can the dream be realised

[denja]

I am sure we would all be interested from some players who are over 60 years of age we have some down at the club having played a lot of billiards in their youth they are real mean at getting snookers and cue ball position.

[alabadi]

Great post Longbomber i am with you that desire and determination is important, i have plenty of that you can count on it.
at this moment in time i cannot see myself being consistantenough, i have good days and bad days, i guess pros have them too however they know that they are good enough so they can feel easy that they will have more good days.

i am at the stage now that i am not sure what is letting me down, i can pot any ball on the table, however its potting when it really matters that counts.

I have some suspision that its a combination of my grip and sighting. i have a real problem with sighting, although i have been told by many that it isn't a problem some coaches have said that i am sighting properly but maybe other aspects are letting me down. some coaches that i have had just go through the motions which i really was dissapointed with after the session, some of the things we did i could have done myself.

the problem is some of the good coaches are just too expensive, plus one visit is not enough, this is my dilemma, i know with some more coaching i will improve quicker, however i can't afford at the moment for a lot of coaching.

i am working very hard on technique, i usually record myself and watch it back then if i notice any faults i work on them to improve.

I think that supermans comments are a little strong, and would like to say i wish i was 25 now. i would bet you my bottom dollar that i would make it as a top pro by the time i was 35. thats a 10 year plan. i think that at my age now 10 years to reach that level might be wishfull thinking, however i will give it my best shot.
what i do know is that i have determination , passion, great resiliance and have as much energy as a 20 year old, so i won't stop.

i don't know if you know Ian Wright, he played for Arsenal and England, he started playing football seriously late into his twenties, a lot of people would have said that he would never make it as a pro but he did and at the highest level, so it can be done.

everyones comments are most appreciated keep em coming

Alabbadi

[CoachGavin]

I say dont give up. As a coach I would say work your way up in small steps. Aim for a 50 break and then a 60 etc rather than thinking of centuries and beyond. If the target is too far away you will get dishearted. Remember every journey starts with a small step. Get a video camera and view yourself and your technique. Get some coaching and enjoy yourself. I think you can still improve yet. Good Luck

[denja]

Reg ! Reg is 74 years young he turns up with his trusty one piece cue that his Dad gave him many years ago, its a Joe Davis something or other ! the name plate is so worn that only Joes name is visible even Reg cant remember what model it was, I wondered why some of the young guns appeared to avoid Reg I think they valued their street cred ! Now you can play dirty snooker but Reg plays filthy snooker from the moment he breaks of you find you cant see a bloody red anywhere, you then are confronted by snookers cue ball left tight on the cushion you are giving away points by the bucket load,Reg"s tactics appear to be pot a few then if your not sure leave your opponent up S*** creek by the time you get down to the colour balls this is when Reg goes in for the kill "How the hell did I end up behind the black on the top cushion when I am on the yellow on its spot" you leave reg on with a easy shot and he proceeds to pot the remaining balls in a slow methodical manner by this time you are praying he does finish the game and does not challenge your sanity with another snooker. Reg shakes your hand says how much he enjoyed the game and asks if he can to buy you a drink always the Gentleman ! I ask Reg how did he get he get to be such a crafty player "I played a lot of billiards when I was young mate see you next week". Is there a Reg at your club ?

[thelongbomber]

Great post Longbomber i am with you that desire and determination is important, i have plenty of that you can count on it.
at this moment in time i cannot see myself being consistantenough, i have good days and bad days, i guess pros have them too however they know that they are good enough so they can feel easy that they will have more good days.

i am at the stage now that i am not sure what is letting me down, i can pot any ball on the table, however its potting when it really matters that counts.

I have some suspision that its a combination of my grip and sighting. i have a real problem with sighting, although i have been told by many that it isn't a problem some coaches have said that i am sighting properly but maybe other aspects are letting me down. some coaches that i have had just go through the motions which i really was dissapointed with after the session, some of the things we did i could have done myself.

If you don't believe it's possible to overcome the near impossible, then consider Lance Armstrong, the world famous cyclist. In 1996 he was diagnosed with cancer, and then from 1999 to 2005 he won Tour de France EVERY YEAR.

The problem with snooker is that a large part of the game is sight unseen. That is, good cueing is somewhat of a mystery. Yes, coaches will put you through routines, and drills but I don't see anyone talking about the mind, focus, eye movement, tension, relaxation, optimal cue velocity, etc. I know Nic Barrow covers things like this (and so does my m8).

Consistency is what seperates the top 10 from everyone else. In snooker, being consistent means that after the opponent runs 2 or 3 centuries and you don't see a ball for 30 minutes or more, that you can come to the table and fire back 2 centuries yourself. The only way that will ever happen is if you learn everything you possibly can about cueing, experiment with every single aspect if you don't have a guru guiding your way. The more you learn about cueing, eye movement, grip, stance, etc the better you will become, I'm sure of that.

[rovnos]

i think with your work ethic you can achieve a lot. Until you can make regular breaks of 40-50 i would concentrate on keeping things as simple as possible. It's so easy to get down on a shot and think about your stance, your grip, your alignment your rhythm your timing your positional play.....before you know it...you have taken your shot without really concentrating on where you need to hit the object ball ! Result...shot missed...and you don't understand why ! If i were you i would just make sure your right foot (if right handed) is on the line of the shot, keep a loose grip( keep all fingers round the butt of the cue but let the cue 'push' them of at the end of the backswing) and most importantly, concentrate on the object ball and were you need to hit it ! Practice screw abd top shots in your line-ups. Forget about side for now. Try it, keep it simple andenjoy it! im sure it will pay off. good luck.

[cazmac1]

I have to say that in the last couple of weeks I've hit top form and my potting is almost at pro level again. Yet I'm still not making the really big breaks as lacking a bit of composure at the right time My highest in this current run of form is 67. This could be down to age but I don't think so, for the last 5 years I've played so badly that I was beginning to think I was too old to regain any form and that those potting days were long gone. I'm not used to playing this well and think I just need to clam down and play with a bit more composure when in amongst the balls. Today I was losing 9 -2 to my mate who is a very good player and won 7 on the trot with a 40+ in every frame and each of those should have been more. I had thought about giving the game up as I don't like playing at a level that I know is below me. I'm so glad I didn't and feel the coaching I had with Del is really starting to pay off. I would have never developed my current cue action without seeing Del. So at the age of 45 I'm not quite back to my break building best but every thing else is top draw and it's only a matter of time before all these half century's turn into the real deal. Have I improved or am I just getting back to somewhere I used to be? time will tell but i'm just loving they way i'm playing right now and for now am happy with that. One last thing I've made this improvement without any practice?

[pottr]

If you don't believe it's possible to overcome the near impossible, then consider Lance Armstrong, the world famous cyclist. In 1996 he was diagnosed with cancer, and then from 1999 to 2005 he won Tour de France EVERY YEAR.

Sorry to drag up an old thread. Was searching for something different and this post came up... I swear I laughed so hard I spilt my tea over my last months accounts!

Thought I'd share