Does anyone else....

[warren132]

count there own breaks when you are playing snooker either in a match or practicing alone ?
I have always had to do it from when i started playing snooker because all of my opponents stoped counting when i got over 20...so i had to keep count my self ! I have tried to stop it but just cant break the habbit...i think it puts a little bit of pressure on me when i am playing in a match...

Please let me know if anone out there does this !

[The Statman]

I know I do.

Perhaps it's because I am a referee and I automatically think of the numbers in my head.

But, I think it is an advantage, not a disadvantage. When playing, I always call the scores aloud when picking balls for my opponent, and always call them in my head when I am at the table. If a mistake occurs on either side, it can be rectified straight away. If you wait till the end and then you find out that the other guy can't remember the break, then it's difficult to backtrack!

"Now, I remember two red-blacks and that amazing brown along the side cushion, but was it two blues in between or three? Oh hang on, I got a yellow as well, remember?"

No, when you are the opponent, call the scores out loud. It also means that, if the guy at the table doesn't count his own breaks mentally, then he has a chnace of noticing that you only added five when he potted the pink – because he called the '18' and the '23' out loud.

Mistakes will happen, but you can maximise the chances of putting them right.

(As an aside, I play quite a few player who are young upcoming players. I think it is good that they hear the scores being said rather than reach a 50 with no idea what they're on. When they start playing proper matches, they will have to have that pressure of numbers being called out, so they might as well grow up with it.)

[cueman]

I don't when I'm practicing but I do in a match because as Statman says, you want to make sure that the score is correct, especially against someone who you don't know who may be a cheat for all you know.

I've got a decent memory of a break anyway and I can usually remember every ball I've potted so I can usually tally the score up after the break has ended.

[cocked hat]

keeping score

Good reply statman,I also call when replacing opponents balls.I was taught that it was the polite thing to do and I feel uncomfortable if my opponent doesn't return the courtesy.
I start calling when I re-spot the second colour,or,the yellow if there is only colours left.
When you are mid-break it is one less distraction if you are confident that you both know the score is correct.

[RocketRoy1983]

It is part of the snooker etiquette which should never be forgotten. If my opponent doesnt call the score out loud I politely ask him if he would. And I always call out for my opponent. If im practising the line-up I find keeping count puts me off so i remember colours. For example, If i pot 5 blacks and a pink i would be scoring it as 47 i would remember it at the end of the break as 5 blacks and a pink. Then i tot it up and record it if its over 40 as i have done for a while now to mark improvement. Hopefully, this may help some others who find when they get above 35 or so they get a bit excited!

[bongo]

Good post there Statman with some good points.

I think you should make a mental note of what break you're on. Even if it is only just, for example, 5 blacks and a pink, just the colours can be remembered accurately then you can work out the break after. I usually say the break my opponent's on when a colour is potted, in friendly matches, it isn't needed to call after each shot. If I am refereeing a league match, I call after each shot. Then when the player breaks down, I just say 'thirty' or whatever the score is, Sometimes I say 'Spot' or 'Plain', it really depends how important the match is (I am a player so a qualified referee would referee the important matches!).

As long as you and opponent know what the breaks are then that's fine. But count accurately!

bongo

[warren132]

Cheers statman thanks fro the reply.
I always call out what my opponents break is anyway..thats just normal for us to do..but i always count my own break even tho the people i play are counting also !

[The Statman]

Cheers statman thanks fro the reply.
I always call out what my opponents break is anyway..thats just normal for us to do..but i always count my own break even tho the people i play are counting also !

And that's exactly right.

I'm sure there have been occasions where one of you has miscounted – if you're both counting then the error can be corrected without hassle at the time it happens.

[warren132]

I think i should mention something i said in my first post...when i count up what break i am on it puts added pressure on me..for example...say i am on 93 and i need the black for 100.....i shoul be 100 percent concentraded on the pot not what my break might be !

think thats all i can say on this matter.
hope you understand.

[CoachGavin]

Thats another reason why you should do it. If you count your breaks even in practice then it gives you experience at dealing with pressure. I used to give myself tasks like making a century at the line up before i went home. If i got to 80 or 90 the pressure would increase and i learnt to deal with it. If i had just potted the balls and not bothered to count it would be harder for me in a match when i had real pressure. i also definately agree about the accuracy of scoring issue - especially when you do not know your opponent!

[DandyA]

on a similar but slightly different aspect, I've watched a few of the PIOS games from the library at Global Snooker Centre ...

how do those work? there's no ref, they re-spot balls for each other and there's no sound on the videos but it doesn't look like they call the break as it's going on ... oh and each player then puts his own score up on what looks like a traditional "abacus" scoreboard ...

is there a scorer out of view (ie behind the fixed camera) ... or are any disputes resolved by video replay?

just wondering ...

[bongo]

I don't have a lot of experience with Pontin's, but I would expect referees or scorers (markers), especially in the PIOS (Pontin's International Open Series), if not, they are Semi Professionals so you would expect them to know what break they are on, and not after an Amateur in an Amateur tournament says the amateurish remark "What was that again....?", not even knowing their break!

bongo

on a similar but slightly different aspect, I've watched a few of the PIOS games from the library at Global Snooker Centre ...

how do those work? there's no ref, they re-spot balls for each other and there's no sound on the videos but it doesn't look like they call the break as it's going on ... oh and each player then puts his own score up on what looks like a traditional "abacus" scoreboard ...

is there a scorer out of view (ie behind the fixed camera) ... or are any disputes resolved by video replay?

just wondering ...

[poolqjunkie]

on a similar but slightly different aspect, I've watched a few of the PIOS games from the library at Global Snooker Centre ...

how do those work? there's no ref, they re-spot balls for each other and there's no sound on the videos but it doesn't look like they call the break as it's going on ... oh and each player then puts his own score up on what looks like a traditional "abacus" scoreboard ...

is there a scorer out of view (ie behind the fixed camera) ... or are any disputes resolved by video replay?

just wondering ...

I think the opponent told the striker the points he had at the end of his break.

[poolqjunkie]

I sometimes also check the number of reds before I come to the table if I think my opponent might either intentionally or unintentionally give me a wrong count.

Say, if there are 5 reds on the table, I cleared the reds and my opponent told me I have made only 3 reds with colors, I could at least have something to back myself up.

Sometimes, in the beginning of the frame, I would try to notice how many reds my opponent has made if I see a chance to score some points, because it has happened to me a few times when my opponent told me the wrong score (e.g. I made 5 black but he told me I only made 3). When mistake happens, I can tell my opponent how many reds he made, how many reds are left and so on, so we can agree on how many I have made. e.g. If a dispute on the score comes up, I will say things like, there are 8 reds left, he made 1 red with a pink, that is why he has 7 points, and I have made 6 reds with colors, 1 pink in the side, and 5 blacks, so I have 47.

I always tell my opponent the points he made, after his break. I do not , however, always remember how many I have made. even if it is only like 2 colors. Sometimes, my mind becomes completely blank during a break. It is like I have lost some memory.

[dantuck_7]

A bit off-topic but the scoring in Badminton is a bit similar. Really hard to keep your mind focussed on what the score was when you've been sprinting around after a long-point. Hopefully I won''t get a warning for this!