Going to write a Coaching guide

[1blonde]

I kind of agree with Trevs1 BUT also agree with you that there has not been a really good book covering all aspects of the game properly.

I would like to see someone research the game and ask the 'right questions' by talking to various pro/semi/former pro players about these kind of things. I too think 80-90 per cent is technique and the rest is a mental approach. At the top end more so on the mental side because they are mostly **** hot on the technical side but as Trevs1 pointed out, there are people (like me) that would never improve no matter how much coaching or books they read or dvd's they watch.

Actually this forum has a lot of good stuff to get you started BUT I also think that you can over learn the game too and sometimes its better just to develop naturally. No substitute for practice.

If you are going to write a book - and I would encourage anyone to follow their passion then here are some things I would say would help. Firstly dont assume that you (or I for that matter know everything or anything about snooker) Write a book in third person and then you can take opinion from others to explain your points. For example If I was making a book about cue making you might ask Trev what wood he uses and prefers and why and another cue maker might have their own preferance. There is not a one size fits all with cue making or with coaching so if you do want to write a book use other people's words and opinions as they are just as valid as your own and can carry more emphisis as it seems less personal and subjective.

(my opinion) I would say the most important aspects are for a player to develop a consistant approach (pre shot routine for themselves) as this helps with timing and staying focused and it builds a solid platform- Every pro-player has there own (ways) about them - why?

Technical stuff like the stance, grip etc., have all been explained before but no-one to my knowledge has ever asked individual players why they do this and that. Now that would be interesting. Why does Selby move to find the line like he does? Why did Higgins and O Sullivan relax the first finger on the grip when cueing a long ball. Why does Barry Pinches have a stance like he needs the loo, why does Jimmy have no pause at the back, why does Higgins have a long pause. Why does Robertson look at his feet before getting down to a long shot. What has ROS learned from seeing mind coaches, why does Steven Hendry look at the ball and then the pocket and then the ball and why has he changed his sighting. Has Davis over learned the game and if so why did he and what are his best ten technical tips and why. Why does Williams change his grip to hold the back of the cue on a long shot. Why does Ebdon think positive thinking is key, why does he sometimes play fast then sometimes slow. Why does Ricky Walden/Davis sometimes stick his tongue out when playing. Why does Marco FU & Alan McManus raise their head when playing a long or power shot.
Ask them all what cue they use and the spec and what is the best things they all learned and why. Ask them how and why they sight a particular shot or how they remember the potting angles and other stuff like that.

Here are some tips I would say help.

Make the shot in your mind before you get down to play it. Learn your limitations so during a match you play the right shot, set targets for improvement in practice and work on one thing at once.
Play better players than yourself.
Stay down on the shot
Keep still.
Dont grip the cue too tight or too loose.
Practice timing the ball.
Play on the correct tables and under the right conditions as much as you can -good tables make good players.
Strike through the ball and dont give up on the shot
Stay down on your shots to learn why you missed.
Dont be afraid of missing. - important that one
Practice staying calm - away from the table in other situations.
Practice routines and keep a record to set yourself targets to beat
Practice on your own
Practice with others
Practice some more

If that dont work and there is no improvement then take two weeks off. Come back take your cue out of its case. Give it to the youngest keenest member of the club and give up all together lol

Good luck with your book if you decide to write it and I hope some of this waffle helps a wee bit.

[CoachGavin]

I bet most pros would not be able to answer a lot of questions about their technique. Probably only the aspects they have been taught such as walking into the shot or holding the cue. I coach a lot of different players and they all play differently but they are not always aware of how they play and sometimes that is a good thing. Once players become aware of faults and limitations in their game they can lose confidence.

However questions like barry pinches stance, alan mcmanus head lifting, selby head movement and higgins long backswing are probably all just natural. The player has probably not seen it as a problem in getting to the pro ranks or the gain in correcting it is not worth the effort. For example if Davis stopped sticking his tongue out on some shots would he return to his 80's form. I have a friend that does it when reading and it is probably just a habit some people do when concentrating. Jimmy White grew up when few players had a deliberate back pause and I am sure he just copied the players around him. Would you risk changing him when arguably it has been his mental game that has stopped him being multiple world champion rather than his lack of back pause?

Anyway, Would be interested to read a large guide and dont think we should put people off trying. Would say one thing though. Nic Barrow has got an extensive collection of dvds and reading material that does cover a lot of coaching including interviews with top coaches so it may be worth looking at this to see what he has done.

Good luck

[DeanH]

I have noticed that the OP is currently asking about Nic Barrow's SnookerGym DVD set in another thread.
So maybe has given up on the idea of producing a coaching guide of his own.

[davipp]

I have a reasonable collection of snooker reference books and I must say that, yes they all give the same basic techniques - stance cueing, sighting/aiming. I must say that out of all the books I have, I have usually found one paragraph that gives me a bit more info that may help my game. I too have started to put together a coaching manual (just for something to do) but have really found myself copying what is found in all other coaching books.
I highly agree that the mental side of the game is what most, if not all books do not touch on enough.
I have found when speaking to players in B & C grade level that their mental approach is what really lets them down.
I find they usually have a defeatest attitude before going into a match. This of cause does not strengthen their confidence levels which in turn holds back their ability to move forward with improving their game. I have a couple of sport psychology books and I use some of the suggestions eg. the trigger phrase, thinking back to one of your better performances greatly helps the confidence.
One of my best ways of playing good snooker is to have few spectators watching on, this always seems to work for me.
Good luck with your book and maybe it will turn up in my collection one day.
No matter what level of snooker you play you must enjoy it first, learn how to lose and the winning will follow. Analyse your game whether you have won or lost and you will improve.
In my opinion a good coach is the way to go for technique but I find having a good imagination and applying it throughout a game can only help the confidence levels.

[Terry Davidson]

For coaching on snooker mental techniques I refer you all to Nic Barrow who goes into quite a lot of the mental side and positive thinking when training his Coaches and Master Coaches and they in turn would also teach those techniques to their students.

However, that said, I've found the majority of my students initially need a LOT of help to get their technique to where they can deliver the cue consistently straight. Once I get them to that stage then I can teach them the mental side of the game but I have no students at the moment who are ready for that.

I did have a Master Coach trainee who is also an excellent player (consistent century breaks) and we spent almost a full day's training going over the various mental techniques outlined in Nic Barrow's training manual. All this material is available to anyone who joins thesnookergym and signs up for the monthly fee (or else takes Master Coach training).

Terry