My first coaching session-Advice!!!

[snawaz]

Hi all.

I thought i'd share my excitement with everyone. I've never had any coaching before and I feel my play is a little stagnant at present. I seem to be progressing but then I go through purple patches. I hit a 47 today, which included 2-3 splits of a tight pack, only to break down on a simple black with 6-7 reds at my mercy.

I've been looking into having some coaching and i've located a coach in Sheffield who has a Dell Hill Coaching Certificate, his name is Adam Duffy.

After speaking to him and getting the low down on his background I have decided to book my first session with him for tomorrow at 2pm.

He tells me that he is semi-pro and should soon be a pro.

What are other players experiences of having coaching. Did it make a big difference to your game? Would you recommend having coaching? Do you think I have made a good choice?

[Mark Selby Fan]

Great choice swanaaz! Del is a top-class coach,he has coached many top-class snooker players, even world no.1 Ronnie O'Sullivan! And he will have trained Adam Duffy Very Well.

http://delcoachessnooker.com/default.aspx

I have never had coaching but I hope 2 get one soon from Joe Swail (c dels website).
Try to do your best, be co-operative, take your time on each and every shot, stay calm, be polite, pause at the back of your last back-swing, and stay down on the shot for a few seconds.

Good Luck.

[Bigmeek]

Would that be the same Adam Duffy on the PIOS tour. Young lad? Early twenties? Think I might have had six reds against him at the Crucible last year? Might have been a year earlier.
I'd be very interested in how you get on as I'm considering taking a few lessons myself. I've had a few brief "hints and tips" from Big Del and Barry Stark in Sheffield and I think these guys can help you immensely. The one downside (if thats the right word) for me is that its very frustrating trying to change your stance, cue action etc to a perfect one. Its all too easy to just lazily lapse into bad habits. My concentration is poor.

[Terry Davidson]

bigmeek:

I see you're in Edinburgh, but you might want to contact Jim Donnelly who lives in Glasgow but he travels to coach. He is a very good coach and very reasonable.

Afew years ago now he was a pro and did qualify for the Crucible way back in 79 or something

Terry

[mick.hinde]

great idea. I am a firm believer in lessons, as I was getting nowhere fast without them. Not only is it a great way to improve, particularly as we cannot see what our cueing arm is doing, but also it is a lovely way to meet people in the game and hear different viewpoints. (rather like the forum does). I think we are lucky in a strange way that there are so few coaches around as it appears that the quality teaching of coaches has been left to the likes of Dell Hill and Terry Grirffiths and a small band of others who are passionate about the game and are not simply there to make money. Both Terry and his son Wayne have continued to teach me way past my paid for time, just to make sure that I took away with me a sound knowledge of what the lesson was about. That to me is the true passion for the game.
After your lesson let your playing partners know what you have been taught so they know what to look out for in your technique. Snooker is full of helpful gentlemen (and ladies) who will help you improve as best they can. Armed with the coaches knowledge that you can pass to them, I am sure that your improvement will come. Good luck and let me know how you get on . Eckington snooker club is very close to my parents home, so it would be nice to know what the facilities are like.

[snawaz]

Would that be the same Adam Duffy on the PIOS tour. Young lad? Early twenties? Think I might have had six reds against him at the Crucible last year? Might have been a year earlier.
I'd be very interested in how you get on as I'm considering taking a few lessons myself. I've had a few brief "hints and tips" from Big Del and Barry Stark in Sheffield and I think these guys can help you immensely. The one downside (if thats the right word) for me is that its very frustrating trying to change your stance, cue action etc to a perfect one. Its all too easy to just lazily lapse into bad habits. My concentration is poor.

Hi Bigmeek,

Yes that is the same Adam Duffy. Lovely young lad. I really enjoyed my coaching session with him. He advised me to change my stance, to hold my cue a little further up the shaft and advised on cue action.

I have been practising on this since I had my coaching. I think it is helping but I guess it will take time to adjust to this new way of playing.

I don't know how much longer he will be coaching as he will turn pro next year he tells me.

