Snooker How To Improve Realistically

No matter how you look at it, Snooker is a very difficult game, until you see it played by the best players in the world who make it look easy. But why I think it's so difficult to play anywhere near this standard is the more you try to improve your technique, the worse it seems to become. However, there are four things you can do that will improve your Snooker, no matter what your ability. And the first of those is the most vital, even though it doesn't seem like it will help at all. This is because it's about the way your own brain attempts to see and understand the shots you're trying to play. All of them have different possible outcomes, it just depends on what angle you decide to use. So how do you know you're choosing the correct angle? The trick to consistent potting is to be able to visualise the result you're looking for before you get to the table, and then focus entirely on that one outcome as you play the shot. One way of doing this which is very simple is just to imagine the tip of your cue is going to go straight through the centre of the cue ball. Just try to work out where it's going to hit on the object ball, and push your cue straight through to this point. Just remember, when you're down on the shot, it might not look like you're in the right place. But the last thing you want to do is move from this position, because it could result in you missing the shot. When you're on the shot, you need to blindly trust that you're aiming correctly, even if it looks wrong. Quite often, your eyes can play tricks on you like this, and even if this results in you missing, it's vital to never move at the table. Because the most important thing you can do when you're on the shot itself is keep looking in exactly the same place. Think of it like a balance. I'm OK here as long as I stare at exactly the same place. But as soon as I start looking around... Actually, while we're here, let's just find Flesh 997T from Aix-en-Provence, which is in France. There it is. Moving around on the shot can be very similar to being off balance. You're not exactly sure what's going to happen. And this could cause you to miss. It's also possible when you're attempting a pot to start thinking about the wrong line, and end up missing because you're thinking about missing. This is why you may have noticed the more worried you are about missing a shot, the more likely you are to miss it. So what can you do about this? You need to concentrate on the result you're looking for, and only the result you're looking for. So in this case, it's the path that takes the black towards the pocket. The way you do this before you even get to the table is to attempt to visualize what you think is going to happen. Only when you've done that do you approach the table to play the shot. Once you're on the shot, you need to trust you're in the right position and not move. This will really help you out over time. So if I start to panic about missing the blue thick on the shot, the way I can deal with this is to concentrate even harder on the line that I visualized. And the best way to practice this is to get in the right position on a comfortable shot, pull your cue back just as you're about to strike the cue ball, and just pause there for about 10 to 15 seconds, and see how long you can keep your focus on the shot you're about to play. This can help a lot because concentrating on the same line for an extended period of time can be really challenging, and it's very easy to become distracted like this and lose focus on where you're aiming, or to lose confidence and move on the shot, the two things you must avoid. But as I said at the beginning, seeing what you want to happen is crucial, but it isn't going to help you unless you can get the rest of the technique right. And we're going to begin with a stance, because this has a characteristic that allows you to cue straighter, and very simply makes the game easier to play. And this is how I stand, with one foot slightly in front of the other, but what makes a big difference is exactly where I place it, because the more accurately I get it, the easier it's going to be to pop the next ball. Here's how it works. Imagine we draw this line coming back from where you're aiming on the object ball, straight through the cue ball and back across the floor. Ideally, we want the cue to be above this line. So if we take the foot that's underneath your cue arm, and position it in exactly the right place, then your cue will automatically be on the line of the shot, and it makes cuing the shot straight a lot easier. All you need to do is find the right place for your foot, and the way I'd suggest you do this is just moving it to the left or the right of the line, until you find exactly the right place for you. Eventually you'll find a position to stand in where it feels effortless to pop the ball, and like it's the easiest thing to do. So when you get into this position, just work out what part of your foot is on the line. You don't want to be looking at your foot when you approach the table, but if you're just conscious of where it needs to go, it's going to help you get on line for every single shot, and make the game a lot easier to play. It really doesn't matter about your ability here. The more precise you are on each and every shot within the position you're standing, the easier you're going to find it to cue the shot straight and pop the ball. A great way to practice if you're in the right place or not, is to attempt to cue up straight along the bulk line. If you've got your foot in the right place, you should naturally