Sidd, the tinker master, reached the final of club tournament- Daily Telegraph ;)

[Sidd]

Hi all

I got my cue made longer for me on Thursday. Played a few frames with it on Thu and Fri and posted my first impressions on another thread. The cue felt a bit heavier yes it did and I tried to get used to with it. Anyway, they announced a one day club tournament of top 16 players of our club. I was surely one of them even in my bad form or maybe I am just a pleasant personality that they found hard to refuse, whatever

The tournament started at 4pm. It was a 6-ball best of three frames format (final best of 5). Draws were out and I got the first match with the best players of the club. He is in Islamabad top 16 and played the quarter final and next year the semi final in Islamabad club. I beat him 2-1 in a tight match. I think I took him very seriously as an in-form player and boy my safety play was just about perfect. I did not give him chances and played really cool and calm and won.

Next match I won from another really good potter. My safety was the real thing here as well. He is a potter so on not getting the balls to pot he got frustrated and started going for long pots and missed and I got my chances and scored. I won it 2-1. Then in the semi final wow that was a great match. My opponent was a betting player and a good one too and his safety was really classic. But well in the last frame I needed both balls and he gave me a pink with rest. I not only potted it but also placed a perfect black near the brown spot and potted it easily too. I wanted to smash it in and let the white roam around like an exhibition shot but I got up from address took a step back relaxed my mind and said no need for that and went down again and simply potted it with a nice little stun and won yes I was that cool.

The final well guys I requested them for the final to be done on next day and I was exhausted of waiting and playing and even refereeing some other matches. Refereeing is an exhausting job honestly, I felt sympathetic for Machela Tabb well anyway it was about 1am when the final began. 9 hours of match play and referring and waiting and due to excitement of moving ahead I had not eaten a thing... Was on tea and water and fizzy drinks throughout. They did not listen to my request because the other finalist wanted to play it as he was not available the day after. So we played it and I easily lost 3-1. I could not concentrate and could not pot and my safety went bad and all that. Then he fluked a few and when he missed I got a snooker and all that started to happen.

Achievements:
1. Highest break 26 hahaha I got my entry fee back
2. runner up: prize money 1000

Impressions and learning:

1. The longer cue is splendid and is working miracles for me. I have never been happier All thanks to Steve!
2. I need to exercise and get rid of this weight. I still have backache. I need to work out in order to play longer matches.
3. Its hard to make big breaks in tournaments so I should not worry too much about missing. Everybody at the club level does. I mean my 26 was a nice little 3 pinks and a blue and that became the highest. It was 6 ball anyway but even then... there were two other both 25 but that was the highest. Pressure handling is of utmost importance in a tournament.
4. Above all: I asked myself not to THINK about anything and it did all the tricks this was my grip simply second finger curled and held the cue whereas inner forefinger and thumb also held the cue. So I used thumb inner part only and two fingers (forefinger inner upper part and let it not curl and second finger curled) and then I totally forgot about it during the match.... I worked really fine for me elbow drop I dont know about it

I am a happy doodle right now just wanted to share my excitement with all of you who have enabled me in learning and supported me in thick and thin... Thanks Terry, Steve, Pottr, Itsnoteasy, Nrage, J6UK and everbody else whose names I am forgetting right now...!!! This is enough motivation for me to move on.

Steve, you were right when you said my grip is OK and I should forget about it.... Its just the BOB thing that helps the most

[cyberheater]

Well done Sidd. You sound like you've got your confidence back. Nicely written as well.

[Sidd]

Well done Sidd. You sound like you've got your confidence back. Nicely written as well.

Thanks mate... Perhaps yes

[j6uk]

well done sid,
i still don't know were your at now, in regards to your commitment to playing and improving, but it would be good to see you in action again with your new toy. just to show us all how the extra 2" works for you.
i might even get my 15red lineup you promised..

[vmax4steve]

Hi all ]

1. The longer cue is splendid and is working miracles for me. I have never been happier All thanks to Steve!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15817[/ATTACH]
at last someone listened to me

I am a happy doodle right now just wanted to share my excitement with all of you who have enabled me in learning and supported me in thick and thin... Thanks Terry, Steve, Pottr, Itsnoteasy, Nrage, J6UK and everbody else whose names I am forgetting right now...!!! This is enough motivation for me to move on.

Steve, you were right when you said my grip is OK and I should forget about it.... Its just the BOB thing that helps the most

just remember this everytime you miss a sitter or your form dips, eyes on BOB, forget everything else.

...................

[Sidd]

well done sid,
i still don't know were your at now, in regards to your commitment to playing and improving, but it would be good to see you in action again with your new toy. just to show us all how the extra 2" works for you.
i might even get my 15red lineup you promised..

dont think I forgot it. I still remember that Its just that I havent had time in the recent past. Wanted to do it this weekend but it was the tournament. I will surely do that ASAP and share the video for further comments and feedback... Very soon indeed.

Did some solo (20 mins only) yesterday though and found that I am cueing pretty nicely. Just a 6 reds with pink and black... took 4 of them 3 blacks and a pink and missed the fifth... But I have noticed another thing, which is really interesting for me to share with you and get feedback on.

