Wearing glasses - a disadvantage?

[denja]

As a snooker player, one off my best talents is long pots, yet i cant see the computer screen if i take my glasses off. So i disagree with your comment on it being a disadvantage, while being coached i was told a technique that allows me to basically pot blind. Good for trick shoots but even better for break building, within 6months of practising this technique i have jumped from 30 break's to 60's on full size tables, and from 30's to 80's on 3/4 size tables. This technique is all based on your stance and cueing technique as if you are in place and lined up as you go down in to the shot, then if you cue straight and hold your stance, you will pot that ball, or you are going really close! And this technique doesn't fail! So it isn't a disadvantaging its just a difference in technique, and in my eyes, a more accurate technique. As this technique tends to make you use 4 or 5 different potting technique in the same shot, which is in a sense 4 times more accurate than most players. I mean if it was a disadvantage, i wouldnt be able to knock in a 50's and 60's from the break on a fullsize from one long red, and that is just with 6months coaching

Could not agree more You are forced to wear glasses or contacts your eyesight is not 20/20 its just the luck of the draw ! but as long as your condition is not so severe that you cant see the end of the table THE BRAIN WILL FIND A WAY. you may have to experiment with different ways of doing things and your skill may take longer to develop but to all those MR MAGO"S out there stick at it dont give up. Regards Mr Mago.

[davipp]

Hi Gdad14 my potting technique is to stand behind the shot drawing an imaginary line from the pocket through the object ball, I then step into the shot using the eagle swooping on to a rabbit process (if you can understand that) I stand square onto the shot, I feather two or three times and then I strike the ball, I must admit that I'm from the old school where I do not pause on the backswing each & every time. Hope that helps Cheers.

[Gdad14]

Hi Gdad14 my potting technique is to stand behind the shot drawing an imaginary line from the pocket through the object ball, I then step into the shot using the eagle swooping on to a rabbit process (if you can understand that) I stand square onto the shot, I feather two or three times and then I strike the ball, I must admit that I'm from the old school where I do not pause on the backswing each & every time. Hope that helps Cheers.

Thanks for the quick reply, yeh that really helps because this I the best technique, but to make this more accurate find the point of contact that the white should hit on the potting ball. Once you have done this when lining up makesure that your tip is hitting that exact point. Now as your going down into the shot imagine the tip is another foot up your cue and line that up with the same point now once down makesure this point is going through the centre of the white ball use the eagle idea you mentioned but almost bring the cue back and over the top of the white ball and start feathering what you do now is check! Now first check if I was playing a three ball plant, the red is the middle ball and the first red is we're the white ball will hit full ball, and the third red is the place were the red is going! Hope that makes sense, so if that ok now check the line technique you use for potting and then push the cue through straight! Believe me practise this and it basically becomes that good you can pot blind! One thing though is if one of this checks isnt right stand up and just shuffle your feet as you are now just fine tuning. Remember as well average shot in snooker is 20s so take that time! 20s is a long time to perfect a shot! Hope that helps, as it's hard to explain its far easier to show!?

[Terry Davidson]

gdad14:

As a coach I would be interested in finding out more about your technique although it does sound a lot like what I teach

Terry

[geezer116]

Ive worn glasses for about 8years now and my game had suffered terribly.Firstly,i tries the old "Swivels" but i hated them so i stopped playing for a while even though i`d made a century break with them.Now ive got a pair of rimless plasic lensed rigid framed specs which i had made to measure at my local opticians.After changing the lenses twice ive now got optimum vision over 15 feet or so and along with a new Brittania steel cue im playing as well as 20 years ago.

Its all about perservering and making the most of a bad job if you have poor eyesight like me.

[submarine]

I play with glasses but have to play long shots from an upright stance, have decided to see if I can get contacts as I have astigmatism they may not be suitable. If not might try Gdad's technigue. Have got an appointment with Specsavers on Sunday so will see how that goes first.

[Gdad14]

I play with glasses but have to play long shots from an upright stance, have decided to see if I can get contacts as I have astigmatism they may not be suitable. If not might try Gdad's technigue. Have got an appointment with Specsavers on Sunday so will see how that goes first.

Hi that's exactly the same as me, what you need is a toric Len, and it corrects even that, but I wear contact too sometimes, but decide with this technique even if I have contacts in it still works so I taught myself this so that I could play whatever, with having glasses though it forces you to have a stronger technique which any coach will agree, if this stands up under pressure you become a deadly player! And a scary opponent, because you can then literally pot any chance. Hope this helps?

[steve clarke]

I play with glasses but have to play long shots from an upright stance, have decided to see if I can get contacts as I have astigmatism they may not be suitable. If not might try Gdad's technigue. Have got an appointment with Specsavers on Sunday so will see how that goes first.

I've got an astigmatism too - please keep us posted as to how you get on.

Must admit, the thought of sticking something in my eye - YUK!

[submarine]

Thats what has put me off so far Steve to be honest, but they do a free trial on contacts so I really have got nothing to lose if they can give me anything suitable.

[steve clarke]

they do a free trial on contacts

I didn't know that - perhaps I'll give them a try too.

Thanks for the heads up (not when you're making a shot obviously...........)

[Neil Taperell]

I've tried contacts and they are alot better now than they used to be . But i also have astigmatism in my right eye and just can't get on with them .

They made the balls look too big . I may well give them a go again when the season is over . It may take time to adjust to them .

[PatrykS]

I use contact lenses when I play snooker.

I never tried playing with glasses because I knew I wouldn't be able to see when doing a long pot. I have had contact lenses for about 3-4 years now so I'm pretty used to them but my eyes do get a little dry when I wear the for a long time during the day or I'm playing snooker.

[davipp]

Thanks Gdad14 appreciate the info I will try this technique. Always looking for ways to improve my game or to maintain a standard that keeps me competitive.

[vmax4steve]

I have been wearing glasses since the age of five, myopia. Played pool in glasses for years, small table so played with my chin well off the cue and could see through my lenses. Snooker was different though so bought a Spec Up (also known as a Spoony) which raised the glasses further up above my eyebrows so I could see through the lenses when down on the shot. Decided to try contact lenses about twenty years ago and used soft ones for several years with varying success. Could see well one day, not so well the next so asked my optician for a pair of snooker glasses.
When I got them I must say I was more than surprised by the size of the things, the lenses had to be about an inch thick at the edges. First time I tried them out I was closing the curtains of the club snooker room when I looked out the window at the night sky and discovered a new star. Bloody hell I thought, anyway played with them a few times but I must admit that vanity got the best of me and I sold them to a club member who swore that he could see great with them on even though he didn't wear glasses himself, weird or what.
I now use monthly disposable soft contact lenses with a prescription specifically for snooker that give me great vision from two feet to twenty feet but average vision outside of that field. I went to Specsavers as the Ad says and wasn't disappointed.
As for Martin Gould I would say that he is far sighted and doesn't look through his lenses for distance vision but needs them when looking at anything closer like the shaft of his cue and the cue ball. I knew a woman that was far sighted and she used only a single contact lens to give her good all round vision. The contact lens in one eye allowed her to see close up while the other eye allowed her natural far sight to give her good distance vision. It took a week to get her brain to re-interpret the information recieved from her eyes so that nothing was blurred.

[v1lius]

lenses is better for me than glasses