Reasons for your major breakthrough of your game?

[MattCash]

Strangely the major break through in my game was by not playing I play in a local pool league, and i did not have one game of snooker through out the league. After it ended i decided to get back on to snooker, which was difficult, i had to re-learn everything again, but i played and practised more than ever just to get back to the standard i was, instead i ended up improving.

I would recommend leaving the game for a few months, and then reintroducing yourself to it to anyone

[RocketRoy1983]

Snooker is all in the mind. Always think positive when potting a ball. As I tell my pupils I coach...Dont be afraid to leave your opponent in if you miss. That kind of thinking, chances are, will make you miss the pot.

Whether you think you can..or whether you think you cant..your probably right

[noel]

Snooker is all in the mind. Always think positive when potting a ball. As I tell my pupils I coach...Dont be afraid to leave your opponent in if you miss. That kind of thinking, chances are, will make you miss the pot.

Whether you think you can..or whether you think you cant..your probably right

Roy... you are so right about about that...

Yesterday I was cradling a huge armload of dryed laundry, walking between the houses from our laundry room in the back to come in our front door.

There was 2" of snow on the ground and the wind was howling, vision obscured... I walked briskly.
For a split second I thought, and worried, about dropping a sock or knickers from this awkward pile in my arms...
Just then I turned and looked back over my shoulder... and there was a sock in the snow!
I looked at it in SHOCK.
Either the sock had called out to me subliminally that it had fallen.... (of COURSE it did) .. or...
my negative thought created that reality...

Believing it was the latter... I am determined to not let that phenomenon affect my game!


=o)

Noel

[RocketRoy1983]

My good friend Noel. Your humour tickles me but there are kids reading this so can we be serious Noel for the kids? For the KIDS NOEL dammit!

[checkSide]

They need to learnn the important sock lesson.

Although is usually happens to me on the way to the laundry!

[garythenab]

I've started playing well in matches lately and i put it down to the fact that i'm staying sill on the shot. My confidence is up so I feel less pressure. And i've stopped playing bums and started practicing hard on my own (mostly line ups), done me the world of good.

[baldblindgit]

in the early 1980's i had lost yet another match in the local institutes senior k.o. i chatted after to my opponent, a very good, solid local player. In my snooker life up to then i had been a very dour, 'safe' player also quite slow. He said i should simply go for more shots, play more briskly, just basically give it a whirl. what had i got to lose?
Virtually overnight i changed my style to a much more brisk and positive way, also playing a lot more 'stun' and stun run through shots in contrast to just rolling them. Also and i kid you not i began to knock in 50's 60's 70's etc on a regualar basis and in 'quick time' to, basically a new mental approach to the game. This also released my own inate natural ability.
For the rest of that decade i had a good run of form, winning some tourneys and generally getting a great deal of satisfaction and fun from the game.

[black7]

Believe it or not,it was a dietry change.Had to alter my diet for medical reasons and started to eat much more green vegies and fruit every day and after a few weeks my sight was sharper and my concentration was 80% better.Try it for yourselves,diet and fitness are often overlooked by many players.

[Welshsteve]

I need a bit of a kick on at the moment. A year and half ago I got a new cue and it transformed my game. Up until then I'd never got a break over 50. Now I've had loads of them and have a highest of 95. But in match play in recent months my game has been suffering, despite playing well in practice. I think it's a concentration thing as sometimes I just don't approach every shot and prepare in the same way, which I know I should. I do think a lot of it is down to a lack of practice, as I've been very busy and haven't been able to dedicate as much time as I would like to my game.

[ToBad4U]

Believe it or not,it was a dietry change.Had to alter my diet for medical reasons and started to eat much more green vegies and fruit every day and after a few weeks my sight was sharper and my concentration was 80% better.Try it for yourselves,diet and fitness are often overlooked by many players.

This is amazing because I experienced the exact same through diet and fitness.

BTW...I also stopped drinking beer before I play now.

[Theguywithaplan]

I now now play faster, and get more consistant breaks. And also I started focusing on my cueing as much as or more than the shots themselves which has had great effects for my potting.

[jimbyjoe]

Even though I'm only playing pub pool, my game inproved significantly when I got cue ball control, or moreso, positioning. Since I started concentrating on that, I've won the last 6 nights that I play with my mate (we play first to 5), and out of those nights he's won 9 vs my 35. And he used to flog me all the time!

[MattCash]

a recent change in cueing and stance have helped my game.

[Welshsteve]

BTW...I also stopped drinking beer before I play now.

I have done the same. I'm much better without beer in me

[circle]

interesting replies

A the beginning of my snooker career my first significant improvements came by getting coaching and abandoning my 1st cue.

Solo practice was essential for me, many line ups, with the reds in various positions and went from 147s to trying to make a low a total clearancance as i could

Long potting, long blues, very worth while.


However, the biggest single factor in my improvement was reducing the pressure and expectancy i imposed on myself. Some days the breaks just dont come and i dont worry, before it would frustrate me and hinder my practice session.