Help with my snooker!!

Day after day I say to myself I am determined to get better and practice for 2 hours, but I end up getting very annoyed as I start missing balls and tend to give up through fustration! I really want to be a lot better as its all im good at really! and my life certainly revolves around snooker Its mainly keeping focused and taking my time with every shot giving it all care and attention, cause when im playing good shots and taking my time, I can be very good, cause my technique is now fine, but I slip up a lot through lack of concentration

But tonight I lost my match, and I feel like giving up! snooker has got me so wound up over the past few years and I dont know why I keep persisiting with it!

SO I need some help! Some people to motivate me! Something to play for! Even though I will be entering the amateur series next season, which I will keep you up to date on. I need to practice a lot for it as I want some success through it, and also buying a full WSA standards snooker cloth and to be fitted by the end of next week, so hopefully that will inspire me which is what I need!

So yh, any inspiration or motivation and help would be appreciated! Or justsome loyal support Thankyou.

GET WITH THE PROGRAMME RANDAM, PUT THE HOURS IN, SEE THE RESULTS, BOBS YER UNCLE

when ur sister starts beating you that would be motivation

concentration takes hours and hours to perfect just like technique.

that what makes snooker so tough theres times you not at the table but you have to keep focused and concentrated at all times or you will blob when its your turn.

Hmm thanks, but even in practice im not very good! just need to sort myself out really! After A levels and the summer holiday starts im going to knuckle down as I will have no other pressures or work going on and I can concentrate fully.

I HATE summer, so I can hide away in the snooker room with the curtains closed getting my head down

Thats how sad I am If only I had more skill, I could be very good as I have not a huge social life and everything else to get in the way.

I used to play an decent lot of snooker up to age 12, and had a decent high break of 49. The thing is, that's still my top break, as I've hardly played ten frames since then

I don't know how to help you really Randam. I'd say just enjoy your game, keep it up and make sure you keep enjoying it. That's the main thing. At the end of the day, snooker is a game, albeit one we're all very passionate about. The more you focus on enjoying yourself, the less you frustrate yourself and I think your game should improve from there! Can't help you on the skill front, but maybe Sickpotter can!

Smart wrote::redneck:

Don't listen to this runt or your game will fall to pieces

Thanks Tubber! Shame you didnt keep it up!

I suppose that advice is a good way to think about it. Thanks. I would say my technique is now fine after looking at it with sickpotter and getting coached at SWSA from paul mount, just need to put it all consistently into practice.

I know I will never have a career in playing snooker, so to look at it that way and enjoy it is better I suppose.

Plus I will be playing a lot of proper tournaments next season on the amateur tour so thats something to practice for and look forward to Quite excited about it actualy! Hopefully win some matches and earn some cash! Its all about coming in the top 24 though to move up to english nationals and top 24 there moves to semi pro or something like that. Probably out of reach but I love playing match snooker against decent players on good tables instead of practicing all week at home then go out on a friday night playing crap players from my team on a crap table for nothing!

Couple of tips. When you start getting frustrated in practice stop. Go and do something simple like potting straight blacks until you feel better again and have cleared your mind then go back to what you were doing. If you get frustrated doing that then stop playing.

Also set yourself goals because if you are practicing for the sake of practicing you won't get half as much out of it if you were aiming for something. That way if you do meet your goals you will feel positive and want to set higher goals or even if you don't meet them it gives you an incentive to work harder and reach them next time.

If you ever fancy a few practice matches against a granite grinder like me let me know.

Cheers Alex. Good help there Will try over the weekend

And cheers for the offer, A levels getting on top of me at the moment is the problem. But it sounds good! so during easter holidays or the summer I will have plenty of time and will get back to you thanks.

I didnt say no social life! just not a big as one as most teens!

I still go out every so often with friends to a gig, but not very often at all. Usually because of SNOOKER woooo snooker is much much better than drinking any day!

randam05 wrote:snooker is much much better than drinking any day!

