Hello

[Oasisbobo]

Hi, My names George and I'm from Glasgow. I've been a big fan of snooker since the age of 8 and have been watching/following ever since. I don't play as often as I like to but whenever I do I can pot a ball or two, I wouldn't consider myself to have any great skill yet. Over the last few weeks I've had an urge to play a lot more so I've decided to join a club and just play as often as I can. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for an absolute beginner and what I should do first? What are good practices for me to do? Should I practice with someone? Advice for buying my own cue etc etc.

Hopefully see some of you around the forum.

Thanks.

[Neil Taperell]

Welcome George .

Use the 'Search' facility first of all . As there are lots of threads with the advice that you are looking for .

[Oasisbobo]

Thanks, just having a read through now, there is so much on here which is brilliant!

[Oasisbobo]

First practice session tonight, maybe 2 or 3 hours. Over the past month all I've wanted to do is play! I can't wait hopefully it goes well

[biffer]

hi bud, good luck with your first session tonight hope it goes well, later

[Oasisbobo]

Just back, had a nice three hour session and I have lots to report back on.

I started off potting a few blues into the middle pockets to loosen up and get my arm going then played a couple of frames which included some safety play. My whole game was much getter than I expected but of course I was missing a lot of easy balls. I practiced potting individual colours from their spots and I noticed I was missing a lot more pinks and blacks into the right corner pocket than the left. I also practiced potting the colours in order, the first three then the last three, I struggled with getting from brown to blue so I just split it into two practices.

One shot I really enjoyed was screwing off the blue into the pink.

I also noticed whenever I tried to play position on a ball I would more times than not end up on the cushion?

Occasionally I was potting three or four balls in a row which was nice and to end on a high note I got a new high break, 22. The last four colours. My previous high break was 18, the last three colours. It was nice to get over the 20 mark!

Any hints and tips would be appreciated!

[biffer]

It sounds like u had a mixed bag of a session, some positive some not, u got your highest break so that’s a great positive. Missing balls in one side of the table could be multiple factors but wouldn’t like to say without seeing u play as it could cause unwarranted negativity. but I think it comes down to practice, familiarity of the table, each table in a local club responds differently, same thing goes for landing on the cushion, learning the pace and weight of the positional shot on 1 table might respond differently on another, it just takes time, would suggest over hitting the shot while practicing though, I found it helps with judgement. If u have a fav table, it helps to play on it as much as u can as well; this will build confidence as u r gaining the knowledge of the table understanding how it runs.
good luck next time out mate, hope it goes well

[Oasisbobo]

Definitely a mixed bag. I think it was a lot more positive than negative. I'm just itching to go back. One think I also struggled with was hitting the ball in the centre but I think this will come with practice. I think my bridge hand was also inconsistent but again I think this is down to practice. I was also surprised I was able to concentrate pretty well for 3 hours sometimes I felt 'in the zone' which was cool. Hopefully I'll be able to get back during the week at some point for a couple of hours!

[biffer]

I’m itching to play too, my cue (which is my dad’s) is currently under repair (lose joint), so can’t wait to get it back and hit a few balls. Definitely all about practice, whether it’s a 1 hour or 3, as long as it has your full attention its time well spent.

[ayrshire_top]

Hi George, welcome to the forum. I'm down in Ayr and like you don't have any real ability but love playing. I've been playing for about 20 years now and have finally contacted a snooker coach for tuition and I can't wait! Enjoy the forum and keep in touch! Tommy :-)

[Oasisbobo]

Thanks for the welcome guys! I think I first played on a full size table maybe 8 years ago now but never often enough that my game would improve much. Now for some reason I have an urge to play every day. I'm pretty confident I can make good progress with my game. Hopefully get a couple of hour in during the week then maybe some more on Friday or Saturday again!

[Oasisbobo]

I've got a couple of practice sessions planed. One tomorrow for 2 hours, one on Friday or Saturday for 3 hours and then I'm having a game with my dad on the Wednesday. Really looking forward to them.

I had a couple of games of pool last night and noticed my potting was a lot better than previous times when I played pool.

[biffer]

hope the sessions go well, hope u knock in another break.