Tips to be a good snooker player

[liangwenbo]

Hi im a new member..

I've just played a good local player in my town and He regularly make more than 50 breaks in each game and He gave me some tips about how to play a good snooker.

1)Have to keep body healthy and fit,sleeping well(he didn't let me know more specific,anybody here got suggestions about this?)

2)Practise at least 5 hours a day,everyday.

Anyone here can add more?thanks

[daoc2006]

Tips to be a good snooker player

1 Practice as much as possible
2 Dont Ever Drink Alcholol when playing - try and get your opponent to have a few pints during a match, he will slowly get worse and worse while you stay focused.
3 Try and play better players than your self
4 Make up routines to practice, like for example put blue on its on own spot, and place white on yellow spot and practice the long blue into the far left corner
5 When playing in a frame or a match, it is key to be mentally strong, and dont let luck or any shot have a bad effect on you. Just play the game. I know sometimes its hard, but mental strength is the key to snooker.
6 Determination - Only reason (apart from sheer ability) why Hendry has won so much is that he wanted it so much, if you dont have determination when your playing, then dont play snooker, you want to win, its natural to feel good after any win in anything. If you "play for pleasure" i see that is pointless, if you dont play to win then why play, wheres the pleasure in missing easy balls, ultimatley wheres the pleasure in losing.
7 Try and get into a good "playing mood" before a match, I dont know why but it works for me, try watching the following video before you play your self.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3WgISe...DDF661&index=5

Stephen Hendry 130 total clearence 1994 UK Final - personally if I watch good snooker before I play, I seem to play better! And it puts you in the right frame of mind.

Also it puts you in a good frame of mind if you go and excercise in the morning of a match, ie your match or frames with your opponents is booked for 2pm, a good bike ride in the morning will make you feel better and you will feel fitter when playing.

8 Have confidence in your ability - when I play my mate at snooker in a real game, there have been times when i fall 3,4,5 frames behind, but I know I can still win, Even if i went 7-0 down I know im capable of still winning and if you can win from having a big deficit, against a player you know very well, sometimes that player will start to crumble when you really turn it on. Putting dought into your opponent is a powerful tool you can learn as you play more and more.

[poolqjunkie]

Hi im a new member..

I've just played a good local player in my town and He regularly make more than 50 breaks in each game and He gave me some tips about how to play a good snooker.

1)Have to keep body healthy and fit,sleeping well(he didn't let me know more specific,anybody here got suggestions about this?)

2)Practise at least 5 hours a day,everyday.

Anyone here can add more?thanks

Is your friend a pro? Making 50+ break in each game is pretty good.
Did he say what he practises in those 5 hours?
Thank you.

[liangwenbo]

yes..he is the oceania champion 2005..his name is rudy sulaeman,u can search his name in google..he is no 1 in melbourne now..

[poolqjunkie]

Thanks for the reply. I thought you were from China, so I guess you are living in Australia now, is that right?

[liangwenbo]

yes im british born chinese and studying in australia now..i hope we can share some tips about how to play better..

[snooker_wiz]

Is your name David Deng ?

[liangwenbo]

No..Im not David Deng.

[poolqjunkie]

Welcome to the forum. I have learned a lot since I joined, and I wish you the same.
It muct be nice to practise with someone who plays as good as your friend ona daily basis. You must be quite good yourslef. Are you planning on turning pro?
What do your friend suggest you to practise?
I am starting to jog in the morning. I used to stay up real late, but I am working on sleeping earlier to put my time back to normal, sicne lots of tournamnet starts in the morning. I also try to practise in the morning sometimes, so I do nto feel awkward with those morninging sessions. I used to feel real strange when I had to play someone in the morning.

[Ari_vatanen]

1)Study Steve Davis`s technique(the 80`s are a bit better),imo he taught the modern day players the importance of stance,cue action etc dont think there would be as many good players if Alex Higgins was copied.

2) As much practice as your life or wife allows.

3) Playing for money.

[Blondie]

1 Practice as much as possible
2 Dont Ever Drink Alcholol when playing - try and get your opponent to have a few pints during a match, he will slowly get worse and worse while you stay focused.
3 Try and play better players than your self
4 Make up routines to practice, like for example put blue on its on own spot, and place white on yellow spot and practice the long blue into the far left corner
5 When playing in a frame or a match, it is key to be mentally strong, and dont let luck or any shot have a bad effect on you. Just play the game. I know sometimes its hard, but mental strength is the key to snooker.
6 Determination - Only reason (apart from sheer ability) why Hendry has won so much is that he wanted it so much, if you dont have determination when your playing, then dont play snooker, you want to win, its natural to feel good after any win in anything. If you "play for pleasure" i see that is pointless, if you dont play to win then why play, wheres the pleasure in missing easy balls, ultimatley wheres the pleasure in losing.
7 Try and get into a good "playing mood" before a match, I dont know why but it works for me, try watching the following video before you play your self.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3WgISe...DDF661&index=5

Stephen Hendry 130 total clearence 1994 UK Final - personally if I watch good snooker before I play, I seem to play better! And it puts you in the right frame of mind.

Also it puts you in a good frame of mind if you go and excercise in the morning of a match, ie your match or frames with your opponents is booked for 2pm, a good bike ride in the morning will make you feel better and you will feel fitter when playing.

8 Have confidence in your ability - when I play my mate at snooker in a real game, there have been times when i fall 3,4,5 frames behind, but I know I can still win, Even if i went 7-0 down I know im capable of still winning and if you can win from having a big deficit, against a player you know very well, sometimes that player will start to crumble when you really turn it on. Putting dought into your opponent is a powerful tool you can learn as you play more and more.

