Best way to learn position?

[Cue crafty]

Yep, I have a Star...

What made you go with that over a fully restored Riley aristocrat?

I've got a lot of other questions like where do you live, can I come round? But I'll PM you my LinkedIn profile before we get there! Lolz. Only joking mate, just interested.

[throtts]

At first I did have a Riley Aristocrat Tournament Champion, well I thought it was that until I was insistent on its Authentication Certificate. I had a ding dong with the online company I bought it off because they were not forthcoming with giving the certificate. Anyways, I called Riley ( or whatever they were exactly called at the time ) and they told me that my table was not a Tournament Champion. Even when I got home to look at the table it didn't look correct, specially when I discovered it was covered in Hainsworth Match. I insisted on ordering, WPBSA template, No10 cloth with 6811 on the cushions. The company ( which was mentioned on here negatively about a couple of year back ) freaked out when they knew I got Riley involved and immediately come around to my home and took the table and refunded me straight away too. I was told that there was a lot of fakes about so it put me off.

In the end World Snooker delivered my Star (brand new from China ) and also look after it for me. I am about to get it covered again with No10 and 6811. They play tight but very nicely still. Its heated too...

[Cue crafty]

At first I did have a Riley Aristocrat Tournament Champion, well I thought it was that until I was insistent on its Authentication Certificate. I had a ding dong with the online company I bought it off because they were not forthcoming with giving the certificate. Anyways, I called Riley ( or whatever they were exactly called at the time ) and they told me that my table was not a Tournament Champion. Even when I got home to look at the table it didn't look correct, specially when I discovered it was covered in Hainsworth Match. I insisted on ordering, WPBSA template, No10 cloth with 6811 on the cushions. The company ( which was mentioned on here negatively about a couple of year back ) freaked out when they knew I got Riley involved and immediately come around to my home and took the table and refunded me straight away too. I was told that there was a lot of fakes about so it put me off.

In the end World Snooker delivered my Star (brand new from China ) and also look after it for me. I am about to get it covered again with No10 and 6811. They play tight but very nicely still. Its heated too...

Yeh, fair play, can understand wanting to go to a known standard once you've encountered that much controversy and confusion. I guess you have played to a fairly high competitive standard knowing what you want/require that well. I think I'm similar age to you but grew up playing on beaten old table and continue to now just because there are precious few better locally. Do you play league at all Throtts? Or just for fun these days?

[throtts]

Yeh, fair play, can understand wanting to go to a known standard once you've encountered that much controversy and confusion. I guess you have played to a fairly high competitive standard knowing what you want/require that well. I think I'm similar age to you but grew up playing on beaten old table and continue to now just because there are precious few better locally. Do you play league at all Throtts? Or just for fun these days?

Hi Bud,

Just play for fun now which is a shame because i fancy I could be a decent player. Purchased my Star, played loads on it at first amounting to 20 hr a week, then i gave it a long break due to a large responsibility I took on. The past 7 month ( I think ) I have been back practicing around 14 hr a week and my standard has sky rocketed which just goes to show, at whatever age you are if you really want it you can achieve it. Snooker is not a young mans game in terms of actual playing ability. Better if your young and good though because you only got yourself to think of. At my ability level at the moment, I can really see how the pros get as good as they are, you play play and play then all of a sudden the ""penny drops"" and you start learning fast. I find you improve in stages, you can be stuck at a level for 4 to 5 months then all of a sudden you discover something in practice and then you absorb it when you sitting down after your session.

I think the biggest thing that enhanced my game was trusting my Aim and dropping straight down on that Aim with No adjustments on sighting. Regardless whether its a sitter, long shot or swinging the cue ball around the angles with side after potting a baulk colour. When you nail and trust your Aiming it makes you hit cue with so much confidence, all of a sudden this large 12 by 6 table shrinks because your hitting through the cue ball consistently which then gets that CB all over the place with more ease.

Of course, having said all of that, I want to improve more and more. This game is a beautiful game when you play it well.

Takes care..

[Cue crafty]

Hi Bud,

Just play for fun now which is a shame because i fancy I could be a decent player. Purchased my Star, played loads on it at first amounting to 20 hr a week, then i gave it a long break due to a large responsibility I took on. The past 7 month ( I think ) I have been back practicing around 14 hr a week and my standard has sky rocketed which just goes to show, at whatever age you are if you really want it you can achieve it. Snooker is not a young mans game in terms of actual playing ability. Better if your young and good though because you only got yourself to think of. At my ability level at the moment, I can really see how the pros get as good as they are, you play play and play then all of a sudden the ""penny drops"" and you start learning fast. I find you improve in stages, you can be stuck at a level for 4 to 5 months then all of a sudden you discover something in practice and then you absorb it when you sitting down after your session.

