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Positional Play: we are all easily fooled!
If you are a seasoned snooker player, you probably know and can relate to my post below. I'm writing this as a benefit to the newer players but it's a good refresher for us game veterans too 
One of the biggest problems with snooker is that it looks easier than it actually is. You see, the pros makes us believe we can do what they do: run a bunch of balls and play pretty good or near perfect position each time. You quickly learn once you play this game that it's not so easy (and thus the addiction to playing this game our entire lives hunting for our 147 ). Why is this? Well snooker - at least in my opinion - is a game of high precision and accuracy. You need accuracy to pot balls, and you need accuracy to maintain at least decent position. Here is something I can say for sure: Anything you are currently doing which prevents very precise cue ball control is something you are either not doing properly, or is an indication you need to master some specific skill as part of your individual learning process to become better at this game.
If you watch live snooker, you will often hear commentators talk about positional "areas" that the pros play for. They do this because even they can fall out of position from time to time. It's not so simple to play low on the black, and come high on such and such red each time. With practice (and this is very important), you do eventually get the "muscle memory" to pick that shot up as something you can know and feel and understand and repeat under match/game conditions. The more you play and explore and analyze this game and understand your weaknesses or imperfections, the better you can get. That's just the way it goes m8. No rocket science there.
OK, one day at the club, go and try this yourself: Go ahead and put up 5 reds all in the open around the black and pink and then proceed to clear the table. Don't do a lineup, just put 5 reds out there. In fact, I will make it even easier for you: go ahead and put 4 reds all near pockets (use the 2 black ball corners, and the 2 side pockets) and one between black and pink. Yep, go ahead and run blacks from all 5. Sounds easy right? Of course it sounds easy but in actuality it's not. If you aren't a regular 50+ breaker yet (like at least once per session that you play), this is what will probably occur:
1. You will end up on the wrong side of a red and not be able to easily get back to the black
2. You will end up on the cushion and miss
3. You will miss the black
4. You will over hit a positional shot
5. You will cannon a color and stop the run out
5. Even if you clear all 5 reds and blacks, and you don't muck up the colors, you might miss a color for the final run out.
I'm not mentioning the above scenarios to depress you. I'm just trying to highlight the fact that potting and positional play is something precise and specific. It's not a guessing game. If you spend at least a minute between each shot, analyzing, thinking and making an educated guess about the next position, it will help. That's my first tip, but let me get back to missing and the lack of positional play in snooker newbies.
Pros, Semi-pros, Snooker geeks, House Pros, Casual snooker players alike: we all miss either the pot and/or position. That much is obvious and doesn't need to be analyzed much more. But the real question is why, and even if I tell you why, what can you do about it?
I think I have at least some answers as to why you miss pot/position.
1. At least 50% of the time, I would say it comes down to imprecise eye/body/cue action. Terry understands this and can get you straightened up. You see, what happens is that you aren't actually directly behind the cue ball. You strike it with your cue and perhaps even really well, but you don't "see" the cue ball leave the centre of your vision and so your cue ball strike becomes a jab/slap and eventually you lose the cue ball or the pot.
2. You play strictly by feel and don't have a precise outcome for your cue ball
3. You overestimate your abilities and take on a shot you should have passed up
4. You try a shot in game that you haven't yet mastered through practice/analysis (like for example making the blue and going in/out of balk)
I'm sure I have missed hundreds of other reasons why we miss. Feel free to post additional reasons. OK, so what can you do about the above issues if you have them?
1. Practice. Simply m8, you absolutely must practice and get help on your weak areas. There are probably less than 100 shots (various combinations of stun/screw/angles/rest/cushion/etc) that you will ever need to know in this game. Only the pros master them all and spend time with each and so can show us centuries. You don't have to be a pro to practice. Practice strengthens up your weak areas and makes you eventually play better which in turn makes the game more enjoyable and rewarding. That can't be a bad thing.
2. Record yourself on video. I recently got an HD webcam and recorded myself with a tripod. I setup the camera straight into pockets as well as recorded rest play and game/match conditions as well as mock breakbuilding scenarios. The feedback was invaluable because I could see issues I would never pickup on my own. Do this one. You won't regret it.
3. Take sufficient time between shots to plan the next shot. A helpful tool is the two red or two color strategy: before you pot a red, plan for the next red or before you pot a color, plan for the next color. Now I don'd do this all the time, but when I'm zoned in, I find it helps. It might make my game a bit awkward looking, but the results speak for themselves.
4. Be more humble about what you can really do. Truth is, most players aren't going to make a century. Be more conservative about shot choice and play the odds when looking for position. Give yourself at least a few options. Don't try to play 5 cushions and land within 1 inch on an impossible shot. It happens in your mind more often than it happens in reality.
5. Most importantly, work on cue action, stance, and eye alignment. Read about it. Learn about it and get in touch with Terry or some other coach for some Pro time if you need. Even if you don't have aspirations to become a world champion, spend some serious time on this area. Alignment is a much bigger deal than you might think. Trust me, I spent 10 years NOT analyzing it only now understand it's value. I can tell you without hesitation it's one of the secrets and the "holy grails" to this game. From time to time, when I am "on line" I can make shots effortlessly and beat opponents.
