Smooth skills improvement or quantum jump? From regular 30+ to regular 50+

[dao]

One coach (not a snooker one) told me: if you will practice regularly and serious-minded, one day you will suddenly discover that you are able to do wonders, and your potential will dramatically increased. I alomst sure, there is some kernel in this...
This post is a question to the players who’s stability in breaks over 50 is high.
Could you, please, describe your feelings when you’ve developed your skills from regular 30+ to regular 50+. How fast it happened? How it was happened? What element of technique (or mental approach) was determinative in your smooth improvement (or quantum jump)?

[trevs1]

This is almost impossible to describe with any degree of accuracy, as the experiences of one player can be so different to another.

Much of snooker is there to be learnt by actually doing it, rather than having it explained to you. The playing skills required to be a proficient and competent player are learnt over a long period of time, and, is mainly 'tacit' knowledge or skill (skills which have to be acted out, or done, to learn properly). There will ALWAYS be a limit on how much of this knowledge can be conveyed by words alone.

What I would say though is this:

If you are a player who is able to make fairly regular breaks of 30+, then in all honesty, there's not much stopping you from upping this to 50+ fairly regularly.

The key to heavier scoring (or making decent breaks) can be achieved by concentrating on two main areas, which are......

Control of the white ball, and, shot selection.

If you manage to improve both your standard of cueball control and shot selection you WILL make bigger breaks more consistently.

Enjoy your game..

[thinsy]

I suppose in a way he is right, if you practice all the right things then your game has got to improve, however not everyone will become a Hendry or an on-form Ronnie. The most important thing in my opinion is to enjoy what you are doing. When I was 17/18 I got a job in a snooker club just so I could play/practice all the time, but that is not as easy as it sounds... I struggled to do it and found that although i was learning lots i couldn't build the enthusiasm to continue, I was only half heartedly practicing!

My game actually improved once i went back to a normal job and playing for fun. I had enthusiasm and a more positive attitude towards the game, my eagerness gave me a new found confidence in my ability.

My tips to you would be:

1. Use your practice time wisely. If its not going well - dont practice. You'll do more harm than good, take a break.

2. Believe in yourself - Positive Mental Attitude

3. Most important... Enjoy what your doing.

As you 'develop your skills' you will reach your goals and that 50 break will become the norm. I have mentioned this somewhere before but, I was told that once you have your first 100 break more will follow soon after... As it took me many years to get one I was surprised to see how quickly the second and third and fourth came. Self belief and positive attitude is the key.

[nardiello]

if you will practice regularly and serious-minded, one day you will suddenly discover that you are able to do wonders, and your potential will dramatically increased.

very good..i will always remember this quote

[dao]

The playing skills required to be a proficient and competent player are learnt over a long period of time, and, is mainly 'tacit' knowledge or skill

Of course, sometimes is almost impossible to express in words your ability to manage some occured situations. I just would like to hear how experienced player describe their feelings going through their stages of improvements...

The key to heavier scoring (or making decent breaks) can be achieved by concentrating on two main areas, which are......
Control of the white ball, and, shot selection.

The biggest priblem for me is don't loose conentration on approximately 40 basic snooker striking items simultaneously when my attention switches to cue-ball control and shot selection. I think the confidence is a kind of ability to concentrate only on part of necessary items. The rest of them maintained automatically or fortunally.

[dao]

My tips to you would be:
1. Use your practice time wisely. If its not going well - dont practice. You'll do more harm than good, take a break.
2. Believe in yourself - Positive Mental Attitude
3. Most important... Enjoy what your doing.

You're absolutely right. Sometmes I came to a practice table after a long working day in the evening and I feel that I'm a bit tired to relax and show positive result. But I'm 35 y.o and I a bit concerned that later I will not be able to make a century That's why I try to practice even after midnight
Concerning the positive approach, it's a golden advice. It's interesting to observe how your own frustration transforms into a confidence when you started to PLAY, but not to practice hardly and upset because you did not reach the desired result.

[Semih_Sayginer]

it may help to keep a personal blog/diary of your practise (and match) sessions, taking notes on play, paying particular attention to specific areas.....could even make up a sheet for each session, with a breakdown of things like cueing, break building, position, timing etc..., and spend 15 minutes or so after each session to comment and rate your play, and some key factors in it

that way you will have a record of how you played, where and when, and also see your form trend

could even do it on the pc, and do charts of it, if very keen on the idea.

it may help, it may not, but you may enjoy doing it, as its a record of your performance and a benchmark for what youre aiming to improve on

[Juza]

A way to improve from 30 breaks to 50 breaks = PRACTICE

I believe there is no shortcuts. You just need time to practice your cue action, practice the angles of different shots, practice the path of the cue ball in different shots.

Practice, practice, practice. Don't give up. Enjoy the game.

[gallen-147]

if your making regular 30s you can make 50s easy

its not really about the potting because a 50 is only what about 10 balls...
its the mind barrier that need breaking and dont get over confident or nervy, keep your cool and take a deep breath before every pot over 30

[MinnesotaSlim]

I have always been told to play people better than myself, it gives you a goal to reach. My problem is that I am better than most I play in my area, and my equals only play on tournament nights or rarely come in to practice. I have found I play much better when i practice by myself, I actually set up the board Player 1 vs Player 2. Just shooting around doesn't help me much because I do not worry about the "next guy", this way I keep in mind my leave if i choose to try a shot i may not be able to make. Sometimes I look at the shot I have given myself and think, "why the hell did I shoot it that way, I just gave up 30 points." It really points out the flaws in my game and I know what th work on. I end up being my best friend, as well as my worst enemy.

I also like to see the board when done. Look at the breaks, snookers, ect. Playing both sides of the board helps me out a lot to see things I might not usually see. My defensive play has improved much, as well as my longer, low percentage shots are potted more often. The best part is, I always win.

Second, when I do play people I know I can easily win against, it helps with my confidence. I just have to remember to stay serious. A few hours of this every day has helped me out a lot.

I also like the other offer about keeping track of your games on paper, reviewing practice time afterwards, i might have to start doing that.

[mattyshinobi22]

thanks for that trev

am at that stage u described, i make 30s and 40s regular, made my highest break of 78 last week. but my shot selection later on in a break needs work.

but its hard getting to the next stage, i just wanna make a ton