be cueing along the bulk line straight. Get this right and you'll find the games a lot easier to play, and balls are a lot easier to pop. That is if you're able to cue straight. Because even if you're perfectly on line and you're aiming correctly, it's still possible to miss with a poor delivery. The problem is, if you're thinking about your cue action while you play the shot, eventually, for one reason or another, you're going to miss something. So we're not going to be trying to improve the cue action at all. Instead, we're going to be doing this. Find a shot you're playing confidently and wait until you pot it cleanly. Once you've done this, try to work out where your hand ended up. And once you know where it's going, you need to make sure you're not moving or changing your mind on the shot at all, and you're just thinking about pushing your hand through into this position. Just doing this will help your technique improve naturally over time. And the more you know about the position and angle of your hand once you've played a good shot, the better you're going to be able to do this. So when you're down on the shot, you're just focusing on your line, knowing that your hand is going to be heading into that position. And the best way to practice this is with simple dead straight shots like this one. Just like before, imagine you're pushing your cue straight through the cue ball and it's going to hit the red. But this time you're aiming for the reflection of the cue ball in the object ball. If you're getting your hand in the right place every time while potting the ball absolutely dead straight, then this on its own will improve your cue action, and you won't have to think about anything else other than playing the shot in a straight line. As long as you don't move or change your mind on the shot, this will force you to deliver your cue in a predictable way. But there's something else we need to get right that will also help your game. So we're going to look at positional play after we find Ashwin Dram from Peramalaysia. Which is there. The majority of positional play is all about getting the straightforward shots right. On this shot, I left myself too much angle on the pink, and this tiny mistake means I'm going to be further away from the next red, and this is going to cause me to miss it. So what can you do to help improve your cue ball control? With any positional shot you play, a lot could go wrong. So the first thing I suggest is try to play the shot where the cue ball's got to move the least amount of distance. For example, here I could play this red and get on the pink, but the cue ball would have to go further than just me stunning across for the blue here. And once I'm here, it's a simpler shot again to get on the next red. The cue ball doesn't have to go as far. But there are some tricks I'd use before this. One of the main things to look out for is a run of simple stun shots. I've deliberately played the cue ball into a position here where I can play three simple straight stun shots in a row, which is good because the cue ball doesn't really have to move anywhere, and there's less that can go wrong. The second trick is to try to get the cue ball in exactly the right place to use natural angles. I'm in exactly the right position on the black here to get up for the next red. It's just a case of getting the speed right. Just like the stun shots, if I roll through to exactly the right place, I can keep just rolling through and playing a simple slow shot and finishing in position every single time. For the majority of the time though, you will have to stun the cue ball across at the right angle and screw it back at the right speed. And again, mostly trying to play the shot where the cue ball has to travel the least distance. Once again, you need to visualise the shot you want to play, but you also need to think about how hard you want to strike it. Once you know this, you can then work out where on the cue ball you need to strike in order to get that sort of a reaction. Once you have this all clear in your mind, you need to go to the table and just stick to the plan. And a good way to practice it is to set up the balls like this and say we're going to run through to the blue, I suppose. Try and get the cue ball next to the blue. Pretty good. And you can do that from running through and screwing back. So here's the best way to play any shot. To start off with, work out the shot where the cue ball has to travel the least amount of distance, and then visualise how you're going to play it, including how hard you're going to strike the cue ball. Follow this by walking in on line, getting your foot into exactly the right place that gets your cue above the line of the shot. When you're on the shot, make sure you focus on your line and stick to it, and you deliver your cue to the consistent place you've decided on. I genuinely believe that moving around on the shot stops you understanding what's happened and prevents you from ever getting any better. And if you focus on just getting these four things right and nothing else, then over a short period of time, you will see yourself dramatically improve. Just give this a go for one month. Get these four things right and see what a difference it makes. But to do this, you're going to need to know how to line up the shots accurately, both as straight shots and at an angle, and I've got two videos here that show you exactly how to do both of those things. And remember, don't just watch play, and make the commitment to becoming a better player by subscribing to the channel and visit the website. See you later.