Counting scores in practice match: Does it really matter?

[brendan147]

Recently, my playing/practice partner complaining to me that the scoreboard disturbs his mind on focusing the game. The PRESSURE of looking at the scoreboard during the practice match has made his potting consistency and break building "unstable". He said, " Winning the frame is the least important thing during the practice match. Break building is the main concern".

I agreed with his opinion but at the same time I'm affraid that this NO COUNTING SCORES habit will bring no good for him in the long run. Simply put, he just try to AVOID the PRESSURE (in this case it is just a small pressure) rather than HANDLING it.

Afterall, if someday we are ready to join any local tournament, knowing how much our scores in every visit to the table in each frame does really matter. And the PRESSURE is cannot be avoided too...!!!

How about you guys? Does the scores really matter in practice match? Any CONSTRUCTIVE/POSITIVE GUIDE/INPUT is much appreciated. I am trying to help my friend here.

Thanks in advance.

[Lux]

He is confusing match practise with a break-building exercise. If he ignores the scoreboard, then it's likely that he's continuously playing shots to nothing because the frame is not at stake. I always practise with scorekeeping when playing with my partner; it influences the game a lot.

If your friend can't withstand the pressure of a scoreboard, how can he handle the pressure of an audience?

[missneworleans]

That's boring to play without scores
Pressure must be, and actually what is the pressure if it is just a practice match?
Then I like to play for chocolate or sth like that
Or the loser pays for the table(that's not playing for money!)

[brendan147]

He is confusing match practise with a break-building exercise. If he ignores the scoreboard, then it's likely that he's continuously playing shots to nothing because the frame is not at stake. I always practise with scorekeeping when playing with my partner; it influences the game a lot.

If your friend can't withstand the pressure of a scoreboard, how can he handle the pressure of an audience?

This is what I'm concern with my playing partner right now. He just want to concentrate with his break building consistency. All I know is the scoreboard is always distract his focus in the game (if it is not a "small" pressure for him)...he told me about this again and again...

Missneworleans is right anyway...playing a frame without scores is just too boring...

Thank you guys for your opinions...I hope my friend will read this thread to

[bongo]

You just have to learn to live in the present moment, much easier said than done. You need to look at the scores, just like you need to look in a match. You can't go frames without looking at the scoreboard, and if you get into that habit then you won't look at it in a match when you really need to. I feel that it is better to look at the scoreboard too often rather than not often enough.

You need to learn to ENJOY the pressure, instead of looking at it as something negative. Again, much easier said than done.

[brendan147]

You just have to learn to live in the present moment, much easier said than done. You need to look at the scores, just like you need to look in a match. You can't go frames without looking at the scoreboard, and if you get into that habit then you won't look at it in a match when you really need to. I feel that it is better to look at the scoreboard too often rather than not often enough.

You need to learn to ENJOY the pressure, instead of looking at it as something negative. Again, much easier said than done.

I wish I can tell my friend the same thing...but he just don't get it. I also couldn't understand enough that whyyyyyyyyyyy on earth...by watching the scoreboard can affect his break building in the game? Is he trying too hard applying the techniques into the game instead of enjoying it or what? I just don't know WHY...

I might say playing a frame of snooker without counting scores is pretty much wasting of time...and without feeling "competitive" in the game...we might play recklessly...and eventually affecting our improvement...

But if I tell him this...well...you know what his answers will be...

[andy carson]

try and spin it to him in a positive way, by saying look at the score board, and then you will know how much you are winning by, how much that break was worth towards winning the frame, see how high a score you can get in total with the breaks being built....

anything to get him to actually score in snooker which is pretty much the fundamental issue of the game, score more points than your opponent

[tomah]

He said, "Winning the frame is the least important thing during the practice match. Break building is the main concern".

I might be wrong, but I disagree. When you're practising drills, etc, then it's the break building which you're focusing on. When you're playing someone else, I feel, it's important to play to win. If you're playing your practice partner, you should play as you'd play in competition, otherwise how can you learn to play competitively?

This means break building is secondary. Playing ruthlessly to win every frame is what matters. In competition, it's not the guy who makes the big break who's remembered. It's the guy who wins.

Your friend needs to go to the practice table himself to improve his break building. Then play you with the central focus of winning. Just my opinion.

[missneworleans]

Quite right you can have good break building but still lose you must improve your game in all
and also there's time when score really affects you!

