Adapting to different Playing conditions

[bolton-cueman]

50 break standard is an average club player...you went onto a pro table and got found out. Happens to a lot better players than you so don't worry about it.

totally spot on....

[sharkster63]

My thought's are if you have templated or tight pockets you must have a very straight table with a high quality fast cloth, this will give you the proper table conditions to improve your cueing and overall game. Basically said, the bigger the pockets the slower the cloth can be, the tighter the pockets the faster the cloth and straighter the table. I think there is a very fine line that separates the differences between too tight, perfect player and too loose. Cheers

[dcrackers147]

I'm glad I've seen this thread - it saves me posting a new one!

I'm a regular 50-60-70 break player and went to the academy in Sheffield today where I try and visit a couple of times a month. I really struggle with potting with the tight pockets, my highest break on a Star is 59. Funny thing is though, I took a mate who is a similar standard and I told him he'd struggle to make a 30 break on his first visit there, but he made a 40 break in the first frame and a 59 in the third! He said he aims for the middle of the pocket from where the object ball is which makes a lot of sense. After playing for 30 odd years I'm not sure if I focus a lot on the pockets, maybe that's where I'm going wrong? Can anyone relate to this and sugggest how to improve? I'm guessing playing more on these types of table is the only way.

you might be a better scorer on club tables than your friend however he might still cue better/straighter than you or have better alignment. Just a thought and could explain why you are struggling to adjust more. Also people can give too much respect to the pockets which causes them to tense up on the shot or lose the white easily as so much has been put into the pot.

[dcrackers147]

I would say 50 break standard is better than an average club player,. 30 breaks would be my idea of the average club player

Think the OP stated he makes the odd 50+ break which suggests that he does not consistently make them every session for example, hence me comment of average club player.

[dcrackers147]

I've played on both Chris Wakelins and Matt Selts tables in Nuneaton and at the SWSA. There are only two of the tables at the academy that feel properly templated to me. The others feel generous. I've played pros with overly tight tables and while it does promote accuracy it also definitely effects shot choice as certain shots become low percentage returns. I also agree that confidence can take a hit playing on an absurdly tight pocketed table.

this is exactly right. inevermissblue is entitled to his opinion but in a game 90% about confidence at the top level why would you destroy your own unnecessarily?

[GeordieDS]

50 break standard is an average club player...you went onto a pro table and got found out. Happens to a lot better players than you so don't worry about it.

I would say 50 break standard is better than an average club player,. 30 breaks would be my idea of the average club player

[tedisbill]

I also went to the tournament at the SWSA on Sunday.

All this talk of pocket tightness and it's just not what I struggle with on the star tables.

The cloth is much more grippy. The cushions slide all over the place. When you use side it pushes in and doesn't tend to swerve back out as much.

Those are the things that prevent me from playing well when I rock up to a tournament and haven't seen a star table for 2 months.

Snooker is about position really. You stay in good position, you make big breaks. I'm out of position after 8 points when I got to Gloucester haha

[Looter]

I'm glad I've seen this thread - it saves me posting a new one!

I'm a regular 50-60-70 break player and went to the academy in Sheffield today where I try and visit a couple of times a month. I really struggle with potting with the tight pockets, my highest break on a Star is 59. Funny thing is though, I took a mate who is a similar standard and I told him he'd struggle to make a 30 break on his first visit there, but he made a 40 break in the first frame and a 59 in the third! He said he aims for the middle of the pocket from where the object ball is which makes a lot of sense. After playing for 30 odd years I'm not sure if I focus a lot on the pockets, maybe that's where I'm going wrong? Can anyone relate to this and sugggest how to improve? I'm guessing playing more on these types of table is the only way.

[magicman]

I've played on both Chris Wakelins and Matt Selts tables in Nuneaton and at the SWSA. There are only two of the tables at the academy that feel properly templated to me. The others feel generous. I've played pros with overly tight tables and while it does promote accuracy it also definitely effects shot choice as certain shots become low percentage returns. I also agree that confidence can take a hit playing on an absurdly tight pocketed table.

