The Right Shot!

[JayCho]

I was playing snooker with a friend of mine the other day, he's a lot better than me, had a few tons and knocks in regular 60-70 breaks.

After we'd finished he told me I could be a lot better as my cue action and safety game is quite solid, but 9 out of 10 times I play the wrong shot and I should be playing around the black as much as possible no matter how hard the current pot is to maintain position.

Normally I always play for the next ball whether its a yellow or black and admitidly sometimes I know im not playing the 'positive' shot.

However this brings me back to my point,surely the right shot is the decisive shot ie the one you are most comfortable/confident playing whether it is a positive shot or not?

Opinions please :snooker:

[Erwan_BZH]

well, I'd say that going all the time for the 'easy' shot, or the one you're the most confident with will not help you improve your game. It's the game which dictates which shot you HAVE to play.
Keep in mind that sometimes, it's a better choice to go for a harder pot but if you succeed, it could open you guarantee you a better position and a chance to clinch the frame. Practice harder shot sand you'll see your confidence will grow significantly. Don't be afraid to take a risk but when you play the shot, you must be committed 100% to it, without any fear of missing whatsoever.

Happy potting :snooker:

[nrage]

I think there are loads of things you can take into consideration when picking a shot.. don't be afraid to take your time on some shots, as they can be crucial to winning/loosing the game.

You could try to score/evaluate the options, for example...

1. Evaluate the pot in terms of difficulty, eg. if you have 3 possible pots red A, red B and red C..
A. 7/10 difficulty (3/4 ball, medium distance)
B. 3/10 difficulty (almost straight, long pot)
C. 5/10 difficulty (thinner than 1/2 ball, medium distance)

2. Modify that difficulty score, but adding/subtracting the difficulty of what you need to do to get position, eg.
(2/10 side, 1/10 power/screw, 0/10 stun/top)
A. Left hand side .. 7/10 - 2/10 = 5/10
B. Plain ball .. some stun .. 3/10 - 0/10 = 3/10
C. Plain ball .. hit fairly hard .. 5/10 - 1/10 = 4/10

3. Modify the score by the resulting colour, eg.
(2/10 black/pink/blue, 1/10 brown/green/yellow)
A. Black .. 5/10 + 2/10 = 7/10
B. Brown .. 3/10 + 1/10 = 4/10
C. Pink .. 4/10 + 2/10 = 6/10

4. Modify the score by the risk of leaving a red for your opponent, and based on the current state of the game, eg.

Ahead: (0/10 - no/low risk, 1/10 - high risk)
A. 7/10 - 1/10 = 6/10 *
B. 4/10 - 0/10 = 4/10
C. 6/10 - 0/10 = 6/10

Behind: (0/10 - no risk, 1/10 - low risk, 2/10 - high risk)
A. 7/10 - 2/10 = 4/10
B. 4/10 - 0/10 = 4/10
C. 6/10 - 1/10 = 5/10 *

As you can see, this gives you two different results, and both are correct based on the skill level of the player, game situation, etc.

So, if you're mate is better than you, he will choose different shots and those shots will be better for him (unless he makes a mistake) but they're not necessarily the best options for you.

There are probably many other things you can take into consideration, and you don't actually need to use fixed numbers/percentages, you're more likely to be thinking something like...

I like that pot, but I have to add side, but it gives me the black, but I'm behind.. this other one is simpler, and gives me the pink, and I'm less likely to leave a red on.

[magicman]

This is an age old argument. What's the correct shot? Is there such a thing? The best percentage shot? The shot in which you are most confident? The one that brings best position? The one that keeps you at the table regardless?

I personally believe that, in 90% of situations, there is a 'best choice' of shot. Better players notice lesser players NOT choosing the 'correct shot' and many amateur players flag their lack of experience by their shot choice. Sometimes this is choosing to play for the 'wrong' red when it was equally easy to play for the 'right' one. Sometimes it's going for a pot when no real advantage can be gained, sometimes it's trying to get back to baulk whilst playing safety when a dump-shot onto the top cushion would be a safer option. This is all part of the great game of snooker. Personal decision making, each players intelligence, ability, temperament, and confidence.

[JayCho]

Thanks for the opinions guys,

I think what I will do now is play my 'match play' game in my matches which brings me a good win ratio, and practise my flair game in practise as this is how I would like to play my matches, but my lack of confidence holds me back at times when I consider playing the shot to gain me more points!

[Erwan_BZH]

to make it short: go for the pot which will give you the better benefits....where it is a safety or an attacking pot.

