Questions about cue, line of aim, table speed & playing professionally

[burgerunderwear]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and this is my first post. As you can probably tell from the title, I have a few questions to ask. But before that, allow me to introduce myself slightly.

I'm 19 years old this year and I'm from Malaysia. I have been playing since July 2016, and I purchased a cheap 40£ CM1 cue few weeks after starting. My highest break in practice is 26, highest break in a match would be about 15-18. I play about twice a week (2-3 hours each session) but I'm very passionate and want to improve my game heavily, so I'm planning to start practising a lot more (4-5 times a week, 1+ hour(s) each session). But before I begin my practice, I have some questions..
My questions are:

1) Is a good cue supposed to be butt-heavy? A friend of mine said that the weight of my cue is evenly distributed (or even front/shaft heavy instead of butt heavy). Is it very crucial for me to get a better cue or is it fine to start practising with it?

2) Does standing in the line of shot mean that I should stand centered to the line or the line of shot should be aligned with my right leg? (I'm a right-handed player)

3) I'm deciding between 2 different clubs to begin my practice. Quite a tough decision for me, I've always played best and feel most comfortable in club A, but feel that I should practise with faster, better condition tables. What do you guys think? Is it okay to practise with a slow table?
Club A:
-Comfortable (this is where I started playing so most of the staff know me)
-Average condition tables (quite good for a snooker club in my city, most of them have tables with terrible, terrible conditions.)
-Slow tables
-Average service (better than club B)
-No music (although there would be some loud and noisy players sometimes)
-Convenient location
-Cheaper

Club B:
-Better condition tables, balls & equipment.
-Faster tables
-Bad service
-Mid-range volume music (gets in my way)
-Less convenient location
-Slightly pricier

4) What does it take to play snooker professionally? I don't know if any of you would know how to go about it in my country, but I would love to know how to begin.

I hope to get some feedback soon!

[jonny66]

Welcome to the forum These answers are just my opinion and some people may disagree, hopefully you can make a decision from a few different answers.

1.) You will get used to the cue over time, no one can tell what cue is right for you but yourself.

2.) Your head is more important than your feet.

3.) Again, personal preference, but I'd go for the better equipment myself.

4.) I think from where you are the best chance of turning pro would be to win the Asian amateur or Asian under 21 championships. This will be very very hard with lots of young Chinese talent competing.

[burgerunderwear]

Welcome to the forum These answers are just my opinion and some people may disagree, hopefully you can make a decision from a few different answers.

1.) You will get used to the cue over time, no one can tell what cue is right for you but yourself.

2.) Your head is more important than your feet.

3.) Again, personal preference, but I'd go for the better equipment myself.

4.) I think from where you are the best chance of turning pro would be to win the Asian amateur or Asian under 21 championships. This will be very very hard with lots of young Chinese talent competing.

Do you think it is more difficult to play powerful shots with a cue like mine compared to a cue that is butt heavy?

For 2, do you mean that my head should be aligned with the line of shot?

[jonny66]

Powerful shots are difficult to play with any cue, and should be avoided if at all possible, but no I don't think a heavy butt makes them any easier. Maybe it will, but it makes touch shots more difficult, and snooker is all about a good touch.

Yes, your head should be on the line

[burgerunderwear]

Powerful shots are difficult to play with any cue, and should be avoided if at all possible, but no I don't think a heavy butt makes them any easier. Maybe it will, but it makes touch shots more difficult, and snooker is all about a good touch.

Yes, your head should be on the line

Thank you so much for your feedback!

[burgerunderwear]

Anyone else can impart some insight?

[ace man]

1. Butt heavy cue? No.
2. You could write a book on this question. I'm not a coach so won't get into that.
3. If you want to improve go where better players play. You forgot to include quality of players factor. And you have to have tables available for solo practise too. Vital for improvement.
4. Don't miss balls.

[jrc750]

.... My highest break in practice is 26, highest break in a match would be about 15-18. .....

4) What does it take to play snooker professionally?

I hope to get some feedback soon!

Hmm is that a serious question ?? you need to be knocking in century breaks regularly to even think about it

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and this is my first post. As you can probably tell from the title, I have a few questions to ask. But before that, allow me to introduce myself slightly.

I'm 19 years old this year and I'm from Malaysia. I have been playing since July 2016, and I purchased a cheap 40£ CM1 cue few weeks after starting. My highest break in practice is 26, highest break in a match would be about 15-18. I play about twice a week (2-3 hours each session) but I'm very passionate and want to improve my game heavily, so I'm planning to start practising a lot more (4-5 times a week, 1+ hour(s) each session). But before I begin my practice, I have some questions..
My questions are:

1) Is a good cue supposed to be butt-heavy? A friend of mine said that the weight of my cue is evenly distributed (or even front/shaft heavy instead of butt heavy). Is it very crucial for me to get a better cue or is it fine to start practising with it?

