What it takes to become a Snooker Pro?

[Master Blaster]

so thats all cleare, now we can move on to the next thread with the help of our good friend blaster, unless harry wants to put up a video showing us where hes at

Great suggestion from J6 there Harry! It's not easy doing videos, some feel very intimidated by a camera but it might be of use. Head on, from behind, side angles and some close ups of your bridge and grip will help folk like J6 and Terry analyse and suggest improvements.

[Inoffthered]

It's hardly worth posting on this forum at the moment. Theres some serious trolling going on.

lol. aye

[winphenom]

Hello dear forum members....my 6 pence thoughts on this aspiration topic.
I am sure that everyone aspires to play like the pros on tv. This comes from our deep love and ambition to be the best in things we do. Surely its not trolling or proud but giving ourselves a goal to aim at. It may be naive at the start as most people never thought of the tremendous amount of effort and resources needed to be at that point. It is the same with everything in life and not just snooker. Talent is another thing but if theres no hard work, it means nothing too. Eg. ROS, HENDRY and DAVIS.
So lets give good advice instead of calling names and putting the forum down.
Cheers and strive to your ability.

[winphenom]

Hello dear forum members....my 6 pence thoughts on this aspiration topic.
I am sure that everyone aspires to play like the pros on tv. This comes from our deep love and ambition to be the best in things we do. Surely its not trolling or proud but giving ourselves a goal to aim at. It may be naive at the start as most people never thought of the tremendous amount of effort and resources needed to be at that point. It is the same with everything in life and not just snooker. Talent is another thing but if theres no hard work, it means nothing too. Eg. ROS, HENDRY and DAVIS.
So lets give good advice instead of calling names and putting the forum down.
Cheers and strive to your ability.

[I just want a ton!]

A few years ago, I had my eyes opened to the difference between good players and pros.
I met a gent called Andy Gater in my local club.
He was brilliant to watch and offered to help me improve my game. I'd only had 1 50plus break before his input, I've got over 50 50 plus breaks a high of 87, my game improved vastly with his what seemed simple inputs.
Anyway back to him, I never beat him in a frame, even with 40 and 50 start! He was incredible to watch, ton breaks regular, saw a few 140 plus too. One night I walked into the club, the bar man approached me and exclaimed "he knocked a 147 in last night, then a 140 and missed a difficult black to make it another"!!
He was a very good player. I asked him why he wasn't pro, he said simply, "I'm not good enough"!
He decided to put a lot of effort in and give it a go though, practice routines, for hours etc.
He then arranged a money match with David Grace who was ranked in the top 80 of the world and I went along to watch.
He was beaten 6-0, it was like he hadn't even turned up.
All I could conclude was that his mental game wasn't up to the same standard. Nerves ruined his game, because his ability was as good as anyone's I've ever seen.
It was a true insight into the differences of the game and how it's not just pure ability.
He quit playing and sold his cue after that, a true waste of talent as far as I'm concerned.
I believe he's still coaching people where he chooses to and he helped my game no end.

[billabong]

A few years ago, I had my eyes opened to the difference between good players and pros.
I met a gent called Andy Gater in my local club.
He was brilliant to watch and offered to help me improve my game. I'd only had 1 50plus break before his input, I've got over 50 50 plus breaks a high of 87, my game improved vastly with his what seemed simple inputs.
Anyway back to him, I never beat him in a frame, even with 40 and 50 start! He was incredible to watch, ton breaks regular, saw a few 140 plus too. One night I walked into the club, the bar man approached me and exclaimed "he knocked a 147 in last night, then a 140 and missed a difficult black to make it another"!!
He was a very good player. I asked him why he wasn't pro, he said simply, "I'm not good enough"!
He decided to put a lot of effort in and give it a go though, practice routines, for hours etc.
He then arranged a money match with David Grace who was ranked in the top 80 of the world and I went along to watch.
He was beaten 6-0, it was like he hadn't even turned up.
All I could conclude was that his mental game wasn't up to the same standard. Nerves ruined his game, because his ability was as good as anyone's I've ever seen.
It was a true insight into the differences of the game and how it's not just pure ability.
He quit playing and sold his cue after that, a true waste of talent as far as I'm concerned.
I believe he's still coaching people where he chooses to and he helped my game no end.

What a great post. A good story, which gets to the heart of the op's question.

