tips needed for improving my game

[toupihiggins]

Hi! I've started training with my partner about 6 months ago. We play 3-4 times/week, 3-4h sessions. We started by practicing different positions but lately we are only playing matches and training on lineup.

After all this time i can only make 15-25 breaks in matches and 30-40s in lineup. My partner is playing a bit better making regular 50-60s in lineup and 20-40 in matches. The question is: After 6 months of training should we be better then this?

Usually we practice at lineup for about 1h and then we play lots of frames. I know that this isn't the best solution for improving our game so that's why i'm asking you what should we do? What practice routines should we try and for how long should we play a single practice position?

We want to start training more seriously but that means that we must establish a good plan.

[nrage]

It's very hard to say how good you 'should' be, as it's dependant on natural ability and really I think improvement all comes down to quality and quantity of the practice you're doing.

I have been practicing 1-2 times a week for 1-2 hours and playing a weekly tournament for a year now, and you're better than I am

I've read somewhere that regular short practices are more effective than fewer longer ones. So 3-4 times a week for 3-4h is excellent and much better than 1-2 times for 6-8h, for example. Essentially the longer you practice, the less effective the later parts are, simply because it's harder to concentrate for that long and your brain will tire.

So, the key to improving is to find the most effective routines, and to do them before you get tired/distracted. In your case you have 3-4 sessions to work with, try starting each one with a different routine, aimed at a different aspect you want to improve.

Some ideas..

1. Something aimed at potting. i.e. the lineup, black off the spot, long blue

2. Something aimed at positional play. The lineup only helps a little, you will get more benefit by doing the lineup where only the bottom red is pottable, see:
http://www.myspace.com/stevedavissnooker/blog

3. Something aimed at power/touch. I tried this game on a snooker table and found it quite a challenge. My record is 6 shots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8lRrLVBUVs

(This user, forcefollow, has posted a number of other routines for pool, but many could be adapted to give you something new to try).

4. Safety/snooker play, take turns playing a red safe. Add 1 or more clusters of balls and take turns attempting to lay a snooker, and then escape it. Keep attempting an escape until you make it 2x in a row.. this will help cement the angles in your head, and help you recognise a similar situation next time.

5. Routines specific to in game situations i.e. how are you at potting the blue, taking the white between baulk colours and back down for a red between black and pink?

When you play frames, try to identify more areas where you are not confident or do not achieve the results you want, and add those to the routine. Rotate the thing you practice first each session, and finish with frames .. as these are very useful to train the snooker brain to think on it's feet and cope with actual situations you will encounter.

[toupihiggins]

thanks for the tips nrage!

[Terry Davidson]

toupi:

Go to 'thesnookergym.com' and purchase Perfect Practice Routines and also HTMA100 (How To Make A Hundred Break) from Nic Barrow. As you and your partner practice together you will only need one copy of each but these two books should get you to the 50+ break area in matches within 6 months to a year, depending on your motivation and ability to learn.

Barring that, see if you can find a decent coach although I know that would likely be difficult in Romania. Also, there are coaches who will travel so if you can get a group of players together to split the expenses try approaching one of them. Alan Trigg does this and I believe Jim Donnelly does too.

One other option is video coaching with analysis. I do this and it would mean sending me a DVD of both of you and then I analyse it and send you back a revised DVD with narration and individual coaching tips on it. For 2 players the cost would be around $200(US) or perhaps a bit more plus postage back to you.

Terry

[Freddie Ng]

Terry,

Will it be effective by just learning all those technique from books by ourselves ?
Or do we need a coach to guide us ?

Freddie

[toupihiggins]

Thanks Terry! We have "Perfect Practice Routines" and a few other books. We'll start practicing more of those exercises. I'll keep you informed on our improvement. At the moment i'm working on the technique, trying to slow down my rhythm cause i used to play too fast. We both have concentration problems but that could be because we play too much without making breaks.

[Mark Selby Fan]

RE: Tips needed for improving my game.

Hi.

Try the Fergal O'Brien website - lots of great practice routines.

http://fergalobrien.ie/practice.html

[Terry Davidson]

Freddie:

There is nothing that beats one-on-one coaching, but since these 2 players are in Romania that might be difficult.

Terry

[Welshsteve]

The routines on fergal's site are good.

I've used some of Steve Rowlings' tips after I had coaching from him. He was a good routine involving the blue on its spot, with 5 reds about a foot to the left of it. White just of straight. Each red placed so that depending on where you strike the cueball, you should cannon each red in turn. Good routine.

Nic Barrow has some great routines as well involving the "training" of your sighting.

[vmax4steve]

You could do the same as Rory McLeod
1 grow a beard
2 starch the groove in your beard that the cue passes through
3 grow an even longer beard so that the groove becomes a hole

[Acrowot]

Hey vmax4steve, have you been spying on me? Not using starch these days. Due to my age now, there is enough dribble to make the beard stiffish!
:snooker:

[toupihiggins]

We have started training after a Nic Burrow's book. We have planed to make 4 exercises every session. We practice one position for 15 minute each of us and then we switch to next. When we finish all four exercises we make a 15-20 min break and then start over the same four exercises. That's about 3.5-4 hours of practice.

One day we practice different positions and the next we play matches. That way we play 3 days of practice and 2 of matches every week..some 16-20hours/week.I don't know if it's the best method but i think it's quite useful. I only hope we are going to go all the way and not give up.