Post a reply

Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Pink Ball » 27 Nov 2016 Read

The average attention span has been dropping at an alarming rate since the mid-90s. That drop has only been quickened in recent years with the advent of smart-phones. The average person now has an average attention span of eight seconds. To put this in context, a goldfish's average attention span is nine seconds.

In snooker, you need quite a bit of concentration. Young players, IMO, have been getting worse and worse for 15 years or so, and I can't remember a dearth of talent as alarming as the one we have now, particularly amongst British and Irish players.

I am right almost all of the time, and I honestly believe this lack of young talent is here to stay. Shorter attention spans are affecting most people's everyday lives, so why wouldn't it affect snooker players? Trump's been the only impressive young talent to emerge since Ding Junhui.

People don't have to agree with me here, people have disagreed with me all my life, before I end up being right and they end up being wrong 95 per cent of the time.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Cloud Strife » 27 Nov 2016 Read

I fear you might be right.

We may have to look towards third world countries like India and China for our next truly great snooker players. Or anywhere else basically where gadgets and social media hasn't seeped into everyday life.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Pink Ball » 27 Nov 2016 Read

Cloud Strife wrote:I fear you might be right.

We may have to look towards third world countries like India and China for our next truly great snooker players. Or anywhere else basically where gadgets and social media hasn't seeped into everyday life.

Yes. Xintong and Bingtao are the first talents in years that have impressed me at all.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby TheSaviour » 28 Nov 2016 Read

It is truth that the attention span has been dropping.

However, realistically, they currently don´t have any other option than keeping up driving forward. It was a blind panic when I noticed the latest results. It was a blind panic because I thought there hardly were any upsets out there. Which, once again, is something I am always looking forward, even if I would risk losing some money if there would be some. I am always hoping the game would sincerely progress. And I am risking losing many things anyway. So yes, the answer is yes. I am really afraid current tournament winners like Mark King or Judd Trump are not going to make much sense with this anywhere over the future either. rofl rofl rofl rofl Certainly a natural born comedy geniuses. Even they probably take things quite seriously.

Realistically, the professional attitude is to block everything else out of you mind. Than the current set of the balls on a snooker table. That´s what the young players are supposed to do. To block everything else out of their minds.
Last edited by TheSaviour on 28 Nov 2016, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Pink Ball » 28 Nov 2016 Read

TheSaviour wrote:It is truth that the attention span has been dropping.

However, realistically, they currently don´t have any other option than keeping up driving forward. It was a blind panic when I noticed the latest results. It was a blind panic because I thought there hardly were any upsets out there. Which, once again, is something I am always looking forward, even if I would risk losing some money if there would be some. I am always hoping the game would sincerely progress. And I am risking losing many things anyway. So yes, the answer is yes. I am really afraid current tournament winners like Mark King or Judd Trump are not going to make much sense with this anywhere over the future also. rofl rofl rofl rofl Certainly a natural born comedy geniuses. Even they probably take things quite seriously.

Realistically, the professional attitude is to block everything else out of you mind. Than the current set of the balls on a snooker table. That´s what the young players are supposed to do. To block everything else out of their minds.


Ha, what a load of rubbish

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby whitespider » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Pink Ball wrote:
Cloud Strife wrote:I fear you might be right.

We may have to look towards third world countries like India and China for our next truly great snooker players. Or anywhere else basically where gadgets and social media hasn't seeped into everyday life.

Yes. Xintong and Bingtao are the first talents in years that have impressed me at all.



Not impressed with Zhou Yuelong? He's only 18. Reckon that kid will go far. Playing Bingtao next round as it happens.

In terms of British and Irish talent there is relatively zip coming through the "teens". Though sure Mark Williams mentioned somebody on twitter the other week that he reckons will be a star. Can't remember the name though.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Pink Ball » 28 Nov 2016 Read

whitespider wrote:
Pink Ball wrote:
Cloud Strife wrote:I fear you might be right.

We may have to look towards third world countries like India and China for our next truly great snooker players. Or anywhere else basically where gadgets and social media hasn't seeped into everyday life.

Yes. Xintong and Bingtao are the first talents in years that have impressed me at all.

YES, he is very good.

Not impressed with Zhou Yuelong? He's only 18. Reckon that kid will go far. Playing Bingtao next round as it happens.

In terms of British and Irish talent there is relatively zip coming through the "teens". Though sure Mark Williams mentioned somebody on twitter the other week that he reckons will be a star. Can't remember the name though.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby eraserhead » 28 Nov 2016 Read

It might be a small part of a bigger thing.

Snooker was biggest in Britain in the 80's after that we got Ronnie/Higgins/Williams. Since then snooker doesn't make the headlines anymore unless your Ronnie (Every year around the world's we get one of those articles saying snooker is dead), so the sport get's less exposure and less kid's know about it. If kid's don't know about it they're not just going to pick it up and less chance of finding the freakishly talented.

There aren't as many snooker clubs or places with tables around anymore, so the sport might not be as accessible as it once was. With football all you need is a football and you can have a kick about anywhere, if you can't get to somewhere with a snooker table easily you can't put practice in.

Snookers one of the trickiest games with little immediate gratification. To continue the football comparison anyone can score goals playing with their mates and have fun, in snooker no ones going to be knocking in tons accidentally, the first time you'll play you're not going to pot every ball consistently or be able to build a break. It can be a lot more frustrating when you first start playing than other sports.

