Black Ball & Corner Pocket

[lesedwards]

Hi everyone I really hope someone has a suggestion to help me. I have been working with The Snooker Gym for the past 4 months and have really improved but every time I get a good break going I miss either a red by the black spot or a black off its spot. I have tried running blacks off its spot and making shape to keep running them but I am lucky if I can run 5. Mean while my high is 33 pinks off the pink spot without letting the cue ball touch the rail. I also can take 10 reds and run long pots off the blue spot with an average of 70% I realize my 1898 5x10 Pfister has very small pockets and I just had new Northern Rubber installed and now it is even tougher. My high break is 31 and I need to run 40 before I can move to the next chapter. I feel that if I can overcome my Black Ball Problem I will run way more then 40. Please Help

[Sidd]

Dear Lesedwards,

Its good you practice on a table with tight pockets... its not the tight pockets as you can take many pinks on the same table. Now as for the corner pocket black not going consistently problem I have three suggestions you can try:

1. practice practice and practice... I am sure you would have done taking blacks from different angles of the white as Nic coaches. keep doing that until you can take the blacks at a much higher average...

2. On the psychological front do two things put the black where the baulk D ends roughly where black spot is on the other side of the table. See if you can pot it from there easily. Also put a pink instead of black on the black spot and take it on and see if that helps. If it does then your problem is only psychological and doing this will remove the doubts.

3. Last but not the least in any case, while going for the angled black which part of the pocket you aim for? centre of the pocket? try to aim for the inner jaw. See if that helps you pot better... particularly half ball and quarter ball blacks off spot.

Regards,
Sidd.

[lesedwards]

Thanks Sidd I will try your tips. The brown chapter in the Snooker Gym talks about the aiming and seeing the inside edge of the far jaw. I think practice, practice is what it is going to come down to.

[Terry Davidson]

les:

At your present skill level I do NOT recommend tight pockets as they will sap your confidence and also make it more difficult for you to make your break targets.

Pockets for very good players (100 break builders) can be tighter but in any case shouldn't be any tighter than the pockets they normally play their tournaments or leagues on. For pros this means WPBSA template.

Get your pockets to around 3.5" at the middle of the fall of the slate and make sure the pocket opening doesn't narrow after the fall.

Terry

[lesedwards]

Hi Terry thanks for the info. I just had new Northern Rubber installed and they are exactly 3-1/2" I will be in touch with you late summer as I want some coaching. I would like to get to a point where I can enter the OSA events in Toronto. Maybe I am dreaming? I was planning on going down this Saturday to watch but I really want to see Ronnie the Rockets TV appearance.

[Sidd]

Hi Terry thanks for the info. I just had new Northern Rubber installed and they are exactly 3-1/2" I will be in touch with you late summer as I want some coaching. I would like to get to a point where I can enter the OSA events in Toronto. Maybe I am dreaming? I was planning on going down this Saturday to watch but I really want to see Ronnie the Rockets TV appearance.

Its not a dream, you will get to the that after seeing Terry I assure you. Besides, its even better if its a dream cuz we all follow dreams dont we? Matrin Luther King also had a dream... Best of luck!!!