Break Building and Shot Selection

[tedisbill]

Hi all!

I have recently qualified as a WPBSA 1st4Sport World Snooker Coach.

Here is a video I have made about break building and shot selection. If you enjoy the video, please give it a like and subscribe to my channel, as I hope to start making more detailed videos looking at all aspects of the game!



I am in the Wolverhampton area and I'm available for one-to-one coaching. Either send me a message on here, or drop me an email: steve@barton147.co.uk

Thanks a lot for watching and let me know your feedback. Everything is welcome.

[marriott]

Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re making the cue ball travel way too much in this break. As Stephen Hendry says you should try your best never to use a cushion if you can help it when break building as the white has to travel double or even triple the distance. So first red after going into the pack should have been low on the black (parallel with black spot) as opposed to high and using a cushion. You played a few rest shots and struggled to get prime position due to using a lot of cushions. Also when there’s four or five reds near the pink that should be the colour you’re busting a gut to use if you can so the white only travels an inch or two with stuns and screws and more certain position. Cue ball is the most important ball on the table and the less it travels the easier it is to retain prime position

[tedisbill]

Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re making the cue ball travel way too much in this break. As Stephen Hendry says you should try your best never to use a cushion if you can help it when break building as the white has to travel double or even triple the distance. So first red after going into the pack should have been low on the black (parallel with black spot) as opposed to high and using a cushion. You played a few rest shots and struggled to get prime position due to using a lot of cushions. Also when there’s four or five reds near the pink that should be the colour you’re busting a gut to use if you can so the white only travels an inch or two with stuns and screws and more certain position. Cue ball is the most important ball on the table and the less it travels the easier it is to retain prime position

Hi there!

In order for me to leave myself parallel to the black off the red you mention, I would have had to leave the white 2-3" off the cushion. In my opinion, this is far too difficult a pot to leave yourself when in a pressure situation, or on a match table.

Playing the little gentle screw left the white nicely in the middle of the table with a natural half ball pot on the black. This shot is 9.5/10 for me. If I left the shot you suggested, I would expect to pot that, 6-7/10, maybe less in a match.

Cheers.

[marriott]

You would never see a pro leave that black high having to use a cushion when it was a simple run through for a simple low black and stun up for reds. You’re making the cue ball travel so much more than required which is why you lost prime position a lot in the break

[tedisbill]

You would never see a pro leave that black high having to use a cushion when it was a simple run through for a simple low black and stun up for reds. You’re making the cue ball travel so much more than required which is why you lost prime position a lot in the break

On Ronnie's fastest 147, when he pots the red for 65, why doesn't he leave himself parallel with the black?

[marriott]

If you look at Hendry’s 147 with the following link he gains prime position at 03:33 in the video. With the exception of the red near the top cushion and the black to final red (white had to travel more of a distance with the penultimate red so was hard to guarantee prime position on black) Hendry chose to play low on the black every time as opposed to high as it makes it much easier to get closer to the next red

https://youtu.be/73Vd6SnP7A8

[marriott]

And with Ronnie on 65, of course in that instance it made sense to play high because cue ball was heading to the side cushion just off straight. If he was higher on the red with more of an angle he would have played off the side cushion and finished low on the black in order to be more certain of position on the next red

[tedisbill]

And with Ronnie on 65, of course in that instance it made sense to play high because cue ball was heading to the side cushion just off straight. If he was higher on the red with more of an angle he would have played off the side cushion and finished low on the black in order to be more certain of position on the next red

Exactly like the red you mention in my break. Heading to the side cushion, so I keep the white in the middle of the table.

My last comment on this. With Hendry's break, yes great, play low because they're spread out all over the place. But sometimes in a break, maybe you can't do that because there is too much congestion.

[marriott]

I think as well on 147’s, as the break moves on and on to the 80s and beyond you see a lot of harder than normal blacks being left with the CB deliberately further away just so the player guarantees ANY angle at all as opposed to non-147 attempts where the aim is to retain prime position throughout the break

[marriott]

With your red the CB would’nt have been on the cushion like Ronnie’s so has to be low instead of high

[sealer]

Nice one tedisbill. Always good to get some coaching from a player that can do it.

[tedisbill]

Nice one tedisbill. Always good to get some coaching from a player that can do it.

Thanks, Sealer. Glad you enjoyed it!

[ace man]

Great stuff. I especially like how you didn't edit the video. You could have easily had several tries and the posted the ideal one where you got all angles correct and cleared everything without ever needing anything more than a stun shot.
Just goes to show, how difficult this game really is, even for very accomplished high level players. One small positional error, just one tentative shot is all it takes for end of break.

[tedisbill]

That's ace man. Glad you enjoyed it and hopefully found it useful.

[Csmith]

Nice video, it's always impressive to see someone talk their way through a break. I've tried to do it in person with someone but I usually end up either missing early or just mumbling as I start to get focused.

With regard to the earlier comments about shot selection, I don't really see any issues. I mean, I'm sure Ronnie could provide some tips, but in general to me it didn't look like the layout was conducive to small stuns and screws. And although I suppose at some point you could have stayed on the pink in that way, it was far more instructive to focus on the black. To me, this video is aimed at people who can score but are looking to be more consistent and part of that is improving around the black spot. I read a tip here earlier this year about staying high on the black and it has made a huge difference in my scoring.

Any how, nice video and I look forward to future installments.