snooker

The very 1st time i touch a snooker table was at a illegal mess where you smoke and bet on horseracing machine currently you could hardly find any of those in singapore due to raiding.I was excited and was quickly inroduced by my friends on the basics rule of the game.During my 1st game i managed to pot only 3 balls and that is 3 red ball which is located near to the pocket,however it had leave a deep impression on me and i was determined to master this sports reading books on the basics and potting then try it out at one of the country club where you could practise alone and not get distracted.After practising about 3-6 mths i manged my 1st highest break of 25pts which is 3 blue 1 pink i was delighted,currently due to lack of players as more turn to pool, my standards was stagnant for about 10 years though my breaks have improved to 31pts.In this game i realised you got to be flexible ,trying out different sidings for ball control though it is uncomfortable during the initial stage you will get more kick when you control the ball to your ideal spot on the table.

Yr 1991 - Highest break 25 (red,blue,red,blue,red,pink,red,blue,) Miss shot at a red at left end pocket.

Yr 2003 - Highest break 31 (red,black,red,black,red,pink,red,black,) Miss shot at a red at left end pocket.

Yr 2007 - Highest break 37 (red,green,red,black,red,black,red,black,red,brown,red,green) Miss shot at a red double towards centre left pocket.

Fellow Snooker player can SMS 9222-1775 Kiansiong (Snooker@Location@Date@ Time) for a snooker practice session and exchange of snooker playing tips or drop me a mail at info@windersports.net.Thank you.

The standard full size table measures approximately twelve foot by six foot. All tables differ marginally.

Pockets are a uniform three and a half inches across, with the amount of undercut deciding how readily the pocket will accept the balls.All tables play differently, with temperature and humidity affecting the way that a table runs. Some have new cloths with plenty of nap, whilst other tables have worn and shiny cloths. Cushions vary as well - some are lively and respond effectively when contacted, whilst others may be 'dead' providing little response. Cushion heights can vary marginally as well, making shots off the cushion more difficult at times.Additional equipment consists of,

In point value order these spots are; YELLOW (2) - GREEN (3) - BROWN (4) - BLUE (5) - PINK (6) and BLACK (7).

A standard set of balls for the snooker table consists of 15 reds, 6 colours and 1 white / cue ball.The standard measurement of each ball is 2 1/16 inch in diameter.

Historically, snooker balls were made exclusively from heavy ivory. Thankfully, these quickly became a thing of the past and were replaced before the Second World War by lighter Crystalate balls made from the crushed shin bones of cows.Crystalate balls were subsequently replaced by Super Crystalate balls, made from entirely synthetic material. These were then replaced by the Aramith balls utilised in today's game.

Aramith balls are ideally suited to the demands of the modern game, as they are more reactive to spin and power shots, thereby presenting greater opportunities for enhanced cue ball control.

Owning and playing with your own cue is essential if you are hoping to progress and develop your ability at snooker. The cue is the most important element in your game and should be chosen carefully to suit your own needs and requirements.

This may seem like common sense, but it is surprising how many people choose to play with a variety of cues and are then confused as to why they fail to improve. I have known decent amateur players with numerous cues, swopping and changing as the mood takes them, often to the detriment of their overall game.All cues play differently and it takes a while to familiarise yourself completely with your chosen cue. Only regular practice with the same cue will provide the repetition necessary for you to become completely at one with your snooker cue.The normal length of a cue is in the region of 58 inches, with the best cues made from ash or maple. Ash cues tend to have a heavier grain, which is more visible than maple. This grain can assist your sighting when cueing down on the shot and enables you to hold the cue in the same position for each shot. Maple cues have a more subdued grain.The recommended weight is around 17 ounces and the cue should feel balanced, particularly in the shaft. Weight is often inserted into the butt of the cue approximately 12 to 18 inches from the base, which is why the shaft often feels heavy.Tip sizes vary, but the standard size is 10mm. Some play with a 9millimetre tip and others with an 11mm, but for players new to the game a larger tip size is recommended. A ferrule should be attached to the end of the cue, which the tip attaches to. The ferrule prevents the end of the cue from splitting and protects the cue when replacing a tip.Caring for your cue is vital because of its importance to your game. In addition a cue may last for years if properly looked after.

Avoid leaving your cue in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold. Keep the cue clean with a damp cloth and wash your hands before you play. Never stand the cue up against a wall, as eventually this may cause it to warp.

