Finding consistency..

[j6uk]

Maybe he likes to play the trumpet before he goes out, no I put it down to all the exhibitions he does and his pride of performance, for him its lights, camera, action.. But I think Ron does feel it cus you do see his heart going in his chair time to time.

[Terry Davidson]

byrom:

It is my opinion that in the case of head movement there is only one template that every player should adhere to and that is NO UPPER BODY MOVEMENT AT ALL. I'm pretty sure every good coach and a lot of players will agree with that statement and I don't believe it should come under the 'one size fits all category'.

Another thing is when players are younger they will have better coordination and they can more easily compensate for any head movement but as they get older and lose some of the coordinating ability then any upper body movement will cause major problems. Even Steve Davis started to develop some head movement and he thanked the fan that noticed it and went to work stopping it.

If a player is younger he can compensate for almost any glitch in his technique but that glitch and its compensation becomes a problem later on. I will also stand by my statement that Marco and Mcmanus are no longer as consistent as they were if they are moving their heads during the delivery. Mark Selby moves his head before the deliver but stays still during the delivery.

Terry

[Byrom]

Please don't get me wrong Terry I respect your opinion and of course agree with you to a certain extent as it is of course obviously good advice to avoid unwanted movement as you drive through the cue ball - but there are certain players that do move a little before the shot and this probably helps them get through the ball straight particularly on hard/power shots - or perhaps it helps them time the shot and so I too stand by my original statement below - which I have not added anything to.

"I am not saying it is good technique to move on the shot or that is the right way to play - I am just highlighting a point that there is no one size fits all as regards snooker and technique otherwise we would all play the same and the game would be boring."

I gave you some examples of players who move a little to highlight this not one size fits all - not to wind you up but to give a different view. Sure to obtain consistent approach you speak of then copy Steve Davis/Joe Davis down to the T and all play like robots but if everyone played this way then I think snooker would be a little duller than it is without the odd splash of genius that comes along and breaks the normal conventions you speak of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAO48WSZnRU

Maybe if this guy had played like Davis maybe he would have won more than just the two world titles eh Terry?

But personally I am glad he did not follow those conventions fully as it made him more exciting to watch.

[j6uk]

I was there on Saturday night in front of the box. Thanks for that, always emotional to watch.
Everything going into the center of the pocket playing with a three-point contact. Oh and on top of that, tanked up, pressure, and one chance.
I liked the moment before 'the blue' when he felt like he was on a 30+ break and he asked John "what's the break?" ref replied 13
Simply the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAO48WSZnRU

Maybe if this guy had played like Davis maybe he would have won more than just the two world titles eh Terry?

But personally I am glad he did not follow those conventions fully as it made him more exciting to watch.

[Terry Davidson]

byrom:

So you are saying to me that because I advocate no movement on the shot that I also advocate everyone copy Joe/Steve Davis in everything the both of them did and we would all look like little robots. I have never advocated that and how you translate 'NO MOVEMENT' into a robot-like approach to the game of snooker I will never be able to figure out.

Another thing...Alex Higgins was a great natural player who had a lot of movement in his upper body but once he got a little older he lost his ability to coordinate all the movement. Higgins was popular because he went for low percentage shots and made a lot of them but not because he moved on them.

I am a coach. Most players on here who ask me questions regarding their technique want to improve their skills but not to improve the APPEARANCE when they play. The single most common fault across the spectrum of snooker players is upper body movement and it is also the one single thing those players can eliminate by which they WILL improve.

Professionals who move on the backswing or delivery will never be as consistent as those who stay still. The one common technique point among ALL the best professionals is they will stay still on the backswing and delivery. How many times have the commentators said the player moved on the shot when he missed. If the head moves on a long shot the chances are slim it will be potted.

Do you believe because a player doesn't move on a shot that he plays robot-like? I disagree.

Terry

[alabadi]

I believe that there is a difference between consistency and making high breaks.

there are 2 reasons why someone would not make a big break

1) Depends on the table, i.e how the balls lay, its just one of those things, no two games are the same, you can find when you come to the table lots of balls on the cushions , colours not on there spots, gathered down near the baulk end...etc.

even the pros when frames get messy can't make a 40 break.

2) Depends on the players skill, not every player level of skill allows precise cueball control, when reds are open and all the colours on their spots most good skilled players can make 100 break, however when balls are on cushions and colours tied up they find it difficult to build a good break.

so both situations above are not to do with consistency just how things pan out, and I think we should accept that we can't make high breaks all the time.

on the other hand when a player starts missing simple shots or keeps falling down on breaks when the table is open and the balls are in good positions then that is the frustrating part of the game and this is what consistency is all about.

I am no expert my self and I have these symptoms too. what causes it and why has probably been covered in this thread or certainly in other threads. I find it a battle to stick to the same routine on every shot, keeping focussed, still making sure that the approach and execution are the same all the time.

this is what is needed to get consistency however few of us achieve.

