Hey everyone!

[FastNFuriousCue]

Hi everyone, my real name is Sam and I am 15 years old. I first picked up a cue when I was 13 and I've been playing pretty much non-stop since. My highest break is 57, but it's going up a lot recently, a few months ago I couldn't get above 30. I'm hoping to improve my game by joining this forum.

Thanks

[reverse_side]

Welcome Sam You're joining a few youngster bungster members already - I was about 20 years ago!! Sounds like you might be quite hungry to read a few posts; we've a few people with a tip or two... get crackin. Hope you can watch Eurosport atm, Henders is somehow managing to make a fist of the N.I Trophy. .

[FastNFuriousCue]

Thank you. I do need some tips on positional shots actually, I'm a very good potter, I've no problem with that side of the game it's just that I mainly concentrate on the pot rather than going for position and that's why my highest break is just 57. I often play dangerous rather than safety and I'm a very attacking player so I'l need tips there too.

[reverse_side]

we've a box full of tips.... 57's pretty good though, you must have a decent grasp of things. Check out http://www.thesnookerforum.com/commu...read.php?t=579 for a few accounts of some juniors catapulting themselves into higher breaks... I did say to Nat5Guns that he cud be a good role model for improvement... it might be coming true. I'll put up your break when you get there if you like. Attack's great as long as you don't lose because of it. I used to be the same too, but once you play for a team in a league or doubles in a competition, you've got more responsibilities... or on the more positive side, more reasons to play well.

[FastNFuriousCue]

Thanks, I've had a look through that thread. I'm going to play tonight with my brother's mate, well my mate as well actually who's 17 he always thrashes but what the hell. It gets annoying because he plays such a tactical game which I just can't do and that's also what I'm trying to work on.

57 isn't bad but I see someone the same age as me in the other thread with 113!! I consistently hit in 30 breaks, and 40 and sometimes 50 but then I run out of positon and play a really ambitious sht and ruin it all lol.

[FastNFuriousCue]

We played 5 frames and I ended up losing 4-1 but he is 2 years older than me and I was never going to win. I hit in plenty of long pots but didn't get any high breaks because of it. My highest was 52 in the frame I won, I missed an easy black that could have given me 59, my highest ever. but it just wobbled in the jaws and didn't go in.

My other breaks were 32,34,48. I had a chance to win all th frames but my safety play waasn't good at all and threw a couple of them away. I am improving though, hopefully I'll get my first 60 break soon.

[reverse_side]

any break within touching distance of your highest ever is an achievement, xlnt. When I'm trying to beat my highest for the year or even that particular session, it's good just to try and play every shot the best you can... and the right one! I know what you mean by your brother's mate playing tactically, it can be frustrating when you just want, "to pot as many bakks as you can", as one mate of mine says.... but if you have a chance to practice on your own, that unsatiable hunger will subside when you play against someone else, you can then play the odd safety and make the most of your chances when you, "get in amongst the balls". Another way of thinking about safety, is that it opens up the reds while keeping the colours on their spots (went down our club last night and we pulled all those silly tiddlywink spots off both match tables!)... this makes break building much easier as there's less safe reds to worry about. At 15 you'll naturally be less concerned with delaying a chance to pot a ball, at 18 (when I started playing properly) I was terrible for never playing safe but a (very) old guy called Les Hampshire (bless him, bout 75 or 80!) loved to challenge me and he was like Eddie Charlton, Terry Griffiths, Cliff Thorburn and Dene O'Kane all rolled into one...... on intravenous Prozac!! He was treating it like a challenge to himself to see if his safety game plus his (not so shabby) potting and break building could overpower the new hotshot.... we had many afternoon sessions that I eventually realised how useful refusing a few pots for the sake of winning was worth it. Having said that, there's one mate who can't resist and virtually goes for everything, but I suppose that's why I have to give him a 60 point headstart that I feel I should still win every frame...... though even if I restrict him to not scoring a single point coming into the last reds or even just the colours, he's still got a chance because of handicap.

Keep your chin up then Fastie, concentrate on being the best you can and this will inspire you to waltz past 57; just allow yourself to perform at your best and you will surprise yourself. 4 breaks over 30 in 5 frames shows that you've a level of consistency that would make a lot of SnookerForum members jealous; frustration about not playing to your potential is like being a sprinter and choosing to strap a car tyre on your back. I also think it's also much better to stroke in a lot of breaks just under your best ever, than to hit a wonder effort and then never get anywhere near it for ages - you seem to have the potential to steadily improve but maintain the heavy scoring.

As for the other guys in your age range, one had a high break of only 1 more than you last month, but managed to get it to over a ton with practice... and a new cue, so outlandinsh improvements are possible.

The main thing is to enjoy how you're playing bearing in mind the amount you can play in a week, the tuition you get, the advice you receive, your natutral ability etc... in other words, things you can't easily change, only get frustrated if you're not trying hard enough or smart enough; weigh up whether the great sound of smashing the odd red in from 11 feet away is worth seeing the next missed colour cost you 20 points or more and eventually the frame... if it is, don't worry about getting beaten, as winning isn't on the menu just yet. Once you can see the mechanics and formula for what it takes to beat someone, you can practice this theory over and over again - this will then become the habbit rather than losing many of your matches. Have fun next time.

