What to practice and what not to, before a match?

[ace man]

Trouble with practising right before the match for me personally is that it almost always goes very well and I start enjoying it too much. Needless to say, I leave my best game on a practise table. Not a very good strategy. To me it's a completely different mindset, match play and practise play. I find it very difficult to switch from one to the other.

[chrissmall147]

Hi j6uk

I practiced 6 hours a day everyday leading up to a tournament for a solid month then took it a bit easier 2 days before event. When I arrived at venue I would have my 2 half hour practice slots religiously and just before my match started I would have my 10 minute hit to get my arm going. At a venue the hardest shot I played was a long straight blue as I wanted my head to be so strong knowing I havent missed in practice. After all the hard work is done before you arrive at the tournament.

Cheers Chris

[vmax4steve]

Spend the time before the match just relaxing and getting your head together. You already know how to physically play the game, but to hit peak form your mind has to find neutral in order to let your subconscious take over.
The last thing you need to be doing is thinking and good or bad practise before a match will definately get you thinking.

[j6uk]

I guess its down to the individual and what they feel they need to do just before a match but as you say its really all done on the practice table weeks before.

Hi j6uk

I practiced 6 hours a day everyday leading up to a tournament for a solid month then took it a bit easier 2 days before event. When I arrived at venue I would have my 2 half hour practice slots religiously and just before my match started I would have my 10 minute hit to get my arm going. At a venue the hardest shot I played was a long straight blue as I wanted my head to be so strong knowing I havent missed in practice. After all the hard work is done before you arrive at the tournament.

Cheers Chris

[Sidd]

Spend the time before the match just relaxing and getting your head together. You already know how to physically play the game, but to hit peak form your mind has to find neutral in order to let your subconscious take over.
The last thing you need to be doing is thinking and good or bad practise before a match will definately get you thinking.

I could hardly agree more. Its just like going for an exam. Prepare in the night and sleep on it. No revisions on the day of the exam I say. Relax your mind you can do it and positive thinking is what is needed. If you practice before the match on shots hard for you and dont make them you get underconfident and if you go for simple shots to get the cue arm going and dont make them by chance you get ruined inside.

Relax relax and relax is the key...

[throtts]

Spend the time before the match just relaxing and getting your head together. You already know how to physically play the game, but to hit peak form your mind has to find neutral in order to let your subconscious take over.
The last thing you need to be doing is thinking and good or bad practise before a match will definately get you thinking.

I agree, on my 3 months away from playing I had a good think about what I had learnt so far, thus being confident I would be back in the swing of things straight away. I had nothing but positive thoughts going back in to practice, and by heck it worked, playing very nicely at the moment. Just going over things inside my head really did ready me.

Its so true that snooker is a mind game as well as a very skilful one.

[j6uk]

I found making a little 30 in the reds, clearing the colors and visualizing shots in the mind before the match helps bind the concentration.