1 hour practice.

[fateric]

Owing to a bad back, I can only practice solo for an hour at a time 2 or 3 times a week.

What would anyone recommend as the best exercises to keep my cue action/break building in half decent nick considering the time constraints?

I understand I'll never reach any great level again but just playing in the league singles this coming Monday evening gets my heart racing!!

Mat Wilson

[snookerdad]

I’d definitely recommend the line-up.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

[CoachGavin]

Depends on your strengths and weaknesses. Quality is better than quantity anyway so do not worry too much about the amount of time you have. I would do straight pots to the corners to test your cueing, the line up for breakbuilding and practice clearing the colours cos this always comes up in matches and if you can do it without thinking it will give you confidence when needing to snatch frames.

Hope that helps a little

[1blonde]

Depends on your strengths and weaknesses. Quality is better than quantity anyway so do not worry too much about the amount of time you have. I would do straight pots to the corners to test your cueing, the line up for breakbuilding and practice clearing the colours cos this always comes up in matches and if you can do it without thinking it will give you confidence when needing to snatch frames.

Hope that helps a little

Quality is better than quantity eh?

Poor Gav:snooker:

[CoachGavin]

Thats what i tell myself

[Terry Davidson]

Set some limits around what you're doing. As an example, shoot the spots 10 times, then line up 7 balls across the blue spot and pot them from the baulkline with cueball in hand and straight in.

Then make 10 attempts at the line-up, mentally recording your highest break from each day and trying to improve on it.

If there's any time left play a couple of frames of snooker match-style as if you have Ronnie as an opponent and you're playing for 1,000quid a frame.

But best of all, get to a physiotherapist (not a chiropracter) and get some exercises to get the back corrected.

If your back cannot be fixed, then see a coach and explain the problem as you will have to change your technique to be a stand-up shooter (meaning your chin might be 6in above the cue). This is a final solution since it's very difficult to stay still as a stand-up shooter, although many excellent players have done this in the past. (Jimmy Wych comes to mind)

Terry

[DeanH]

Bad Back

I would certainly recommend find a registered Osteopath (look in Yellow Pages) to have a look at your back and either sort it out or recommend other solutions for you.
After a car accident some years ago, I had a bad back and very tight neck muscles/ligaments for some time, then found a good osteopath only 10 minutes away from where I live.
After two sessions over a week my back was sorted and my neck well on the way to being fixed. I go back once a year or so just to put everything back into its properly place.
Don't be a martyr to your back, get an expert opinion, and in my opinion that is an osteopath (not a physio/chiroprator) then follow their advice.
All the best to you and hope you get your back fixed.
DeanH

[fateric]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'll try all the exercises and see if there's any improvement, snooker and back.

I tried the blue from baulk. Strangely enough from left to right I had around 80% success, but from right to left only 10%. I have a very dominant right eye so my alignment could be out.

Bloody league singles has been snowed off tonight! Well I suppose my blood pressure will drop a bit:-)

Mat Wilson

[DWOT]

FWIW, I got my back sorted by a Mctimoney Chiropractor, I'd been to see physios, osteopaths and other chiropractors all of whoom failed to sort it out, I went to see one othese and with 5 minutes he'd told me exactly what was wrong with my body and over the course of 5-6 sessions totally sorted it for me, I now go and visit once every 3-4 months for maintenece purposes but it's never felt better!

http://www.mctimoneychiropractic.org/

[magicman]

The practice exercise I find the most challenging is the cross of reds(lined up corner pocket to middle pocket), pink completely surrounded and unpottable. It's very good for getting your accuracy of angle on black and blue, as straight on the black and you're in trouble, too much angle on the blue ditto!

As for osteopaths and chiropractors - give them both a miss. They're expensive yet largely based on massage and the placebo effect.

[DarrenReeder94]

Personally, i like to spend my first 10 or 20 minutes doing warming up by potting balls in order (red, colour, red, colour etc.) then i get to work on the line up.

Just remember to not feel like its a job to do and have fun doing it... If i get a bit bored of doign exercises on the table, i just pretend im playing Steve Davis (and i usally win ) to have a laugh with myself, or i just call a mate up to play with me..

[matt1987]

I'd try using a stance with both legs bent. Mike Dunn did this when he had a bad back and he said he plays better like this than he ever did with the orthodox one bent one straight.

[CueTheMusic]

it has to be the line up to be fair =D !

or mabe just clearing the colours start with yellow, green ect
and if your getting bored of that start from the black then go on and try and screw back pink then blue ect.