Disagree

Tubberlad wrote:

randam05 wrote:snooker is much much better than drinking any day!

Disagree

REALLY!? insulted!

randam05 wrote:

Tubberlad wrote:

randam05 wrote:snooker is much much better than drinking any day!

Disagree

REALLY!? insulted!

I love snooker, but I love a good night of drinking also... it's a close call

Then again, snooker has never led to me waking up with pounding headaches, so snooker it is

Motivation is something that many struggle with (myself included) and there's no real "fix".

If you're bored practicing, take a break. Practicing bored can have a very negative impact on your game as you often don't give each shot the effort it deserves which is pretty much practicing a bad habit.

Most of the time love of the game allowed me to play for hours on end and the desire for big breaks kept me focused. Money matches helped as well as I was unemployed and desperate for cash. Nothing like survival to motivate a person.

Money is a good motivator for some and money matches are great for teaching you how to deal with or better yet, IF you can deal with pressure. Not to discourage you but I've known many players who could knock in tons left and right but the second there was anything at stake struggled to string 3 balls together. IMO the ability to deal with/maintain form under pressure is just as important, if not more than skill at the top level. A player who handles pressure well but is only of average skill will do better than a player who's very skilled but can't play under the gun.

IMO to say to yourself you're never going to make a career out of the game is limiting and can take away motivation. The desire to play/improve one gets from believing that one day they could have a chance to play on the big stage with their idol(s) can be tremendous.

I used to pretend I was in whatever event was on, playing imaginary matches against Hendry, Davis, White, etc. I used to imagine how badly they'd punish me if I missed a given shot. I would keep score and award my fictional opponents frames when I let them in with open tables or after a particularly bad shot. This tended to keep me focused and ensured I made proper match shot selections even in practice (do not practice shots you wouldn't play in a match, it reinforces bad habits).

Currently I'm at least a 10 time WC with ranking event wins over all the greats of the game, some of them crushing defeats

All in all I'd say that you need to make practice challenging to hold your focus so any trick/gimmick you can use to make it so will help. Finding an opponent who'll sit you down for a while if you miss is good as well. I remember being very frustrated playing some individuals because they kept me off the table when I missed. The only option was to get better so that I was the one staying on the table.....voila.....motivation

Best of luck, don't give up hope

Tubberlad wrote:

Smart wrote::redneck:

Don't listen to this runt or your game will fall to pieces

randam05 wrote:Day after day I say to myself I am determined to get better and practice for 2 hours, but I end up getting very annoyed as I start missing balls and tend to give up through fustration! I really want to be a lot better as its all im good at really! and my life certainly revolves around snooker Its mainly keeping focused and taking my time with every shot giving it all care and attention, cause when im playing good shots and taking my time, I can be very good, cause my technique is now fine, but I slip up a lot through lack of concentration

But tonight I lost my match, and I feel like giving up! snooker has got me so wound up over the past few years and I dont know why I keep persisiting with it!

SO I need some help! Some people to motivate me! Something to play for! Even though I will be entering the amateur series next season, which I will keep you up to date on. I need to practice a lot for it as I want some success through it, and also buying a full WSA standards snooker cloth and to be fitted by the end of next week, so hopefully that will inspire me which is what I need!

So yh, any inspiration or motivation and help would be appreciated! Or justsome loyal support Thankyou.

Hi Jake,

I found your post interesting as some of what I read mirrored exactly how Michael Wasley (Micky) felt at the start of this year. Here is a quote from his blog on Pro Snooker Blog from January:

"As with all sports you go through the highs and lows and I experienced my first low this year as the PTC and EPTC events came to and end so it meant I had no more competitions to enter until after the New Year especially as the Pro Ticket Tour event 2 was cancelled due to bad weather conditions. However this lull won’t last for long. I realised that because I am an amateur I cannot enter all tournaments that the professionals can enter so this has inspired me to work even harder again to qualify for the main tour this season.