In much the same way as golf, snooker demands high standards of etiquette and behaviour from all players, at all levels, at all times. This applies in the same way to a local league match as it does to a big game in a professional tournament.

Standards of behaviour are also just as important when practising in the snooker centre.

Remove the old tip by cutting it off with a Stanley knife.Cut as close to the ferrule as possible without cutting into the ferrule or wood of the cue.

Scrape the remainder of the surface clean where the old tip was glued to by rotating the Stanley Knife carefully across the surface.Take a small piece of sandpaper and press it tightly against the surface where the old tip was placed. Rotate the sandpaper firmly against the surface until it is completely flat,level and smooth.

Lay the sandpaper flat on a smooth surface facing up, and sand the bottom of the tip in a circular motion, until the base of the tip is smooth.You should now have a new tip which has the base sanded smooth to remove any lose fibres and a snooker cue, with the tip removed and the top, level and smooth.Place a small drop of glue on the surface of the cue that you have sanded.

Place the tip carefully on the flat surface of the cue where thedrop of glue rests.Press down on the tip, without moving it off centre .Quick drying glue will set in seconds, but leave it for five minutes to be sure.Take the sandpaper and rotate it around the edge of tip attached to the ferrule. Using a light sandpaper shape the cue tip in downward strokes, to create the domed tip effect.

Chalk the cue tip, before striking the cue ball. Your new tip may feel soft and spongy until it is knocked in. This is normal.Do not attempt power shots; in particular, deep screw shots until you are satisfied that the cue tip is ready.

Try seasoned your cue tip fast and efficiently by taking any cue ball and hit gently on the cue tip.Repeat it for about 2-3 mins.This would help your cue tip to settle in fast.

The game

Description

Snooker may be played by two or more players, either independently or as sides. The game can be summarised as follows:

Each player uses the same white ball, (cue-ball) and there are twenty-one object balls - fifteen Red Balls each valued ONE, and six colours: Yellow - 2 , Green - 3, Brown - 4, Blue - 5, Pink - 6 and Black 7.
Scoring strokes in a players turn are made by potting reds and colours alternately until all reds are off the table and then the colours in the ascending order of their value.
Points awarded for scoring strokes are added to the score of the striker
Penalty points from fouls are added to the score fo the striker
Penalty points from fouls are added to the opponents score
A tactic which can be employed at any time during a frame is to leave the cue-ball behind a ball not on, in such that it is snookered for the next player. If a player or side, is more points behind than are available from the balls left on the table, then the laying of snookers in the hope of gaining points from fouls becomes most important.
The winner of the frame is the player or side, making the highest score; or to whom the frame is conceded; or to whom it is awarded due to unfair conduct from the opponent.
The winner of a game is the player or side, winning most, or the required number of frames; making the greatest total where aggregate points are relevant; to whom the match is awarded due to unfair conduct from the opponent or opposition.

As with most sports, it is vitally important that the basics of the game are covered before you begin to practice in earnest. Failure to do so will result in you learning bad habits and practicing the "wrong things" in the "wrong way".

This will stunt your overall development and ultimately limit the enjoyment you obtain from playing and learning about snooker. Once bad habits are ingrained into your play they are extremely difficult to eradicate.If you are relatively new to the game then you have the opportunity to start from scratch and develop a sound basis from which to progress.

If you have played for a while you may already have developed problems with your technique, which you would be well advised to address as soon as possible.
The five featured subjects within this link concentrate on the main aspects of the game that need to be considered before you can hope to pot balls consistently.

All are equally important, but pay special attention to "The Grip" and "The Bridge". One provides the stability and the other the mechanics for straight cueing - the foundation for successful snooker.

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Snooker basics

The cue-if you were to buy a cue for own use,buy a straight one cause it give a pyscological boost.unless you have played with it for years,you might think when playing with a bent cue that you are hitting straight but the pots are not going in because its is warped .you blame the cue instead of ownself.

Stance-assuming you are right handed palyer playing straight upon or across the table ,stand at 45degree to the table ,right foot pointing,us you standand the left foot should be slightly bent and the right foot should be straight.the main thing is to be comfortable and have a firm and solid stance so that your body does not move when hitting the ball.

Cue action-in preparing to address the cue ball,the cue should be as level as possible and sighting along the line of the shot.try to thick that your elbow acts as a hinge and the arm is a pendulum.the elbow and arm should be around90 degree when formed properly.

