This is just for Les Edwards

[Catch 22]

This game is suppose to be fun and you will never build confidence on your table. He had a good explanation for my table. He said my table was like being locked in a prison. Send two average players down there for a week and they will come up with no confidence, pulling their hair out and ready to quit the game.

I'm not a good player TBH but I agree with this . As a beginner I put in more table time when I'm enjoying the game . At our club I know which tables have the smallest and biggest bags . I never play on the table with the biggest pockets , and every once in a while I play on the table with the smallest . There is one table that I tend to choose 75% of the time and it has pockets that are not too tight but also not generous either . However the pocket on the black end of table on the green ball side is smaller than the rest (in fact it's supposed to be the tightest pocket in the club I'm told) . I like that table because the pockets rant too tight but I still have that one really tight black pocket to deal with ,so it's best of both worlds lol

[itsnoteasy]

I'm not a good player TBH but I agree with this . As a beginner I put in more table time when I'm enjoying the game . At our club I know which tables have the smallest and biggest bags . I never play on the table with the biggest pockets , and every once in a while I play on the table with the smallest . There is one table that I tend to choose 75% of the time and it has pockets that are not too tight but also not generous either . However the pocket on the black end of table on the green ball side is smaller than the rest (in fact it's supposed to be the tightest pocket in the club I'm told) . I like that table because the pockets rant too tight but I still have that one really tight black pocket to deal with ,so it's best of both worlds lol

I used to play on the table with the tightest pockets in our club, ( I didn't know it was when I chose it to be my table) it was in the corner and furthest from the doors and bar, so you had more chance of a bit of peace and quite, I then changed to what I found out is the second tightest table in the club because the cloth on the first one is basically thread bare. The club reclothed four tables so I now play mainly on one of those and swap back to my second table if they are taken, although everyone seems to want to play on that as well now, it might be because they see me on it all the time and think it must be a good table maybe they say to themselves,he's in here all the time and always plays on it, so it must be good,little do they know it's only because it's in the other corner that's why I picked it lol.

[luke-h]

I try any play on the clubs tightest tables for one reason and that's learning to pot clean.
I have an example, my old snooker pal only used to like playing on table 5 which is so loose you can have a straight blue into middle bags and still make the angle to go up or down the table incidentally he made 118 and missed a dolly of a yellow, he was on for a 145, then we played another time on the tight table and he found he couldn't pinch the table and barely made a 40.

Moral of the story better to learn the hard way.

[lesedwards]

I try any play on the clubs tightest tables for one reason and that's learning to pot clean.
I have an example, my old snooker pal only used to like playing on table 5 which is so loose you can have a straight blue into middle bags and still make the angle to go up or down the table incidentally he made 118 and missed a dolly of a yellow, he was on for a 145, then we played another time on the tight table and he found he couldn't pinch the table and barely made a 40.

Moral of the story better to learn the hard way.

Well it just shows you everybody has their on idea of how we should learn. Since putting in my new table I have gone from stunning my pots to this weak little tentative stroke trying to just roll the ball in. Terry told me I have to start hitting the ball instead of rolling it, also a lot of the great players learnt on big pockets. Develop your stroke, learn to play position then after you have that down then move to a tight table to perfect your game. Around here all our qualifiers are played on slow big pocket tables so why beat myself up on mine. Terry's middle pockets are huge but just ask him, his confidence increased dramatically practicing on his table. I hope to get up to Terry's for some practice one day this week before our Qualifier this weekend. I have had two of the best players in Canada play on my table and both Cliff Thorburn and Floyd Ziegler say my table is one of toughest they have played on so what I am doing playing on it?

[luke-h]

Well it just shows you everybody has their on idea of how we should learn. Since putting in my new table I have gone from stunning my pots to this weak little tentative stroke trying to just roll the ball in. Terry told me I have to start hitting the ball instead of rolling it, also a lot of the great players learnt on big pockets. Develop your stroke, learn to play position then after you have that down then move to a tight table to perfect your game. Around here all our qualifiers are played on slow big pocket tables so why beat myself up on mine. Terry's middle pockets are huge but just ask him, his confidence increased dramatically practicing on his table. I hope to get up to Terry's for some practice one day this week before our Qualifier this weekend. I have had two of the best players in Canada play on my table and both Cliff Thorburn and Floyd Ziegler say my table is one of toughest they have played on so what I am doing playing on it?

If its that tight get it loosened, this is where i think this game's wrong I think world snooker should make their templates available to all so everyone can play on the same size then there would be no confusion as to what size people play on. the way so many tables vary is silly tbf you wouldn't see man-u with bigger or smaller goals than their opposition so why in our sport should there be such variation.

