how do i become a pro?

[Welshsteve]

It is true actually, far more likely to make a better living out of it than snooker anyway. There are loads of events, at least 2 every month, then the bigger events and the TV majors. There is already a total prize fund of £1m for next years world title alone. So add in all the other events, Taylor has already earned £500,000 this last year and he was struggling this time last year! A lot of the top 10 earned between £50-£150k as well, far more more than the top 10 at snooker would have earned.

I guess the more events help. Snooker needs this. More events like the Premier League etc, and the new Masters Series stuff.

The Amateur game needs a proper structured Inter-League competition as well in my opinion. Our league used to take part in inter-league comeptitions every year, but there's nothing for us now, and nothing nationally at all.

People have asked if we can resurrect the inter-league representative sides, but with nothing to play in I've resorted to contacting people from different leagues around the country to try and arrange friendly matches against them. Hopefully this can help spark something off. Would be good.

[cueman]

Actually just to show you, here is the list of the top 16 in the PDC and their earnings over the past year.

1. Phil Taylor £426,770
2. R v. Barneveld £306,763
3. James Wade £289,488
4. John Part £183,586
5. Terry Jenkins £143,293
6. Adrian Lewis £122,592
7. Andy Hamilton £113,080
8. Wayne Mardle £113,000
9. Alan Tabern £109,049
10. Colin Lloyd £106,234
11. Dennis Priestley £101,564
12. Mervyn King £97,875
13. Peter Manley £96,448
14. Colin Osborne £93,739
15. Ronnie Baxter £92,161
16. Roland Scholten £89,553

I was slightly wrong about Taylor but he's not far off £500k. But when you consider the earnings for the top 16 in snooker, I bet over half of them don't even make over £100k.

[khizzy]

snooker is oxygen for me,can stay away from it

[DavisFan76]

Take up darts theres more money in that sport now.

It isn't just about money though, is it? You have to do it for the love of the game, otherwise I doubt if you'd last that long...

[Welshsteve]

It isn't just about money though, is it? You have to do it for the love of the game, otherwise I doubt if you'd last that long...

Agreed. And to get to the highest standard you have to love the game cos it takes dedication

[DavisFan76]

Agreed. And to get to the highest standard you have to love the game cos it takes dedication

It's like the performing arts (I know, I speak from experience). It has to almost become your whole life, that's a lot of dedication!! And if you're not prepared for that, forget it, because there will be many others out there who are. Of course, snooker is probably a lot easier to get into than high level performing arts, but the principle is the same.

[khizzy]

true , players like ronnie and hendry have not been born eith a cue in their hand,they have worked very hard to get where they are now,after all snooker is an acquired skill,only hardwork and dedication can get you to the crucible,thats what i believe

[DavisFan76]

true , players like ronnie and hendry have not been born eith a cue in their hand,they have worked very hard to get where they are now,after all snooker is an acquired skill,only hardwork and dedication can get you to the crucible,thats what i believe

I've heard time and time again 'if you want it bad enough, you'll get it'. I don't believe that. If that certain little slice of luck doesn't fall your way, you can want it all you want and still won't get it. Just be sure that you have what it takes before getting too deep in, especially as you'd be uprooting yourself and moving to England. Best of luck with it, anyway! There's nothing to say you won't make it, just go in with your eyes wide open and remember, dedication is what you need...

...if you wanna be a record breaker!!!

(Some of our older members might get that lil' joke!!)

[khizzy]

how good do i really need to be,to be at the top

[poolqjunkie]

true , players like ronnie and hendry have not been born eith a cue in their hand,they have worked very hard to get where they are now,after all snooker is an acquired skill,only hardwork and dedication can get you to the crucible,thats what i believe

I admire you, and would like to wish you all the best.

Do you know the player who won the IBSF last year? I heard he is a very good player. How do you do against him?

[CTquick147]

how good do i really need to be,to be at the top

I'm thinking of Jimmy White's book, Snooker Masterclass, where he said, "even if you're making (70-99) these kinds of breaks every other time you go to the table, you're not even half way to a professional career".