2) Does standing in the line of shot mean that I should stand centered to the line or the line of shot should be aligned with my right leg? (I'm a right-handed player)

3) I'm deciding between 2 different clubs to begin my practice. Quite a tough decision for me, I've always played best and feel most comfortable in club A, but feel that I should practise with faster, better condition tables. What do you guys think? Is it okay to practise with a slow table?
Club A:
-Comfortable (this is where I started playing so most of the staff know me)
-Average condition tables (quite good for a snooker club in my city, most of them have tables with terrible, terrible conditions.)
-Slow tables
-Average service (better than club B)
-No music (although there would be some loud and noisy players sometimes)
-Convenient location
-Cheaper

Club B:
-Better condition tables, balls & equipment.
-Faster tables
-Bad service
-Mid-range volume music (gets in my way)
-Less convenient location
-Slightly pricier

4) What does it take to play snooker professionally? I don't know if any of you would know how to go about it in my country, but I would love to know how to begin.

I hope to get some feedback soon!

4. Pro

I would say it's impossible to start playing snooker at 19 and become a pro. As you're new to the game, you'll probably see dramatic improvement in quick time, but don't let this fool you, it won't last for ever. Sooner or later you'll hit a ceiling, and then it a) stops being fun and b) improvement becomes hard work, and slow.

I'd advise someone in your position to just enjoy the game. It's hard and frustrating, with very little reward for anyone outside the top 20 or so players in the world.

[Csmith]

1) I believe you can become proficient with any cue as long as you become accustom to it.

2) Agree with above responses, getting head on the line is more important. Starting with your right foot on the line means you'll have to lean over a little. Starting with your body centred means you'll need step in a bit. With the latter method, perhaps practice with a straight line on the ground (use tape, string or anything) and practice stepping in without looking. Look down to see how you did.

3) Practice where you are comfortable. I learned to play on very slow conditions, which resulted in the development of a fairly powerful stroke. Also worth considering, where is your competition? If all of your competition is on fast tables, you'll want to spend a lot of time practicing on fast tables. But if your competition is on slow equipment, being used to fast cloth can be difficult to overcome. Club A sounds like a more enjoyable practice enviroment, slow tables aside.

4) Don't worry about this right now. Find skill level appropriate competition and practice as much as you have time for, and do so deliberately. Don't just knock the balls around. You can keep your goal of playing professionally in the back of your mind, but in the time being I'd plan to have a back up career. To be honest, if you pursue a secondary career while you develop your game, you'll quickly find yourself earning more money than the average professional snooker player. Besides, it's fun to compete as an Amateur, you still get to play against awesome players and without the financial pressures of professional play.

[burgerunderwear]

1. Butt heavy cue? No.
2. You could write a book on this question. I'm not a coach so won't get into that.
3. If you want to improve go where better players play. You forgot to include quality of players factor. And you have to have tables available for solo practise too. Vital for improvement.
4. Don't miss balls.

I actually included the quality of players initially, but when I was done with my post the first time, I got requested by the forum to log in & I had to re-write the whole thing. I was really tired so I left some things out..

In general, club B appears to have better and more passionate players, and is also more enthusiastic and passionate about snooker. They seem to hold tournaments there as well. There is a big tournament bracket board and a lot of equipment for display, including cue balls that have been autographed by famous professional players (including Jimmy White).

[burgerunderwear]

Hmm is that a serious question ?? you need to be knocking in century breaks regularly to even think about it

Yes it is a serious question. I truly do want to know what it takes/how to begin.

[burgerunderwear]

4. Pro

I would say it's impossible to start playing snooker at 19 and become a pro. As you're new to the game, you'll probably see dramatic improvement in quick time, but don't let this fool you, it won't last for ever. Sooner or later you'll hit a ceiling, and then it a) stops being fun and b) improvement becomes hard work, and slow.

I'd advise someone in your position to just enjoy the game. It's hard and frustrating, with very little reward for anyone outside the top 20 or so players in the world.

Well that was demotivating. But to an extent I can see where you're coming from and I agree.

[burgerunderwear]

1) I believe you can become proficient with any cue as long as you become accustom to it.

2) Agree with above responses, getting head on the line is more important. Starting with your right foot on the line means you'll have to lean over a little. Starting with your body centred means you'll need step in a bit. With the latter method, perhaps practice with a straight line on the ground (use tape, string or anything) and practice stepping in without looking. Look down to see how you did.