[Stupree]

This is just for Les Edwards

If that is the barrier to you improving your technique Les then go for it. Having mental obstacles will not aid your development at all.......but don't be a victim to the table or any other elements you have very little control over. :snooker:

[Terry Davidson]

I would like to make a comment on tight vs looser tables. First of all Jimmy White, Alex Higgins and quite a few other British pros have said they first learned to play on very loose tables but here is another point.

In the 1980's the UK had 65 million people and thousands and thousands of snooker tables and basically dominated the pro ranks. At the same time Canada had 23 million people and not as many tables although every small town would have a few tables but most of these tables were made by Brunswick and had very loose pockets.

Canada ended up having the second highest number of pros on the tour at that time but since then we have mostly switched to British tables when BCE and Riley started selling tables. Now Canada has NO pros on the tour. The Brunswick Gold Crown tables were the most popular tables in Canada during the 80's and they are known for having big and well undercut pockets and most Canadian players learned on these tables in that period.

Cliff learned on Gold Crowns and so did Kirk along with a large number of other Canadian pros. The reason is as Les has said above. Once you start potting and gain confidence then you are able to concentrate on your position and after that all the pots become a lot easier since you have better and closer position.

Once you get to that stage then you can switch to a templated table.

Terry

[lesedwards]

I would like to make a comment on tight vs looser tables. First of all Jimmy White, Alex Higgins and quite a few other British pros have said they first learned to play on very loose tables but here is another point.

In the 1980's the UK had 65 million people and thousands and thousands of snooker tables and basically dominated the pro ranks. At the same time Canada had 23 million people and not as many tables although every small town would have a few tables but most of these tables were made by Brunswick and had very loose pockets.

Canada ended up having the second highest number of pros on the tour at that time but since then we have mostly switched to British tables when BCE and Riley started selling tables. Now Canada has NO pros on the tour. The Brunswick Gold Crown tables were the most popular tables in Canada during the 80's and they are known for having big and well undercut pockets and most Canadian players learned on these tables in that period.

Cliff learned on Gold Crowns and so did Kirk along with a large number of other Canadian pros. The reason is as Les has said above. Once you start potting and gain confidence then you are able to concentrate on your position and after that all the pots become a lot easier since you have better and closer position.

Once you get to that stage then you can switch to a templated table.

Terry

Thanks Terry very well wrote. Exactly what I was trying to say. We go to our qualifiers and the pockets are huge but I am so gun shy from playing on my table I have no stroke left and no confidence.

[Stupree]

This is just for Les Edwards

It would be interesting if that was the reason for the decline in Canadians performing at the highest level, I suggest there is much more to it than the change in tables. The improving standard of players, changes in attitude towards lifestyle in younger generations, and the game's spread in to asia and the resulting number of pros from there seem much more likely reasons to me.

[j6uk]

Thanks Terry very well wrote. Exactly what I was trying to say. We go to our qualifiers and the pockets are huge but I am so gun shy from playing on my table I have no stroke left and no confidence.

sit down and have a cuppa les, it sounds like your on the verge

[itsnoteasy]

This is a longer running saga than the Hundred Years' War , will he ,won't he? Tune in next week for the thrilling answer.

[j6uk]

This is a longer running saga than the Hundred Years' War , will he ,won't he? Tune in next week for the thrilling answer.

what are you trying to say fella?

[lesedwards]

what are you trying to say fella?

I think he is saying I have been complaining about my pockets since I put the table in 6 months ago and most of the posts say leave them alone mean while Terry played on the table before I opened the pockets myself and had trouble running breaks at all because the corners where not cut right plus too tight. Then both Floyd and Cliff have played on them at their present size and said it is one tough table so this time I am having the suckers opened right up. If I still cannot get any confidence going and make some pots then it is time to pack it in....

[itsnoteasy]

It's never time to pack in Les, it might be time to admit you have a lot of hard work ahead ,we all struggle me more than most, but that for me is a cue to work harder, never ever to contemplate packing in. I said before just be careful what you do, I don't believe there are club tables with four inch pockets, well certainly not in the UK, and if they are like that in Canada, they are not doing you any favours, we have a table in our club and it's known as a Potters table as the bags are a wee bit easier and they are 3 5/8 th by my measuring across the fall, so I wouldn't go bigger than this. The middles look bigger than yours but from your video they wouldn't take a ball hit any harder than what I have seen go in yours. Get them done then move on, and get some hard work in.

[lesedwards]

This is a longer running saga than the Hundred Years' War , will he ,won't he? Tune in next week for the thrilling answer.

Well we might have to wait a little longer then that.... I received an email that the guy cannot do my pockets for another week. Was suppose to be this week....