Your first century.

[RoryM147]

When you started playing snooker seriously, how long until you knocked in your first ton? What did it feel like, how was the frame/balls looking for you? What about your first half century too. I can't wait till I even get my half century !

[Byrom]

When you started playing snooker seriously, how long until you knocked in your first ton? What did it feel like, how was the frame/balls looking for you? What about your first half century too. I can't wait till I even get my half century !

I could play pool quite well before I ever played snooker and had a few games of billiards and an odd game of snooker now and again - but I think I made 30 first game I ever played at snooker and my first 50 was actually 68 took four or five months and I made it straight after one two hour coaching lesson - it probably took around two years to make a ton in matchplay of playing regular. I had made 89 four or five times at least prior to that and never thought I would do it - someone gave me some advice I shared on this forum how to do it - but the day it happened I was actually playing rubbish - I was getting stuffed and could not make a 20 in five games - and I remember I thought I'm just going for everything and just let my arm go - four red balls on different rails and the guy I was playing had just made 30 something and broke down in the reds - Took three turns at the table between us to make my ton - there was my break - his 30 odd and my full clearance of what was left 105. It was a great break by any standard - I was never out of position once apart from the black everything flew in and was gutted to finish dead straight on the black off the spot under the rail - I only started shaking or feeling nervous on the black - my mate made me laugh I got down and said to myself just keep still and hit it best I can - a slow roll - and well - as it dropped in it felt like that moment someone says - congratulations you have passed your driving test.

[tedisbill]

I'd played a bit of pool and was pretty good. But with snooker, I never really bothered to take it seriously. I'd have a game with my brother once every 3 or 4 weeks. My highest break in my life was 37. Then in 2011, at the age of 27, I decided I hadn't really got a major hobby, and I wanted to get good at the game.

I literally started playing seriously the beginning of January 2011. I started having coaching once a week and practicing 4-5 times a week for a few hours at a time.

My first half century came on 26/02/2011, a break of 56. I was absolutely buzzing. I couldn't believe I'd managed to knock in a 50!

After that, I went on to have a few 70+ breaks and a couple of 80s, but the century break would be much harder to achieve! I'd missed the pink on 87 twice clearing up!!

The century finally happened against my mate who is an unbelievable player. It's now 15/05/2013, almost two and half years after I'd started. My mate was bashing me up as usual, and then, he made a 147 against me! (the second one he's made against me). He was happy and we were both buzzing. Well, incredibly, the very next frame, he played a bad safety and left me in the balls. I stepped in and made my first ever century, a break of 112! My mate really helped me calm down and take my time. I got to the ball I needed for the ton, a blue off the spot, unmissable shot. I couldn't believe it when it went in. And amazingly, I missed the green with all the colours on their spots, it wasn't dead easy, but I'd pot it these days. Haha! And I didn't give a damn that I'd just missed the green, I was just over the moon that I'd made a century. And although Byrom describes the feeling as passing your driving test, for me, it felt like much more of an achievement making the ton. It didn't take me two and a half years of practice to drive a car.

I love snooker. Love watching it and love playing it. I think it really helps to be totally obsessed!

[Byrom]

You have obviously never seen the state of my driving

[tedisbill]

You have obviously never seen the state of my driving

Hehe! Love it

[davem147]

my highest break is 66 and i wasnt even counting. i was just filming myself playing and not thinking about it, just concentrating on potting the balls. the balls were pretty opened because i played a good red to open them up and managed to stay on the black. it wasnt till i watched the video that i was pretty surprised, felt good!

[itsnoteasy]

Great story's Byrom and Ted, felt like I was there with you.

[tedisbill]

Great story's Byrom and Ted, felt like I was there with you.

Thanks itsnot! It's clear that you really love your snooker. I would have loved reading posts like these when I first got interested.

I like the fact that the OP hasn't even responded!

[itsnoteasy]

Thanks itsnot! It's clear that you really love your snooker. I would have loved reading posts like these when I first got interested.

I like the fact that the OP hasn't even responded!

I do Ted, I haven't made the breaks you lads have, had a few high ones doing the scattered reds thing and the line up but for me they don't count ,they only count if you are playing someone who is trying to stop you, if that makes sense? I have made a couple of fifties and it felt like I was at the table for hours lol, so god knows what it's like to make a ton, is it mentally tiring the first time you do it?

[Byrom]

I do Ted, I haven't made the breaks you lads have, had a few high ones doing the scattered reds thing and the line up but for me they don't count ,they only count if you are playing someone who is trying to stop you, if that makes sense? I have made a couple of fifties and it felt like I was at the table for hours lol, so god knows what it's like to make a ton, is it mentally tiring the first time you do it?

Not for me I was totally relaxed and focused on the pot and position and played at the same rhythm and focused on this as much as possible - apart from the ones I potted down the rails that took a bit more thought and care with the rest and I only really remember the last black and the last red down the rail with the rest which I hit really well.

if you have regular fifties you are capable - its just two of those back to back if you think about it - generally you will need a bit of luck along the way when making cannons or splitting the pack and two or three shots - maybe more - to regain position if you loose the white.

A couple of routines you could try is practice splitting one red off the pack potting it and leaving a low angle on the black to stun up and split the reds to try and keep it going - This is harder to do on a slow table as the reds don't split as well as they should on a fast cloth.

Another is grouping three reds together in groups in different parts of the table and stunning off the black to try and disturb them and clear the lot making cannons as you go.

Then there is the pack splitting shots - high off the blue angle or from the baulk with side off the yellow then cushion into pack or from the green or wrong side of blue with running side off two cushions between yellow and brown or brown and green or simply high on the black or occasionally the pink will go into the corner pockets enabling you to push through with top spin and disturb a few.

Mastering these types of shots does help - obviously finishing high on the blue or low on the black is more ideal and common for the pack splitter but there are other harder options to play for if these fail. mastering stuns and pack splitting options or feeling confident with making cannons using stun up and down the white to control the white in open play does help - many players below the 50 standard don't even consider some of these shots because they don't feel confident with them.

[itsnoteasy]

I've got enough on my plate trying to do this line up lol.

[Leo]

I've got enough on my plate trying to do this line up lol.

If you can clear a line up you're more then capable of getting a ton

[Byrom]

If you can clear a line up you're more then capable of getting a ton

He can do it - he will do it - he has got to the colours over a hundred times - just has a mental block to overcome keeping calm - it will get better each time he does it - just putting pressure on himself as you do on the first time - everyone goes through it and he will come out the other side eventually

[itsnoteasy]

I've not got to the colours that many times I don't think, got to the last couple of reds and beyond ,so around a century break, far far more times than I care to remember, if there is a way of mucking it up I have done it, took my eye off the yellow yesterday when in the absolute perfect position, when I practice the colours I put the White exactly where it was yesterday ,it should be automatic from there, I also missed a green, should have used the rest but I stretched for it and I can miss anything when stretching. Normally I don't feel nervous when on my own, but I did feel it yesterday, it means that much to me, stupid bloody game lol.

[itsnoteasy]

If you can clear a line up you're more then capable of getting a ton

I am miles away from making a century Leo, I don't know how to play when there are a lot of reds on the table, once there is a bit more space and the Reds are opened up, I can be ok, but that normally doesn't leave enough on the table to make a ton.