, (im trying to correct this atm and learn the potting angles). I don't completely miss hit the ball when i dont pot, quite often i hit exactly the spot i am aiming at. Hence the white goes roughly where i want it to but the red doesn't go in!

[vainparasite]

Been down to the club tonight and got a few in the 20s then a 37!!! They were pretty untidy and the reds were spread due to playing my lad so no tight match conditions but i feel its comming back. Im well chuffed.

[RocketRoy1983]

Been down to the club tonight and got a few in the 20s then a 37!!! They were pretty untidy and the reds were spread due to playing my lad so no tight match conditions but i feel its comming back. Im well chuffed.

Well done vainparasite good solid start my friend. How many hours are you putting in say weekly?

[the montrealer]

cant pot balls

HI What i would suggest is to practice and ask your friend who is playing with you to tell you what you are doing wrong. They say in Life practice makes perfect. leonard from Canada

[vainparasite]

Well done vainparasite good solid start my friend. How many hours are you putting in say weekly?

At the moment im in the middle of a month lay off from work so im getting around 2/3 hours a day most days, I was honestly feeling good like i used to but im not expecting that level every time yet.
I have also asked about coaching for my son and i will ring a bloke monday. He only started in january and now played about 10 times and is really coming on, but as with 10year old lads they dont listen to their dads much and i dont think im really qualified to give him the best base.

Ill keep you up to date on how it all goes.

OOPS the break should have read a 34!!! I missed an easy green and got hung up on it should have been a 37 Sorry..

[RocketRoy1983]

Well im glad your and the kid are enjoying the game. His just at the right age to be taught so it stays with him hopefully as 2nd nature for the rest of his life. Good luck and keep enjoying this wondeful game the both of you.