[CoachGavin]

The only thing i would say is dont ever stop experimenting. If you keep playing the same shots in the same situations you will never learn any 'new' shots. I am quite a good player and probably better coach (not hard considering my game sometimes!) and when I play practice matches I am always trying out different ways to play shots. Sometimes these go very very wrong but occasionally I find a really good shot which I can then play in proper matches. You only learn by trying new things and taking risks and the game is much more exciting when you are constantly learning! Also sometimes I think a lot has to be said with going with the heart. Sometimes I see a red and just know it is going in. There are no doubts or ifs i just know. In these situations I have learnt to go with my gut as they nearly always go in and much of the time they have a 1 out of 10 success on a normal day. That is why if a player i coach says he really fancies a shot I dont mind even if its a low success because sometimes we have these instincts.

[JayCho]

The only thing i would say is dont ever stop experimenting. If you keep playing the same shots in the same situations you will never learn any 'new' shots. I am quite a good player and probably better coach (not hard considering my game sometimes!) and when I play practice matches I am always trying out different ways to play shots. Sometimes these go very very wrong but occasionally I find a really good shot which I can then play in proper matches. You only learn by trying new things and taking risks and the game is much more exciting when you are constantly learning! Also sometimes I think a lot has to be said with going with the heart. Sometimes I see a red and just know it is going in. There are no doubts or ifs i just know. In these situations I have learnt to go with my gut as they nearly always go in and much of the time they have a 1 out of 10 success on a normal day. That is why if a player i coach says he really fancies a shot I dont mind even if its a low success because sometimes we have these instincts.

I played my friend on saturday and tried to play more of an open/breaks style game, i lost 8-1

I can understand how in practise this is a better way to play now and what I noticed was that he took on and potted a lot of long reds where I may have played a safety so I know that this is something i definitely need to practise :snooker:

[nrage]

I played my friend on saturday and tried to play more of an open/breaks style game, i lost 8-1

I can understand how in practise this is a better way to play now and what I noticed was that he took on and potted a lot of long reds where I may have played a safety so I know that this is something i definitely need to practise :snooker:

Yep, practice.. practice.. practice..

In the meantime, if you know you only pot 1 out of 10 long reds, don't take them on in a game .. or only take the easier ones on, or the ones you can play as a 'shot to nothing'.. leaving the white safe.

Instead, try to force a mistake from your opponent, by playing good safety, or laying a snooker. If you can get them to leave you in an easier potting position, then take it on.

If you end up missing the easier one, don't worry that you made the wrong choice, because you probably didn't. Just pot it next time

If your friend is that much better than you then to make the game more fun (for both of you) give yourself a handicap i.e. if he typically beats you by 30 points then set your handicap to 30 (giving you a 30 point head start).

It will benefit him as much as you, because he will have to play more like he would in a match against someone of a similar skill level, he wont be able to play risky shots, and feel safe/confident doing so.. it will mean he misses more, due to the added pressure and he will probably play more safety etc.

Then, ask yourself if he is selecting different shots to you, or not. Chances are he will be, because he still has higher skill level and thus more options on shots, but I suspect it will be closer to what you're selecting than before.. as you're adding risk to his selections, which changes them.

[JayCho]

Yep, practice.. practice.. practice..

In the meantime, if you know you only pot 1 out of 10 long reds, don't take them on in a game .. or only take the easier ones on, or the ones you can play as a 'shot to nothing'.. leaving the white safe.

Instead, try to force a mistake from your opponent, by playing good safety, or laying a snooker. If you can get them to leave you in an easier potting position, then take it on.

If you end up missing the easier one, don't worry that you made the wrong choice, because you probably didn't. Just pot it next time

If your friend is that much better than you then to make the game more fun (for both of you) give yourself a handicap i.e. if he typically beats you by 30 points then set your handicap to 30 (giving you a 30 point head start).

It will benefit him as much as you, because he will have to play more like he would in a match against someone of a similar skill level, he wont be able to play risky shots, and feel safe/confident doing so.. it will mean he misses more, due to the added pressure and he will probably play more safety etc.

Then, ask yourself if he is selecting different shots to you, or not. Chances are he will be, because he still has higher skill level and thus more options on shots, but I suspect it will be closer to what you're selecting than before.. as you're adding risk to his selections, which changes them.

Its a very valid point nrage, but normally when I play snooker to practise I don't play as much a 'matchplay style' as I am always quite confident of having a decent mindset going into matches in terms of winning ugly if i have to.

My main concern is my potting which hinders my game so much which is why i practise it all the time along with my cueing.

[nrage]

My main concern is my potting which hinders my game so much which is why i practise it all the time along with my cueing.

