Too late to attempt to become pro?

[Henrytheeighth]

at the end of the day it comes down to one thing, BOTTLE!!!!!!!

[cueman]

why does everyone think if you old you can not make it, its not age that does not matter one bit, its how you play and that comes down to confidence and self beleaf in your game and a little bit of magic

You have to have a reality check though as well. I mean there are young players up and down the country around 14/15 years of age knocking in tons regularly. If you aren't doing that by the time you are 16 then you may as well forget about turning pro.

Name me one player in recent times who has started out quite late and managed to do anything in the game? I can only think of Mark Williams but he is a one off. Its a young persons game, yes you may well hit your peak at around mid to late 20's but most players are already established in the game by then.

[Henrytheeighth]

wrong my friend, impossible is nothing lol

[zuk1]

You will not become pro.. That's not to say it's not possible, I think it's very possible to become a successful pro from starting play at 15 but I don't think you will, no offense.

The fact that you're asking on a forum as a basis of whether you are going to try or not is a massive give away, people at the top of sports don't do this. They have a goal in mind - to become a pro - and they work and work and work regardless and ignoring what anyone says to achieve this.. They want it so bad that it's the only thing they want.

Also the fact that you are surprised that they practice 8 hours/day

[Henrytheeighth]

cueman read the thing properly its not me trying to be pro lol or im not suprised with the 8 hours a day thing so get ur facts right b4 u say anything plz

[monkey]

Trust me ill keep trying even if it kills me. Im practising about 2 hours a day atm, will have a few more hours a day in the summer. Its just the price of the table that gets to me a bit. Still, i only asked on here to see if it was actually possible. Im going to keep trying whatever anyone says, i was just asking on here because i was curious what others thought.

[Henrytheeighth]

monkey well said, u go 4 it mate, divinci said once that the possibilities are endless if you put ur mind to it, dnt let any1 tell u otherwise matey ...

[ibrahim]

Also get yourself a decent coach in the summers,and you will see how rapidly your game gets better.but the key is practice harwork n determination.if you belive you can do it and work hard enough,then anything is possible.Excellence can be obtained if you:
...care more than others think is wise;
...risk more than others think is safe;
...dream more than others think is practical;
...expect more than others think is possible.

[monkey]

Going for yet another practise in a little while. I bet the snooker hall people think im propper sad, going on my own every night lol. Just practising basic potting atm, straight cuing and cue ball control. Sure it gets boring on your own after a while, but nothing worth doing in life is easy:snooker:

[CoolBlue]

He'll if your too old. I'm 21, 22 in July.. The way I see it is if I practice enough there's no reason I can't be at least on the circuit in the next 6 years and world champion at 30-35... Nothing wrong with that that's 15 years time lol

Look at allthe top players forget the young ones for now they aren't the ones winning anything, higgins, o Sullivanetc there all in their 30's

If O'Sullivan or John Higgins had won the WC this year, they would have been the oldest world champions for 23years [maybe more?]... This may not seem important, but given their talent & proven history in the game... it makes for an interesting stat...

[cazmac1]

Trust me ill keep trying even if it kills me. Im practising about 2 hours a day atm, will have a few more hours a day in the summer. Its just the price of the table that gets to me a bit. Still, i only asked on here to see if it was actually possible. Im going to keep trying whatever anyone says, i was just asking on here because i was curious what others thought.

I started playing snooker when I was 14 played for years Only knocking in 40 and 50 but I never lost faith in my ability and new that I could play but couldn't under stand why I could pot better than most pros at the time but would miss simple ball. I practice hard and bingo I found my flaws, I then started making 70 and 80 on a regular’s basis. I found what I would describe as a third sight, I could tell when the ball was going in, I could even tell what side of the pocket I was going to hit, It took me 7 years of hard work to get to this level, I then went to work aboard as a DJ in Corfu for two years. When I got back I couldn’t pot a ball. I decided to give the game up and hadn't played for 20 years before picking the cue up again. I’ve had three 90+ breaks countless 70 and 80 but have still yet to discover my third sight. The point I’m making Is if you truly believe you have the ability don't give up It took me 7 years to learn how to pot to a pro standard and only two to loose it.
Don't listen to people who say you have to be knocking in ton after ton, I've played plenty of these players over the years and where they are now, scoring ton's is a measure of you potting and positional play but is only a small part of the game. You need hunger, ability and Balls to make it in this game.
You’re not too old, get your head down and believe

[FOXMULDER]

at the end of the day it comes down to one thing, BOTTLE!!!!!!!

Once you get to a certain level this is very true.

There are hundreds - if not thousands - of people out there in the world knocking in century breaks all day long. Put most of them under real pressure and they will struggle to make a 50 break. That's a fact. It doesn't matter how classy and consistent they are in practise.

"It means nothing, if it means nothing"

So, yes, ultimately what it comes down to is "bottle" (nerve). You've got to be able to pot balls when your knees are shaking and your gut is rising. That's the most important quality to have - everything else is technical or tactical, and so can be learned.

If you've got that you can make it. If you haven't, you won't - no matter how good you get.

[cazmac1]

Once you get to a certain level this is very true.

There are hundreds - if not thousands - of people out there in the world knocking in century breaks all day long. Put most of them under real pressure and they will struggle to make a 50 break. That's a fact. It doesn't matter how classy and consistent they are in practise.

"It means nothing, if it means nothing"

So, yes, ultimately what it comes down to is "bottle" (nerve). You've got to be able to pot balls when your knees are shaking and your gut is rising. That's the most important quality to have - everything else is technical or tactical, and so can be learned.

If you've got that you can make it. If you haven't, you won't - no matter how good you get.

well put, fox

[Rane]

Wasn´t Hendry 13 or 14 before he ever tried to hold a cue ?

[CoolBlue]

Once you get to a certain level this is very true.

There are hundreds - if not thousands - of people out there in the world knocking in century breaks all day long. Put most of them under real pressure and they will struggle to make a 50 break. That's a fact. It doesn't matter how classy and consistent they are in practise.

"It means nothing, if it means nothing"

So, yes, ultimately what it comes down to is "bottle" (nerve). You've got to be able to pot balls when your knees are shaking and your gut is rising. That's the most important quality to have - everything else is technical or tactical, and so can be learned.

If you've got that you can make it. If you haven't, you won't - no matter how good you get.

So true. This post is one of the most sensible and realistic I have seen on here or any snooker related forum.