practicing

[marksman25]

I play once a week againts a freind who is poor standard, so I have been going on my own for 1-2 hours every few days. I practice line ups, breaks, long pots, middles etc etc but I canst see its doing me any good at all, im still just as bad. I was wondering of playing against a better player would raise my game and also how can i make practice actually improve my game?

[RocketRoy1983]

Practising against a better player will only do you good in the long run even if you dont feel it is at first! watch how 2 or 3-0 to him quickly becomes 3-1 then 2-1 until your winning you'd be amazed.

Lineups etc are great practise but the best kind of practise is in an actual match. If you want tips/ideas on practise methods PM me or listen to what the guys/gals reply to your thread.

I'd also recommend going onto youtube.com and typing UNDERSTANDING MODERN SNOOKER WITH JACK KARNEHM. Its not so modern (1985) but I think you'll find it really useful. (There are 18 parts each around 9 minutes) Either way let me know how you get on.

Good luck and play with a smile on your face.

RocketRoy

[marksman25]

Thanks rocket,

To be honest Im clutching at straws at the minute because I love playing but when theres no challenge it seems as im going backwards. I made a 56 about 2 years ago and havent got anywhere close to that since. I seem to only enjoy it when Im playing well but its hard to get motivated when breaks of 10 and 12 will win you a frame (if you get my drift).

This brings about my next question... how do you find a good quality partner to play? or even get involved with local snooker leagues etc. My snooker hall is near sutton in ashfield, tables are pretty slow, cushions deadish etc and when you look around, not many seem to be of any standard.

[RocketRoy1983]

Thanks rocket,

To be honest Im clutching at straws at the minute because I love playing but when theres no challenge it seems as im going backwards. I made a 56 about 2 years ago and havent got anywhere close to that since. I seem to only enjoy it when Im playing well but its hard to get motivated when breaks of 10 and 12 will win you a frame (if you get my drift).

This brings about my next question... how do you find a good quality partner to play? or even get involved with local snooker leagues etc. My snooker hall is near sutton in ashfield, tables are pretty slow, cushions deadish etc and when you look around, not many seem to be of any standard.

Ive been exactly where you are mate. Playing against players of such a poor standard is all well and good if your happy to go out once a week, have a few beers and a laugh. However, it sounds as though you maybe want to get to a standard much higher and able to hold your own against the very best of club players.

Firstly let me tell you a break of 56 shouldnt be sniffed at. It is a break well capable of winning a majority of frames so well done. Dont be down on yourself as you havent achieved it again in 2 years as you say because if youve done it once you can do it again...right?

Finding a partner can be difficult its best to play as many players in your club as possible and remember what sort of standard they all are and gauge it from there.

[marksman25]

That pretty much sums up my situation, although I dont think Il ever be a fantastic player, I would like to progress to the stage where 100 breaks are a possibility and not as they are now, completely incomprehensible.

Ive just been watching the youtube series you said, the 1st thing ive noticed is my stance, the opposite of what he asserts, im a right handed player and i hold left leg outwards with knee bent, right leg straigt parallel to the shot, se says thats a left handed stance? Im not going to argue so will adress this 1st thing.

Again, thanks for your input, Im hoping my new cue arrives in the morning (I know new cues arent the answer!).

[RocketRoy1983]

Its such a great thing to watch even if your playing at a good level it wont do you any harm to re-address things from time to time. Good luck!

[DandyA]

Ive just been watching the youtube series you said, the 1st thing ive noticed is my stance, the opposite of what he asserts, im a right handed player and i hold left leg outwards with knee bent, right leg straigt parallel to the shot, se says thats a left handed stance? Im not going to argue so will adress this 1st thing.

maybe I'm misunderstanding but that sounds spot on to me ... if you play right-handed, your right leg should be straight and your left leg should be bent ...

I can't say I'm a fan of the Karnhem coaching videos ... in my opinion, Steve Davis's "Champion's Way" series are much better ... and Terry Griffith's one's also have some good points to make ...

All those are on YouTube and all are from way back when ... anyone got some more modern coaching videos they could recommend?

With regard your first question, I play for 3 hours on a Sunday evening with three friends (even worse than me!) which means I get about 45mins of playing time (3hrs divided by 4 players) ...

Since I got my new cue (which I'm not going to plug again unless you ask) I occasionally pop down and play 3 hours by myself and I have to say it does make a huge difference ...

I certainly feel a lot more confident I might miss by a little bit less (come on peeps - admit it, it's a tough and very precise game!) ...

I personally can't be bothered to do specific practice routines (line-up etc) but I do play what I call "simple" snooker ... instead of red/colour red/colour etc you can pot any ball you like - for instance black/black/black/black etc - vwey good in my opinion cos you're practising potting blacks off the spot and positioning the white for the next black ...

But say you get on a nice straight blue across the table ... in theory, you should just be able to pot it with a bit of follow for blue into the opposite centre - same thing again and again ... but it's a lot trickier than it sounds!

[Stretch147]

I play once a week againts a freind who is poor standard, so I have been going on my own for 1-2 hours every few days. I practice line ups, breaks, long pots, middles etc etc but I canst see its doing me any good at all, im still just as bad. I was wondering of playing against a better player would raise my game and also how can i make practice actually improve my game?

