Improving In Your Thirties

[Gallinho]

Hi, I played snooker from the age of 15-19 and my highest break was 43 and now have started playing again after 15 years. I've played pool in between but for the last 5 months I've been playing snooker 3 or 4 times a week. I've bought Nic Barrows online snookergym videos and have been practicing on my own a couple of times a week, doing lineup drills and different types of practice routines.
The problem is my improvement hasn't been that great, I've had breaks of 32,35 and 37 but two of those breaks came within my first month back! I'm trying to learn to control the white better but even on my really good days when I'm potting everything I still can't seem to get the 'feel' and pace of the cueball right.

I'm not really getting that frustrated because I realise snooker is an unbelievably tough game but I was wondering how much I could really expect to improve when starting again at the age of 34? Mid to late thirties is usually when players games start to decline so how tough is it trying to re-learn the game at that age?
Also, has anyone started playing for the first time in the 30's and how hard did you find your improvement was? What standard did you reach and how did you get there?

Any advice would be great because it seems for all the practice I'm doing I'm not really seeing as much improvement as I would like,

Many thanks.

[armstm]

Hi, I played snooker from the age of 15-19 and my highest break was 43 and now have started playing again after 15 years. I've played pool in between but for the last 5 months I've been playing snooker 3 or 4 times a week. I've bought Nic Barrows online snookergym videos and have been practicing on my own a couple of times a week, doing lineup drills and different types of practice routines.
The problem is my improvement hasn't been that great, I've had breaks of 32,35 and 37 but two of those breaks came within my first month back! I'm trying to learn to control the white better but even on my really good days when I'm potting everything I still can't seem to get the 'feel' and pace of the cueball right.

I'm not really getting that frustrated because I realise snooker is an unbelievably tough game but I was wondering how much I could really expect to improve when starting again at the age of 34? Mid to late thirties is usually when players games start to decline so how tough is it trying to re-learn the game at that age?
Also, has anyone started playing for the first time in the 30's and how hard did you find your improvement was? What standard did you reach and how did you get there?

Any advice would be great because it seems for all the practice I'm doing I'm not really seeing as much improvement as I would like,

Many thanks.

nic is a great coach so you've picked a good one there.

i started practicing for the first time at the age of 36, it's taken a couple of years to get slowly better, still pretty rubbish, but i do think it takes a while but it's not impossible.

i too played more pool than snooker and i find my situation the reverse of yours, potting consistency is harder for me whereas i think my cueball control is not bad. pool doesn't require great technique or super accurate potting but it does require reasonable positional play, so for me snooker is more about learning the potting angles.

one thing that has helped me improve potting is to really imagine a line for the potting angle. i find this really helps if there is a pot you consistently overcut/undercut. e.g. pinks, blacks. after a short time doing this you'll instantly see this line and be aligned more correctly.

[Terry Davidson]

It gets more difficult to learn new skills or tune up old skills as you get older for sure. The other problem you'll have is you're thinking more about technique now and that is interfering with your unconscious mind running the show.

One thing Nic told me is at the end of your solo practice session to set the balls up and just go for everything no matter how difficult. Oddly enough most of the centuries I get these days in solo practice will come in this frame but it's not consistent enough for me to use in match play.

Terry

[ace man]

Of course the learning process of a 40+ guy is not as fast or as good as that of a 12 year old child. Hand eye coordination too.
However, take Mark Davis or Stuart Bingham for instance. They definitely acquired some new skills despite already playing at a super high level for many years. If they could improve not exactly being all that young, my word average club players could too.
Ok, at some point age might become a limiting factor even for club players who have lots of room for improvement, but 30 or 40 is just not that sort of age. Some guys in my club are well over 50 and definitely have improved.

[j6uk]

I don't think its about age so much as what's going on in your life and 30+ has baggage. If you got stress all around you then of course learning anything will be tough.
I would also add, in this game that you may wanna give yourself three goals to achieve within a time frame. Map-out your training and maybe don't do anything over two hours unless your really in the mood. enjoy
Oh and a coach if your serious

[spike007]

