any stretching needed?

[Syawal Roslee]

I start playing snooker since 16. but getting serious like 5-6 month ago after i bought my own cue. i never had any real coaching bfore. but learn from friends, and some ppl i know in the club. i manage to do 20+ break couple of times and i want to do better or at least make it regular. so i need to practice.

my problem is
1- I cant practice alone bcoz my back starting to hurt after like 10 mins playing. i started to sweat and i cant concentrate at all. but when in match, i dont have this kind of problem. Is there any suggestion on stretching?

2- How to start practice - what to do? some1 suggest me to start by hitting cue ball that close to cusion near a side pocket to make it in the other side of pocket.

3- shaping my cue tip - a friend told me that my tip is too round and too thick - harder to hit straight and do more "unwanted" spin as my cueing is still poor.

[nrage]

1/ I tend to do a little stretching, but, the current advice is not to stretch cold muscles. So, start by warming up a little. Place the white on the brown spot and hit it up the table, over the spots, and back down. Practice your power, make the white on each spot on the way up, and/or on the way back. Do this for 5-10 mins, then stretch.

2/ A good beginner practice routine is to place a red 1/2 way between the blue spot and a pocket. Place the white on the other side, same distance between pocket and spot. Line them up dead straight. Now, play the red into the pocket. Do this 10 times, try to get 10/10. Once you can (should not take you too long). Move the red to the spot, and leave the white where it is. 10 again. Now move the white back until it is closer to the cushion, 10 more, and closer to the cushion, 10 more, until it is just off the cushion. This will be much harder.

Once you have mastered that repeat them all again, but this time play the white with top spin (strike it above center vertically). The aim here is to pot the red, and have the white follow it into the pocket. If the white misses, don't count it. Try to get 10/10 again. This is harder and it will take longer to achieve. Play from all the positions described above. In order to pot both balls you need to strike the white dead center, without adding unwanted side spin. Failing to do this will send the red on the wrong line, but more importantly the white will not follow straight.

3/ I think tip "thickness" is a personal preference. More thickness may be a slightly 'softer' hit. As for roundness.. see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_stick#Tip

These are pool cue tips, so larger than a typical snooker tip, but the general shape is the same. Most tips I have seen personally seem to be the flatter of the two. Mine included.

[thelongbomber]

You might have a problem with your stance which is causing a kink/strain somewhere. When cueing/standing properly, you really shouldn't feel any pain at all. Except for my feet, I don't feel any pain/strain after several hours of play. Body pain when playing will translate into poor results in your game (as you already know).

How about your record yourself on video and put in on Youtube? We can have a look and see if your stance/hips/shoulders are being strained and give you advice.

[cuebru]

You're a young fellow and shouldn't be feeling stiff or sore unless you're into a lot of contact sports or some other strenuous activity. Anyway I'm an old guy and stiffness is a way of life. What I found that helps a lot for being able to address the ball with chin on cue is to loosen up the hamstring. Standing, place your foot on something so leg is parallel to floor and then tilt your head back.

Start practice by cuing strait along the baulk line or side rails, for me this is tough and requires effort and discomfort to get into proper striking form being able to look up and down the centre of the shaft and seeing the end of the line or end of the table as if looking at a ball, with my chin on the cue. The effort is always necessary but the discomfort diminishes

[cuebru]

Stretch a bit

You're a young fellow and shouldn't be feeling stiff or sore unless you're a couch potato or into a lot of contact sports or some other strenuous activity. Anyway I'm an old guy and stiffness is a way of life. What I found that helps a lot for being able to address the ball with chin on cue is to loosen up the hamstring. Standing, place your foot on something so leg is parallel to floor and then tilt your head back.

Start practice by cuing strait along the baulk line or side rails, for me this is tough and requires effort and discomfort to get into proper striking form being able to look up and down the centre of the shaft and seeing the end of the line or end of the table as if looking at a ball, with my chin on the cue. The effort is always necessary but the discomfort diminishes. This gives me a chance to check out all of the mechanics and warm up a bit without the distraction of balls. After everything seems okay then start hitting balls.

[Syawal Roslee]

thanks alot for the advise guys. i think i will try to record and see my stance first.