I think the biggest thing that enhanced my game was trusting my Aim and dropping straight down on that Aim with No adjustments on sighting. Regardless whether its a sitter, long shot or swinging the cue ball around the angles with side after potting a baulk colour. When you nail and trust your Aiming it makes you hit cue with so much confidence, all of a sudden this large 12 by 6 table shrinks because your hitting through the cue ball consistently which then gets that CB all over the place with more ease.

Of course, having said all of that, I want to improve more and more. This game is a beautiful game when you play it well.

Takes care..

Nice, thanks for sharing that mate. Putting in the hours makes a lot of difference, it's the difference between looking at a straight pink, with a red behind it that you want to be on and thinking I can't drop this one in and hold for that red I need to punch and stun run it thru. When you've put the hours in you know just how hard you need to hit that shot, but when you haven't no matter how well you might have played it in the past it looks like a big guess and that's the diff. I'm only getting about 6hrs a week in at present, better than nothing and my game feels solid, but I'm trying to build more technique and a slight pause into my routine these days I think I need it to slow me down a bit. I used to fly round when I was younger and probably make some cool 50/60 breaks that were good to watch in literally a few minutes on an adrenalin rush. Now I'm older I know I need a lot more concentration to get there... I'm not missing league matches (two frame tippy tap with slow Joes) but I need a bit more of a challenge, there's a good ton maker I've played a few times, that I keep missing when we try and arrange a games, who can kick my ass when on song, that a great drive for your game when you know you might only have one or two chances in a frame. Wonderful pastime tho init! ; ):snooker:

[throtts]

Yes, its all about putting in the hours, but thats easier said than done if you have commitments. 6 hrs a week, bet you would love more hours then. Having said that, years ago I was a 2hr Saturday morning player so only 8hr a month, if my buddy blew me out it would be less playing time than that. My breaks were 30's with a high of 49. I know of a pro locally, ranked below 20, waiting for him to find time for a knock so he can give me a good kicking. Their schedule though is mega.

[Derek P]

Hi,

I am a pretty good potter but position severely lets me down. How can I get better at position and learn the angles the white will take better?

I understand follow, stun, screw and can play them all well but problem is knowing how much stun or screw to put on a shot to finish where I want to.

I watched a nic barrow video where he says on each shot think where will the white go with follow, where will it go with screw and where will it go with stun, I understand the general direction it will take but how can I accurately know where the white goes with screw or follow on a shot? For instance on a quarter ball black I might be a couple of inches out of where I think the white will hit the cushion or where I imagine the follow will hit and then I end up nowhere near where I wanted to be by the end of the shot because of that.

I understand its all practise but if I could look at a shot, mark where follow would take the white and where screw would take the white I think I would be much closer to accurately getting to where I want. It makes sense to me but if I get the follow or screw position wrong then whatever shot I choose to play I end up not being right, does that make sense?

Around the black spot I rarely miss the pot unless I am not concentrating the thing that ends my break is ending up on the cushion, or the white flying up the table because I was on the wrong line, very frustrating

I don't quite agree with the idea of thinking of every shot with follow, stun or screw there is much more to positional play than those positions on the white infact you could say you can put your tip on about 8-10 different heights of the white without coming off centre ball striking so just follow, stun and screw is misleading though i know what the coach is trying to say.

The way I was taught was that you basically see everything as a 12 oclock stroke shot or follow through as you call it as that is the natural path of the white and most likely the easiest shot to play, to get the white to follow a different path you need to open out the path of the white with varying levels of power, stun, and screw.

Off cushions you can widen the angle even further with side so its kinda right what he's said in the video but lot more involved and the easiest way to learn it is set up a low 3/4 to half ball black and a mini pack of reds at the position for the natural angle the white will take if you pot the ball. Once you get that cannon then move the mini pack back towards you across the table a few inches and try to cannon it again by introducting only stun to the shot still hit 12 oclock

then again bring it further back to you across the table a little more and come down the white say about half a tips worth or whatever your cue action and cue or playing conditions will dictate to get that cannon then do that right the way back until you start using screw instead of stun and cannon each mini pack after 20 minutes doing that you'll understand the path of the white vs the height and power you apply at striking centre ball