hi guys, is filming my game a good idea?

[jimtable10]

hi folks, im new to the site and am looking forward to sharing our beautiful game with you all!
I have played snooker on and off for many years and although my highest break is 121, it was a long time ago and always doubted that i would ever come close to it again having had about eight years away from regular practice.
However, with more and more visits the he Atack snooker club in my local town, my game has suddenly improved massively in the last 12 months resulting in my highest break for years last night, a fine effort of 94.
I am not entirely happy though and wondered what you guys think about setting up a camera, or getting a mate to film my practice.
Would the fact that I can see myself playing help me to improve, or not, any thoughts?

[Belloz22]

ive done this several times and you can fall into the trap of playing for the camera and not playing your natural game

[adey8ball]

hi there tried a couple of times but i felt wary of it and then played awful. maybe worth a try though.

[jarcher]

hi guys, is filming my game a good idea?

I've done this too, but I actually set up the camera on a tripod on top of another table, so the view was similar to that on TV. As it was out of the road, I forgot it was there and played my normal game

[Terry Davidson]

As a coach, I use a video camera with most of my students and it is especially helpful with the more experienced students since sometimes during the delivery when everything happens so fast it's very tough to actually see what's going on. You can download the freeware 'Kinovea' onto your computer and this allows you to look at the video frame-by-frame and you can really tell when the cue goes off line or whatever else is happening.

The tough part is trying to find the root cause for not delivering the cue straight as sometimes that can be hard to spot

Terry

[pottr]

Atack Snooker Club - A fellow Nuneaton lad?

[maxz]

yea great idea. like

[jimtable10]

yes pottr! ive been using the place for years now

[jimtable10]

thanks terry, wise words i feel. the biggest problem i am going to have with it - having decided to give it a go - is that i am absolutely hopeless with my computer and would not know where to start with getting the footage onto my laptop! I do have a mate who is handy at it though so i will have a word with him. would you advise putting the camera close to be able to get a more detailed view of my cue action, or would an angle similar to the tv coverage work?

[jarcher]

thanks terry, wise words i feel. the biggest problem i am going to have with it - having decided to give it a go - is that i am absolutely hopeless with my computer and would not know where to start with getting the footage onto my laptop! I do have a mate who is handy at it though so i will have a word with him. would you advise putting the camera close to be able to get a more detailed view of my cue action, or would an angle similar to the tv coverage work?

I think it really depends on what you want to work on... if it's your cue action, then definitely close, directly behind the cue line, directly in front of the cue and side views... if it's more to review on the likes of shot selection and to notice where you keep breaking down on break building etc... then the TV type view works.

Make sure on the side view, that you can see the tip right up close to the white, and at the same time... that your arm is vertical over the butt of the cue... at least that way you can see if part of your cueing is set up correctly... the front and rear views are to check for movement when doing the backswing and follow through etc.

[pottr]

Thought I was the only one. I play for the Atack in the Hinckley League on Monday nights.

[Terry Davidson]

pottr:

I used to play in the Hinckley League out of the Top Spot in Glenfield (Leicester) back in the late 80's. We used to have matches at the Atack Club and their lead player was Mick Price who I had some battles with as he was a bit better than me at that time.

Does he still play at all? If so, say hello to him for me as I'm sure he will remember me as we used to travel to the pro ticket tournaments together in those days.

Terry

[pottr]

Yeah, Mick still plays for the Atack in the local league. Even though his modesty won't allow him to admit it he's still about the best player in town. Almost made a maximum in the single frame league last year.

I haven't been over to topspot for a while. Used to go over and play there regular. Some useful lads to practice with like Gavin Lomax etc.

I'll say hello to Pricey for you when I see him in the week.