The line-up and break building

[GilgamesH]

I was just wondering how big breaks you do on the line-up?

In the line up I do 50s and 60s all the time and have couple of times made all the reds with colours(99,104). I was just wondering in what standard i´m in.

I´m just a beginner in the game of snooker and I do regularly 30+ breaks in games, but my best break is only 38 (Update 22.6 - 45 ) ! I feel that i should do 50 breaks but i seem to miss a very easy pot or run out of position after 30 point mark.
Any with similar problems? Should I continue on doing the line up or is there any better routines I could work on to improve my break building?

[kev147]

i am about in the same position as you my highest competition break is 58 i still think i could improve a person in my club told me that my stance was wrong maybe that is the problem

[reverse_side]

how do you feel when u address the ball kev? firm, bit wavy, moving, still, solid, flaky?

[Sonny]

I like to have good discipline in line ups and not cannon any balls before I'm on 70, if I do then I start again. I do have a bad habit of removing the most awkward red first though - the one closest to the black towards the pink

[kev147]

the main problem for most players is when they play a cannon off a colour into reds. What alot of players do is take their eye off the white and concentrate more on a pot and end up missing the cannon i get to about 50 and then haveto play a cannon and occasionly miss itor it goes wrong but that should all improve in time as i have only been playing 5 years and everyone else in my club has been playing at least 13 years.

[reverse_side]

wouldn't be a bad time for gilgamesh computer to come back in here...

you could have a bash at billiards kev; it helps gauge angles and when you can relax on a shot where you can't avoid a cannon to continue a break, you'll be more confident in getting one and therefore more likely to get it. using a ball as a stopper so you develop some reds but hold posiion on another red that is pottable even if you don't end up on a developoed red is a good knack to practice.
It is surprising that you may play for years and years but still find yourself learning and improving.
Have you had a chance to look at what the Club players think may be wrong with your stance?

[kev147]

i never actchly thought of that.thanks ill try that. i have also got a 6 by 3 table and a set of full size snooker balls and with the pockets being smaller i need to be more accrute to pot a ball

[reverse_side]

"Hooooj Balls" Kev; nice ring to it. our club's pockets are tighter than any table in anywhere I've EVER played in - Cheshire, Sheffield & District, Hampshire, London, and now in Welwyn & District; but coz I took some photos of them to comapre with 'normal' ones, we're getting them widened - only taken the 10 years I've been down here!

have you had a go at the bottle technique? let us know, I've yet to.... I think I'd be laughing too much!

[Nat5guns]

Have u ever done the practice with 3 reds in a cluster behind the pink (like a mini-pack), 1 red both sides of the black and 1 behind it, near the cush. What u do is pot all the reds with colours, then dish the colours. But make sure when ure on the final black u leave an angle to get back up to the yellow again. I find this practice useful and not too demanding, once u start to do this practice regulary put 6 reds in behind the pink.

[GilgamesH]

thank you all from these replies!

I think my stance is pretty good and solid. I had it fixed about 3 month ago and that improved my game a lot.

but cannoning in to the pack from a colour is a problem.
Especially from black to the pack I tend to make to black ,but hardly
ever gain a decent position for the next red.

I'll have to try Nat5guns routine, it sounds pretty good.

I'm having a little summer holiday break from snooker but ill be back in training table in couple of weeks.

[kev147]

i think ive found where ive been going wrong today i discoverd my cue was slightly warped and the tip was loose aswell (not a good combination) i have fixed the tip with some super glue but i am considering a new cue there is some good ones for sale in my club

[reverse_side]

bonus, better to have dodgy equipment than to have to play with your technique - what was your verdict on how straight you were queing in the mirror kev?

Gilgamesh looks like you're another happy customer - another thing to mention is that there's a fair percentage of players that would be struggling to even pot a half-ball black off the spot; so to struggle on getting position after you've potted the black isn't too bad - you might wanna make sure that the table's looked after and it's as quick as possible so the reds split as much as possible. The less pace you play the black the better sometimes so you can control which red you cannon, the spot the white's gonna end up and keep the reds nearby.
I suppose another element of your game you could work on is your imagination and visualisation of exactly the path the white will take off every shot. You can then compare that with what actually happens and hopefully the two will merge into the same outcome eventually.
A useful cannoning shot I like to rely on is potting the blue and stopping the white with reds round the pink - this allows you to practice cannons in an actual match if you haven't the time to do it on your own.

Good luck when you pick your cue up again Gilga - feel the tingle.

[kev147]

i think my cueing is ok i got a new cue yesterday and was playing better than i ever have i had a break of 90 within 3 frames of playing with it wich is my new highest break with my other cue i only had 58

[jrchan]

Same problem here too. I have difficultly mantaining my concentration after making breaks of 30 or above and misses simple pot easily. My highest break is 64 and i made a couples of 50s before. I find it hard to continue the break as most of the balls left on the table are those tight on cushion or still in a clustor. Having difficultly to pot those near cushion ball, especially those very close but not touching the cushion balls.

[reverse_side]

Sweet Kev. Your cue retailer'd be chuffed - you might get some commission if you show the way for any other member who wants to add 50% on to their personal best! Maybe I should do a Michael Jackson with some other players and tell em to, "start with the man (or Pollita) in the mirror". Invoice in the post.


As for Jrchan, what can help is if you're practicing against a decent player and you play a few safeties first and open up the balls so it's easier to pot more of them. What can tend to happen is you go for a few pots, miss a few colours, the reds rattle and go up the cushions and the colours are awkward when you eventually start to string a few together. Many a decent break starts with a few guarded safety shots.... or a kind run of the balls when you split the reds off a colour.

Let us know when you join the Century Club Kev; aint gonna be long at the rate you're going - you in a team that'll be amazed at your summer progress?