He is also off to Russia for an invitation amateur competition for which all expenses will be paid.

I will be having more coaching sessions.

[snawaz]

great idea. I am a firm believer in lessons, as I was getting nowhere fast without them. I am sure that your improvement will come. Good luck and let me know how you get on . Eckington snooker club is very close to my parents home, so it would be nice to know what the facilities are like.

Hi Mick,

Thankyou for your encouragement. The facilities are good and they also have one riley aristocrat matchplay table. The coaching session went very well.

[Bigmeek]

bigmeek:

I see you're in Edinburgh, but you might want to contact Jim Donnelly who lives in Glasgow but he travels to coach. He is a very good coach and very reasonable.

Afew years ago now he was a pro and did qualify for the Crucible way back in 79 or something

Terry

Thanks Terry, the name rings a bell. There's a couple of chaps based here in Edinburgh that I think I can approach. Graig McGillivray pops in and out of the club I play at. He definitely does coaching as his mobile number is on the wall at the club. Think he was on the main tour at one stage. Chris Small is another Edinburgh based ex-pro. I'm sure you'll have heard of him. Won the UK not so long ago but had to retire from the game due to serious back trouble. He still coaches a bit despite his back trouble. One of the other Forum members was going to try to get me Chris' mobile number.

[Tom Read]

Wouldn't know about his coaching but I played a 6-red frame against him at the Crucible last year. He gave everyone a 42 point head start, he murdered me when I missed one red!

[stephen povey]

terry do you know of any coaches in the buckinghamshire area?

[toppotter1967]

Coaches

Does anyone know a coach in the Somerset area Bristol etc would love some coaching hitting decent breaks just break down when having to split the pack frustrating been 15 years since I hit a century.

Cheers
Toppotter1967

[Terry Davidson]

Not aware of any in the Buckinghamshire area but maybe someone on here can help you out or else you could go into the premier club in your area and ask the manager or one of the better players as they might know someone.

For the Briston area, the only coach I'm aware of used to coach some years ago and someone on here mentioned his name the other day. He is Frank Adamson who coached Nic Barrow but I've never met him. I understand he is in his 70's now but he would really help you if he is still coaching

Terry

[coach del]

Hi all.

I thought i'd share my excitement with everyone. I've never had any coaching before and I feel my play is a little stagnant at present. I seem to be progressing but then I go through purple patches. I hit a 47 today, which included 2-3 splits of a tight pack, only to break down on a simple black with 6-7 reds at my mercy.

I've been looking into having some coaching and i've located a coach in Sheffield who has a Dell Hill Coaching Certificate, his name is Adam Duffy.

After speaking to him and getting the low down on his background I have decided to book my first session with him for tomorrow at 2pm.

He tells me that he is semi-pro and should soon be a pro.

What are other players experiences of having coaching. Did it make a big difference to your game? Would you recommend having coaching? Do you think I have made a good choice?

great choice in choosing Adam Duffy for your coaching snawaz not only a great England International player also a very good coach ,he is very knowledgable on the cueing technique and i would have no problem in recomending him for any coaching work best wishes Del.

[snawaz]

great choice in choosing Adam Duffy for your coaching snawaz not only a great England International player also a very good coach ,he is very knowledgable on the cueing technique and i would have no problem in recomending him for any coaching work best wishes Del.

Hi Del,

Adam was great.

I feel privelaged that you responded to my thread. I intend on coming to your farm for some coaching sessions. i would love to do a weeks course.

Hope to see you soon.

snawaz

[StevieB13147]

Adam Duffy

Yes young Adam is a fine young player and a fine young man.

Adam worked alongside me last year in the Cuezone area at the Crucible when I was employed by WSA to run the Cuezone table for 4 days.

Had some good laughs with Adam last year (Get him to tell you about "Eddie" - The peoples favourite).
Yes he is a fine young player, and is one of the few players who has continually improved year after year.

Tell Him I was asking for him.

Stevie Baillie
WSA Grade A Coach
Only one in Scotland