I'm in the same position, playing a buddy of poor standard. But on the contrary, it's given me a new lease of snooker life... I practice about 2hrs a wk and play about the same in matchplay. Because my friend is of poor standard, i can put winning aside and just concentrate on playing good snooker. It's improved my breakbuilding and pot success. (safety has suffered a bit though) I think the most important thing is to remeber you are in effect playing the table not the player. You could have Hendry sitting behind you..it doesn't matter AS LONG AS YOU'RE AT THE TABLE. So just enjoy the game and the challenge of building breaks.. Centry breaks are not a destination...they're a journey! (Sry that was a bit cheezy)

[Watford]

Playing games with a better player is good because you pick up a feel of what to do but every body I know who gets tons practices.

It's important that you do serious practice though and not just bang balls round or play frames agaist your self. Good routines with targets are fun (IMO) and you'll get better in a shorter space of time than if you just played games for the same number of hours.

I mostly play pool nowadays and I don't have loads of good routines for snooker. Used to just do line ups and blacks off the spot from different angles and what not. I might check out Steve's stuff on you tube like DannyA said.

Stephen Rowlings a coach I know has a CD rom which is very new and is supposed to be good.
http://www.snookercoaching.co.uk/
There is a demo on here too.
Not got it myself though.

[DandyA]

I was wondering of playing against a better player would raise my game

didn't answer this in my earlier posting but, in my view, the answer is yes ... you have to play better players than yourself to improve in any sport ...

and there is a very specific reason in snooker which is a better player than you will normally keep the colours on their spots (cos they pot them) unlike me and my mates where the colours invariably end up on the side cushions and practically impossible to pot ...

so when it's your go, at least you have a chance to do red/colour red/colour etc ... you have no chance if your poorer opponent has accidentally put the colours safe as poorer players (including me!) tend to do ...

[nam1977]

http://www.snookercoaching.co.uk/[/url]
There is a demo on here too.
Not got it myself though.

I got his CD rom recently. I find it very good and tuitive.
Its specialy good for leftys like me because he is left handed.
Learned alot from it.
Loads to read up on and watch. Would recommend deffo!

Nam.

[Stretch147]

didn't answer this in my earlier posting but, in my view, the answer is yes ... you have to play better players than yourself to improve in any sport ...

and there is a very specific reason in snooker which is a better player than you will normally keep the colours on their spots (cos they pot them) unlike me and my mates where the colours invariably end up on the side cushions and practically impossible to pot ...

so when it's your go, at least you have a chance to do red/colour red/colour etc ... you have no chance if your poorer opponent has accidentally put the colours safe as poorer players (including me!) tend to do ...

Thankfully for the most part the days of playing does frames are gone. Nothing more demoralising knowing you have no change of a clearance when you come to the table.

[kevy62]

I play once a week againts a freind who is poor standard, so I have been going on my own for 1-2 hours every few days. I practice line ups, breaks, long pots, middles etc etc but I canst see its doing me any good at all, im still just as bad. I was wondering of playing against a better player would raise my game and also how can i make practice actually improve my game?

My advise would be for you to try to play as many different opponents as you can over as short a timeframe as possible, even to the point of going to other clubs to play/practice there.

It would seem that you have just gone stale? this is mainly because your brain is telling you, (wrongly) that you only have to play at a low standard to win. (no offence to your friend)

In order to improve your standard in any way, you need, no! "must" play against better opponents as much as possible, this is required for your development as a player.

Some of the other guy's have already suggested to try to find a player of a better standard to play against. Well this is a very good way of doing just that! your playing standard cannot improve unless you play snooker against at least a worthy opponent.

Ideally , perhaps you could try to get into a snooker team? that could really help in your situation

[CoachGavin]

As a coach i would just say that if you are going to practice make sure that your basics are right. If your technique is really bad then all you are doing is practising how to get better at playing bad! I once knew someone who practiced for 4 hours a day and couldnt regularly pot a couple of reds and colours - his technique was bad and when anyone said anything he said that it was too late to change and he couldnt do it - yet he was wasting hour upon hour practising!

In terms of partners i would say try and play someone about the same standard or slightly worse and then someone better. The better opponent gives you something to aim for and you can see improvement. The player who is slightly worse enables you to win games and practice winning which leads to confidence. Leagues are usually very good for finding regular games. Sometimes the results are in the local paper and you can contact the secretary via contacts in there. Alternatively try asking at the local clubs to see if they hold league matches etc and who to chat to. I also have some useful links on my site at www.121snookercoaching.com

hope this helps

[marksman25]

Thanks for your very helpful replies, I have stepped up my practice and this has payed off with more consistent potting and better positioning, leading to slightly better breaks. Im getting 20s and 30s on a regular basis and feel its a matter of time before they get to 30s and 40s. Id be happy at regular breaks of 40 as this would at the very least make going more enjoyable.
With regards to partners, I have now potentially got a good player to play every now and again, and my regular less good player once a week.
I will enquire as to local leagues but am nervous about getting stuffed badly by anyone at this standard, although i suppose it gives me experience of playing better players so could be productive.
I will stick at it and hope things improve as my only wish is to be as good as my departed grandfather, who made 100 breaks at the age of 73, he didnt start playing til his late 50s and my entire motivation is that I hope one day he can look down at me and see a reasonable player. If I can get half as good as him, I would be a very happy man.

By the way, I was thinking of coaching but northamptonshire is a tad too far, do you know of any good coaches in the east midlands?

Again, Many thanks for your replies.