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will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby jamesg1985

Hi, I've got an 8 ball pool table at home, and was wondering if by practising on it I would then improve my snooker. Or would this actually hinder my snooker game? I was thinking it might groove your cue action and positionally it is often harder on a pool table. I'm enjoying it but was just wondering as to any possible benefit it might bring to my snooker. Thanks <ok>

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby Roland

Well it can't hurt, it's the same as having a 6x3ft snooker table. I always found adjusting to the larger balls on a full size harder when I was a kid but it's sure better than having no table. The smaller cues don't help the cue action too much either come to think of it.

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby Witz78

If your struggling on the snooker table, then rebuilding potting and cueing confidence on the "easy" smaller pool table should help you, albeit its night and day playing on the two tables.

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby jamesg1985

Thanks everyone for all the answers, I'm finding playing pool quite fun and I think it will help. Positional shots are tricky because of the smaller paying area. I'm taking a bit of a break from snooker because I'm getting these daily headaches that ruin my concentration so my game is really suffering. I think I'll stick to pool and not knock my confidence and then go back to snooker when I feel better, thanks :-)

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby Sickpotter

IMO the 8 ball tables are good for learning your potting angles

Easier pockets will help give you confidence but you have to be careful you don't get sloppy with your technique.

I think the best part of learning on the small tables is the way the side pockets are cut.....no rounded edge. Of course you may not have traditional side pockets and may have something cut identical to snooker pockets in which case it won't be any significant benefit.

Learning to pot well into the side on the small tables will help your side potting on a proper snooker table. It's tighter when potting from an angle with the tendency being to hit the horn....the horn that's not there on a snooker table. Learn to deal with the horn and you'll be a strong side pocket potter.

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby 9baller

If we are discussing from a pure pocketing perspective I'd argue that the only game to 'improve' your potting would be Russian Pyramid! Although that's on completely different equipment anyway!

English 8-ball at least has the benefit that the cushions react similarly to snooker tables.

My experience (as you'll read in my introduction post soon) is from various American Pool disciplines, and I've played snooker around 15-20 times now. My experience is that potting balls doesn't help with snooker however the mental approach can be refined. In 8-ball and 9-ball, you have to work out patterns and play several shots ahead. Certainly in 9/10-ball and rotation you have to play many shots in advance (I actually work from the money ball backwards to the 1-ball!) and that helps focus the mind so that when I play snooker I am thinking at the very least 4 shots in front.

From a pure snooker novices point of view snooker looks like a game where you can get sloppy and still see out a high break because of the options available. I look at Hendry's 147 against Bingham last year and he got so sloppily out of position. Perhaps in other cuesports you can't get away with that so much so maybe it would be good for that?

I suppose any practice is good so long as you know what your aim is once arrive back to the mother of all tables!!

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby Sickpotter

"From a pure snooker novices point of view snooker looks like a game where you can get sloppy and still see out a high break because of the options available. I look at Hendry's 147 against Bingham last year and he got so sloppily out of position."

Watching arguably the greatest player ever make good recovery shots early on in a break shouldn't be seen as a indication that one can be sloppy in snooker. He was only out of shape on a few balls at the start and that was due to the tough pots he took on to keep the break going. This is very common at the outset of most breaks as players try to develop the reds. The harder the pot, the less focus you can put on your shape so optimally you aren't in a position where you have to take on hard shots.

What you do have in snooker is greater options and with enough potting talent you can get around poor positional play....for a while. No matter how good you are at potting you can't keep making tough shots. Nobody consistently makes big breaks without keeping the cueball under tight control.

Re: will playing pool improve my snooker?

Postby 9baller

Hi I'm not sure if I worded what I said correctly. Certainly the ability needed to recover is immense especially in snooker. Reading it back it makes it look like I'm being derogatory against snooker but the opposite is true.

Definitely agree with your reply. Look forward to reading more of your posts in the future :)