Hey Daoc,

..good post, and enjoyed watching Stephen's 130 clearance again, thanks for sharing.

And welcome to the forum Liang, a couple of other things that might help:

1. Develop a good stance, and find your 'balance'. When you are 'solid' on the shot, you will be able to pot with more consistency.

2. Practice on different tables. This will get you used to 'playing' on all types of tables and conditions. And also the 'different speeds', and varying specs of certain tables. Will also prepare you more for when you play in tournaments.

3. Play and practice with a partner who is a better player than you, and have regular matches with them to 'monitor' your improvement.

4. Be dedicated, what you put into the game, you will get out of the game. Set yourself some 'goals' of what you want to achieve.

5. 'Apply' tactics during a match, whether you play an 'attacking' style to get into a winning position, or play 'safe'.

6. And like 'Rudy' said too, keep healthy and sleep well. The night before a match, go to bed early, and try not to eat a 'big' meal before your match either as this will sap your energy.

And enjoy your snooker Liang, all the best.

Lol.....xx

[Piruz]

Hi.

I think, you need more than just practice.

It´s 80 % mental, 15 % Hardwork and 5 % talent.
I mean, I have seen people who practice every day at least 2-3 hours a day.
Well, I know brothers, that do just that. They come to club every day after work, practice alone 2-4 hours, then play match together 1-3 hours EVERYDAY. But, anothers best break is 73, others 56 (I dont remember precise breaks) but they do 50 breaks very rarely. They have been playing 2-3 years (at least). But I havent seen big improve in their games. So it isnt just big amount of practice, because otherwise they should make centuries every day!

I was hooked in this game too couple years ago, and have practiced a lot! Sometimes even 5-7 hours a day, but my best break is still under 50. And I make one +30 break in week. Today, I decided to quit playing snooker. I broke off my cue (yes, I broke my shaft in two pieces). It was a very good cue, but why should I use hundreds of euros (at least 100 pounds) in month for practice, if I cant enjoy playing anymore, and cant improve in game.

This isnt, like some finnish snooker players said to me, me whining about my game, this is my opinion, that snooker is, like many other sports, a game of talent.

So keep practicing, maybe someday you will be in Main Tour playing and we can only be jealous to you. I hope young kids, and junior players can understand, that they are the hope of this game, so it wont be forgotten in future. So good luck to everyone with game of snooker!

[dannyd0g]

Hi.

I think, you need more than just practice.

It´s 80 % mental, 15 % Hardwork and 5 % talent.
I mean, I have seen people who practice every day at least 2-3 hours a day.
Well, I know brothers, that do just that. They come to club every day after work, practice alone 2-4 hours, then play match together 1-3 hours EVERYDAY. But, anothers best break is 73, others 56 (I dont remember precise breaks) but they do 50 breaks very rarely. They have been playing 2-3 years (at least). But I havent seen big improve in their games. So it isnt just big amount of practice, because otherwise they should make centuries every day!

I was hooked in this game too couple years ago, and have practiced a lot! Sometimes even 5-7 hours a day, but my best break is still under 50. And I make one +30 break in week. Today, I decided to quit playing snooker. I broke off my cue (yes, I broke my shaft in two pieces). It was a very good cue, but why should I use hundreds of euros (at least 100 pounds) in month for practice, if I cant enjoy playing anymore, and cant improve in game.

This isnt, like some finnish snooker players said to me, me whining about my game, this is my opinion, that snooker is, like many other sports, a game of talent.

So keep practicing, maybe someday you will be in Main Tour playing and we can only be jealous to you. I hope young kids, and junior players can understand, that they are the hope of this game, so it wont be forgotten in future. So good luck to everyone with game of snooker!

Sorry you've come to this decision piruz. I know how you feel and i imagine most other players do too. Several times after playing hoplessly badly ive said to myself that im not going to play any more. On one occasion i have also smashed a cue over the side of the table.

For me, the occasional times when it feels as if things are going as intended bring a lot of satifaction though, so i have persevered.

I hope in time you may feel the urge to pick up a cue knock a few balls around again.

Interesting percentages - Personally I would rate talent much more important than a 5 % factor. More like at least 60 % talent, 20 % hard work, 20 % mental (if this includes concentration/focus though it could be more important than that)

[poolqjunkie]

Well, it takes a lot of hard work and practise to become as good as you can be, and I think you cant really ask for more than that.
It is true that some people might be more gifted, but I believe a less talented player can still be a great player.
Also, I have found that systematic practise is very important. What I mean is that you need to target at one aspect of your game when you practise a certain drill, and you need to really pay attention and focus while you are practising.
In my humble opinion, practise is like studying for an exam. Some people make the most out of their study time, and some are just going through the motion blindly without gaining much at the end. It does not mean the latter type is not "talented"--they simply do not know how to study effectively. Once they do, there is no stopping them form becoming an A+ student. We see examples like this all the time in school--a student has been doing poorly for a while and all the sudden, he meets a certain teacher or tutor and he has a break through. May be this teacher encourages him, or is particularly patience or whatever...but usually, it is just that the student has finally learnt the way to learn.
I remember reading an interview of Ding a couple years back. Everyone was calling him a prodigy, but he said he was not as talented as some of the players he had met--he considered himself however one of the most hard working player.
I am working very hard on my game eveyday and I can feel that I am making improvement. Sometimes, I feel really good and sometimes really bad about my game. I always think of my bad experience as a valuable learning experience. I will try to figure out what went wrong and work on those aspects. May be I will never be a great player, I dont know. But I still want to give it all I have, and I am having lots of fun playing the game.
Wish you will keep enjoying your game.

[liangwenbo]

and also..good cue..do u think having a very good quality cue will improve my game??