Advice...

[Rob Martin]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, played snooker on and off for about 3 years. Want to start to take it a bit more seriously. I've got no idea where to start.
I go down my local club once or twice a week and pot a few balls whether it be with a friend or on my own.
I sometimes string together 4-5 balls, sometimes I struggle to find any sort of break.
Wouldn't mind some advice on what to do next, silly question maybe, but could someone help me out?

Cheers!

[AndyG]

Best way to take a step up is likely to be to find one of the better players at your local club and challenge them. You'll be picking balls out a lot but you'll see at first hand just how they can make the white ball do their bidding. The other thing that you can then look at is getting some coaching. There are plenty of very good coaches about, although I can't offer names near Yeovil, soz!

[Bigmeek]

Rob Getting a regular game against a player of a reasonable standard is a good start.I don't think I'd want to play someone who was way too good as picking the balls out of the pocket all the time is demoralising. Practice is very very important. Needs to be done in a fairly structured way. There's no point in just hammering the balls all over the place. There's loads of different practice routines available eg the line up. Its good to be able to measure whether you're improving or not. I'd definitely try to get a lesson from a good coach if that's possible. You need to develop a good technique right from the start. If you've got any more questions just post them up. There's loads of very knowledgeable guys on this forum.

[tornado taylor]

Rob Getting a regular game against a player of a reasonable standard is a good start.I don't think I'd want to play someone who was way too good as picking the balls out of the pocket all the time is demoralising. Practice is very very important. Needs to be done in a fairly structured way. There's no point in just hammering the balls all over the place. There's loads of different practice routines available eg the line up. Its good to be able to measure whether you're improving or not. I'd definitely try to get a lesson from a good coach if that's possible. You need to develop a good technique right from the start. If you've got any more questions just post them up. There's loads of very knowledgeable guys on this forum.

yep good advice that. another thing you might wanna try is look on youtube for some coaching advice. there is loads of stuff on there and like bigmeek said plenty of practise.

[hotpot]

Some good advise here , the first thing to worry about are the basics , ie , solid stance , firm bridge , keeping still on the shot , and trying to deliver the cue as straight as possible .

I would worry about these before thinking about potting a string of balls or trying to control the cue ball etc , yes these are very important aspects of the game but without sound and consistent basics these can become very frustrating and difficult on times mainly because of poor technique , bad habbits etc makes it hard to play good snooker consistently .

Pheraps i,m rabbiting on a bit but the point i,m trying to make is the importance of a good solid technique that gives you every chance to improve .

After you have the basics then you can concentrate on potting , touch , positional play , safety , shot selection , tactics , mental strength etc , etc .

But i wold deffinitely try and get the basics sound and correct first , this will give you the best chance to improve .

[Bigmeek]

Hotpot No rabitting! You're a wise man whose "been there before"!! A few pointers from someone who understands the game is worth its weight in gold.

[Rob Martin]

Ha. Cheers for the avice fellas! You'll be pleased to know I've sifted through the forms and youtube etc and come up with a few routines! As for playing against a better player, the club was dead this evening when I went in! I seem to be the only person keeping it open! Shame!

I gather the basics are hugely important! I have tried to implement them all but I now realise its probably better to be looked at by a coach. This leads me to my next question...

Does anybody know of a coach in or around the Yeovil area? I know its a long shot as Yeovil is pretty desolate really. However, I wouldn't mind travelling a little... Practical miles obviously

Cheers again for the advice though guys, I can see there is a wealth of experience here! Thanks very much!

[checkSide]

As everyone has told you...TECHNIQUE.

No.1 for a beginner.

[snookerdad]

I'm based at Chandler's Ford Snooker Club, near Southampton. Not exactly close - but it's a nice drive through a beautiful part of the World.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

[MasterBreak147]

I think when you start to string more balls together making consistent 20/30+ breaks then the best thing you could do (my opinion) is to play better players, although you would be picking more balls out you will learn allot faster and it would encourage you to focus more and try to stay at the table longer.
I learnt this same lesson myself and it does encourage you and makes you more determined not to let your partner in.

Good luck with your progress :snooker:

[Rob Martin]

I'm based at Chandler's Ford Snooker Club, near Southampton. Not exactly close - but it's a nice drive through a beautiful part of the World.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

Ah Tim, I'm aware of this route as I work in Salisbury. I think we may need to have a chat! Family live and breathe Portsmouth though!
Its not too far to be honest and if it means getting the right technique then it'll probably be worth it. Maybe we could sort something out?

[snookerdad]

Hi Rob

You can ring me on 02380 562647 for a chat.

Tim

[Gargon]

I would advise just to keep playing against different players whenever you can and try some coaching.