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[j6uk]

david is a fine player indeed with tons of expirience, he grew up along side the likes of duffy, cope, trump, white, gould an many many more.. an the same thing would/could happen to him when hes would go up against a player who is able to exert presure presure presure

[blinker]

A few years ago, I had my eyes opened to the difference between good players and pros.
I met a gent called Andy Gater in my local club.
He was brilliant to watch and offered to help me improve my game. I'd only had 1 50plus break before his input, I've got over 50 50 plus breaks a high of 87, my game improved vastly with his what seemed simple inputs.
Anyway back to him, I never beat him in a frame, even with 40 and 50 start! He was incredible to watch, ton breaks regular, saw a few 140 plus too. One night I walked into the club, the bar man approached me and exclaimed "he knocked a 147 in last night, then a 140 and missed a difficult black to make it another"!!
He was a very good player. I asked him why he wasn't pro, he said simply, "I'm not good enough"!
He decided to put a lot of effort in and give it a go though, practice routines, for hours etc.
He then arranged a money match with David Grace who was ranked in the top 80 of the world and I went along to watch.
He was beaten 6-0, it was like he hadn't even turned up.
All I could conclude was that his mental game wasn't up to the same standard. Nerves ruined his game, because his ability was as good as anyone's I've ever seen.
It was a true insight into the differences of the game and how it's not just pure ability.
He quit playing and sold his cue after that, a true waste of talent as far as I'm concerned.
I believe he's still coaching people where he chooses to and he helped my game no end.

Wow... that defeat has certainly wrecked him no end. Some would pick up their cue after that setback and goes back to the practice table for long hours or get coaching for mental strength but he chose to give up and that is what makes the difference between driven pro and a leisure player...

[j6uk]

Wow... that defeat has certainly wrecked him no end. Some would pick up their cue after that setback and goes back to the practice table for long hours or get coaching for mental strength but he chose to give up and that is what makes the difference between driven pro and a leisure player...

not quite the full story, your harly a leisure player if your making maxes. its very common for players of this standard to way up what they really want out of their lives an what scrifices their not willing to make, then one day , just stop.
in fact this happens more often than not with most the players iv known

[lbs]

just my opinion:

<20 breaker
Sub 20 breakers
Between 30-50
50 breakers
~75 breakers
Century Breakers
Clearance
Maximum maker
Local Champion
Regional Champion
World Amateur Champion
Getting on a Professional Tour
(Not struggling to) Stay on the Professional Tour
Professional Tour Tournament Winner
World Champion/Finalist
Multiple World Champion/Finalist
-and so on-

[billabong]

I'm at one end of that list , but I can't reveal which end.

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[blinker]

not quite the full story, your harly a leisure player if your making maxes. its very common for players of this standard to way up what they really want out of their lives an what scrifices their not willing to make, then one day , just stop.
in fact this happens more often than not with most the players iv known

Maybe I choose the wrong word, not quite between pro and leisure player but between "pro and very good club player" and ya right, I know of so many exceptional players who has just stopped playing out of no where suddenly. Even myself... I played it intensively in my younger age for couple years even though not of exceptional standard of course but literally I just stopped without realizing it for almost 10 years, just like that without even thinking or bothering of the game or missing anything about it at all. (didn't even knew who Judd Trump was till i started playing again almost 1 year back)

Only a year back, out of sudden one day my mate forced me to have a game and before I realized i'm back again everyday at the club playing 3-5 hrs each time. Strange.......

[j6uk]

Maybe I choose the wrong word, not quite between pro and leisure player but between "pro and very good club player" and ya right, I know of so many exceptional players who has just stopped playing out of no where suddenly. Even myself... I played it intensively in my younger age for couple years even though not of exceptional standard of course but literally I just stopped without realizing it for almost 10 years, just like that without even thinking or bothering of the game or missing anything about it at all. (didn't even knew who Judd Trump was till i started playing again almost 1 year back)

Only a year back, out of sudden one day my mate forced me to have a game and before I realized i'm back again everyday at the club playing 3-5 hrs each time. Strange.......

i hear you, an im talking about players who are competing an getting results but are just not getting on the tour. as the years pick past theyll sit down and have a word/think over xmas or easter to reevaluate.
scratching around for desent sparing is tough too.. if i was a good young player i get over to china for a year, play nice players all day an learn the lingo

[Master Blaster]

i hear you, an im talking about players who are competing an getting results but are just not getting on the tour. as the years pick past theyll sit down and have a word/think over xmas or easter to reevaluate.
scratching around for desent sparing is tough too.. if i was a good young player i get over to china for a year, play nice players all day an learn the lingo

Yep, players have to relocate to be at a 'centre' of snooker, with lots of pros and ams around to spar with. That builds mental strength. If the player above and few I know had done this, who knows, maybe they would have made it? The commitment is to adjust one's life to make snooker central and gamble away your future 100% knowing that if you fail, you've chucked 15 years down the toilet. If you don't do this, you won't make it. Commitment, mental strength, and being savvy on the table are the key variables. Knowing how to win is important. The top pros are very calm even when they are in trouble, they have great belief in themselves.

[cyberheater]

After reading the Jimmy White book. One thing is apparently clear. You have to be able to knock in tons for fun at a very early age to even think about being a pro.

You also have to have incredible talent, a lot of luck connecting with the right people, live and breath snooker, spend all day every day on a snooker table and play as many brilliant talented players as possible in as many competitions as you can enter. It has to become your life.

Good luck in your endevours.