Former world champion Cliff Thorburn once told me that before he left Canada to go pro he kept a notebook to keep track of his 100 breaks, he said it got to the point where he was making 60 centuries a month, and then he stopped keeping track. Keep in mind this was before he went to the UK and radically improved. And also keep in mind, that was the 1970s, when scoring was wasn't as heavy at the top level as it is now.

Also I must say, that well khizzy is no doubt a gifted player in the amatuer ranks( I commend anyone who's put in the time to be able to claim a break in the 130s) there are kids barely in their teens now like Jamie Jones and Luca Brecel who are knocking in 147s. This is what the aspiring professional now has to consider.

My own answer to Khizzy's question, "How good do I need to be to be at the top?", is simply this, the players who've been at the top of snooker for the past 30 years ( Reardon, Alex Higgins, Davis, Hendry, Ronnie) aren't just great players, they are geniuses, all of them. It is hard to fathom just how good they really are, and the players who stand the best chance of taking their place amongst them are these young kids who are getting 100s before they hit their teens. This is how high the standard is now.

However, I for one, hope Khizzy shows us all, and that we're watching him on at the Crucible one day. The only person who can decide how good he can be is himself, and if at his relatively old age of 23 he can up his standard to the point where he's making 147s regularly, well, he'll be the Rocky of the snooker world.

Let's all encourage this young man and follow his progress. Hopefully the people on this forum with a grasp of what the aspiring pro can do to make it up the ranks will steer him in the right direction.

[Welshsteve]

how good do i really need to be,to be at the top

You need to be exceptional. As has been said, there are players in most leagues arounf the UK that make century breaks on a regular basis but are not able to make it anywhere near the pro main tour.

[khizzy]

I'm thinking of Jimmy White's book, Snooker Masterclass, where he said, "even if you're making (70-99) these kinds of breaks every other time you go to the table, you're not even half way to a professional career".

Former world champion Cliff Thorburn once told me that before he left Canada to go pro he kept a notebook to keep track of his 100 breaks, he said it got to the point where he was making 60 centuries a month, and then he stopped keeping track. Keep in mind this was before he went to the UK and radically improved. And also keep in mind, that was the 1970s, when scoring was wasn't as heavy at the top level as it is now.

Also I must say, that well khizzy is no doubt a gifted player in the amatuer ranks( I commend anyone who's put in the time to be able to claim a break in the 130s) there are kids barely in their teens now like Jamie Jones and Luca Brecel who are knocking in 147s. This is what the aspiring professional now has to consider.

My own answer to Khizzy's question, "How good do I need to be to be at the top?", is simply this, the players who've been at the top of snooker for the past 30 years ( Reardon, Alex Higgins, Davis, Hendry, Ronnie) aren't just great players, they are geniuses, all of them. It is hard to fathom just how good they really are, and the players who stand the best chance of taking their place amongst them are these young kids who are getting 100s before they hit their teens. This is how high the standard is now.

However, I for one, hope Khizzy shows us all, and that we're watching him on at the Crucible one day. The only person who can decide how good he can be is himself, and if at his relatively old age of 23 he can up his standard to the point where he's making 147s regularly, well, he'll be the Rocky of the snooker world.

Let's all encourage this young man and follow his progress. Hopefully the people on this forum with a grasp of what the aspiring pro can do to make it up the ranks will steer him in the right direction.

thanks everyone for you encouragement,God willing you all will see me at the crucible soon

[khizzy]

I admire you, and would like to wish you all the best.

Do you know the player who won the IBSF last year? I heard he is a very good player. How do you do against him?

his name is tepchiaya, hes a thai player,very good,he was crticised a long for not being able to play well in matches but at the world championship he played really well and won it,i've never played him

[poolqjunkie]

his name is tepchiaya, hes a thai player,very good,he was crticised a long for not being able to play well in matches but at the world championship he played really well and won it,i've never played him

Well, I have read that his long potting is really good, although I must admit I have never heard of him until he won. There are so many good players in Thai. If you can win in your country and play in the IBSF, and then go from there, it would be nice to see you on TV one day. Please keep us posted.