Natural ability

[itsnoteasy]

That Brown at 22:45 is epic!!!!!!!!

God he was good wasn't he, I miss him playing.

[itsnoteasy]

I posted this observation after the world final that Ronnie was looking at the cue ball on his safety shots and switching late to the object ball on his pots. He was not at his very best because of this I believe.

That spot of Higgins looking at the cue ball on a safety shot could very well be synonymous with safety shots where the primary concern is getting the cue ball safe, that you are concentrating too much on the cue ball as it's that ball that you are wanting to place in a certain position. The fact is that safeties don't have to be so accurate as pots as both cue ball and object ball can both be a foot away from ideal position and still be safe so looking at the cue ball on the strike won't matter too much.

With pots though it's a different story.

Could there be anything in this theory.
Safety shots from baulk a lot of the time are from under or very near to the Cush , coupled with what Vmax has said, maybe they make sure of a nice contact on the white(very easy when striking slightly down on the white to put a bit of side on) as the pace and a nice shot through the white are more important to the shot than pin point contact of the object ball, so that's why they look at the cue ball?

[eaoin11]

Could there be anything in this theory.
Safety shots from baulk a lot of the time are from under or very near to the Cush , coupled with what Vmax has said, maybe they make sure of a nice contact on the white(very easy when striking slightly down on the white to put a bit of side on) as the pace and a nice shot through the white are more important to the shot than pin point contact of the object ball, so that's why they look at the cue ball?

After reading Steve's post and before seeing yours I was thinking the same thing. Safeties are often softer shots and I suspect that I might be looking at the cue ball for these as I'm (subconsciously) worried about unintentional side.

[thelongbomber]

What you look at changes depending on the shot needs. If you are playing a double, chances are you are looking at the OB more. If you are playing safe, chances are, you are looking at the cushion more. If you are rolling up, chances are you may even look at the CB (which works great btw). Long shots, you will look at OB more, in short game, you can get away looking at CB more for more CB control. If you are not "in the zone", your eyes won't have a consistent target. If you are "in the zone" chances are you are watching your cue ball head to the target while at the same sending your hand there also.

[Vitikka]

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-s...00-rule-2014-7

I don't know where this should go but i think this is as good place as any. It's a article about how much practice actually help you getting better in sports etc..
That number seems really low if you ask me (they cant be counting it from the zero, or?) i think i'm going to wait and let the scientist figure this game out for me
So what do you guys think what else matters?

[eaoin11]

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-s...00-rule-2014-7

I don't know where this should go but i think this is as good place as any. It's a article about how much practice actually help you getting better in sports etc..
That number seems really low if you ask me (they cant be counting it from the zero, or?) i think i'm going to wait and let the scientist figure this game out for me
So what do you guys think what else matters?

If you do the very basics right first, then all the practise you do later gives you a much higher return. Get the stance and cueing absolutely first class, bending at the hip, back straight as possible, cue as flat to the table as possible, getting your head down, and eliminating all movement apart from the cueing arm. All of these things don't just help to pot balls MUCH more easily than if you don't do them, they also increase the quality of feedback you get from every shot. This means your brain is receiving much better information as it integrates your muscle memory with what you see happen to the white ball.

[j6uk]

yes as said above the foundations are essential to build a solid game on. and with the right approach- a nice cue-action, good control of the white and table knowledge will blossom with time.. they'll always be rainy days form wise but when you've created that class it never leaves you

[tony frank]

Chimeing in from the USA Definitely natural ability - my experiences

yes as said above the foundations are essential to build a solid game on. and with the right approach- a nice cue-action, good control of the white and table knowledge will blossom with time.. they'll always be rainy days form wise but when you've created that class it never leaves you

Going back many years when I and 3 school mates / neighbors / friends hung around together when growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, different natural talents we all had became apparent while we all moved along with our life's. We all set pins at bowling alleys which also had pool rooms, caddied / played golf , played basketball / swimming and ran track in high school. Subsequently over our High School years, with all of us virtually spending equal amounts of time and efforts to master all of our athletic endeavors the natural talents of each of us slowly became obvious. Given that we had virtually dedicated an equal amount of time and efforts to mastering our FUN things, there is no other answer for our different achievements. I became a young master of both pocket billiards and 3 cushion. No snooker table for us anywhere within reach. One became a professional golfer at 17 yo and another could have been easily except for family and personal involvements. The other 2 were very low HCP however not with that necessary mysterious TOUCH ? 2 became semi pro bowlers of renown while the other 2 lingered on the sidelines. Same with HS sports. My gang were also all high achievers academically. No other answer, given we were all very healthy and in great physical condition - natural talents for sure.