I noticed that while concentrating on the grip I played bad and while not thinking about it I played OK however there is another thing that I noticed in solo and then tried it in the match and believe you me, I got immediate immediate results.... I felt more in command more in control and more in power within myself about my cueing... I noticed on the match table somehow that I was not doing my back pause at all ... I always thought I was... but while playing I did my back swing and then abruptly did the final delivery... Went to solo table and concentrated on back pause (1 or 1 1/2 seconds only) and suddenly I started potting them all

Then went to the match table and tried to have a proper back pause and ..... a break of 26 then a break of 31 .... pretty consistent... actually we play a format in which you dont get chances so these small breaks mean a lot really a lot.... !!!

I think while playing my mistake is that I do not have a back pause and go back and without stopping I come forward for delivery... Will try to have it sorted out and see how that goes in the near future.

[Sidd]

...................

Yes I did listen to you and it proved useful. You have helped me tremendously on two biggest things, one of which has been helpful not only in snooker but in life as well and for that i just cant thank you enough.

Those are:

1. Identifying through my posts that I am an OCD just like you. Realizing this helped me understand that i cant always be in control of a situation. It helped me ease my professional life as well as snooker. I still cant put my mind to rest that easily. Like I missed a few balls yesterday and started concentrating on the grip... then I tried to shrug it off and played well... I could not have done this shrugging off if I did not know about this OCD of mine ... so thanks for that. I now at least understand and know when to stop pushing myself... to the best that i can

2. The longer cue... Well well now i have never been in control as much as I feel these days. I am relaxed and easy on the table now. I dont have to have that what do you call it the chicken wing or that shot when you feel you are sort of sliding your cue during delivery especially on low power shots... I now have enough cue so even if its a slow roll I can control it easily... I have also done another thing here that I have shortened my backswing and now i use it in proportion to the power required and I feel more in control of the shot and my positional play has improved considerably.

I think that at times during matches I forget to have a back pause and sort of rush my delivery when I am missing this is happening. I tried to have a back pause and man did I pot or what So this factor is also in my knowledge now and I am trying to keep it calm relax and comfy and have a nice back pause and hence reduce missing those easy sitters..... Last thing here is that I have also observed that when I do BOB properly I automatically have my back pause and when I am not doing my BOB my back pause vanishes for some purpose.... So BOB for me has multifolded benefits.

[Sidd]

Terry: your advice did and is doing wonders

Coach:

I had been doing the full backswing on all shots thing due to watching too much of Ron however when I talked to you and you suggested that if I do that I will have to ensure very straight back swing and slow and controlled back swing in order to play like that and also told me the old school Terry Griffiths method i.e. back swing is proportional to the power required....

I tried the old school thing and it worked and is working great for me. I will try to build this in my game (through solo practice) as I am sure that this really puts me in much more control of the shot.

Thanks as always.

Sidd.

[Sidd]

Last but not the least... I went in yesterday and played a few frames... played quite ok.

Noticed a surprising factor... This has happened before to me as well... for some reason yesterday the cue did not feel longer at all and seemed as if it is in its previous short length and I did not feel the weight of the cue at all as if it has gone lighter... Felt so well balanced in my hands.... Loved the feeling.... Seems like i am getting a hang of the new weight and length.

But honestly, it felt like a normal length and did feel lighter than it actually is

[cyberheater]

Coach:

I had been doing the full backswing on all shots thing due to watching too much of Ron however when I talked to you and you suggested that if I do that I will have to ensure very straight back swing and slow and controlled back swing in order to play like that and also told me the old school Terry Griffiths method i.e. back swing is proportional to the power required.....

Yes. I am also guilty of this. I am currently trying the proportional backswing. In theory, as Terry said, the less movement and power you require for any shot, the less chance anything can go wrong.

[vmax4steve]

Last but not the least... I went in yesterday and played a few frames... played quite ok.

Noticed a surprising factor... This has happened before to me as well... for some reason yesterday the cue did not feel longer at all and seemed as if it is in its previous short length and I did not feel the weight of the cue at all as if it has gone lighter... Felt so well balanced in my hands.... Loved the feeling.... Seems like i am getting a hang of the new weight and length.

But honestly, it felt like a normal length and did feel lighter than it actually is

The cue feels like a normal length because it fits you so you are quickly getting used to it. Seems to me Sidd that you focus on BOB during the rear pause, one goes with the other so keep it up.

[j6uk]

nice mantra this

Seems to me Sidd that you focus on BOB during the rear pause, one goes with the other so keep it up.

[Sidd]

Yes. I am also guilty of this. I am currently trying the proportional backswing. In theory, as Terry said, the less movement and power you require for any shot, the less chance anything can go wrong.

Very true Cyberheater very true... I believe the longer backswing on all shots should be left for the gods of the game, for us mortals proportional backswing is the answer

[Sidd]

The cue feels like a normal length because it fits you so you are quickly getting used to it. Seems to me Sidd that you focus on BOB during the rear pause, one goes with the other so keep it up.

Indeed Just tell me one thing here... I have read on this forum in a few threads that even BOB has to come subconsciously and not as a conscious effort... If it is done consciously it does not work right... But for me doing it on purpose and consciously is what I do in order to keep my focus on the pot and freeze my mind on BOB so I dont think of other things... Please do clarify this as well...

And yes having a back pause helps me put all my efforts on BOB and I start doing that and they both compliment each other. I tried it tonight and made a 35 break in my opening frame... it was not an easy break I tell you and I really had to do some effort in terms of placing to get that I am happy about that.... But do let me know!

[Sidd]

nice mantra this

Indeed... works best for me