I am the same. My potting is dreadful, and it's frustrating because I can clear a line-up on a pool table maybe 1 or 2 times in 10 attempts. Not amazing, I know, but it's a much higher standard than my snooker

I have a practice routine which I think is good, but I have only tried it 3 times so far, the first time went really well and I was more confident and potted better in my next match. But the next 2 times I got frustrated at the apparent lack of improvement... but I've just realised why (** see later).

I take 5 reds (that's how many fits in the side pocket without overflowing ). And I pot them off the blue spot to the middle pocket one at a time.

First set is straight on, half way between blue spot and cushion. Next set is 1.5 ball widths to the left or right of that, same distance from cushion. And so on, getting wider as you go. Remember to go both left and right of straight and remember to use both sides of the table, I tend to alternate. You can then move on to placing the white between those 1.5 ball width positions, to practice the in-between angles.

The thing to concentrate on is doing the aiming before you get down, getting down straight and cueing straight. I tend to start by playing them slowly, center ball, and make it harder by adding top, stun then screw when I am more confident of the potting angle.

If, when you get down it looks thick/thin either:
- play the shot anyway, to verify what you're eyes are telling you.
- get back up, and get down correctly.

Both are helpful for training the brain to recognise the angles. BUT, do not, whatever you do, adjust once down on the shot, or cue across the ball to correct for the incorrect angle .. this is really hard to resist, and is why I tend to get back up, rather than playing an incorrect angle as verification.

There are 2 reasons I use the blue spot and side pocket:

1. you can see easily when it goes into the heart/middle of the pocket and when it goes in off the cushion, etc.. the feedback of your accuracy is easier to see/better for the brain.

2. finding the correct back of ball/spot to hit is easier. There are lots of reference points you can use to find it mechanically, if you're having trouble simply seeing it. You have the pocket, the opposite pocket, the side of the table (90 degrees to line of aim/spot) etc.

In other words, I am trying to make it as easy as possible for my brain to learn potting angles, and recognise them again and again.

** The reason I didn't improve was that I started to place each white in the set of 5 in a random place.. this is probably counter productive while you're learning the angles, as the brain needs to repeat the same thing multiple times to really 'get' it. So, I'm going to stick to the same white position for all 5 reds, until I get much better.

[alabadi]

After we'd finished he told me I could be a lot better as my cue action and safety game is quite solid, but 9 out of 10 times I play the wrong shot __________________
Originally posted at Http://thesnookerforum.com/board

I have the same problem. i am terrible at picking the right shot or stregth. after playing the shot my friend would say why didn't you role it in then you would have had better postion on this one.

its frustating because even in practice i can do the same, i play a screw shot when other options might have been better.

the funny thing is my friend probably makes the better choices and pots more but his technique is terrible , his stance sideways, the cue is never to his chin, he moves on shots. however he can pot so he sees the angles better than me.
__________________
Originally posted at Http://www.thesnookergym.com/forums

[Welshsteve]

In my opinion, the correct shot is a frame of mind thing. In the eyes of everyone else it may not be the right shot, but if you pull it off and get good position, who can disagree that it was the right shot to play?

I get told sometimes that my shot selection can be a little odd, but I do pull it off a lot (guess it's the "Mark Williams" in my name LOL).

When watching snooker on TV I get on my wife's nerves sometinmes because I'll call out the shot the player should play and then one of the commentators will say the sme thing after me, and/or the player will play just that.

If only my application was as good as my snooker brain LOL

[JayCho]

In my opinion, the correct shot is a frame of mind thing. In the eyes of everyone else it may not be the right shot, but if you pull it off and get good position, who can disagree that it was the right shot to play?

I get told sometimes that my shot selection can be a little odd, but I do pull it off a lot (guess it's the "Mark Williams" in my name LOL).

When watching snooker on TV I get on my wife's nerves sometinmes because I'll call out the shot the player should play and then one of the commentators will say the sme thing after me, and/or the player will play just that.

If only my application was as good as my snooker brain LOL

what sort of standard do you play at Steve?
not many of us from the midlands on here to be fair

[Welshsteve]

what sort of standard do you play at Steve?
not many of us from the midlands on here to be fair

I'm not that good. My highest break is 96, but I've only done this twice. I make regular 30s and 40s in practice, with occassional 50s and 60s. I play in the Premier Division in the Leamington & District league. I did play quite well in the UK League Snooker Tournament back in 2009, and I won my club pairs and handicap titles last year. I'm not consistent enough and don't practice enough to improve my game as I would like.

What about yourself?