high breaks etc

[inevermissblue]

Well since I started to dabble with pool again. I have noticed how lazy my positional play has been in snooker. As most positional shots required in pool are immediately critical to winning the frame. So all those slow rolls and short stuns for prime position became more obvious. The result has made my scoring at snooker a lot more deliberate than I may have been before. The pool playing has definitely improved my snnoker.
Before I wasn't so determined to clear the table once I reached the 100. Due to those simple remaining shots I would just switch off! However now the pool has got me delving deeper into positional play, hence keeping me more focused.

[tomwalker147]

Ok I will aim to up it as far as I can but I doubt I'll make more than 20.

Surely it's not just about hrs per week? I'm not aiming on being incredible, just a good average player! Surely you accumulate skill you keep almost ad infinitum?

When I have had a little break from snooker, after say 4 or 5 hours I'm back to where I was.....wouldn't a player who has player 15hrs a week for 10 years be better than someone who's done 25 hrs a week 6 months?

I was a 16 handicap golfer. I don't play much now but after 2 range sessions and a putting sessions I shot 18 over after a year out. Yes, to get seriously good for a tournament I'd put big hours in (if I wasn't hooked on snooker I would!) but you can still be a fairly good golfer (within the boundaries of "people with careers etc") with a few, say 3 sessions a week.....

Is there a long term benefit from high hours? I.e does that kind of constant table time do something other than rack up hours faster? Surely you gain as much from 1 year at 12.5 hours a week as 6 months at 25....as long as you up it when you have some matches to get touch perfect then what's the difference? I thought your mind accumulates long term knowledge but also you need intense practice before matches?

Appreciate your help, just not sure if I can do 25.

Different players require different amounts of practice. 3 hours a night isn't necessary but obviously great if you can fit it in. There are two professionals in our club, one puts in 5/6 hours a day minimum, the other much less. I think it might have been Ronnie who said (excuse me if I'm wrong) an hour of good practice beats 5 hours of rubbish and I completely agree with that.

I'd go as far to say that 1 hours solo is the equivalent of 3/4 hours against another player.

Interesting what you said about the golf, I played to 14 3 or 4 years ago then didn't play again until this summer. Went up the range twice, then shot 18 over first round back which wasn't too bad after the 3 year lay off!

[barrywhite]

Different players require different amounts of practice. 3 hours a night isn't necessary but obviously great if you can fit it in. There are two professionals in our club, one puts in 5/6 hours a day minimum, the other much less. I think it might have been Ronnie who said (excuse me if I'm wrong) an hour of good practice beats 5 hours of rubbish and I completely agree with that.

I'd go as far to say that 1 hours solo is the equivalent of 3/4 hours against another player.

Interesting what you said about the golf, I played to 14 3 or 4 years ago then didn't play again until this summer. Went up the range twice, then shot 18 over first round back which wasn't too bad after the 3 year lay off!

Yes, quality of practice time and focus, meeting pre-set objectives, so you leave with something you've improved on, a weakness in your game ideally. Now, if a talented player puts in an hour before lunch and one after, will he maximise his potential? The two players I'm thinking of are Ronnie and Judd. Both cut their practice time and both suffered on the tables. Judd has jacked up this practice time now and his form is improving. I'm not saying folk need to do 8hrs like Hendry, although I think Hendry did need this because he has less natural talent than some of the others but also because his objectives were huge. Higgins has a little less talent than the others and practises hard. But all these guys have incredible levels of talent. Some mitigate an inferior weapon like talent with more practice to reach their peak and achieve consistency, which shows huge commitment. But no pro maximises on and hour a day and wins titles; Bingo was doing full days of practice as well as all the comps he could enter en route to winning the worlds. Ronnie was putting in full days for a month the year he came back and won the worlds. And if the pros with all the natural talent can't do it on thin air, the amateurs especially can't.

I'm not saying that you can't do really well and maintain a standard on a hour a day if you have some talent, but achieve your maximum? Not unless you are alien.

[alabadi]

over this holiday period i had some time off, i put in some serious solo , i probably did the amount of solo i do in a month in one week.

and i have really benefited , routines i have been practicing for months. i have surpassed my best in all of them , the more time i put in the better i was.

shame i am now back at work and back to my regular timetable, however i am hoping the solo i have done is going to help in real games coming up soon in the league.