[inevermissblue]

haha don't they know it's "Blue Monday!" Never understood the theory of some pros having their tables tighter than match conditions. All it does is limit them in terms of how they can approach a break. For example on a normal Star you don't mind dropping a red along the cushion provided you hit it right at an acceptable pace it's going in. I have played on tables where you hit it as good as you can and it just doesn't go in. This does nothing for your confidence and encourages you to play the wrong positional shot simply to avoid the tables flaws.

I would have to disagree. It nearly always comes down to accuracy. Tight pockets will demand more precise potting. There isn't a table in the land that won't accept a ball if struck to go in that exact position. In Jamie Cope's local club there is his star hybrid table and 4 other refurbished tables. That had steel block cushions fitted. They are actually a lot tighter than the star. More or less straight away you will notice this when playing along the cushion. Not too much longer after that, you notice that the reason is because you're not potting with enough accuracy. Tight tables keep your precision. Generous pockets erode it.

[tomwalker147]

it's worse when you enter a comp and you get drawn on a rug with buckets for pockets. Guys twitching in balls down the rail all day long none of which should go in. I have actually apologised for potting balls on some of them haha

I remember playing in a handicap comp on a table with huge pockets and a slow cloth. Thumped the balls round the table and ended up having 80 odd to win a match 3-2, I apologised all the way through the break must've potted half a dozen balls that never should've gone in haha

[dcrackers147]

Totally agree mate! MY friend and I are both centruy breakers and no word of a lie we couldn't get one ball to drop along the black cushion unless we played it dead weight.
That's why the SWSA tables were almost a relief after playing on those tight things!

it's worse when you enter a comp and you get drawn on a rug with buckets for pockets. Guys twitching in balls down the rail all day long none of which should go in. I have actually apologised for potting balls on some of them haha

[tomwalker147]

haha don't they know it's "Blue Monday!" Never understood the theory of some pros having their tables tighter than match conditions. All it does is limit them in terms of how they can approach a break. For example on a normal Star you don't mind dropping a red along the cushion provided you hit it right at an acceptable pace it's going in. I have played on tables where you hit it as good as you can and it just doesn't go in. This does nothing for your confidence and encourages you to play the wrong positional shot simply to avoid the tables flaws.

Totally agree mate! MY friend and I are both centruy breakers and no word of a lie we couldn't get one ball to drop along the black cushion unless we played it dead weight.
That's why the SWSA tables were almost a relief after playing on those tight things!

[dcrackers147]

Sorry I could have elaborated on that (I blame my customers wanting me to do some work!). I've played on a couple of Star's at our local club, Chris Wakelin's is crazy tight along the black cushion and when Matt Selt had his table in our club he had it made incredibly tight, apparently it'd help his game doing that.

I think the Star's at SWSA are generous compared to these two that i've practiced on.

haha don't they know it's "Blue Monday!" Never understood the theory of some pros having their tables tighter than match conditions. All it does is limit them in terms of how they can approach a break. For example on a normal Star you don't mind dropping a red along the cushion provided you hit it right at an acceptable pace it's going in. I have played on tables where you hit it as good as you can and it just doesn't go in. This does nothing for your confidence and encourages you to play the wrong positional shot simply to avoid the tables flaws.

[Derek P]

Williams made back to back 147's against Duane Jones in practice last week and is an all time great...slight difference. Agree though close control and not letting the white ball get away from you is key. Also going into the pack is far more about penetration than power as the balls open really nicely.

Of course he's amazing but my point was he goes into matches and takes people apart scoring 30-40 and playing telling safety's I know he's a firm member of the hundred break club but he's able to win frames scoring 30-40 too so my point is then that average 50 breaker in the club could win world snooker events and that's just not the case guys down the club will on an average frame go in and make 20 not 50 maybe run fifty once a week or something like that but regular 50 breaker in matches could win the world title Cao Yaopeng was taking robertson apart in glasgow with a fifty in every frame before it got too much for him.

Also point on williams making back to back max's in practice I've heard this story from all the pro's and it's relative in the match arena it's harder circumstances and conditions to do that on the line up I can clear in 10 minutes every time but I don't clear the table every frame i play it's all relative to the pressure your opponent is putting you under and at their level that can be incredible