Winning and playing well is fun and rewarding. Hopefully my tips/analysis help you some eh? Tata for now!
One of the biggest problems with snooker is that it looks easier than it actually is. You see, the pros makes us believe we can do what they do: run a bunch of balls and play pretty good or near perfect position each time. You quickly learn once you play this game that it's not so easy (and thus the addiction to playing this game our entire lives hunting for our 147
). Why is this? Well snooker - at least in my opinion - is a game of high precision and accuracy. You need accuracy to pot balls, and you need accuracy to maintain at least decent position. Here is something I can say for sure: Anything you are currently doing which prevents very precise cue ball control is something you are either not doing properly, or is an indication you need to master some specific skill as part of your individual learning process to become better at this game.If you watch live snooker, you will often hear commentators talk about positional "areas" that the pros play for. They do this because even they can fall out of position from time to time. It's not so simple to play low on the black, and come high on such and such red each time. With practice (and this is very important), you do eventually get the "muscle memory" to pick that shot up as something you can know and feel and understand and repeat under match/game conditions. The more you play and explore and analyze this game and understand your weaknesses or imperfections, the better you can get. That's just the way it goes m8. No rocket science there.
OK, one day at the club, go and try this yourself: Go ahead and put up 5 reds all in the open around the black and pink and then proceed to clear the table. Don't do a lineup, just put 5 reds out there. In fact, I will make it even easier for you: go ahead and put 4 reds all near pockets (use the 2 black ball corners, and the 2 side pockets) and one between black and pink. Yep, go ahead and run blacks from all 5. Sounds easy right? Of course it sounds easy but in actuality it's not. If you aren't a regular 50+ breaker yet (like at least once per session that you play), this is what will probably occur:
1. You will end up on the wrong side of a red and not be able to easily get back to the black
2. You will end up on the cushion and miss
3. You will miss the black
4. You will over hit a positional shot
5. You will cannon a color and stop the run out
5. Even if you clear all 5 reds and blacks, and you don't muck up the colors, you might miss a color for the final run out.
I'm not mentioning the above scenarios to depress you. I'm just trying to highlight the fact that potting and positional play is something precise and specific. It's not a guessing game. If you spend at least a minute between each shot, analyzing, thinking and making an educated guess about the next position, it will help. That's my first tip, but let me get back to missing and the lack of positional play in snooker newbies.
Pros, Semi-pros, Snooker geeks, House Pros, Casual snooker players alike: we all miss either the pot and/or position. That much is obvious and doesn't need to be analyzed much more. But the real question is why, and even if I tell you why, what can you do about it?
I think I have at least some answers as to why you miss pot/position.
1. At least 50% of the time, I would say it comes down to imprecise eye/body/cue action. Terry understands this and can get you straightened up. You see, what happens is that you aren't actually directly behind the cue ball. You strike it with your cue and perhaps even really well, but you don't "see" the cue ball leave the centre of your vision and so your cue ball strike becomes a jab/slap and eventually you lose the cue ball or the pot.
2. You play strictly by feel and don't have a precise outcome for your cue ball
3. You overestimate your abilities and take on a shot you should have passed up
4. You try a shot in game that you haven't yet mastered through practice/analysis (like for example making the blue and going in/out of balk)
I'm sure I have missed hundreds of other reasons why we miss. Feel free to post additional reasons. OK, so what can you do about the above issues if you have them?
1. Practice. Simply m8, you absolutely must practice and get help on your weak areas. There are probably less than 100 shots (various combinations of stun/screw/angles/rest/cushion/etc) that you will ever need to know in this game. Only the pros master them all and spend time with each and so can show us centuries. You don't have to be a pro to practice. Practice strengthens up your weak areas and makes you eventually play better which in turn makes the game more enjoyable and rewarding. That can't be a bad thing.
2. Record yourself on video. I recently got an HD webcam and recorded myself with a tripod. I setup the camera straight into pockets as well as recorded rest play and game/match conditions as well as mock breakbuilding scenarios. The feedback was invaluable because I could see issues I would never pickup on my own. Do this one. You won't regret it.
3. Take sufficient time between shots to plan the next shot. A helpful tool is the two red or two color strategy: before you pot a red, plan for the next red or before you pot a color, plan for the next color. Now I don'd do this all the time, but when I'm zoned in, I find it helps. It might make my game a bit awkward looking, but the results speak for themselves.
4. Be more humble about what you can really do. Truth is, most players aren't going to make a century. Be more conservative about shot choice and play the odds when looking for position. Give yourself at least a few options. Don't try to play 5 cushions and land within 1 inch on an impossible shot. It happens in your mind more often than it happens in reality.
5. Most importantly, work on cue action, stance, and eye alignment. Read about it. Learn about it and get in touch with Terry or some other coach for some Pro time if you need. Even if you don't have aspirations to become a world champion, spend some serious time on this area. Alignment is a much bigger deal than you might think. Trust me, I spent 10 years NOT analyzing it only now understand it's value. I can tell you without hesitation it's one of the secrets and the "holy grails" to this game. From time to time, when I am "on line" I can make shots effortlessly and beat opponents.
Winning and playing well is fun and rewarding. Hopefully my tips/analysis help you some eh? Tata for now!
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