[vmax4steve]

Another thing...Alex Higgins was a great natural player who had a lot of movement in his upper body but once he got a little older he wasn't very pleasant to watch at all. The question you should ask yourself is do I appreciate good snooker by a player who happens to stay still on the shot or do I enjoy it more when the player is jumping all over the place like Higgins?

Terry

My personal opinion of why Alex was so good even though he moved a lot on the shot was because despite that movement he still kept his eye on the object ball.
Same as a footballer who when running towards a moving ball can still strike it accurately as long as he keeps his eye on it.

[throtts]

My personal opinion of why Alex was so good even though he moved a lot on the shot was because despite that movement he still kept his eye on the object ball.
Same as a footballer who when running towards a moving ball can still strike it accurately as long as he keeps his eye on it.

And when you feel too lazy to go to the bin, you screw up the piece of paper and when you throw it you look at the bin..Correct?..

[j6uk]

Of course Alex's eyes where on the object ball when his cue contacted the white, but I think you mean 'his cue went through straight' and then on contact with the white ball he let his body go?!
You can synthesize these worlds if you like for future reference

My personal opinion of why Alex was so good even though he moved a lot on the shot was because despite that movement he still kept his eye on the object ball.
Same as a footballer who when running towards a moving ball can still strike it accurately as long as he keeps his eye on it.

[Terry Davidson]

The best way a player can achieve accuracy is to get the cue back to the EXACT address position at the time of strike in the delivery. Players (mostly younger ones) have coordination good enough that they can achieve that no matter (almost) what they do during the backswing and delivery.

I think it's pretty obvious Alex was able to achieve that when he was younger but as he got a little older he lost some of his good coordination (his lifestyle probably contributed to that loss too). I agree that Alex was very likely the most gifted natural player in his day.

As a coach I would never tell a student to emulate Alex in order to improve his consistency but I would tell them to emulate Steve Davis, Hendry, ROS, Murphy, Stephen Lee, Trump and even Mark Selby who still moves when he's down on the table but NEVER moves during the delivery (I think his movement is something he learned young to confirm his aiming when he is sighting along the cue).

Terry

[duper1987]

Thanks for the replies guys, love reading them all an they've helped me out alot, I notice a difference when I'm just letting my game flow instead of over thinking things mainly, it's defiantly a mental thing and not technical. I know what you mean by getting anxious in amongst the balls too, I used to suffer with it terribly, thinking i should be making 40+ from this visit before i got to the table, I found the mental approach of taking it 2 balls at a time helped me alot with that, like red & black, start again, red & black and so on

[j6uk]

The anxiety evaporates with time Your moving in the right direction by the sound of things. You may find if you try to get on your next intended ball at say 3/4 ball and you should start to recognize the potential of making bigger breaks. Seeing the patterns and making the links enjoy it

I notice a difference when I'm just letting my game flow instead of over thinking things mainly, it's defiantly a mental thing and not technical. I know what you mean by getting anxious in amongst the balls too, I used to suffer with it terribly, thinking i should be making 40+ from this visit before i got to the table, I found the mental approach of taking it 2 balls at a time helped me alot with that, like red & black, start again, red & black and so on

[magicman]

Thanks for the replies guys, love reading them all an they've helped me out alot, I notice a difference when I'm just letting my game flow instead of over thinking things mainly, it's defiantly a mental thing and not technical. I know what you mean by getting anxious in amongst the balls too, I used to suffer with it terribly, thinking i should be making 40+ from this visit before i got to the table, I found the mental approach of taking it 2 balls at a time helped me alot with that, like red & black, start again, red & black and so on

Original Source: http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...#ixzz2TZegUTEH
- TSF - TheSnookerForum.com

I think by letting your game 'flow' or by taking it two balls at a time you've fooled yourself into being calm. Others have touched on anxiety and I think that ROS getting help with his mental approach has caused him to be more relaxed on the shot.

When I struggle, I always return to this mantra below which almost always enables me to find a bit of form from seemingly nowhere.

PARPS - Positive Align Relax Pause Still

No matter how well/poor I'm playing if I recite this to myself I improve. It's very hard to be negative if you're telling yourself to be positive; it energises you and focuses the mind. It's harder to sight wrongly if you're telling yourself to align correctly. If you're relaxed it's tough to be tense on delivery and if you're pausing it's hard to snatch the shot. Staying still or 'down' on the shot is always a help. After a while repeating the mantra is unnecessary as it will become natural but I defy anyone not to improve in any session by taking this on board.

[j6uk]

Really like that.. Gonna stick it in me drafts, then whip the phone out and 'get on it' next time someones dishing to go 2-0 up

PARPS - Positive Align Relax Pause Still