Now I am really looking forward to the QSP series at the Academy. This, like the PTCs, gives me the chance to push my game on, playing in the professional conditions, against quality opposition.

My target is to qualify for the Q School. I still have more EASB Pro-Ticket events too, so after a semi final, I’m well placed to push to the top of the rankings by the end of the season.

I am now working on certain parts of my game to sharpen me up ready for the season ahead, to ensure I give myself the best chance at succeeding this year at becoming one of the top 96 professionals in the world."
http://prosnookerblog.com/2011/01/12/wasleys-blog-january-2011/

From what you have said, it sounds to me like some of the problem is the sense of practicing for nothing in particular. I know Michael felt like this in January when suddenly the PTCs had finished and he was no longer practicing during the week for an event on the weekend, instead practicing for an event that was a month away. He struggled with it and it got him down as he says in his blog but he looked at why he was in that situation and used it to motivate him. For him, it has motivated him to work as hard as he can to get on the tour so that next January, he is not in the same position and is looking forward to the Welsh open Qualifiers instead.

I totally agree with those who have said when you're not concentrating or not in the mood to play-don't. Many of the Pros I know will take time off after they have been eliminated from a tournament (calendar permitting) to get over the loss and go back to the table with no thought of that defeat in their mind, only thoughts to the future and what they need to do for their next match.

For what it's worth, my Dad was very impressed with you at your coaching session and I'm sure he'd be disappointed if he heard you were considering giving up. Snooker's a very difficult game to play-I know, with my highest break of 15 but you have the ability. If it's only the concentration that's holding you back then that is great as that can be learnt and developed much more easily than the ability to play the game.

So, I would suggest you DON'T GIVE UP and work towards the amateur events you are going to be playing in next season. Like Micky has done since his down time in January, if you focus on where you want to be in the future and what you need to do to achieve that then I am sure this will help to motivate you. Also, as you said, your new cloth will hopefully give you a renewed motivation.

Finally, when I was 14 I played for a womens football team and I loved it. A couple of matches into the season I got injured and I've never played competitively since. The injury was long term and lead to a discovery of a problem with my legs which prevented me from playing for a long time. During my recovery, I was less active and got increasingly unfit to the point that now, even if I wanted to, I couldn't play competitively and a career of football in the garden with the dog is all I have to look forward to I totally regret my lost opportunity of playing football and although I was never going to scale the heights of the male players (or earn their money!) I would have loved to have seen how far I could have gone in the ladies game. I am now 27, which despite not being old, is too old for me to have another chance at the football and I can't watch womens football as I suppose I am bitter that I missed out. I can still watch the men play mind

My Dad also wishes he had been able to devote time to snooker to have played professionally but as he left home at 16 to join the Navy and then a few years later was married with a kid I guess that ship kind of sailed!

Best of luck to you Jake! Stick with it

PS The A-Levels will be over soon and you can concentrate on doing what makes you happy. I hated doing my A-Levels too!

i hope Michael qualifies for the Pro Tour through Q School because he did well in the PTC So hes up to the job and it would be a shame if he wont.

awarding places to players that reaches the semis in Q School might meen some might miss out despite being consistant Quarter Finalists.

i think like witz is a advocate of that they rank Players over the 3 Q School Tournaments so the top 12 on the Ranking List earn their Card as appose to someone that does nothing in 2 events but makes the semis in the other.

Wild wrote:i hope Michael qualifies for the Pro Tour through Q School because he did well in the PTC So hes up to the job and it would be a shame if he wont.

awarding places to players that reaches the semis in Q School might meen some might miss out despite being consistant Quarter Finalists.

I think like witz is a advocate of that they rank Players over the 3 Q School Tournaments so the top 12 on the Ranking List earn their Card as appose to someone that does nothing in 2 events but makes the semis in the other.

Thats nice of you to say Wild. I also hope he will qualify as he has worked so hard, not just this season but for many years to improve and reach the standard required.

