Lines ups vs spread reads

[ruby]

I like doing line ups, it gets my confidence up and I start cueing so well.

As an example today I had a 132c, 3 more hundreds and a handful of 70+ breaks. OK they dont mean much in a lineup and I acknowledge that.

My issue is this... if I spread the reads around the pink and black spot I struggle to make 30, its horrid.

Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas on what I need to be doing to improve that breakbuilding side of my game? I know technically I am more than capable but it just doesnt come together when I spread the reds around.

OK yes it is a lot harder of course but still...

Ideas?
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Originally posted at Http://www.thesnookergym.com/forums

[damienlch]

hi ruby, to make the line up more interesting, maybe you can try clearing the reds in sequence from bottom up... as for clearing the random reds, i think more thought has to be put into shot selection as the reds are not pottable into as many pockets as in line ups.

[MasterBreak147]

Instead of 15 red spread try 1 and colour's clear and then 2 reds and so on

[screwbackjack]

You could try playing the cross lineup. 4 reds either side of the pink 5 between pink and black and two below the black. This exercise makes you concentrate more on position rather than playing on groups of reds.

[cue1]

When spreading the reds around the pink & black spots, try and play for 2-3 open reds after potting a colour. If you're making 100's with the line up, you should at least get 6-8 reds with high value colours. That should at least get you past the 30 you're struggling with.

It's a start & you'll get more confident the more you pot balls. When you feel under pressure, just go for an easy pot. That should reassure you & calm you down in the middle of the break.

The point is; when you practise line-ups, you're more or less accustomed to certain shots which is not the case with spread reds... The only thing you could do is keep going at them

One thing I usually do is "replay" the pot I miss a few times then start over again. :snooker:

[franksandellsnooker]

When I ran my coaching schools and now if asked to recomend line up or just random spread reds and colours I always advise that the pupil sets a target. Write down a figure- say 40, then try to make this an AVERAGE score over say 3 line ups or whatever.Regardless of standard or shots chosen this will add to the determination to succeed. Believe me the average method is not as easy as it sounds. Increase the number of attempts each time you achieve your target. Dont get bored. If you do STOP.

[vmax4steve]

Line up practise is for cue ball control. Do not place all the reds below the pink otherwise all you are playing are stun and screw shots. Place three reds above the blue, four between pink and black, one below the black and the rest between blue and pink. With the balls placed like this you will find that you can play all the shots as long as your positional play is good including run thru with side off cushions without disturbing the reds. This is more akin to proper play than with the reds lined up very close together.
When practising with the reds spread, place the reds in such a way that all colours are available into all pockets. When you become comfortable with this then make it harder by placing reds that block off certain pockets or just smash the reds from the break, replace all colours back on their spots and practise from there.

[circle]

Try clearing the line up without touching a cushion

[Mr O]

Spread the reds everywhere colours on their spots, don't count the break just count how many reds are left on the table when the break ends.

You don't want to have to be counting the break if you're trying to get in the 'zone' . Don't think about how many points you've scored, that is in itself a bug which makes us miss lol.

[cue1]

Spread the reds everywhere colours on their spots, don't count the break just count how many reds are left on the table when the break ends.

You don't want to have to be counting the break if you're trying to get in the 'zone' . Don't think about how many points you've scored, that is in itself a bug which makes us miss lol.

I've tried that before but I subconsciously keep thinking how many blacks/pinks/blues... etc. I've potted and then I'd miss Lol

[Luke Hooper]

im much the same...although i dont practice lineups anymore, infact i very rarely did anyway...i was always going into the club, getting like 12 reds or so out, put 8-9 in a loose triangle under the pink just as if someons broke off then spread 3-4 reds in open play and hte idea is to pot the reds and develop the others before i run out.... cueball in hand.

sometimes i do well, sometimes not so well, at our home table which is star tight i struggle more as its so much quicker and pockets are much tighter than the rileys tables...at rileys id be confident at making at least a 60-70 break where as my best ever at the egham club was today and thats a 53, previously ive had a 51 there but other than that i get to the late fourtys and fluff a ball lol

[northerner]

Spread the reds in exactly the same place, so you can learn the shots you need in order to clear them. When you reach line up confidence, move them to a different starting position.

[ruby]

Hey guys thanks for the replies. I have been doing a combination of these routines as well as a few others I do. When I do solo I focus quite a lot on smooth cueing and I find the lineup really hilights how Im going - and its been going really well.

What I started doing is writing down the lineup breaks to put pressure on myself. Yesterday for example my average break was 50 exactly, I had a couple of tones in there as well. I find if my consistency improves in my lineups that carries over to matches.

I mean if you miss the first red in a lineup it means you can do it in a match and that is just not on.... letting your opponent in around the black with reds on.

I am also making lineups harder... for example 5 reds below the black, 7 below pink and 3 above pink. Best I got was 9 blacks before breaking down. You really need to focus when doing this it required pin point white positioning.

[the priest]

The line up is great for finding a rythm and timing the white ball.. the trouble is more often than not you leave a three quarter ball or less pot.. so as soon as you leave yourself a thin pot on a normal break it looks scary.. every 3 shots or so on the line up take on a tougher angled red than your obvious next shot. And always start again when you miss this helps build up the pressure you feel on a real break as you get closer to clearing the table.

[jarcher]

Have a look on 147academy.com for new routines to improve.

One of the main areas I find people breaking down on, myself included, is canons and how to judge them correctly, more so when around the black and everything becomes more precise.

For this, I found a great routine. Place 5 reds along the cushion below the black, and 5 on each side cushion below the blue spot. Start with the black on it's spot, then pick a red to canon and start working out what way you need to hit the white to canon that red. The reason this helps, is because rather than trying to judge a delicate canon off the black etc, it's easier to look through the ball you wish to canon to the cushion position and aim to send the white in that direction... only needing to adjust your pace, but definitely helps with break building.

Hope this helps