Potting--the most important part is memory.one half-ball pot is the same as another,regardless of where the balls is situated.although there are an infinite number of different positions,the number of potting angle is limited.One very good experience is to try to pot the black from as many angle as possible,do this at both side so that you don't develop too much preference for one side as this will aid in high breaking.

Sighting---First, a player has to find out which is his 'master eye'.To determine which eye is your master eye place a piece of chalk at one end of the table and stand directly in front of it at the other end. Point your forefinger at the chalk with both eyes open. Close your left eye and see if your finger is still pointing at the chalk. If it is, you will know you are right-eyed.To confirm it, close your right eye. If you have to move your finger to keep it pointing at the chalk you have further proof that your right eye is your master eye. Obviously, if by closing the left eye you have to move your index finger - but not when the right eye is closed - you are left-eyed.Never forget: eyes on the object ball when striking the cue ball!

The Grip --We are looking for a grip which will enable a player to send the cue along in a straight line, up to and well through the cue ball.Since top professionals have so many different grips, it would be wrong to suggest which is right and which is wrong.It will be the right grip if it feels correct for you. Experiment with several until you find one that suits you.It could be that your wrist is turned out to the right, which naturally puts the grip more into the fingertips.Alternatively, you could have the wrist dead straight and in line with the forearm .Or finally, with the elbow jutting outwards like six times former world champion Ray Reardon's, which takes the grip more into the palm of the hand.The right grip allows you to do - sending the cue along in a straight line.

If a player feels more comfortable with his hand in a particular position, is able to send the cue along a straight line, can get well through the cue ball, and with that grip is capable of playing all the shots needed, quite simply that is the correct grip for him.The most common mistake is to grip the cue too tightly and, worst of all, grip it even tighter when a power shot is required.

The Nap - A snooker table cloth is ironed regularly, in one direction, from the baulk end to the top of the table. The fact that the pile is pushed or pressed one way can affect the running of the cue ball and the object balls.Only when the balls are running slowly will this come into operation, but it is very important because if you are forced to play a slow shot it could easily be influenced by the nap.

But where it is the cue ball that has the distance to travel, the nap can affect it so much that it drifts away from the intended contact point on the object ball. It is not very easy to judge how much allowance should be made. Once again, it is trial and error. Be even warier, though, of slow shots against the nap if you have to play over some distance to the object ball.One shot which constantly highlights the differences in nap is a ball played slowly towards a middle pocket from the area between the black and pink spots.

If you play up the table, towards the black spot, using right-hand side, the cue ball, when it starts to slow down, will tend to drift to the right. With left-hand side it will tend to drift to the left.However, the situation is reversed when playing from the black spot end towards the baulk area. Because of the effect of the nap, when right-hand side is applied the cue ball

Top spin--by striking the cue ball above centre you are imparting topspin.when using top,raise your bridge slightly so that you can strike the top part of the cue ball with a natural swing,with cue parallel to the bed of table.

Back spin(screw)by striking below centre you are imparting backspin.to get the best result,lower your bridge slightly so that the cue tip can strike the lower at the cue ball without having to point downwards.the most common mistake is hitting too hard.alot of players find difficultly in screwing back and try by hitting harder.infact their failure is failing to strike the cue ball where they think they are hitting.

Sidespin--is applied by the tip striking the cue ball to the left or right of centre .it is used to make the cue ball take a wideror narrow anglefrom a cushion than would be the case if the cue ball was struck in the centre.

Stun---is to stop the cue ball dead.this is done in accordance with the distance bvetween the cue ball and the object ball.very importantly , in a snooker game 70% of the shots involve screw or stun so it is very important to master it and also stun could be use to alter the angle the cue ball leave the object ball.

Insurance play - During a break a lone red has settled close to the top cushion below the black. If possible leave it where it has come to rest, playing position for the reds in the middle of the table. The reason for this is that at some stage during a break after potting a red you may end up out of position, perhaps straight or nearly straight on the black. Should this happen you can either deep screw the cue ball off the black onto the cushion and out into the middle of the table hoping to regain position on a central red, or play a soft screw shot for the red into the left centre pocket. Alternatively you could gently roll the black in, following through with the white for the red close to the top cushion into the opposite corner pocket.

