What do you expect from a snooker coach ??

[robertmac]

This was taken from a recent Inside Snooker article. Your view
seems quite the opposite of this.

IT WAS ANNOUNCED last week that Terry Griffiths, much sought after as a coach, will be working with six players this season.

Several others approached Griffiths but he is limiting himself to six players to ensure he gives them all the time they need. The players are Ding Junhui, Mark Allen, Barry Hawkins, Mark Davis, Michael Holt and Jack Lisowski.

Griffiths, the 1979 world champion and also the winner of the Masters and UK Championship during his long playing career, has been a well regarded coach since his retirement from professional snooker in 1997.

He has worked with players such as Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Marco Fu and was director of coaching at On Q Promotions before this management group was discontinued at the end of last season.

Griffiths has become a kind of Yoda figure within snooker, imparting just the right amount of wisdom to his players at crucial moments. It is not only in the technical aspects of the game where he has worked wonders but also in the all-important psychological side of the sport.

[Ramon]

I know some professionals and amateurs who know very little about the technical side of the game so i disagree that top players know all about technique. I also think that a lot of players including professionals do not know how or what to practice and also need help setting goals and targets. A lot of players even professionals just do line ups and play practice matches and that's it. A coach can help with that. A player also doesn't have to rely on a coach for mental support but a coach can show a player ways to cope with pressure in big matches. If coaches are not needed then why have most of the players in the most competitive sports like golf, tennis, athletics, table tennis, swimming, snooker got one?

You mean Some one like Joe Swail ??? have you seen his setup and cue action ?? was a coach able to change that ?? Do you really think Joe Swail was not aware of the fact that his algmnt was not by the coaching manuail ??? agree ,,, there are sum of pros with bad habits !! but it works for them !! Even if he gonna chang Sumthing , he is the one who has to do it ( Not the coach ) !! you're talking about someone who played this game for many years 6/8 hours a day not someone who yesterday bought a cue and gonna start playing today !!!
As for ur question , Why these people have a coach ?? These people have Banch of money and they want to spend it !! for them is part of the game (a kind of prestige) otherwise they do'nt belong in the group of legends who have worked with Chris H Or sum other hotshot !! ( at least That's what they're thinking ) !!
As For the coach, (Nic B / Chris H / Or ......) is part of the bussines and advertising !! To be honest with u I do'nt blame them cus I would've done the same !! Let's face it : everyone wants to make money !!
I think a coach is an indispensable element in the Game of snooker for people who want to learn this game and also for the low level amateurs !! Even then , if the player is Not able to learn and has No talent , the coach can'nt do anything about it and is Not useful !!!

[CoachGavin]

What do you expect from a snooker coach ??

I will have to disagree. Walk into a snooker club and ask players have they heard of Chris Henry, Nic Barrow and Del Hill and you will find they are hardly people that everyone has heard of and wants the 'prestige' of working with them. I think Joe Swail is a coach so he probably knows about the technical side but there are players, even ones with good techniques, that can play to a very high standard without knowing why or how they play. If coaching didn't work at the top level would Doug Mountjoy have beaten Hendry in the Uk final with 3 consecutive centuries or would Graeme Dott win the world title or would Ding win 5 trophies in a season or Shaun Murphy go from thinking of quitting to winning the Masters and coming close to another world title. Personally I think a lot of snooker professionals don't act professionally especially compared to other sports. A coach can help with diet, tournament preparation, practice and coping with pressure etc and in other sports you see this. In snooker many professionals just turn up at the club and play for a few hours just knocking balls around, eat and drink what they like and even stay out late before matches and then complain when they lose. They might not want to change their preparation, practice, fitness levels or eating but at least a coach can point out where they can be improved and what the problems are. The difference between winning and losing is so small that players just want to find that extra 1%.

[Ramon]

I will have to disagree. Walk into a snooker club and ask players have they heard of Chris Henry, Nic Barrow and Del Hill and you will find they are hardly people that everyone has heard of and wants the 'prestige' of working with them. I think Joe Swail is a coach so he probably knows about the technical side but there are players, even ones with good techniques, that can play to a very high standard without knowing why or how they play. If coaching didn't work at the top level would Doug Mountjoy have beaten Hendry in the Uk final with 3 consecutive centuries or would Graeme Dott win the world title or would Ding win 5 trophies in a season or Shaun Murphy go from thinking of quitting to winning the Masters and coming close to another world title. Personally I think a lot of snooker professionals don't act professionally especially compared to other sports. A coach can help with diet, tournament preparation, practice and coping with pressure etc and in other sports you see this. In snooker many professionals just turn up at the club and play for a few hours just knocking balls around, eat and drink what they like and even stay out late before matches and then complain when they lose. They might not want to change their preparation, practice, fitness levels or eating but at least a coach can point out where they can be improved and what the problems are. The difference between winning and losing is so small that players just want to find that extra 1%.

Shaun M was out in Australian open !! Does that has anything to do with his coach ?? And he did'nt won that final ?? How com ?? Cus of his coach ??
That is the point , is'nt it ? Each time these players win The match : coach did it !!!
Each time they los the mach : the name of the coach is not gonna even be mantioned !!
there is a word for that : advertising
Btw, i'm Not talking about sum snooker club !!!
I'm talking about The best of the world !! I realy think if you walk in the Q school and ask them , yes everyone has heard of these names !! !! Of crs the diff between winning and losing is smal !! But my point is , a top player can find and cross over that edge by himself !! The idea that he Needs a coach for that , is not true !! It's all in his mind !!
,, anyway, you're tough coachgavin so I give up !and as for The disagreement , No problem at all . This is a forum !! Belive it or not , I do respect you and your opinion !!