You're a young fellow and shouldn't be feeling stiff or sore unless you're a couch potato or into a lot of contact sports or some other strenuous activity.

i never really into sport in the past 10 years. snooker is already a sport. :P
yes, i have a big body or can say fat

[Syawal Roslee]

thanks alot for the advise guys. i think i will try to record and see my stance first.

You're a young fellow and shouldn't be feeling stiff or sore unless you're a couch potato or into a lot of contact sports or some other strenuous activity.

i never really into sport in the past 10 years. snooker is already a sport.
yes, i have a big body or can say fat

[Freddie Ng]

Which part of Malaysia are you located ?

If is in KL you can try going to OriginalOmin, maybe look for jh leong or rory thor to help you work with your stance, stance is important and the first thing you should work on.

If you want good training, you can look up to Jorock in TSF forum.. he is professional coach and got IBSF cert.. he is located in Melaka. You can PM him.

About cue tip.. size or shaping or which brand.. there has been many threads about this discussion, just browse through the archives using the "search" button. Believe me.. is not wasting time.. you'll benefit from it.

About practising or warm up.. I would suggest you try to pot the blue of its spot with the cue ball on the bulk line.. try to apply "follow" to pot the blue and white into the corner pocket or screw the white back to the bluk line.

Hope this helps,
Freddie

[cuebru]

thanks alot for the advise guys. i think i will try to record and see my stance first.



i never really into sport in the past 10 years. snooker is already a sport.
yes, i have a big body or can say fat

If you stay with the game you will become good. Irregardless of body. The first to master is to hit through cue ball centre in direction you choose.

Head and cueing arm centered over the cue, tip near touching the cue ball centre, then at back of stroke pause and look (without any movement except eyes) at the spot you want to hit on the object ball. Like a motor piston let the cue accelerate forward through the cue ball centre towards the spot you are looking at on the object ball. Through trial and error your body will do what it has to too accomplish this. Like other sports it is mostly mental and getting your body to co-operate most efficiently.
After this there are thousands of people, hundreds of coaches, books and training aids to help you improve to your desired limit.

[Syawal Roslee]

Which part of Malaysia are you located ?

If is in KL you can try going to OriginalOmin, maybe look for jh leong or rory thor to help you work with your stance, stance is important and the first thing you should work on.

If you want good training, you can look up to Jorock in TSF forum.. he is professional coach and got IBSF cert.. he is located in Melaka. You can PM him.

About cue tip.. size or shaping or which brand.. there has been many threads about this discussion, just browse through the archives using the "search" button. Believe me.. is not wasting time.. you'll benefit from it.

About practising or warm up.. I would suggest you try to pot the blue of its spot with the cue ball on the bulk line.. try to apply "follow" to pot the blue and white into the corner pocket or screw the white back to the bluk line.

Hope this helps,
Freddie

i live in puchong, selangor. i have been to OriginalOmin twice, but never see rory nor Jh leong. but i met the manager, Micheal Kok. ask him to repair my cue. got his phone no. maybe should ask him for coaching. hope its not expensive.

[Syawal Roslee]

i live in puchong, selangor. been to OriginalOmin twice to buy something and repair my cue.
but never see JH Leong nor rory. but i got the manager's phone no. maybe should ask him for coaching.
ope its not so expensive.

[Freddie Ng]

Rory and JH usually will be there quite late.. you can try to contact them first.. about pricing you need to talk to them directly ~~ ^^

[Syawal Roslee]

already go to OriginalOmin and meet Micheal (again ).
asked him the coaching details.
its not like monthly fee but we pay for 16 hours = RMXXX (i wont post here :P)
the price maybe expensive for some, but if you're serious then its not a problem.
the best is we arrange the time. like once a week or twice a week, 1,2 or 4 hour every session, we choose. not them.

i am still thinking to join or not - depends on my budget, and time.
i personally think its good since i am clueless on where to start my practice, and dont know my stance, grip etc is right or not.

i will update more later. thanks

[Syawal Roslee]

had my first lesson there today.

solve my back problem. Yes, my stance is the problem.
i can play like 1 hour then feel pain a lil, rest abit then can play for another hour.
they did show me the basic for cue action.

lol its like i dont know how to play. Need to forget how i play before and learn the correct way.

need a lot of practice for that

[snookergr]

I believe that stretching will help a lot in all areas of the muscles involved in the cue action, but does anyone know of any specific exercises (such as light weight lifting for example) which would potentially help a snooker player and his action ?