I'm taking up snooker/pool as my summer sport...does anybody know any useful tips on how to get better?

Question

I'd usually be playing football all year round, but I've snapped my cruciate ligament and am currently awaiting a second opperation...so snooker is about the only thing I CAN do right now :S

Does anyone have any tips on how I can improve?

(Other than the old ''Practice, practice, practice'' answer!)

Thanks!

Answer 1

There are a few things you can do to get started.

Purchase a book by Robert Byrne titled Standard Book of Billiards and Pool. It's an invaluable source of knowledge for anyone ranging from a novice to a well seasoned player.

Find a local pool hall and ask around to see who the best shooters are. WATCH them play and you'll find some common denominators in their styles. The typically stay down after they shoot their shot and they don't move until all the balls have stopped moving, even it the shot is going to be bad or a ball isn't going to be pocketed. They shoot soft with a nice fluid stroke. You will seldom see them hammer the cue ball and if they do it's because there's good reason for it.

Once you find out who the better players are, ask them to engage in a game with you. The better players will be reluctant at first if they know you're a novice player but believe me when I say that they are also egotistical and will be more than happy to show what they know to a captive audience. Just ask ME! :)

The upside to all of this is that you can learn the rules and fundamentals of the game in a week-end.

The downside to your quest is that it will take you the rest of your natural life to keep learning and honing and perfecting your skills. But the reward at the end of the proverbial rainbow will be worth every minute of time you spend at the table.

I hope this helped. Good luck!

Answer 2

I played pool nearly everyday for a 3 years while working abroad........ Still s**+*e ! The 2 things that improved my game were keeping my head down and following the stroke all the way through. Practising my English as much as possible. English helps you a lot when looking to set up your next shot.

Answer 3

Lull your opponent into a false sense of security by not going for obvious shots but positioning your colours in potable positions ready to clean up. Years ago, I let a guy pot all his then wittled him down by potting then playing safe.

Answer 4

take some coaching theres plenty of coaches out there, make sure your fundamentals like grip and stance arm position are correct then practice practice practice

dont practice with a bad tecnicque you get no where.

Answer 5

join competitions and try putting in as many hours a week on the table as you can.

Answer 6

The most important things are that you get you're right foot on the line from cueball to object ball. (assuming you're right-handed).

Put your left hand on the table along that line too and your alignment should be decent.

Then you just have to swing from your elbow.Don't move anything else.

Swing right through the ball and you have all the tools to improve.

If you get any practise on your own,line up 6 balls across the table,plus the black on its spot.Try to clear one colour and the black.This should help yuor positioning.

These are the things that helped me most.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Play me.. im quality at pool... if you beat me.... You have clearly got good!