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1.
Snooker Cues
I believe some of us don't yet have their own snooker cues (or are
not satisfied with
their current snooker cues). It might be good to get oneas soon
as you can, ideally
before the midland's cup. It normally takes a while to adapt to
a cue for a snooker
player and we are not Ronnie O'Sullivan (who had a new cue less
than a week and
won the Master's). Because of the weight, length, shaft, tip etc,
so please get your
cue as soon as possible.
2.
Position play
From the
competition and trials we played in last month, it seems most of
us aren't
paying enough attention to position play in the game. The snooker
table is a
massive one compare to 9 ball or pool, but if you can control your
cue ball well
even within half of the table, you are almost guaranteed to be a
solid, decent
player.
The best way to learn position play is from video, you can learn
almost everything
from it. Let me know if you need some videos, I can provide some
to you for free :)
The best way to practice position is from the 'line up', the standard
version is 5 red
balls from black to pink, 7 balls from pink to blue, 3 balls on
the other side of blue,
pot one red and one colour in any sequence, when you can pot more
than 50
points, try it from the low end to high end, or the other way around,
sequentially.
Use screw, top, stun run through in practice and try to avoid side
spin if possible,
because in match conditions, pressure + side spin = miss.
The best way to plan for position play, is "3 balls in advance",
this is also true to
professionals. Basically, when you play red, think about the next
red (so red-
colour-red), and when playing a colour, think about where is next
colour (colour-red-
colour) and leave yourself the appropriate angle. So, for example,
if you have a
straight, short red into the corner, leaving you on the black into
the opposite corner,
but the next red is on the bottom cushion under the black, play
the first red so that
the cueball remains high on the black, i.e. light screw/stun. Try
to avoid long
distance cue ball movement and not to let the cue ball bounce off
the cushion for
positioning if possible.
3.
Potting
It is always down to the potting, and this is the top priority.
If you decide to take a
pot, you have to fully commit to pot it, and try to not leave a
chance to your
opponent if you miss. Otherwise, if you are not confident, then
play a good safety
and wait for your next chance. And of course, we would rather pot
a ball and miss
the position than miss a pot but make the right position.
Good cueing posture always results in straight cueing and therefore
good potting. I
do not recommend any onechange their cueing posture at this late
stage (it always
takes more than two months to get our muscle memorising any such
changes), so
try to deliver the cue as straight as you can. Do not hit the ball
unnecessarily hard,
we need to give the pocket more of a chance to receive the balls.
Playing straight
pots hugely benefits straight cuing.
4.
Safety
It is perhaps the most important component in the game; you do not
have to be a
better potter than your opponent, you can win the game by playing
better safeties,.Forced errors not only get you back to the table,
but can also get
your opponent frustrated.
It is easy to practice your safety: start with a normal break, try
to put your cue ball
above the baulk line every time.
Don't think about potting any balls, even if they are
right over the pocket, just see how many consecutive safeties you
can make. If you
snooker yourself, try to solve it without leaving any chance, no
matter where the
cue ball lands in any safety, play another safety from it.
5.
Practice on your own
Competitive play increases our experience, but solo practice is
what increases our
abilities. Try to practice onby yourself in every department, position,
potting, safety,
rest, ball on the cushion etc. Also remember the shots you missed
badly/regularly,
and practice that type of shot on yourself and adjust according
to your previous
errors. You can literally practise any type of shot, but, please
don't practice very
hard ones, you will never play them under the proper game (at least
you definitely
shouldn't!). If you miss too many times, then you are only practising
your
mistakes. Remember, it's not 'practice makes perfect', but 'perfect
practice makes
perfect'.
6.
Match play
Under match conditions, all we need to do is win. Good safety dramatically
increases the odds of winning. When we have a good chance, try to
pot as many
balls as you can, and try make things as easy as you can, BUT when
we run out
of position, focus on a good safety, and try to win the safety battle
afterwards. If we
carry on doing this, in a single frame, we only need three visits,
with each visit
scoring e.g. 16 points, and the game could well be over. Of course,
we will feel
pressure in a match sometimes, and you will feel your arms are not
your own, or
you brain is blank - these are completely normal. Ding Junhui, told
me once, that
under match conditions, he always looks cool outside, but on almost
no occasion,
was he actually cool inside. And this is exactly why straight cuing
is so important.
Determine the potting angle, power and contacting point, lay down
and cue, trust
yourself, and let it go. Do not get annoyed after missing a simple
shot, and always
try to be less annoyed than your opponent. Your calm body language
will freak
them out. Capitalize as much as you can from any opportunity, and
flukes are one
of those opportunities - do not feel sorry about it (even though
you should say sorry
to them of course!). If your opponent plays well, or flukes well,
never mind, just play
your part, forgive your mistakes, concentrate on one ball at a time.
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