Terry on YouTube

[j6uk]

This fellas not a coach but I really like what he's saying, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKSOgrH4Lng, talking about: less is more, learn how to float a ball in, areas to play it..
No 30 break merchant and wannabe no1 coach gonna know about or show you that. I wouldn't trust them to show the basics properly imho

[Byrom]

There are snooker coaches who are better at certain things and areas of the game than others - many can be right proud or defensive of this but I think there is a lot more to it than just being a good player to being a good coach.

I was just making a comparison with the football analogy and meant to say that average players can be world class coaches -

I don't think it matters so much that you are a great player yourself - as much perhaps as it does that you are a great motivator of people.

It obvious helps if you can do both for demonstration purposes but the standard of the coach as a player has no bearing on how much research and knowledge he has gathered down the years - how quickly he can identify weakness in technique or mindset of the person who wishes to improve and also how he sets about addressing it -


A good coach in my mind would create a learning path with clearly identified goals that would best target the specific areas that need improvement - identifying weak areas and setting the right targets for the learner so it best fits their progressive aims - and ideally he would be able to motivate the individual in question to practice the right things in the right way to attain those improvements and goals effectively.

A good coach for me would therefore be very observational, reflective, able to pinpoint weakness, adapt knowledge to suit style, motivate, and show me all this whilst keeping my interest and attention. Outside of a lesson in the bits you do not see I would hope he would also be very self critical working on their own weakness in order to keep improving his own coaching style -

Not just as simple as being a good player basically as some might think and that is why I respect them -

Plus I bet the hourly rate for Ronnie would be a bit much for me

[DG GIBERT]

DG GILBERT:

Come to Latvia on Nov 27th and watch me play and decide for yourself.

I know I'm still not playing as well as I did in the 80's in Britain but I also know I'm playing better than I did in 2006 or 2007 when those videos were taken.

Terry

i should have added that your word is good enough for me Terry.

Good luck in Latvia fair play to you

best regards

[mythman69]

No 30 break merchant and wannabe no1 coach gonna know about or show you that. I wouldn't trust them to show the basics properly imho

Still, it depends who is around to show you some basics. I have seen many players at the club with a terrible bridge that moves on the shot for example and when they ask for some advice I suggest they use a bridge that doesn't move and show them. Or they stand up on the shot and I suggest they stay down on the shot. Or they don't get down on the shot but stand above it and just hit and hope. I think some advice is better than none. If they want to be a 100 break player they will need some professional coaching, but if they just want to get more than the occasional fluke in then I think I can help them improve with some practice. Snooker books and the internet can also help guide a player to improve.

[j6uk]

Did they take your advice?
It gets really tricky for players who struggle with there own game to help people others, when the cue ball has left the cue.

Still, it depends who is around to show you some basics. I have seen many players at the club with a terrible bridge that moves on the shot for example and when they ask for some advice I suggest they use a bridge that doesn't move and show them. Or they stand up on the shot and I suggest they stay down on the shot. Or they don't get down on the shot but stand above it and just hit and hope. I think some advice is better than none. If they want to be a 100 break player they will need some professional coaching, but if they just want to get more than the occasional fluke in then I think I can help them improve with some practice. Snooker books and the internet can also help guide a player to improve.

[mythman69]

Did they take your advice?
It gets really tricky for players who struggle with there own game to help people others, when the cue ball has left the cue.

Some did and improved. Others just kept doing the same old mistakes and didn't improve. I think it got some of them thinking that technique was important and they started trying to learn more from books and the internet for example. I try to learn from players better than me and get some coaching when I visit Melbourne.

I just try and pass on some of my 'learnings' and help others to avoid some of the mistakes that are very common.

While I am not a coach, I still think I can do some good when others ask for some help.

[j6uk]

If you've offered players around you advise and witnessed there improvements then, good for you. Long may it continue

Some did and improved. Others just kept doing the same old mistakes and didn't improve. I think it got some of them thinking that technique was important and they started trying to learn more from books and the internet for example. I try to learn from players better than me and get some coaching when I visit Melbourne.

I just try and pass on some of my 'learnings' and help others to avoid some of the mistakes that are very common.

While I am not a coach, I still think I can do some good when others ask for some help.

[mythman69]

If you've offered players around you advise and witnessed there improvements then, good for you. Long may it continue

Happy to help if people ask for it. I just hope I keep improving too.

[vmax4steve]

It gets really tricky for players who struggle with there own game to help people others, when the cue ball has left the cue.

Spot on.

I once was asked by a team mate when I played third division pool why I was good at it. At the time I was the holder of the division one singles title. He looked a good player as in his cue action was smooth and he didn't move on the shot so he should have been a lot better than he was. I had no thoughts at that time about what was right or wrong so I simply asked him what he was looking at when he played the shot.
He told me he looked at the cue ball, I told him I looked at the object ball.
He changed to looking at the object ball and improved by 100% and became able to beat me on occasion, whereas before he had no chance.

It's the basics that poor players fail to do. Teach the basics by all means, but there has to be some natural talent or semblance of hand/eye co-ordination as a basis to work from.