Post a reply

Re: Earbuds

Postby Brent Ellem

If I am considered deaf, I can wear hearing aids while playing snooker. If I am not deaf, and wish to play snooker with music blaring in my ears, what is the difference?

Re: Earbuds

Postby acesinc

Brent Ellem wrote:Is it illegal to wear earbuds while playing snooker?



Hi, Brent. Like many great documents written throughout history, the Rules of Snooker are a minimalist document. In a nutshell, that means that anything not specifically forbidden in the Rules is not forbidden. This most often comes up in questions about the rests, such as "Can I play a stroke with the rest if I can't reach it so it just lays on the table without a hand on it?" or "Is it legal if a player decides to NOT use the rest and just leaves it on the table during the stroke?," or more recently, "Was it a legal stroke when Kyren Wilson used BOTH the spider and the rest to play a stroke?" The answer to all these things, and your question as well by the way, is that there is nothing in the Rules to forbid it, therefore, it is perfectly legal.

HOWEVER, if you are referring to the professional game that you watch on telly, those players have additional rules they must follow that are BEYOND the official Rules of Snooker. Things such as their conduct around the table like smoking and drinking and swearing. These are not "illegal" by the Rules of Snooker, but still the Players are not allowed to do such things by the agreement they made as a Professional Snooker Player. I would guess that professional play does not allow for use of personal entertainment devices during the course of a match (it would certainly appear to the viewer to be "unprofessional"), but I don't know that for certain.

So in a casual, friendly game down at pub, you are perfectly fine to head bop to your favourite tunes on your ear buds, as well as smoking and drinking and swearing (insofar as the venue owner allows, his or her Rules trump any other). Have at it and have fun knocking the balls around!

Re: Earbuds

Postby HappyCamper

seems like an odd thing to do. surely it's better to be able to hear contact with the balls and that.

Re: Earbuds

Postby chengdufan

My guess would be that the op is thinking about having a coach in your ear advising you what shot to play

Re: Earbuds

Postby acesinc

chengdufan wrote:My guess would be that the op is thinking about having a coach in your ear advising you what shot to play


Ahhh, very good call, Chengdufan! It takes a thief to catch a thief. Now we know wherein your mind resides.

In that case, the relevant Rule is Section 3., Rule 11. Penalty Values:

"The following acts are fouls and incur four penalty points unless
higher penalty points are indicated in paragraphs (a) to (d)
below.
(a) Value of the ball on by:
(i) .....
(ii) ...
...
...
(xii) conferring or communicating with a partner contrary to Section 3 Rule 18(e).

So having ear buds in your head holes is not forbidden in and of itself, but what noise may be blasting through those miniature speakers is restricted.

By the way, the referenced Rule 18(e) regards four handed Snooker which basically says you can confer with your partner, no problem, but ONLY when you are both the NON-striker. The striker specifically may confer with no one (except the Referee in a very limited way) during the turn at the table. While the term "confer" may imply a two way conversation, in this context, that also means that one way communication such as through a headset, smoke signals, vibrating anal beads (as was apparently the rage for a short time with the Chess there), or other methods is also forbidden.

Re: Earbuds

Postby SnookerFan

Brent Ellem wrote:If I am considered deaf, I can wear hearing aids while playing snooker. If I am not deaf, and wish to play snooker with music blaring in my ears, what is the difference?


I mean, is that a serious question?

One enables you to hear better, the other restricts your ability to hear.

Re: Earbuds

Postby Dan-cat

I see players practicing with ear buds in at my club. Well, I used to. I don't go to that club anymore because it's in a different country.

I think listening to music is an excellent way to quieten the mind. That is to say, if you want to play excellent snooker, then your mind must be still on the shot, and not running it's usual internal infernal monologue: self-talk. In the flow zone.

This relates to the original teachings in the Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. A seminal work in mind management, and the techniques within this model were adapted by Terry Griffiths.

Tezza, the Dai Lama, would sing a song in his head when down on the shot. A barricade to negative (or indeed any) thoughts coming in. As a Welshman, the song he chose was Myfanwy. When down on the shot, he would literally be singing this song over and over in his head. If you are singing a song in your head, how can any negative thoughts come in? Pretty useful tool this, to stop negative thoughts getting in the way. He taught this method to fellow Welshman Mark Williams, while coaching him to his first two World titles, who chose ‘Waltzing Matilda’ as his song of choice.

In the Inner Game of Tennis, Self 1 is your conscious mind, the part you're usually in touch with and that you use to think, decide, and talk to yourself. Self 2 is your subconscious, which you access when you're in flow, relaxing, and just letting things happen. So by distracting Self 1, by singing a song or listening to music (and of course there are other ways to switch off self 1) you can allow Self 2 to function.

Re: Earbuds

Postby SnookerEd25

the Dai Lama - love it Dan! :chuckle: <ok>

Re: Earbuds

Postby Dan-cat

SnookerEd25 wrote:the Dai Lama - love it Dan! :chuckle: <ok>


Ah I wish I could take credit for that nickname but it was one of Snookerbacker's gems from his blog.

Re: Earbuds

Postby SnookerEd25

Dan-cat wrote:
SnookerEd25 wrote:the Dai Lama - love it Dan! :chuckle: <ok>


Ah I wish I could take credit for that nickname but it was one of Snookerbacker's gems from his blog.


Oh. I’ve gone off it then :irk:


   

cron