Im seriously losing my sanity with this game !!!! HELP !!!!

[j6uk]

That's the spirit old boy!
The reason I say that is because of your style and approach to the game.. and I sure there is more of a pool scene in your neck of the woods, no?

No, why would you say that? If I am not going to play Snooker I will pack it in completely. I will be back at it again today because I am determined to succeed at this game.

[j6uk]

Tel, next time your over les's for a knockabout, nick the amp out of his computer, to stop him coming on here for concise advise

Les:
You keep forgetting what I've been telling you.

Terry

[j6uk]

Wee bit, like listening to the chat in the que at the post office

Seems like j6uk is seriouslly losing his patience , lol

[itsnoteasy]

If it were me Les I wouldn't be attempting the line up, blacks off the spot, watching how the cue ball works, (from high and low)if you can learn where you want to leave the cue ball for the black to have a nice easy next red this IMO , is the secret to the line up, the reds are the easy bit , it's the correct position that's the winner . I think Terry is right (about how you do the line up)if you do, do the line up two reds and the black that's all I would have until I could do this 99 times out of a hundred, then just keep adding a red until you have say five then add the pink as we'll
I would recommend you read post (64 I think) on the thread "a day with Chris Small"(it's the post where he describes to Terry what he did with me) and copy this drill every shot, I have no doubt Terry has told you very similar , but you have to do it, you can't be told the right way, not do it then come on and say you don't know what's gone wrong, because you do know, I think Terry's idea of writing down what you think you are doing wrong is a great idea as you can then work on them, best of luck.
You say you run the colours all the time with ease, we'll there are three tricky shots in that you have mastered, brown to blue, and often blue to pink can be tricky, plus, if you do it this way black to yellow to continue round,this must have been done by gradual steps, the line up is the same. I think it has been said before, the line up is not really a break thing it's positional practice, so I wouldn't keep the score, more the number of reds I have potted(I was a bit obsessed with doing it for a while lol,)
The ingredients to snooker are all over this forum, but only you can make the cake, but you can't say oh I didn't put the sugar in, as all the ingredients are needed for the cake to work(what the hell am I talking about).

[j6uk]

If I was you I'd clock fifteen reds between black & blue a few times, then move to the lineup, deja vu.. Oh and les it my be worth heeding my words on post #169.
Combing through tsf you can find some good stuff. Remember to get good at this game is like a rabid search, Terry knows only too well making a max in his 40's within only a few years of playing.. In move terms it might look a little like this:

[itsnoteasy]

If I was you I'd clock fifteen reds between black & blue a few times, then move to the lineup, deja vu.. Oh and les it my be worth heeding my words on post #169.
Combing through tsf you can find some good stuff. Remember to get good at this game is like a rabid search, Terry knows only too well making a max in his 40's within only a few years.. To put it in move terms its a bit like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKju-x8nnM

I love doing this(thanks J6,) and did it three times round for the first time yesterday, the last red was a very fine cut into the middle that just plopped in lol. It's a great way of getting your arm going, and it takes quite a bit of concentration to complete.

[lesedwards]

From now on i will be only posting positive posts. No more negative thoughts. My main problem after discussing with Terry is being clear on the shot before I get down to play the shot. For what ever reason when I see all the balls my brain goes into over load and I do not think clear on what I should be doing there for I do not follow through, I tighten my grip and I decelerate with the cue.

[Belloz22]

Ive just been working on slowing down my backswings and feathers, and refocusing eyes on BOB. Amazing how much you forget to do this simple thing when your playing bad or not trying to play properly

[Byrom]

From now on i will be only posting positive posts. No more negative thoughts. My main problem after discussing with Terry is being clear on the shot before I get down to play the shot. For what ever reason when I see all the balls my brain goes into over load and I do not think clear on what I should be doing there for I do not follow through, I tighten my grip and I decelerate with the cue.

My advice is follow your coaches advice and maybe try out bits of things that will help that you come across. Don't just post things willy nilly every time you have a bad day - get back on the table and give it death with what your coach has told you to do. No point having a lesson and the next day coming on and saying it does not work - you got to PRACTICE what he has said for many many hours otherwise you will drop back into bad habits.

