Practice routines you can do in the house

[j6uk]

Wrong smartarse
Do you know the table guide/map?

You said "The table itself is the guide." I replied with something else equally useless - I was being a smart-arse.

It's all very well saying "The table itself is the guide." but that doesn't help a struggling player, at all. And that's what threads like this are for, helping struggling players.

[j6uk]

Wrong again smartarse. Sightright is taken from the baulk line.

So what? They're all the same thing "gadgets", right? And you said all gadgets are useless.. so, are you changing your statement now?

[j6uk]

Is your best break really 24? Sorry m8 I'm not trying to embarrass you and I am in no doubt you love this game but don't you feel at little out of depth narge?

[j6uk]

There are no shortcuts in this game and, all the solutions for all levels of play are on the table, but don't believe me ask a Pro

[nrage]

Wrong smartarse
Do you know the table guide/map?

Nope, link/image please.

Wrong again smartarse. Sightright is taken from the baulk line.

Bollocks. Ok, they're both a line .. that's the end of the similarity? At best someone saw the largely ineffective baulk line drill and thought, I wonder if we can make it better. The whole point of SightRight is that the line is at 2 distinct heights, without that it's basically useless.

And, this is the point I've been trying to make. These "gadgets" all show you something you wouldn't normally see "on the table". This information helps you learn and improve.

For example using the marked ball for straight follow pots to the middle will "show" you when you apply unintentional side vs getting down on the wrong line - something a normal white doesn't do, and something a beginner struggles with.

Is your best break really 24? Sorry m8 I'm not trying to embarrass you and I am in no doubt you love this game but don't you feel at little out of depth narge?

Why should I feel out of my depth? We're talking about gadgets for beginners which I have actually used as a beginner, can you say the same? .. oh, and at least I can spell

Yeah, my high break is 26-ish, it's in my profile and it's no secret. I actually made that break when I was playing and practicing regularly and it was more a case of a string of excellent pots, than what I'd call a "real" break where position was made.. sadly the days of playing regularly are long gone.

The gadgets I've used were all helping improve my game when I was using them regularly, but that's the key thing you have to be practicing for it to work, the gadgets aren't a miracle cure - like I already said.

There are no shortcuts in this game and, all the solutions for all levels of play are on the table, but don't believe me ask a Pro

We agree on the first, we disagree on the last. Practice is the only way to improve, good practice with useful gadgets is even better. Nic Barrow was (or very nearly) a pro and he uses and recommends "gadgets" for coaching so it seems not everyone agrees with you.

[j6uk]

Seeing as you like the look of your own words narge, maybe now is a good time to heed your own signature form Mr Lincoln.

[ace man]

The cue, 12ft snooker table and hopefully Aramith TC balls...those are the ultimate gadgets that should always be used. Everything else available is worthless and only serves to collect money from naive players who think that by buying some magic training aid they will shorten the learning curve.

However, I still found some "snooker practise" at home useful as I couldn't obviously be at the table all the time. Here's why.
When starting with snooker, I only had 2 point contact technique. I didn't know how to properly perform backswing using 4 point contact. That was tough to learn for me. My first attempts resulted in nearly hurting my chin. I simply did not know how to open up the grip and drop the elbow a little on longer backswings to make the cue move in a more horizontal fashion. Using only my work desk and a cue I could repeat this arm motion many times. Not exactly the real thing without cue ball, object ball , pocket...etc...but I still think it helped. I also used the mirror to check elbow position at times.

And no, I do not find stroking the cue through beer bottle useful because the opening is usually too big, i.e. margin of error is too massive. With real game, if you're a millimetre off, that usually results in a miss. People often don't realize just how small the margin of error is and how much table time is required to even get to semi decent level.

[nrage]

Seeing as you like the look of your own words narge, maybe now is a good time to heed your own signature form Mr Lincoln.

Grow up. If you've had enough of the discussion just bow out gracefully, no-one will think any less of you for it. BTW, if it makes you happy to spell my username "narge" go ahead, no skin off my nose

[nrage]

And no, I do not find stroking the cue through beer bottle useful because the opening is usually too big, i.e. margin of error is too massive. With real game, if you're a millimetre off, that usually results in a miss. People often don't realize just how small the margin of error is and how much table time is required to even get to semi decent level.

