how do i become a pro?

[khizzy]

hello everyone,im a player from india and im confident that i can do well in the pro am circuit,the question is what is the procedure to be followed to get there? pls help me out .

[Tenon]

Well in the newbies section theres someone, John From London Town MBE or something like that (unsure on the john part) and he played pro apparently, perhaps you could pm him.

[cueman]

Just noticed your profile and it says highest break 134? Is this true. I have made bigger centuries than that and I know I'm nowhere near professional standard just to give you a reflection of your chances.

The only way to go about it is to either come over to England and play on the PIOS tour which if you can do well you can win a place on the main tour. Failing that there are a few other routes which involves winning some other events such as the Asian Championship or the IBSF world championships which coincidently is being held in India later this year. There are a few other events as well but for more accurate info go over to Globalsnookercentre and have a look through. Alternatively PM janie watkins on this site, she runs the GSC and knows all the options open to you.

[CoachGavin]

Just to say that I dont mean to put you down but turning pro is very hard especially if you are from anywhere other than the UK cos you will have to play a lot of matches away from home. Even over here a lot of players turn pro with no idea how good the pro players really are. To actually make any money from the game you need to be very good. There are century break makers in most leagues in england and most of them are no where near good enough. Personally if you really think you could play the likes of ronnie,hendry,davis etc and win then good luck to you and I wish you all the best.

Entering the PIOS is probably the best way. It is a tour consisting of 8 or so tournaments. The top few from that then get placed on the main tour. To get on the PIOS you just need to pay the entry fees etc.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[scottley]

hello everyone,im a player from india and im confident that i can do well in the pro am circuit,the question is what is the procedure to be followed to get there? pls help me out .

Is it possible for you to do a video on youtube and post the link, i'm sure a few would like to see you doing your stuff?

[cueman]

Is it possible for you to do a video on youtube and post the link, i'm sure a few would like to see you doing your stuff?

Good shout actually, I know we aren't exactly experts but i think we will have a good enough idea of what your chances are. It would certainly save you a lot of time and money if you had to find out the hard way.

[khizzy]

yes i think i will be able to post my video on you tube soon,actually i used to play casuallly at the national level,but, earlier in october i took coaching and my game went from a 60-70 break player to the 120-130 break level,i know its tough out there but what the heck ,life is not a bed of roses,thanks everyone

[Templeton Peck]

Well if the IBSF world championship is being held in India this year that seems like a golden opportunity (not to mention the cheapest) for any Indians who are thinking of turning pro. Even if you don't win you'd probably be able to get some expert opinions on your game and a realistic assessment of your chances.

[stephenm2682]

how would someone in the uk enter the ibsf world championship? is the uk world champs still open to all players?

[RaNeN]

Hey Khizzy, the best way as mentioned by others is to go through the PIOS tour. I hope you become a pro! I have seen you play but that was like a year ago...you must have surely improved a lot!

[khizzy]

does anyone know when the next pios season starts and where can i sign up for it.

[Welshsteve]

The season is already underway. Try contacting World Snooker at http://www.worldsnooker.com/contact_WS.htm

Maybe you could play the last 2 or 3 events of this season to prepare you for next season.

I would go with the advice of trying the IBSF route first though.

[platt]

hello everyone,im a player from india and im confident that i can do well in the pro am circuit,the question is what is the procedure to be followed to get there? pls help me out .

Take up darts theres more money in that sport now.

[Welshsteve]

Take up darts theres more money in that sport now.

LOL

Not strictly true, but funny all the same

[cueman]

LOL

Not strictly true, but funny all the same

It is true actually, far more likely to make a better living out of it than snooker anyway. There are loads of events, at least 2 every month, then the bigger events and the TV majors. There is already a total prize fund of £1m for next years world title alone. So add in all the other events, Taylor has already earned £500,000 this last year and he was struggling this time last year! A lot of the top 10 earned between £50-£150k as well, far more more than the top 10 at snooker would have earned.