Hi,

I played when i was 11-15 (13-15 on full size) and reluctantly stopped when i couldnt practice enough at the club when i had to get a job!. my highest break was 55 in a match and 96 in practice. I have not really gone back to it until last june when i was 44. Wanted to many times before but knew i could never devote enough time to be happy with my progress. Anyway it has all been coming back to me so i joined a league in sept in a team that was in a higher division than i should probably have been in, but with a standard good enough if you leave them in you will usually get punished. I purposely started again without using any side and have done so up until recently where my highest break in practice is now 53.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with my eyes i have had a few problems with long shots and not adding side to them. I have been regularly been practicing solo twice a week 2+hrs at a time or 1 practice and a match. When i was a boy the angles were just there but now i find i sometimes have to fish them out, so i keep exactly the same stance and pre shot routine. I have cueing issues like most people and as well as all the good help available on here i found it really helped going along to watch a pro game as although it is generally taught that there is only one accepted way to stand/play there is almost no right or wrong way to stand, or move the cue, watch Steve Davis - classic stance/cue action, Cliff Thorburn - hands all over the place especially last night on the legends, Mark Allen - very very loose grip, Jimmy White - always feathers the extreme bottom of the cueball then hits it elsewhere, Mark Selby - cueing never looks straight, and Ricky Walden - both knees bent so dont necessariry rip your own game apart.

The routines on here http://www.147academy.com/ have really helped me and i recon i can keep improving as long as i am positive about playing as its mostly all in your head

[alabadi]

I think improvement depends on many things.

1) where you are starting from

if you are new then defininately improvement will be more noticeble, however if someone played when young and had a long break then came back to the game then it may be a lot slower.

2) how much time you put into practice

well maybe this should be named quality practice, i use to practice 2 - 3 times a week and it was just not structured, i did make progress but it was sketchy up one week down the other. so i needed to have a goal and started structuring my practice. as an example if i am practicing getting from brown to blue i.e position i would set a goal of getting 8-9 out of 10 from different angles, i would not move to another angle until i can get at least 80% success from the first angle.


well about my own progress i started playing at the age of 44 and i have steadily been improving my highest break in a match is 48 and in practice 67. most of my improvement has been made in the last 8 months or so, and i can contribute this to joining a league, from playing different players some better skilled than me i have had to learn strategy and shot selection and match play which has helped with my practice too.

i am probably still not satisified and i believe that i will one day make a ton, either in practice or a match, this is my ultimate goal, it may take time as with my age 48 now, my progress will be slower than that of a teenager, but my eyesight is strong and i have upped my practice to 4-5 times a week.

so i would say anyone can improve as long as they are didicated and practice with purpose, it may be slow but it will come in the end.

[throtts]

I keep saying this, alabadi, but what is your consistent break level be it in matchplay or practice. Some players hardly ever frequent there highs..

[armstm]

its an interesting question how to rate a player (e.g. for handicap tournaments). i think highest breakest is a simple way to get a reasonable idea of his talent - i'd rate it similar to goal difference in football. yes, it doesn't tell the whole story but its a reasonable representation of your ability.

i've found once you get above a 100 break (not me sadly) then it becomes more complicated. i've beaten loads of 100 break players in handicap tournaments with superb cue actions, long potting, lots of cueball action etc. but there's a couple who have brilliant safety play and whose breakbuilding is consistent who i can never beat, even with a 50 start lol because you only get 1 or 2 chances a frame if that.

bottle as well is not measured by the highest break. i've seen a few reallly good players play complete crap against me. there is pressure playing someone rubbish (me) as you are EXPECTED to win.

[alabadi]

I keep saying this, alabadi, but what is your consistent break level be it in matchplay or practice. Some players hardly ever frequent there highs..

high 20s to mid 30s

[Terry Davidson]

I can only say I wish I was in my 30's again because I would be trying like hell to improve

Terry

[j6uk]

You knew when you made your first 100, you could die a happy man

I can only say I wish I was in my 30's again because I would be trying like hell to improve

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

j6uk:

I made my first ton in 1979 when I was 34yrs, first 147 in 1986 and had a 117 (in practice) about 2 weeks ago. I'm not quite ready to die a happy man just yet! Maybe when I'm 95 and caught doing the nasty with a 25yr old woman! Or maybe a 147 in a tournament which would be a very faint hope these days.

Terry

[circle]

Something that is often over looked is choice of shot - and this is what often prevents players from improving. I can remember a couple of instances.

Firstly, a player whose highest line up score was 56 and he was talked through a 'line up' practice by a good player and he promptly made 102

Secondly, I talked a friend through a break and he made 58.............his previous best was 36.

[j6uk]

It would be great if you get a chance, to post a video, I'm sure we'd all like to see you in action! On the snooker table!! Not a vid of you in the throws with a 25yrs lass

I made my first ton in 1979 when I was 34yrs, first 147 in 1986 and had a 117 (in practice) about 2 weeks ago. I'm not quite ready to die a happy man just yet! Maybe when I'm 95 and caught doing the nasty with a 25yr old woman! Or maybe a 147 in a tournament which would be a very faint hope these days.

Terry