Tony Frank

[vmax4steve]

Going back many years when I and 3 school mates / neighbors / friends hung around together when growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, different natural talents we all had became apparent while we all moved along with our life's. We all set pins at bowling alleys which also had pool rooms, caddied / played golf , played basketball / swimming and ran track in high school. Subsequently over our High School years, with all of us virtually spending equal amounts of time and efforts to master all of our athletic endeavors the natural talents of each of us slowly became obvious. Given that we had virtually dedicated an equal amount of time and efforts to mastering our FUN things, there is no other answer for our different achievements. I became a young master of both pocket billiards and 3 cushion. No snooker table for us anywhere within reach. One became a professional golfer at 17 yo and another could have been easily except for family and personal involvements. The other 2 were very low HCP however not with that necessary mysterious TOUCH ? 2 became semi pro bowlers of renown while the other 2 lingered on the sidelines. Same with HS sports. My gang were also all high achievers academically. No other answer, given we were all very healthy and in great physical condition - natural talents for sure.

Tony Frank

Hi Tony,
welcome to the forum.

Were any of you coached while at high school and if so did that make a difference ? I'm not talking about being encouraged, I'm talking about being told to do things a certain way.

[tony frank]

Thank you and onward.

Hi Tony,
welcome to the forum.

Were any of you coached while at high school and if so did that make a difference ? I'm not talking about being encouraged, I'm talking about being told to do things a certain way.

Thank you for the welcome. Yes we all had the same coaches and shared our knowledge as much as possible. Our parents all helped us and supported our adventures. Our golf coach, although never a pro, had a remarkable short game and putting was poetry in motion. One thing I didn't mention. We all were also musicians. Played different instruments although we all tried each others for a time. HMMM The ears seemed to have deferent preferences also. I could not remember notes in my mind so I needed music scores to play through any compositions, yet 60 years later I can write HS and college math formulas with no mistakes. Others could remember the music and lyrics after one sitting ? One could play virtually anything by ear and the rest of us NADA. Yes - even though all experiences going forward may be quite equal or similar, the final connection between the mind, muscle, spirit is different for all. Natural talent surely `prevails in all excellence.

[thelongbomber]

and then there are those that can just pick up a cue and bam timing co-ordination and everything is bang on and flowing in an instant.

Describing me to a T. I can get on a table with virtually no warmup and run a 70 break (like I did last night). I find the less I think about mechanics, the better I play. In fact, last night, I did the run with my normal specs on (not snooker specs) and since I couldn't get down on the table, I didn't worry about it but got the timing anyways. I played a lot of tennis and badminton in my youth and was placed on the school teams.

Forward planing/muscle memory - a quick way of visualizing shots and recalling and just understanding the angles pace - layout of the table and what is needed for positions and options quickly - so the ability to map a table and focus to deliver both confidently.

I'm developing a theory now that break building is at least one part pattern recognition and visual memory. I'm trying to implement this theory in my breaks, and on occasion (when colors are all on their spots), it seems to work. Would you say that break building is time and experience combined with just "knowing how this will work out" in terms of how the reds break open and what to do in certain layouts? When you play the game long enough you start to recognize typical ball layouts and patterns of play and I'm wondering if one can develop breaks by remembering attack strategies and patterns. Like for example, when you have 3 reds left, you eventually reach a point where you don't really have to think much about positional play anymore because you just "know" where you need to be throughout the break. It becomes more automatic the more you play it.

I find they have a high boredom threshold - they lack the patience and motivation to practice consistently - and perhaps surprisingly - I say this because on the surface they can exude a confidence some people can mistake for arrogance - inside these same players often lack belief in themselves at key times.

Stunning insight and so true.

[itsnoteasy]

It doesn't bloody describe me that's for sure
I would have lobbed my cue straight in the bin today, but it would probably have missed.

[thelongbomber]

It doesn't bloody describe me that's for sure
I would have lobbed my cue straight in the bin today, but it would probably have missed.

[Byrom]

It doesn't bloody describe me that's for sure
I would have lobbed my cue straight in the bin today, but it would probably have missed.

that's the spirit -

Don't think about it - brush it off as just a bad day at the office - there will be more ups and downs before you hit the improvement you seek won't there? - you cant learn to pot balls off the table but you can learn to learn to brush off those bad days better and remember how you feel now and next time you have a bad un - practice brushing it off again until you start to think ah well just one of those not to worry - think on it as a positive you have things to work on and the motivation to do it - getting beat is a positive for me - I learn to deal better with getting beat. I gain more motivation to work on these weak areas and shots I missed and I tell myself it wont happen again - if it does it does but I will take a positive from it for my crushing defeats will surely one day make those small victories that much sweeter.


the sun's out - get the golf clubs out for a few days - you will soon feel more hungry for a game after a recharge and then hit the practice hard - ready for more punishment from this silly game we love.

Remember our defeats are just the things we all must endure because without them we would not have this motivation to work on not letting them happen again and our defeats just make those small victories all the more sweeter.

Learning snooker is learning to cope with disappointment - it never leaves you - your expectations rise with your standard and so does the disappointment - its a good thing that you have this passion - turn even a bad day into a positive - learn to deal with it better - you must.

[itsnoteasy]

Yep, onwards and downwards