There's also the thing I'm most worried about which is people love to watch snooker so they have the attention span for matches that drag on but we're at a point where people enjoy watching more than playing or a satisfied just to watch without ever feeling the need to have a go. I'm mainly thinking of Germany the German Masters has great crowds supporting every match but there are hardly any snooker clubs in Germany. If there aren't enough playing the standards just going to creep down.

That went on longer than I thought <laugh> but these are what I think are some contributing factors to the decrease in strong young talent.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Dan-cat » 28 Nov 2016 Read

TheSaviour wrote:Realistically, the professional attitude is to block everything else out of you mind. Than the current set of the balls on a snooker table. That´s what the young players are supposed to do. To block everything else out of their minds.


The Saviour is bang on - this is exactly what you need to do. Empty your mind of thoughts.

The problem is, when you look at your smart phone (or Zombie Box as I call it) and there are notifications for Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Texts etc etc your brain fires off in all of those directions at once. You are creating a synaptic mesh which enables and encourages you to think about 12 things at once instead of just one. The shot in front of you. Notifications are the work of the devil. I had to learn this the hard way and it's a battle I fight every day: FOCUS. I only have phone and text notifications turned on on my phone. Everything else I go to when I need to.

I do 30 minutes of meditation everyday (which is simply stopping your internal monologue - clearing your mind of thoughts) and one of the myriad benefits it gives me is the ability to focus, to just hold one thought at a time, or indeed none, at will. So powerful.
Last edited by Dan-cat on 28 Nov 2016, edited 3 times in total.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Cloud Strife » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Most technology is great, but we are at risk of enduring a far less richer existence due to some of it.

I'm proud to say I have never taken a selfie. Not once, ever.

I have neither a Facebook account nor Twitter. If I want to say something to someone I'll pick up the phone and ring them and not fumble about for the whatsapp button.

I'll leave all that crap to all the metrosexuals and hipsters out there.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Dan-cat » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Cloud Strife wrote:Most technology is great, but we are at risk of enduring a far less richer existence due to some of it.

I'm proud to say I have never taken a selfie. Not once, ever.

I have neither a Facebook account nor Twitter. If I want to say something to someone I'll pick up the phone and ring them and not fumble about for the whatsapp button.

I'll leave all that crap to all the metrosexuals and hipsters out there.


Whatsapps groups are brilliant for managing projects - I run music / tech / coaching groups / holiday / party planning on there, and it gets me laid. You can share pdfs / word docs / powerpoint, and better still there's a web browser version so you can type properly at https://web.whatsapp.com/

I'm sexual, and I live in a metro - guilty as charged.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Cloud Strife » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Dan-cat wrote:You are damn right about potentially enduring a far less rich existence. Have you watched Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror?


It's frustrating because I know some of my friends who will meet up at a cafe, restaurant or whatever and then will cut short their meeting so they can go home and 'talk' to each other on whatsapp instead. I mean what's that all about?

I put this question to them. And the response was laughable. One of them said and I quote, "you can send pictures and use smillies as you message. You can't do that in real life. Also don't forget about the abbreviations like LOL and LMAO".
Last edited by Cloud Strife on 28 Nov 2016, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Dan-cat » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Cloud Strife wrote:I use Tinder and Line to get laid. You use whatsapp? I'll have to look into that. :)


Well I don't do online, never have... I leave that to the <insert vague insult here>

I chat people up. Such a thrill.. your status is instantly elevated because you had the balls to say hello. Whatsapp is for following up / keeping warm. Particularly foreign girls who all seem to use it.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Cloud Strife » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Dan-cat wrote:
Cloud Strife wrote:I use Tinder and Line to get laid. You use whatsapp? I'll have to look into that. :)


Well I don't do online, never have... I leave that to the <insert vague insult here>

I chat people up. Such a thrill.. your status is instantly elevated because you had the balls to say hello. Whatsapp is for following up / keeping warm. Particularly foreign girls who all seem to use it.


I see. Very interesting.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby Dan-cat » 28 Nov 2016 Read

Cloud Strife wrote:
Dan-cat wrote:You are damn right about potentially enduring a far less rich existence. Have you watched Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror?


It's frustrating because I know some of my friends who will meet up at a cafe, restaurant or whatever and then will cut short their meeting so they can go home and 'talk' to each other on whatsapp instead. I mean what's that all about?

I put this question to them. And the response was laughable. One of them said and I quote, "you can send pictures and use smillies as you message. You can't do that in real life. Also don't forget about the abbreviations like LOL and LMAO".


Are you serious. This makes me want to end it. Literally. Pass me the rope.

Re: Is the technological era spoiling young snooker talent?

Postby snooker_loopy » 29 Nov 2016 Read

"I honestly believe this lack of young talent is here to stay. Shorter attention spans are affecting most people's everyday lives, so why wouldn't it affect snooker players? Trump's been the only impressive young talent to emerge since Ding Junhui."


Liang Wenbo is arguably the best 'new' player of the last two-three years. He is ranked 11 and won his first major tournament this year, the English Open. I reckon he's the only major fresh success of recent times.

I agree that the lower ranked players are much poorer quality than, for example, the top 32 and, of course, the top 16. I don't know if it's lack of confidence or too much use of the internet and mobile phones so less time playing snooker (!), but the younger players' cue ball control is awful compared to established top players. I assume the much lower ranked players can make 100 breaks in practice but that means nothing if you can't repeat that in tournament play. Strong cue ball control is vital in tournament play.
Post a reply