mark selby

[pcb]

why does mark selby rock side to side on the shot?

[DeanH]

I dont think it is anything other than a physical twitch like others who tap their middle finger, IIRC he once said he did not know he was doing it and in the recent months I have noticed it has been less obvious than it used to be. But yes it does seem to be back in evidence this week at the Masters. maybe the pressure?
(if you look also, he "rocks" his cue on feathering and he does shake as well sometimes)

[ADR147]

to make me feel seasick.

[narl]

He's a Weeble Wobble.

[andy carson]

dunno but its more evident and hes getting better run of the balls again while doing it.....

might try it

[DeanH]

dunno but its more evident and hes getting better run of the balls again while doing it.....

might try it

I do sometimes but unintentionally, after a number of beers

[andy carson]

I do sometimes but unintentionally, after a number of beers

ahhh i get tht one often! wondered why my game gets better the worse i can see

[DeanH]

ahhh i get tht one often! Wondered why my game gets better the worse i can see :d

snap!
...

[rovnos]

Because he learnt to play on a ship !

[ace man]

I would love to implement some of his tactics in competition, but what worries me is that after half an hour of "negative" safety play, it will be very hard to pot a ball over a pocket,. How does he not lose his potting after so much tactical play? I find that pretty amazing.

[nrage]

I would love to implement some of his tactics in competition, but what worries me is that after half an hour of "negative" safety play, it will be very hard to pot a ball over a pocket,. How does he not lose his potting after so much tactical play? I find that pretty amazing.

I think it's down to how focused you are. Most people will focus on a pot, but get a bit sloppy on safety. Or, find it hard to stay focused during a long safety exchange. I think it's because with a safety exchange you are switching on and off, on and off, and this gets tiring and people just stop switching on properly. Compare that to a break you're building where you're constantly "on", which is just as hard but differently so. I think many players get good at the break building concentration, because it's more "fun" and don't get as good at the safety concentration.

[JIMO96]

I would love to implement some of his tactics in competition, but what worries me is that after half an hour of "negative" safety play, it will be very hard to pot a ball over a pocket,. How does he not lose his potting after so much tactical play? I find that pretty amazing.

It's because his powers of concentration are so fierce....it's a skill in itself to have the ability to withstand long bouts of safety, yet remain sharp enough to take full advantage of the first scoring opportunity to come your way afterwards.

For me, a player who relies heavily on his concentration (as I believe Selby does...in fact I think it's his number one attribute), will always suffer prolonged phases of poor form at stages of their careers. It's human nature to lose your focus, and in snooker you're very likely to be punished when you do.

In my opinion the first modern day pro to demonstrate this was Alan McManus. From his first season, he was able to battle it out with Griffiths, Davis etc and push them all the way because he could match their tactical play....and not bottle it when a chance came. John Higgins and Peter Ebdon came along and demonstrated similar characteristics, even taking them to the next level. Now we have Selby, and if I've categorised these 4 players correctly, he will have to face up to regular career "slumps", just as Ebdon, Higgins and McManus all have.

I might be proved embarrassingly wrong within a few months....but I believe Mark Selby will never become world champion in it's current format, and it's position within a packed calendar. I hope I'm not wrong (I'm not a fan!), but I think it'll take a superhuman effort for him to win it, unless he loosens up a bit and plays the attack-minded snooker he's capable of, but all too rarely demonstrates.

[sberry]

I'm not a fan of Selby but it's easy to see him winning a world title with the current crop of players and lack of a dominant force - there were 7 different winners in the 8 main ranking comps last season and there have been 5 different winners in the 5 so far this season, it's got to the stage where anyone can win one.

In the modern game - last 30 years - there has been 8 world number one players and on stats, numbers, achievements and averages etc, Selby comes out 7th of the 8 but he's still just won the UK, his third masters and is as likely as anyone to win the worlds.

He may not be fun to watch and may employ 'gamesmanship' which could be outlawed by WS to make the game more attractive but everything he does is within the rules at the moment and he'll be at the top for a good while to come.

Can't see a dominant force appearing again really, I think this is the way the game is developing.

[Giggity1984]

One thing I do notice having intentionally tried this for a few shots is that it seems to help with timing. IE my backswing is more prolonged and the final pull back is slower. However, I'm not sure I would advocate doing it intentionally. I think it's much more beneficial to stay rock steady on the shot. :snooker:

[frazz]

i think he struggles to actually find the potting angle when going down to the shot and rocks until he finds the right angle, i believe he's still on the backswing and follow through