I get what you mean regarding it being based on a top 12 of the ranking list as opposed to those who make the semis. When we were planning the QSP we were conscious of making it so that it wasn't just the winners of the individual events that got the £1000 but people who were consistent across a few events so we have adopted a ranking system with the best 3 of 4 results counting towards each players ranking. As it happens, Ben Harrison is top of the rankings and he has reached two finals, winning one, and a semi final. Kyren Wilson is in second having also reached two finals and winning one event. Michael is third after his win in event two.

What happens if a player makes two semi finals or more?

Alex0paul WC wrote:What happens if a player makes two semi finals or more?

theyll already be on tour from the 1st semi so would they even bother entering the next Q School tourney?

I also think the top8 on the PTC rankings who are not in the top 64 of the rankings should stay on tour regardless of whether they are pros or amateurs

Witz78 wrote:

Alex0paul WC wrote:What happens if a player makes two semi finals or more?

theyll already be on tour from the 1st semi so would they even bother entering the next Q School tourney?

funny how a thread to help Randam has turned to something else

yes with PTC 1 10th of june once you qualify you snake hiss off on holiday

Wild wrote:

Witz78 wrote:

Alex0paul WC wrote:What happens if a player makes two semi finals or more?

theyll already be on tour from the 1st semi so would they even bother entering the next Q School tourney?

funny how a thread to help Randam has turned to something else

yes with PTC 1 10th of june once you qualify you snake hiss off on holiday

you getting your PTCs and Q-Schools mixed up there Wild

Sick potter that has been very good help as usual and a legendary post! Thanks a lot, all certainly very helpful, I cant thank you enough for giving the time! cheers

Sarah Mount wrote:

randam05 wrote:Day after day I say to myself I am determined to get better and practice for 2 hours, but I end up getting very annoyed as I start missing balls and tend to give up through fustration! I really want to be a lot better as its all im good at really! and my life certainly revolves around snooker Its mainly keeping focused and taking my time with every shot giving it all care and attention, cause when im playing good shots and taking my time, I can be very good, cause my technique is now fine, but I slip up a lot through lack of concentration

But tonight I lost my match, and I feel like giving up! snooker has got me so wound up over the past few years and I dont know why I keep persisiting with it!

SO I need some help! Some people to motivate me! Something to play for! Even though I will be entering the amateur series next season, which I will keep you up to date on. I need to practice a lot for it as I want some success through it, and also buying a full WSA standards snooker cloth and to be fitted by the end of next week, so hopefully that will inspire me which is what I need!

So yh, any inspiration or motivation and help would be appreciated! Or justsome loyal support Thankyou.

Hi Jake,

I found your post interesting as some of what I read mirrored exactly how Michael Wasley (Micky) felt at the start of this year. Here is a quote from his blog on Pro Snooker Blog from January:

"As with all sports you go through the highs and lows and I experienced my first low this year as the PTC and EPTC events came to and end so it meant I had no more competitions to enter until after the New Year especially as the Pro Ticket Tour event 2 was cancelled due to bad weather conditions. However this lull won’t last for long. I realised that because I am an amateur I cannot enter all tournaments that the professionals can enter so this has inspired me to work even harder again to qualify for the main tour this season.

Now I am really looking forward to the QSP series at the Academy. This, like the PTCs, gives me the chance to push my game on, playing in the professional conditions, against quality opposition.

My target is to qualify for the Q School. I still have more EASB Pro-Ticket events too, so after a semi final, I’m well placed to push to the top of the rankings by the end of the season.

I am now working on certain parts of my game to sharpen me up ready for the season ahead, to ensure I give myself the best chance at succeeding this year at becoming one of the top 96 professionals in the world."
http://prosnookerblog.com/2011/01/12/wasleys-blog-january-2011/

From what you have said, it sounds to me like some of the problem is the sense of practicing for nothing in particular. I know Michael felt like this in January when suddenly the PTCs had finished and he was no longer practicing during the week for an event on the weekend, instead practicing for an event that was a month away. He struggled with it and it got him down as he says in his blog but he looked at why he was in that situation and used it to motivate him. For him, it has motivated him to work as hard as he can to get on the tour so that next January, he is not in the same position and is looking forward to the Welsh open Qualifiers instead.