3) Practice where you are comfortable. I learned to play on very slow conditions, which resulted in the development of a fairly powerful stroke. Also worth considering, where is your competition? If all of your competition is on fast tables, you'll want to spend a lot of time practicing on fast tables. But if your competition is on slow equipment, being used to fast cloth can be difficult to overcome. Club A sounds like a more enjoyable practice enviroment, slow tables aside.

4) Don't worry about this right now. Find skill level appropriate competition and practice as much as you have time for, and do so deliberately. Don't just knock the balls around. You can keep your goal of playing professionally in the back of your mind, but in the time being I'd plan to have a back up career. To be honest, if you pursue a secondary career while you develop your game, you'll quickly find yourself earning more money than the average professional snooker player. Besides, it's fun to compete as an Amateur, you still get to play against awesome players and without the financial pressures of professional play.

Great answer! Thank you so much

[Byrom]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and this is my first post. As you can probably tell from the title, I have a few questions to ask. But before that, allow me to introduce myself slightly.

I'm 19 years old this year and I'm from Malaysia. I have been playing since July 2016, and I purchased a cheap 40£ CM1 cue few weeks after starting. My highest break in practice is 26, highest break in a match would be about 15-18. I play about twice a week (2-3 hours each session) but I'm very passionate and want to improve my game heavily, so I'm planning to start practising a lot more (4-5 times a week, 1+ hour(s) each session). But before I begin my practice, I have some questions..
My questions are:

1) Is a good cue supposed to be butt-heavy? A friend of mine said that the weight of my cue is evenly distributed (or even front/shaft heavy instead of butt heavy). Is it very crucial for me to get a better cue or is it fine to start practising with it? A cue is subjective to the person using it - everyone is different and you can get used to anything - my pref is evenly balanced weight around 18 oz - a good cue does obviously help but who is to say what is a decent cue? One mans perfume is another mans poison. Perhaps only when you reach a decent standard as you will you know better then what spec you prefer - what you like you will have a better understanding of after trying a few out..2) Does standing in the line of shot mean that I should stand centered to the line or the line of shot should be aligned with my right leg? (I'm a right-handed player) Depends on your set up - stance - I stand central to view the shot but as I step in I plant my right foot across or on line of aim - I practice getting down and the baulk line and cueing the yellow when you get down to the shot keeping your cue still and notice - is it still on the baulk line online front and back or slightly off?

3) I'm deciding between 2 different clubs to begin my practice. Quite a tough decision for me, I've always played best and feel most comfortable in club A, but feel that I should practise with faster, better condition tables. What do you guys think? Is it okay to practise with a slow table?
Club A:
-Comfortable (this is where I started playing so most of the staff know me)
-Average condition tables (quite good for a snooker club in my city, most of them have tables with terrible, terrible conditions.)
-Slow tables
-Average service (better than club B)
-No music (although there would be some loud and noisy players sometimes)
-Convenient location
-Cheaper

Club B:
-Better condition tables, balls & equipment.
-Faster tables
-Bad service
-Mid-range volume music (gets in my way)
-Less convenient location
-Slightly pricier

Club B - Better tables make better players. Get used to distractions work on your focus - I would never go to a club if the tables where slow and they used rubbish balls. I would maybe go back to club A if they got new covers or I bought my own set of balls

4) What does it take to play snooker professionally? I don't know if any of you would know how to go about it in my country, but I would love to know how to begin.

I hope to get some feedback soon!

I think it takes some natural talent and thousands of hours on top of that in practice - I do think you can improve to a great standard if you love the game and are OCD with it - Your countries best player Thor is giving it a go but I don't know if he will manage as you don't just need the talent you also need the backing - Countries like Thailand and China have great authorities governments business and associations who get behind their players in snooker and sponsor them to help them achieve and succeed - these two countries are a shining example of how you should back snooker players in my opinion.

Lots of other countries do not help players. The only reason players in England succeed is because most of the events are here - we survive only because of the history of the game not because anyone supports the players - it is outrageous how the governments and business here ignore the sport and don't help the players. It is a shame for many people from these other countries - across the globe including many European countries. This is why I wanted snooker to be recognised as an Olympic event because then more countries would better fund it and allow it to become more global and give young players a better chance to succeed instead of giving up on their dreams.

Set yourself targets put the hours in because you enjoy it and want to improve and nothing else - learn off better players - see were it gets you. Its not just about knocking in a hundred break - Many people who are not pro can do that in UK and they are no-where near pro standard. There are players that dream a bit in snooker - think they can make it or that they are better than they are. Its a hard job making it pro and when many do they still struggle - so its not something I would recommend to my kids or anyone I cared for actually.