Line up top break

[Starsky]

Morning Danger Steve,
I pre point routine in snooker could be anything you do while preparing to take your shot . If you do the same thing every time you prepare then hopefully it will help keeping those negative thoughts at bay by focusing on the routine instead of thinking too much . It’s used a lot in sports like tennis, table tennis , golf etc. With a prime example in tennis or table tennis with the bouncing of the ball on the court/table before they throw up the ball.

It’s things like chalking your cue a certain amount of times on your shot, getting down onto the shot in a certain way .

It’s what works for you at the end of the day .

I used to use it during matches in another sport and after getting back into snooker again recently have found that coaches in snooker are now teaching it .

Have a google and you’ll get a better description from a coach online than me here

Just don’t copy the routine Alex Higgins used to do and you’ll be alright

[Danger Steve]

Are right OK, sorry I thought this was something different from a pre ‘shot’ routine as I would call it. Same thing though by the sounds of it..

Yes it is something I try to follow even on a simple straight shot, although I do like to play quickly while I’m in a rhythm so I try to keep the routine quite short!

[Starsky]

Are right OK, sorry I thought this was something different from a pre ‘shot’ routine as I would call it. Same thing though by the sounds of it..

Yes it is something I try to follow even on a simple straight shot, although I do like to play quickly while I’m in a rhythm so I try to keep the routine quite short!

Yeah , don’t over think it . Keep it short and what works best for you, good luck !.

[Cue crafty]

Good advice Starsky - Im one of the unfortunate one's this doesnt always work for, so as another edge to this... What has helped me is to understand this and when the "gremlin" appears who tells me i might miss (maybe on third feather, whatever?) I say in my head.. " Your F'ing going in"! Its just a little determination mindset that helps some of us who struggle with focus.

[Starsky]

Good advice Starsky - Im one of the unfortunate one's this doesnt always work for, so as another edge to this... What has helped me is to understand this and when the "gremlin" appears who tells me i might miss (maybe on third feather, whatever?) I say in my head.. " Your F'ing going in"! Its just a little determination mindset that helps some of us who struggle with focus.

I’d suggest you say that in your head and not out aloud

[Csmith]

How do you guys hold it together when your close to beating a previous high break? I’ve been struggling on my mini lineup with 9 reds (tricky with only two cushions and one pocket on my half built table), I’ve got as far as 6 reds 6 blacks then the realisation hits that I could get all 9 and it all goes Pete Tong!

I'll agree with the suggestions of focusing on the pre-shot routine. The key to consistency is doing the same things the same way every time. You can be as positive as you like, but if you change the way you approach or execute a shot because you are nervous, your chances of potting it will go down. So you need to approach a shot while on a break of 50 in the same way as you approach a shot while on a break of 16. There is no material difference between the two. That's one of the big things that happens as you get more accustomed to making certain breaks. You just play without thinking about it too much.

The other thing is I think players will start to cinch balls and play simpler, more basic position as the break gets higher and closer to their high breaks. They get scared to miss so they play the shot a bit softer (or harder) and maybe change how they would play the position. But this total risk-averse approach will spoil your break because you likely aren't getting into the optimal position. So once again, you have to play the pot while on a big break the same as you would while on a break 8.

Finally, I think there may be some value in spending some time practicing while not counting. This would hopefully help you just get in the zone and just potting balls without worrying about high breaks. I know that I can't tell you when I made my first line century because I had a few blind runs of 12-13 reds before I counted over 100. I think it is important to count breaks for the most part because you can get a better idea of how you are doing throughout the session and it's practice for competition where you probably don't want to leave it entirely up to your opponent to count. But maybe spending a bit of time just potting without keeping score could be helpful.

[Danger Steve]

Good advice! Thanks for that

[Starsky]

I'll agree with the suggestions of focusing on the pre-shot routine. The key to consistency is doing the same things the same way every time. You can be as positive as you like, but if you change the way you approach or execute a shot because you are nervous, your chances of potting it will go down. So you need to approach a shot while on a break of 50 in the same way as you approach a shot while on a break of 16. There is no material difference between the two. That's one of the big things that happens as you get more accustomed to making certain breaks. You just play without thinking about it too much.

The other thing is I think players will start to cinch balls and play simpler, more basic position as the break gets higher and closer to their high breaks. They get scared to miss so they play the shot a bit softer (or harder) and maybe change how they would play the position. But this total risk-averse approach will spoil your break because you likely aren't getting into the optimal position. So once again, you have to play the pot while on a big break the same as you would while on a break 8.

Finally, I think there may be some value in spending some time practicing while not counting. This would hopefully help you just get in the zone and just potting balls without worrying about high breaks. I know that I can't tell you when I made my first line century because I had a few blind runs of 12-13 reds before I counted over 100. I think it is important to count breaks for the most part because you can get a better idea of how you are doing throughout the session and it's practice for competition where you probably don't want to leave it entirely up to your opponent to count. But maybe spending a bit of time just potting without keeping score could be helpful.

That’s great advice there CSmith, especially the bit regarding playing the same shots when you get to a higher break. It’s the main thing that holds club players back . They/we focus too much on what they are trying to achieve break wise and it can hold you back in your development as you put way too much pressure on yourself .
Anyone who tells me they have made a 50 break I tell that they can make a ton as it’s just the same break again . It’s really that simple and the rest is on your head ...

[Danger Steve]

I must admit, as the break gets higher I do start to look for simple shots that don’t necessarily give the best position, that’s definitely something I need to work on if I’m gonna clear this 9 red line up!