[pottr]

If it is in fact 'all in the mind'... Having the knowledge that someone has given your game the once over, may be the difference your confidence as a player needs.

If coaches weren't necessary, they wouldn't exist.

[Ramon]

No one said they're not necessary !!

[pottr]

I mean for top professionals... You know I meant that.

Please don't pretend you thought I was generalising... Cheapens the debate

[Ramon]

If You're a pro and you want someone get Sumthing to eat for u , just pay 5 mark to someone, he's gonna get everything you need !!
As for The game , these guys knows everything about it !! No worry about them !!

[pottr]

I disagree... Machines need calibrating from time to time. Pilots don't repair planes, engineers do.

We're sloppy as a species, hard wired to seek the greatest reward for the least effort. Even top pros will have something in their technique which might need oiling from time to time...

You can't often identify things yourself as you have an inferior vantage point.

I'm not suggesting for one second that a coach will rip apart a pro action and rebuild it better... But they can pick up on subtle nuances that might go under the radar...

Even if it's a psychological factor... It still contributes.

I can see you're resolute in your view though. As ever, you should value and trust your own opinion.

Just consider my view to be a second opinion from a complete stranger online.

[Ramon]

I disagree... Machines need calibrating from time to time. Pilots don't repair planes, engineers do.

We're sloppy as a species, hard wired to seek the greatest reward for the least effort. Even top pros will have something in their technique which might need oiling from time to time...

You can't often identify things yourself as you have an inferior vantage point.

I'm not suggesting for one second that a coach will rip apart a pro action and rebuild it better... But they can pick up on subtle nuances that might go under the radar...

Even if it's a psychological factor... It still contributes.

I can see you're resolute in your view though. As ever, you should value and trust your own opinion.

Just consider my view to be a second opinion from a complete stranger online.

Good post !!

[tomwalker147]

Last year I had coaching for the first time, before that I had been taught basic positional strategies from playing regularly with my Dad and had occasional guidance from local players I looked up to in terms of technique.

At the time of going for coaching I had made a couple of century breaks (lots more in practice) but was finding that at the 60-70 mark I was breaking down far too regularly.

I went for coaching with the goal of; improving concentration and increasing consistency of my strokes.
Without going in to what I was taught the session was a success, I am now scoring heavier and much more frequently and honestly I believe much of that to be more about confidence than anything else. On the day of my coaching Terry Griffiths walked past and said he was impressed with the way I played a shot. My coach also told me he could see I was of a good standard.

I guess from my experience a coach should focus on both the physical technique but also what is in the mind, in my opinion a player requires both to succeed. The power of positive mental reinforcement should not be underestimated. How many times have you seen a bang average player pot a great ball and suddenly transform into a player capable of knocking anything in? It's not all in the mind but a lot of it is.

[markz]

Interesting read Tom. I feel I'm at the same stage now myself, made my first century in a game few months ago and still getting them in practice. Just really struggling with focus and concentration. Happy with my overall game still but I keep throwing shots in that are garbage because I switch off as if the game is easy. What sort of things did you work on to boost your game to the next level?

[tomwalker147]

Hi Markz,

The main point was to slow down my feathers of the cue ball and have the same amount of feathers for each shot. I couldn't believe the difference in my game. It helped me to focus on each shot. I completely understand what you mean with 'throwing a garbage one in', I did this all the time and still do at times but it happens a lot less now that i'm fully focused on 'every' shot. (tends to happen in practice when i'm not 100% zoned in).

Give it a try, it'll be interesting to see how you get on. You'll find it strange at first but if you're a century break player you should pick it up in a matter of weeks i'd guess!

[markz]

Hi Markz,

The main point was to slow down my feathers of the cue ball and have the same amount of feathers for each shot. I couldn't believe the difference in my game. It helped me to focus on each shot. I completely understand what you mean with 'throwing a garbage one in', I did this all the time and still do at times but it happens a lot less now that i'm fully focused on 'every' shot. (tends to happen in practice when i'm not 100% zoned in).

Give it a try, it'll be interesting to see how you get on. You'll find it strange at first but if you're a century break player you should pick it up in a matter of weeks i'd guess!

Cheers for reply Tom, I'll try that out till I get used to it. Like yourself I've never been coached and just do things naturally to suit me. My last practice session I made a point of staying down on shot till ball was potted, I tend to just get up and move off before ball is near pocket. Found myself hitting the ball much cleaner and gained bit more focus.

[blinker]

Cheers for reply Tom, I'll try that out till I get used to it. Like yourself I've never been coached and just do things naturally to suit me. My last practice session I made a point of staying down on shot till ball was potted, I tend to just get up and move off before ball is near pocket. Found myself hitting the ball much cleaner and gained bit more focus.

Hi Guys,

Like you guys i have not engaged any coach before... Sometimes i do wonder how do you guys self trained to the century mark, quite amazing because i struggle to get 20-30 breaks consistently myself. Occasional 40s but when nothing goes right it's even a struggle to pot 2-3 balls in a row.

Just curious how long does it take for you guys to reach there and what kind of self training have you done. Is it always a gradual progress or something of a steep jump when you corrected certain technique etc.

Cheers