My Struggle With Myself :(

[stjimmy18-1991]

Hey guys, long time no see. Havent posted in a long whille, hope everyone is enjoying the world championships i know i am.

I'd like to share the story of my snooker life so far to anyone who is interested, and would like some advice as to where i go from now.

I'm 19. I started playing snooker once a week when i was 16, and 2 or more times a week when i was 17, so i'm still very raw. I've modelled my technique on my heroes, Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry and Mark Selby. I've had three coaches during my life, one was Martin Gould. They've all said i have a decent cue action, and are all suprised by how small my highest break is.

My highest break is 48 in match, and 112 in practice (line up).

Martin Gould said he was very suprised i hadn't made a break over 50, and my current World Snooker Grade A coach says i should be at least an 80+ breaker.

I cue fairly straight. My highest dead straight long blue routine is 8/10 and i average 6-7. I've always been confident in my cueing ability.

All my coaches have said my shot selection is fine, my technique is fine and my atittude is fine.

But for me, 48 isn't high enough, especially when i clearly have the shot selection and atittude to make far higher. In fact, i talk all of my friends through their shot selection and most of them ended up making higher breaks then i ever can. I told my friend what shot to play shot by shot and he made his highest break of 64.

Sometimes i'll miss the easiest ball, and i don't put it down to concentration. I do exactly the same thing every shot. I walk in with my foot on the line, tip to ball, chest to cue, i have three feathers and count 1,2,3 in my mind, before slowly bringing the cue back and focusing on the spot on the object ball, i have a rear pause and deliver the cue whilst keeping as still as possible.

Now my question is, does anyone know why i haven't achieved what i believe i'm capable of?

I don't have alot of cue power, but more than Dave Harold and Marco Fu, for sure.

I've been searching for reasons as to why i'm not performing. I blame my cue action when i miss, and ask my coaches am i doing anything wrong. They can't see anything wrong. My life off the table is okay, i'm at uni and working very hard on my art projects.
I'm not as fit as i once was, but i'm still fairly fit.

It frustrates me when i see players who have worked so little on their technique and it contains very obvious flaws, yet they still manage to pot balls i can only make 1/10.
I've worked very hard on my cue action over the months, i had no rear pause and i've spent a year trying to make it natural.

I'm sorry to rabble on and maybe bore everyone with my problems, but i really want to get this off my chest. Any suggestions or tips would be lovely, and i hope one day i'll be able to at least get over the 50 mark.

Thanks guys. )))

[sixofclubs]

You sound like me and golf. I have a best round of 65 (6 under), have shot 29 for 9 holes, won two club championships and a few decent tournaments as well - my technique is sound, looks good etc etc. I have had several coaches some of them well known. I have friends who have played the main tour, one of whom who said to me "I don't understand why you don't score better more often"

So why the lack of success and lack of progress once I had reached a plateau?

Well, some of it is a mystery but for me I look back on it now with a bit more detachment (I went pro but have retired and am now an amateur again struggling to break 80 consistently) I can see that I wanted it too much.

I was so wrapped up in results that I couldn't get out of my own way. As soon as I made a bogey or worse, or did something 'unacceptable' (given the amount of work I was putting in and obvious talent I had), I was just toast. I knew I had 'stained' my scorecard and would never get those shots back.

Golf stopped being fun because I was always disappointed. I was only ever ok if I started a round well and had a buffer to play with, indeed that 65 began with six straight birdies. My problems were mental fragility and not really technique related at all.

Does this sound like you and your snooker?

It sounds like a case of learning how to go easy on yourself and cut yourself some slack. I may be wrong but your post reminded me so much of myself it was scary!

[stjimmy18-1991]

Im some ways mate yeah!! However, i don't get wrapped up in how i play during the start of sessions. I remember one day before a league match i was practicing and playing really poor. REALLY poor. But for some reason i had confidence in my ability to stand up to it under pressure and still win.

And i did, i had a 24, 31, and 21 to easy win 2-0.

I've got alot of confidence n myself and none at all both at the same time.

I don't like to brand myself as mentally fragile becuase i've performed really well under pressure before, and had many good results. It's just that everyone i meet says "you should be doing this and that", and they can't figure out why.

It upsets me when i see people with no technique pot some of the craziest balls and make simple 50+ breaks. I've said outloud to my friends sometimes: "i wish i had a crap technique, i might pot balls then."

[Neil Taperell]

Is having a 50 break on your mind when you are playing ?

Maybe you should get to say 20 , then the next ball is the start of your break again . Get to 40 and do the same thing .

You can't be doing much wrong if you have used quality coaches and they see no issues with your action .

Hopefully once you get your 1st 50 , they will start tocome along like buses .

Good luck and let us know how you get on .

[sixofclubs]

There seems to be a theme here.

