Moochy has arrived

[moochy]

Good Afternoon All

Got into snooker about a year ago, we'd go to the local pub and have a few drinks and play on their 8ft table, having never played before my mates would constantly wipe the floor with me, I persisted though and do on occasion win a frame or two.

Started playing on the big table a few months later and have really got hooked, so much better than the pub table, been to the Legends tour last year and going again this year, went to the UK Finals at Telford and also the Snooker Shootout VIP in Blackpool at the end of January.

My mate has got us both into the Sheffield Academy too for a training day, its one of those gift experiences, can't wait for that as I so so need some tips.

My current frustrations are positioning the cue ball and being a consistent potter, I'll go for what seems to be an absolute sitter only to miss the thing, this saps my confidence, especially when my mate is so much better at the game than me, he pots everything in site most games and I'm constantly setting him up.

Getting the white ball to go where I want to on the table would help, any tips from you guys would help.

Thanks Guys

Moochy

[nrage]

Practice.

To practice position you can do several different things, but it all boils down to the same things, learning to think about position, learning how the balls interact with the cue and each other, and learning how hard to hit things. Add to that, learning how fast a particular table is when you get more advanced.

Some simple steps/ideas..

1. Before you get down on a shot, decide where you want the white to go, imagine it doing it, and imagine/feel how hard you think you have to cue to achieve it. (classic Nic Barrow coaching tips)

Remember: If you're hitting the object ball full ball, most of the power goes into the object ball. If you're hitting the object ball a fine cut, the reverse is true. For shots around 1/2 ball, the split is 50/50. (tip from FargoBilliards - youtube)

2. Play the shot. Watch the object ball pot, do not watch the white. After 2-3 sec, stand up. Where is the white? Too hard, too soft? Replace the balls and repeat until you get it right 4/5 times, or 8/10.

Remember: Practice each style of shot, from full or nearly full ball to fine cuts using plain ball, stun, screw, and top. Use the black spot, or the blue spot and play for close range positions before moving on to longer range ones.

3. Here is a little game you can play to help learn the pace of the table, and how hard you have to hit to send the white/object ball a certain distance.

Take the white, in hand, in the D. Play it up the table with the aim to get it to stop on the pink spot. It can go direct, off the top cushion, or off any combination of cushions, just make it stop on the pink spot. Assuming you fail, leave the white there, take a red, in hand, in the D. Play it up the table into the white, with the aim to knock the white onto the pink spot. It can knock it direct, off the top cushion, or any combination of cushions.

I think you'll be surprised just how softly you need to hit to send a ball from the D to the pink spot. This game is ideal for practicing safety also. Credit goes to forcefollow for this idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8lRrLVBUVs

My record is 7 shots (including initial shot with white) and I've managed that a couple of times. The first time I played I think I went through all the reds without succeeding. You can clear reds from play, if they're getting in the way but it's better to leave them and learn to play around them.

[RedThunder]

Practice.

To practice position you can do several different things, but it all boils down to the same things, learning to think about position, learning how the balls interact with the cue and each other, and learning how hard to hit things. Add to that, learning how fast a particular table is when you get more advanced.

Some simple steps/ideas..

1. Before you get down on a shot, decide where you want the white to go, imagine it doing it, and imagine/feel how hard you think you have to cue to achieve it. (classic Nic Barrow coaching tips)

Remember: If you're hitting the object ball full ball, most of the power goes into the object ball. If you're hitting the object ball a fine cut, the reverse is true. For shots around 1/2 ball, the split is 50/50. (tip from FargoBilliards - youtube)

2. Play the shot. Watch the object ball pot, do not watch the white. After 2-3 sec, stand up. Where is the white? Too hard, too soft? Replace the balls and repeat until you get it right 4/5 times, or 8/10.

Remember: Practice each style of shot, from full or nearly full ball to fine cuts using plain ball, stun, screw, and top. Use the black spot, or the blue spot and play for close range positions before moving on to longer range ones.

3. Here is a little game you can play to help learn the pace of the table, and how hard you have to hit to send the white/object ball a certain distance.

Take the white, in hand, in the D. Play it up the table with the aim to get it to stop on the pink spot. It can go direct, off the top cushion, or off any combination of cushions, just make it stop on the pink spot. Assuming you fail, leave the white there, take a red, in hand, in the D. Play it up the table into the white, with the aim to knock the white onto the pink spot. It can knock it direct, off the top cushion, or any combination of cushions.

I think you'll be surprised just how softly you need to hit to send a ball from the D to the pink spot. This game is ideal for practicing safety also. Credit goes to forcefollow for this idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8lRrLVBUVs

My record is 7 shots (including initial shot with white) and I've managed that a couple of times. The first time I played I think I went through all the reds without succeeding. You can clear reds from play, if they're getting in the way but it's better to leave them and learn to play around them.

@nrage
Great tips there. Off to practice now. Thanks.