Playing Really Well, Until Snooker!

[tommy_boi]

I know this may seem like a stupid question to some, and i have tried thinking why this might be, but can't seem to put my finger on it, i have managed to sort my game out playing 8 ball pool, i was playing tonight and didn't really miss a shot in like 5 frames, and seem to be potting well in general.

I went to snooker the other night, thinking that i was playing so well at pool that i might actually make a half decent break in snooker, and to my surprise i could hardly pot a single ball, this really did hit my confidence quite bad as i was on a high thinking my game was back and then that, why is this, surely if i am potting so well in pool i must be queueing really well so what went wrong on the snooker table.

I know the table is bigger and all that, but i wasn't even getting close with my shots, is it cause i play loads of pool and not enough snooker, i only play once a week if that, anyone with some info/answers would be great, as i am on a right fall with my confidence again now because of this?.

Thanks.

[TheChunk]

Pool balls are a lot smaller and lighter than snooker balls hence the cue ball throws off at different angles and reacts differently when you impart side etc! Just my opinion !

[Dannyboy]

When playing Pool on an English Pool table your cueing does not have to be perfect because of the short distance the object ball has to travel between pockets. Many Pool players find once they get on to a full size snooker table they wont be able to pot many balls and none at all when they try to pot a long shot.

Place the cue ball on the brown spot and try to send the white over the spots and back to the brown spot and this will show you how far off straight cueing you are, go and see a snooker coach but really you will never be any good at snooker playing once a week you need to put the hours and hours of practice in.

[Sidd]

I agree with Dannyboy. Also Tommy-boi Welcome to the world of snooker, which may seem just like pool only a bit larger but then its a totally different world and much much more challenging as well! Yes the ball weight, size, table length and other variables count a lot however additionally its a different world all together, so have patience and you will grow on a snooker table as you did on a pool table.

The tip size is different for pool than snooker right? Now the tip for pool is much larger and so are th pockets so common sense says its a lot easier to pot in pool than in snooker with much tighter pockets and comparatively smaller tip size. With a smaller tip you have to have more precision deployed in your cueing in order to strike well and be able to pot. Keep practicing for some time and get a feel for the table, how balls react especially cue ball as in snooker its all about placing the white at best for the next pot and so on. Last but not the least, in pool you win a frame or rack as they call it by simpoly potting- say 8-10 balls max but in snooker if you can play well and pot 10 balls it isnt a frame its mrerly a break of 30-40 unles you can pot all 10 with blacks so you have to have more patience on the table and more practice in solo in order to develop the tendency to keep potting more and more balls and win.... remember it takes 36 shots to clear off if you arent missing so yes things are different here.

For your motivation, I am playing snooker since 6-8 years now and still my highest break is a mere 56 and my average break on my good good days is anything between 35-45 !!!

Best of luck!

[willtyson]

At the end of the say they're very different games, even though people mistake them for one and other all the time. Completely different knowledge of angles and judgement of pace is needed in each, snooker at the end of the day, in my opinion is a lot harder. My top break is only 52 on the snooker table and I practice roughly 3 times a week and struggle to improve. I play pool once a week if I'm lucky and I would say I'm a fairly good player. I think that says it all, keep playing snooker and the pots will come. I bet if you go from the snooker table to the pool table though you would be playing better as your cueing will have adapted to being more accurate.Give it a go and let us know the results.

Hope that helped :snooker:

[thelongbomber]

A m8 once told me years back that both games help each other and I always found that to be true, if you know what to look for. Your cueing action, ideally, is essentially the same with your pauses, aiming, and a good cue delivery. Table approach is the same in that you have an objective and landing point for the cue ball. Pool tables are often lower so that can affect your cue action somewhat. Pool players tend to have a boxer stance, whereas snooker players are more squared off. Of course the balls and pockets are larger but you should be using a slightly heavier cue with a larger tip size to compensate for the difference. For some odd reason I can't understand a lot of UK pool players use tiny 8mm tips in pool. That's just crazy in my opinion and if you do, that could be a potential major issue. Out here in Canada (and USA), we use 12-14mm tips and heavier cues for pool. Then there is the cushions. Pool tables dont have nap so the cushions and cloth play differently. You can't compress cushions with pace on a pool table to change the angles for a double like you can in snooker, so angles off cushions are definitely different. Try practicing short and long doubles and you ill get the hang of it pretty quickly. Tangent lines and contact points on pool balls shouldn't be different - balls are still round. The way I have always aimed, I don't calculate my angles any different on either table and you shouldn't either. The approach being: look at the angle into the pocket, pick a spot, aim, adjust, feather, fire. If you are having to adjust angles and potting lines, consider reviewing your aiming technique as something could be amiss there.

You said in your post you aren't even getting close on shots in snooker which tells me you may be partly a "pot and aim by feel" player. I was there once. I knew the object ball was in but if someone asked me if the shot was a 3/4 ball or 1/2 ball, I couldn't tell them.

I went full circle in the last 5 years in understanding the mechanics, physics, and more of cue action, aiming, ball control, ball reactions, angles, tangent lines, etc primarily for the snooker table. At first, I was a play by feel player and I could pot every ball (still can at a high percentage), then I changed and became more mechanical, rigid, measured and predictable in my approach to all aspects of the game, so I could understand the cueing arts at a much deeper level and become better (which I have done and continue to do), and now after all that hard work and education, I am starting to realize the pros play by feel just like I once did, but they understand the underlying mechanics and principals so that they can self-correct and continue improving.

Don't lose faith that you aren't playing well. Look at it like an opportunity to grow and learn! Do you have some knowledgeable regulars or m8's or older players that can lend some wise advice? What's your high break in snooker right now? How many years have you played snooker?

[LittleMissAlexa]

its strange when u go between the twp i find when you play pool straight after snooker the table kinda looks like a coffee table so it does affect your eyes

i have to aclimtise if that makes sense