I'll quote a few lines from your post to show you what I mean..

"But for me, 48 isn't high enough"

"I blame my cue action when i miss"

"It frustrates me when i see players who have worked so little on their technique and it contains very obvious flaws..."

"It upsets me when i see people with no technique pot some of the craziest balls"


You are being bamboozled by what seems 'fair' and 'just'. You are bitter and angry that the work you are putting in and the feedback you get from people you trust, isn't translating into results.

Other players will do what they want and there's nowt you can do about it. Some of them will get lucky, consistently lucky, more than they deserve, like the brainless idiots who I play poker with.

Life isn't necessarily fair but only you can react to the things around you in the best way forward. If you stop asking questions maybe the answers will come to you a little bit quicker and with a lot less pain.

Ironically, I've just started playing snooker, so I'm determined not to take it down the golf route..!

Good luck with your game!

Play with a smile on your face and do your best. Tomorrow will probably be better.

"

[stewart31]

ive made the odd century in my life, gave up for twenty years and now struggle with break building, and its down to one thing not landing bang on in position, so often land straight on black etc when its so simple not to, so im concentrating more on that and its starting to show results, maybe your prob to

[stjimmy18-1991]

Cheers guys. True stewart, i do end up landing just off straight, wrong side of the black, ending up having to play the run through with side. Hate that shot!!!

I'm going to adopt a new philposophy into my practice. I'm going to identify the shots a really hate, or miss a high percentage off, and practice the life out of them.

To be honest though, it's not the 50 break barrier that's doing my head in, becuase i know once i break it, i'll be complaining about the 60 break barrier.

I just want to make what im capable of.

I've always joked to my friends that "if i could pot, id be a good player!", but that line is now becoming dry and bitter and i'm starting to genuinely believe it.

Maybe my brain is just far more advanced than my body?

I may go see Del Hill in the summer to see how he views my cue action.

[sh1234]

I know you don't think you are, but if you haven't made a 50, you're probably playing the wrong shot at least half the time when you're making a break.

[MasterBreak147]

To me it sounds like you cue sound and have the ability so if i was you i would practice more break building set-ups around the pink and black area
Line-ups are ok for feeling the ball but to get more consistent breaks try setting up reds around the business area and go from there
Just my opinion i am not a coach but something i once came across years ago and it worked for me

Good luck keep plugging away

[hotpot]

Personally i think you only play well when your mindset and technique are singing the same notes . When this happens everything feels jusy right with your stance , grip , cueing etc , aswell as your confidence , concentration , everything just fits together nice .

Snooker is like a jigsaw with all the technical and mental aspects being pieces , if theres a piece not fitting then your game in not complete and it tells in youre technique or frame of mind .

Its getting the pieces all together and keeping them there thats hard and challenging .

[hotpot]

Agree with masterbreak about linu ups , imo its one of the worst routines you can do for positional play . Its fine for getting the general feel of the white but to really improve your touch and positional play you need routines that demand just that .

I really like the five reds from pink spot to blak and four reds in between them around two inches away as you can only pot one red at a time with only the black to play on .

Its a frrustrating exercise but really improves pinpoint ball control .

[stjimmy18-1991]

Cheers for all the advice guys. You raise an interesting point there about me playing the wrong shot, sometimes i have caught myself playing a shot i know is wrong. I'm going to force myself to play the shot i would tell someone else to play, as it seems to work for everyone else!

For now i am going to concentrate on positive break building and shot selection, getting the proper angles on the next ball and folllowing through with alot more conviction.

As well as practicing any shots i find i miss a high percentage of.

I don't do line ups as much anymore, in fact i don't really do much solo practice to be honest, (well at least over the last few months) but when i do i normally practice spreads with a small cluster of reds around the pink spot that need breaking up.

[the priest]

I would suggest 3 feathers isnt always enough time to focus on a shot particularly any shot with side, or shots where exact position is required.. also instead of counting 1 2 3 in your head try saying aim aim aim. This reminds you to do what we all forget to do occasionally.
Contrary to popular theory on this site all the aiming isnt always done before you get down.. even pros make micro adjustments on the shot sometimes.

[aussie147]

Agree with masterbreak about linu ups , imo its one of the worst routines you can do for positional play ..

Couldnt agree more, there okay for getting your eye in etc at the start but you have so much choice over your next red if you play a poor positional shot. Try other routines that are more difficult and limit the choices of reds you have to play on, one thing you could try that i was told quite a long time ago was set a cluster of reds up and split the pack off one of the colours (blue,black,baulk colour) and then try clearing up from where they land cause its near enough certain the reds will open differently every time. Hope it helps

[Acrowot]

You say that you practise 2 or more times a week. Maybe you should try and practise 6 or seven times a week. Practise is one of the better ways to improve.