It takes a while for a beginner to get that accurate tho, so maybe starting with a large margin for error which is achievable and refining it is useful, no?

[nrage]

However, I still found some "snooker practise" at home useful as I couldn't obviously be at the table all the time. Here's why.
When starting with snooker, I only had 2 point contact technique. I didn't know how to properly perform backswing using 4 point contact. That was tough to learn for me. My first attempts resulted in nearly hurting my chin. I simply did not know how to open up the grip and drop the elbow a little on longer backswings to make the cue move in a more horizontal fashion. Using only my work desk and a cue I could repeat this arm motion many times. Not exactly the real thing without cue ball, object ball , pocket...etc...but I still think it helped. I also used the mirror to check elbow position at times.

Practice makes perfect as they say. You say gadgets don't help, fine. But you do realise that using a mirror is using a gadget. Anything external to you, that gives you feedback is a gadget (or whatever term you want to use).

This is the point of all the training aids - to give you external feedback. Feedback helps you improve and detect problems, it's really that simple. The more useful the feedback the better of course, and not all training aids give useful feedback to all players at all levels, some are only useful to beginners, some are still useful to skilled amateurs and some to pros.

Some of the marketed gadgets are garbage and don't give useful feedback to anyone, steer clear of those by all means but don't tar all gadgets with the same brush off hand IMO.

[Belloz22]

Practice makes perfect as they say. You say gadgets don't help, fine. But you do realise that using a mirror is using a gadget. Anything external to you, that gives you feedback is a gadget (or whatever term you want to use).

This is the point of all the training aids - to give you external feedback. Feedback helps you improve and detect problems, it's really that simple. The more useful the feedback the better of course, and not all training aids give useful feedback to all players at all levels, some are only useful to beginners, some are still useful to skilled amateurs and some to pros.

Some of the marketed gadgets are garbage and don't give useful feedback to anyone, steer clear of those by all means but don't tar all gadgets with the same brush off hand IMO.

Pretty much agree with all of this...... yes not all gadgets are useful, but anything that can give external feedback is always helpful. A coach is this to give you feedback about what they can see....... so why is it wrong if a gadget also shows you where your going wrong. Yes some are useless money making trash, but if some coaches use them they must have some use.

[j6uk]

You do not know what your talking about. I do though, recognize your strengths, by been being a big mouth on tsf and saying nothing. All you've done is synthesized other peoples words and used them for your own egotistical ends.
Truth be told, you have nothing to offer here and hopefully this it a turning point for you. I recomend you stick to what you know best: Computers (Programming), Computers (Gaming), Science Fiction, Fantasy.

Grow up. If you've had enough of the discussion just bow out gracefully, no-one will think any less of you for it. BTW, if it makes you happy to spell my username "narge" go ahead, no skin off my nose

[j6uk]

Have you tried 'the match box'? The pro's still do this as well as the baulk line.

And no, I do not find stroking the cue through beer bottle useful because the opening is usually too big, i.e. margin of error is too massive. With real game, if you're a millimetre off, that usually results in a miss. People often don't realize just how small the margin of error is and how much table time is required to even get to semi decent level.

[nrage]

You do not know what your talking about. I do though, recognize your strengths, by been being a big mouth on tsf and saying nothing. All you've done is synthesized other peoples words and used them for your own egotistical ends.
Truth be told, you have nothing to offer here and hopefully this it a turning point for you. I recomend you stick to what you know best: Computers (Programming), Computers (Gaming), Science Fiction, Fantasy.

Ahh, I see, you're one of those. This discussion is over, further discourse with you is pointless.

You're coming across as a closed minded egotist who reacts badly to anyone who disagrees with them, especially someone who can articulate their own opinion and provide reasoned argument and show them to be lacking in everything but personal opinion offered up as fact.

Personal attacks are the last resort of such individuals.

Don't be that guy, it's just not cool.

Peace.

[j6uk]

The arrogance in your reflective choice words is laughable. As for my own consolation in this banter, you still don't know wtf your talking about.

, especially someone who can articulate their own opinion and provide reasoned argument and show them to be lacking in everything but personal opinion offered up as fact.