I totally agree with those who have said when you're not concentrating or not in the mood to play-don't. Many of the Pros I know will take time off after they have been eliminated from a tournament (calendar permitting) to get over the loss and go back to the table with no thought of that defeat in their mind, only thoughts to the future and what they need to do for their next match.

For what it's worth, my Dad was very impressed with you at your coaching session and I'm sure he'd be disappointed if he heard you were considering giving up. Snooker's a very difficult game to play-I know, with my highest break of 15 but you have the ability. If it's only the concentration that's holding you back then that is great as that can be learnt and developed much more easily than the ability to play the game.

So, I would suggest you DON'T GIVE UP and work towards the amateur events you are going to be playing in next season. Like Micky has done since his down time in January, if you focus on where you want to be in the future and what you need to do to achieve that then I am sure this will help to motivate you. Also, as you said, your new cloth will hopefully give you a renewed motivation.

Finally, when I was 14 I played for a womens football team and I loved it. A couple of matches into the season I got injured and I've never played competitively since. The injury was long term and lead to a discovery of a problem with my legs which prevented me from playing for a long time. During my recovery, I was less active and got increasingly unfit to the point that now, even if I wanted to, I couldn't play competitively and a career of football in the garden with the dog is all I have to look forward to I totally regret my lost opportunity of playing football and although I was never going to scale the heights of the male players (or earn their money!) I would have loved to have seen how far I could have gone in the ladies game. I am now 27, which despite not being old, is too old for me to have another chance at the football and I can't watch womens football as I suppose I am bitter that I missed out. I can still watch the men play mind

My Dad also wishes he had been able to devote time to snooker to have played professionally but as he left home at 16 to join the Navy and then a few years later was married with a kid I guess that ship kind of sailed!

Best of luck to you Jake! Stick with it

PS The A-Levels will be over soon and you can concentrate on doing what makes you happy. I hated doing my A-Levels too!

Sarah! That is such a great post and a superb motivator, seriously Thanks an awful lot for being supportive of me and giving me some hope and motivation. Snooker is my life and I dont want to let the opportunity slip like you with football sorry about that. A real shame .

Am I eligible to enter the QSP in the future if I ever consider myself good enough? I meant to ask about it

I am really looking forward to playing some sort of competitive snooker regularly next season and its certainly something to practice for! Really cant wait, and hope to keep the island updated.

Thanks again sarah!


Also thanks everyone else It certainly helps! wasnt so sure whether to post the topic and make myself look a fool, but Im glad I did.

Wild wrote:i hope Michael qualifies for the Pro Tour through Q School because he did well in the PTC So hes up to the job and it would be a shame if he wont.

awarding places to players that reaches the semis in Q School might meen some might miss out despite being consistant Quarter Finalists.

i think like witz is a advocate of that they rank Players over the 3 Q School Tournaments so the top 12 on the Ranking List earn their Card as appose to someone that does nothing in 2 events but makes the semis in the other.

I didnt follow Mickys progress this year, which is a shame! after meeting him at the academy I wish I did. He was extremley helpful and a great guy. Speak to him on fb about snooker sorts and he tells me about tournaments. And its because of him I will be entering the amateur tour next season

So will certainly support him this year and follow his progress.

Witz78 wrote:

Wild wrote:

Witz78 wrote:

Alex0paul WC wrote:What happens if a player makes two semi finals or more?

theyll already be on tour from the 1st semi so would they even bother entering the next Q School tourney?

funny how a thread to help Randam has turned to something else

yes with PTC 1 10th of june once you qualify you snake hiss off on holiday

you getting your PTCs and Q-Schools mixed up there Wild

NO

PTC 1 is 10th of june

why stay in sheffield playing in the Q School all may if you already qualified to the MT after Q School 1