[King T]

I will be telling you the following out of my own personal experience.

My partner and I used to go play snooker, and like any other player in the hall, we count points. However, knowing that today I am cueing and potting much better than my friend, however my friends luck makes him jump in front on the scoreboard, or looking at the scoreboard and noticing a 20-30 points difference, here you try to play safe and clinch a chance to control the frame, what happens? Things get worse and rather than obtaining a chance to win the frame you hideously mistake to earn the frame to your friend.

That and many other situations used to cause lots of pressure and tension, human being by nature love competing and winning, though I know by the end of the day there is no prize crowd of fame to win, but there is no single person in this world that would accept losing when you know deep inside that you are playing better than your opponent.

We used to leave the snooker hall not talking to each other's rather than discussing game progress and praising each others for the good shots. As a solution to that, we stopped completely counting points, completely we play 5 or 7 or 10 frames without counting points.

Since we completely stopped counting, and our reason was what I mentioned earlier, plus, we used to say "we play to learn and break build" so why would we play on the yellow or green for 10 or 15 mins each trying to snooker the other or trying to play safe, rather than investing the time and building a break in those 10 mins, they are wasted on sticking the yellow or whatever ball on the cushion and taking the cue ball to the furthest edge on the table. As a result, we used to play, 3 reds left on the table in awkward positions, or 1 red, or just the colors, we go like re-rack! And play a new frame.

Yeah that brought pressure and tense a lot down, actually during that period, we rarely used to leave the snooker hall upset. HOWEVER! That had many downsides and disadvantages on our playing.

When I started playing against others, I noticed that my tactics went wayyy down, I was so famous among my friends of my snookering ability, which vanished since I never needed to make any snookers. Also, patience evaporated, since I got used to playing short frames, now when I see myself in front, can't wait for the frame to end, eventually I will win am ahead, NOT! Half way through I lost concentration and my opponent wins by forcing me to foul then taking the easy colors.

Calculating the points effects your playing a lot, even if you were playing a friendly match with your partner, it keeps the action running in a way. I know it can get boring sometimes especially for non-professionals as if 1 ball gets stuck in a none potable position, you spend so much time moving that ball around the table until one of you mistakes, and even if one did mistake, we are not professionals so indeed taking the pot is not 100% guaranteed, but trust me, not calculating the points will bring your performance down in many many ways, the ones I mentioned were some, who knows in what other ways I got effected and maybe I didn't realize.

Best luck with convincing your partner

[missneworleans]

I think we now have enough to convince him
Just let him see this topic...
and don't forget to say that here are very experienced people on this forum

[brendan147]

andy carson, tomah and King T...

Thank you so much for your sincere opinions/point of views...I really appreciate that....my playing partner is also a member here in TSF...but I think this thread need more feedbacks from others (especially coaches...hopefully) before I can tell my friend that he is adapting the wrong approach into the game...

You guys are wonderful people....thanks again for the useful inputs....

[RocketRoy1983]

If you are playing against one another it IS important to retain score. Not only will it give you an indication of how many points your both scoring, it will also show you your improvements/progress. Playing with no score will simply lead, eventually, to you taking on the majority of your shots because you have no fear of losing. This has positives and negatives although I would stick to this during solo practice.

Practice matches should be used to win but just as importantly try out a few new shots and a bit more open perhaps but not every shot as you wont know where to draw the line in competitive play.

So in short: Keep scores, play to win and try out new shots when you feel it is right to do so.

Hope this helps.

[brendan147]

Thank you so much

Coach Rocket,

Thank you for your quick response and valuable opinions. Yes, me and my partner did trying a few new shots during the practice match (when we had the chances), but I am not sure how high is the competitive level/spirit of my partner is. Did he want to control the frame? Or did he want to control a certain chance of break building only? NO IDEA.....

Up to date, I still can't tell how serious is my partner looking at me as his opponent in the practice match. All he said was "I am concentrating on my break building and highest break consistency. Counting scores and looking at the scoreboard are somewhat making my mind not very focus into the game". I just don't understand this...

As I said earlier in this thread, I'm affraid this habit of avoiding counting the scores will give him NO GOOD in a long run.

I hope he read this thread soon...

[RocketRoy1983]

Your welcome. Concentrating solely on big breaks is a surefire way to messing with youe head - believe me I know.