You are determined I will give you that but this game takes time to master and thousands of hours on that table of yours. Maybe you are trying to run before you can walk - don't confuse yourself and give yourself too much to think about I actually think J6uk gave some good advice about how to time the shot that you never acknowledged and I posted a video of the guy explaining the grip but ideally better not trying things out and chopping and changing - stick to what your coach advises before moving on.

Terry will have had you in the correct position and stance with your cue locked in - he will have explained how to sight and get down so if I was you next time you have a lesson ask him to take a video of you playing when he coaches you after he has got you in the correct shape and then play it and compare it with how you are now - do you look the same or have you slipped back into old habits. if so put a few mirrors up in your games room perhaps that might help you correct yourself and carry on with the practice.

Also again - get Terry to show you how to stun using centre ball up and down the white for position and give you a few routines for soft stuns around pink and black as your shot selection seems to consist of just rolling them in. No good practising potting long blues and not being able to play a simple soft stun run from black to next red without touching a rail.

The long blue hardly comes up in a game and you don't really want to have to play for one - the soft stuns come up all the time and the stun shot is the key shot to learn.

[lesedwards]

the soft stuns come up all the time and the stun shot is the key shot to learn.

I agree and one thing he did show me and I like to practice pink off its spot and my best is 18. I understand the stun very well but like I said when I get in the balls in a match my mind goes to mush and I play some light shot to know where.

[Byrom]

I am not meaning this to sound in any way condensing Les so don't get me wrong here but at your level you see the game different than a guy who makes 50's in the same way the guy who makes 50's does not see the game like a pro.

This is probably hard to understand but when faced with the shot stood up you should just focus in on that shot for now.

HOWEVER

This is different than what a good player does because when they see the shot they don't just visualise the pot they are planing they are also visualising the route the white takes too - in effect playing position as much as the pot.

I personally do this and it is often not talked about a lot because some of these better players do it naturally because they recognise the angles because they have played them many times before - Perhaps learning the angle of reflection is another aspect not talked about much at the start in snooker - many find out by trying out different things they learn along the way and you will begin to recognise certain potting angles yourself - including for the stun shots and the more you play them you will begin to see the very same angles repeat themselves all over the table - eventually you will learn these potting angles instinctively and start playing your white into areas for the next pot and things will get more natural.

But your coach is right not to try and push you into these and more advanced areas until you master the basics because the basics are the most important things to master and this can be the most frustrating time for you and your coach too no doubt.

Good luck les

[lesedwards]

Frustrating, thats an under statement...LOL TERRY went over the deflection in March when I first started going to him. I under stand if I stun around H3 this will create a sharper angle and if I hit it around H7 it will increase the angle. I understand how the positional play works i just cannot see it when I am playing. I stream live every Snooker tournament we can get and I enjoy trying to stay one shot a head of their position. I live, eat & breath Snooker 24/7 that I guess is why it is so frustrating to me. I will master this game eventually.
Might take 5 years by then I can play in the Senior division.

[tedisbill]

I remember when I first started trying to improve, I said the same thing.... "I can call every shot they play on the TV and I know how to play".

It's really funny looking back now, because I hadn't got a clue how to play. Actually playing the game and understanding what shots to play when you're actually at the table, is totally different to watching on TV.

A main point to remember, is when they're on a red and you think "oh. He'll play down for the blue here" or whatever, what you don't actually realise, is the player has deliberatly left the correct angle on the red to give himself the options for position.

[lesedwards]

Yes I know. If it was that easy we would all be on the tour. I am playing a best if 7 match with my son right now which he has me 2 to 1 right now. I am going to record the next game and publish it on you tube so you can all pick it apart. The last game I lost I made 8 of the reds and my score was 12. I managed to squeak a brown in....LOL I know I should be practicing but I only see h once a week and I am sure he does not want to watch me practice.

[tedisbill]

Yes that will be useful to watch actually Les. Nice one