[FastNFuriousCue]

Sometimes I know I shouldn't go for a longpot at the start of a frame but I end up going for it and when I miss it often costs me the frame, I get all ****ed off and play terrible lol. How did that person go from 58 to over a ton in just one month? I can't every imagine hitting in a centruy break, 60 has been my target for a couple of weeks but I've still never actually managed it.

I'm playing again tonight, against my mate who isn't as good as me but it will be good practise all the same...

[reverse_side]

yeah, quite an improvement, do a search under kev147 and look out for what nat's done too - being able to practice a fair bit with the right advice and mental approach helps - just being able to enjoy a decent level against your mates makes for happy days.

'going for your shots' isn't a bad thing if your not playing against a century breaker standard, unless it puts YOU off your game as you've suggested - when you go for a risky shot, realise that it's chancing your arm, if it's worth it... go for it. without lots of practice and feeling confident in your game, the odds are stacked AGAINST playing an all-out potting game; especially if you spend the next couple of minutes imagining you should have bought a pair of white gloves!

it's all balance, learn when what you do works and try to do more of it. Try a few things that you wouldn't normally do, test a few things out... never too young to learn. ttfn/

[Nat5guns]

My highest was 69 for about a year (thats was 2003-2004), then i knocked in the 88 in 2004 and didnt have anything worth talking about till recently when i got my first ton. And like i said in other threads i am 99.9% certain that coming onto this forum and listening to ppl's comments and advice has helped me to get where i am now. If FastNFuriousCue could master his position play, he would be a very good player.

[reverse_side]

amazing what a bit of hope, guidance and inner ability can achieve - had a thought on the golf course today I would like to share.....

your body reacts to a perceived danger by squirting out adrenalin (from the pancreas don't you know) which has the affect of converting blood sugars into energy; you're ready to either fight or flight. If you know this is happening and it's causing butterflies that you are currently perceiving as nerves, you can also alter your thoughts so you think of these feelings as excitement and therefore a positive affect. When we're struggling to find some motivation, we can feel flat and demotivated and this is the starting point of choosing some thoughts to make you start feeling energised; choose your weapon.
The other positive effect is that when things are making you feel nervous, you've some spare energy that you can channel into playing better; if you're lucky, you'll win and the next time it happens, you'll find it easier to 'kick-on' and raise your game.

It's an attribute that makes Champions; use any triiger to play better. Give yourself as many reasons you need to mtivate yourself. Any excuse to take heart and improve. Flood your brain with a cast-iron case for why you're going to win.

Sort of thing!

I imagine that the williams sisters have had a lifetime's practice of thinking like this with their dad providing an ever present touchstone of positive ideas; they may say that thinking the way they do is easier than imagining they're going to lose; second nature. Good old Tigger Woods is another example; another elite sports person with a strong influence (another dad this time) to help nurture his thoughts in a positive and constructive way. No replacement for talent, but hard work mixed with average ability is an intriguing combination that can create amazing possibilities. Being naturally gifted never guaranteed anyone of anything, it just opens a lot of doors to begin with.

Anyhow: Elle Eye Vee, Ee Arr Pee, Dubble Oh Elle, liverpool fc are on soon, ttfn. ITV1 too, bargain.

New sigining for LFC, not owen but ....

http://img286.imageshack.us/img286/4...yfools13ti.jpg

[FastNFuriousCue]

lol great picture.

Last night I played 5 frames again, this time winning 3-2 but my opponent was not as good. I tried to change my game, not going all out attack and played a couple of good safety shots (for a change) when there was a (tough) pot available. I made a 42 break in the first frame, but I decided not to continue the break when I ran out of position and the only other option was to pot a very tough red.

Then I got another chance and made a break of 34. I lost the next two frames because of poor safety and ran out of position when I had a chance. Then i played brilliantly in the deciding frame, making breaks of 47 and 28.

I clearly improved last night, I wasn't always trying to get a bigger and bigger break, I tried to win the match.

[reverse_side]

perfect, in golf it's matchplay; one on one, you against a single opponent to win each hole (frame). You must have felt pretty proud the fact that the other guy had potential to beat you, but restricting his chances AND making the most of yours snuffed him out; don't give a sucker an even break. You'll feel more like playing 'smart' next time and it'll allow you to make the most of every chance because you'll feel like you've earnt it. This has added advantages that you'll actually try harder and give yourself every chance to keep on potting and getting good position; bailing out and playing safe when your inner voice is telling you to.

Well done.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5971/onlyfools23ve.jpg

[FastNFuriousCue]

I'm going to play again tonight with y brothers mate. I think I'm going to have a lot more of a chance this time, I don't think I can win but I'll give him a good game. I'm playing to win games now, not just to best my highest break. That's not bothering that much anymore, but I want to get it higher it's been 57 for a few weeks now, and the closest I've come I think is 52.

[chezzie]

hello ppz

hello ppl i am new on this site/forum

plz keep in contact with me as i hav never played snooker b4 in my live and was just wondering if u can giv me any tipz?


thankz ppl