Shot selection--Shunning the easy pot and working and thinking smarter rather than harder, are all part and parcel of improving your break building potential.A further secret of building bigger breaks is to leave yourself the reds which are potable in more than one pocket. The positioning of some reds on the table will mean that they can only be expected to 'go' in one pocket. During a break you will often find that you obtain relatively good position on these balls, often by accident. Take the balls which pot in one pocket only, whenever the chance arises, leaving the balls that pot into numerous pockets for later in the break.

Doubles---are spectacular looking shots but in snooker we try to avoid them as much as posible as it is much easir to pot a ball straight then to visuale where the pocket is.

Using of rest---choose the one that has a sharp X at the intersection than the wide U.use the rest the tall way up-if you are imparting follow/top spin or the short way up if you are hitting below the centre of cue ball.
when using the rest,one never has one'selbow and shoulder directly below the cue.the best actionn for using the rest is a straight push from the hand alone.stand sideways to the table when using rest.keep right elbow up,as it will be alot better if the wrist is parralle to the table.

Clear the path---Next time you watch a great player in action, take note of how smoothly and efficiently they appear to gain position around the pink and black balls when compiling breaks. With the minimum of fuss they pot a red and magically land right behind the black with two or three reds available.In order to maximise the potential of your break building opportunities it is essential that the paths from the colours to the pockets remain free, thus allowing the high value colours to pot in as many pockets as possible.Stay in the "scoring zone" for bigger breaks!

A plant ---is when two balls are not touching - but are played one onto the other to make a successful pot. The easiest plants are those in which the two object balls are very close together and are both directly in line with a pocket.Cannon the first ball onto the second as though the first ball is the cue ball, thereby potting the second ball with the first.Clearly this requires a high degree of accuracy as any error or misjudgement over the contact angle will be highlighted during the second phase of the shot. Judging the necessary angle is difficult and will only become easier with practice, experience and trial and error.It is prudent to play plants as shots to nothing, as there is a danger of leaving a ball on should you miss.

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Snooker-- the most offensive safety shot ,it compels your opponent to play a swerve shot or to use more than one cushions and another good thing is it creates chance for you to clear the colour during the colour clearing stages.

Shots to nothing---offer a chance of pot but if miss it leave no risk of leaving a pot for the oppenent .the secret of many safety shots is to hit it thin,so that the cue ball could carry more speed and coming back to the baulk cushion.

Playing to cushion---bringing the cue ball back as near as possible to the baulk cushion.this also create a bit of troublefor your oppenent as he has only the top part of the cue ball to hit,leaving him little alternative.

Use a furniture polish spray where you could get at a supermarket those meant for wooded furniture.spray a little onto a plain cloth and wipe your cue down.After that, use the other end of the cloth which is dry to buff you cue dry and smooth.Try it.It works amazingly!

When not playing, place your cue flat on the table rather than placing it lying against the side of the table it helps to prevent your cue from warping.After the game place it at your clubs locker lying straight against the cabinet wall ,try to keep your cue dry and not out in the humid weather like in the back of your car trunk.

Try not to give to much opportunity to your opponent in the initial stage of the game.we called it a take and guard approach.In doing so you did not give your opponent much choice of shots selection for high break even if you did miss,as you have place a relatively safe distance between the cue ball and the object ball.It also helps to break the rythem of your opponent,once you disrupt the rythem of your oponent he will have a hard time getting back onto the game.

This depends on your opponent standard.If your opponent is of the same standard as you are or a even better player.i would opt for the traditional example of breaking that is assumming you place your cue ball between the brown spot and the yellow spot,aim for the last ball of the red pack using a side-spin of 3 o'clock to try to place the cue ball back at the baulk area.If however your oponnent is weaker than you in terms of break buliding you could try the jimmy style of breaking that is using a top side spin of 9 o'clock position to break the pack.it helps to split the red pack for later break building.

What is the best approach when faced with a re-spotted black at the end of a drawn game?

The would depends on the standard of your opponent basically.If his safety play is not as good as yours i would recommend to ask their opponent to play first, hoping that an error is made and the chance of a winning pot then becomes available.

The best bit of advice, is to be positive at all times, whether you are playing safe or attempting a pot. Remain composed and recognise that the frame has comedown to one shot to decide the winner. The player who maintains focus, concentration and nerve will most likely be the winner.On a respotted black try and win the frame as opposed to just waiting for your opponent to make an error. Should you end up losing the frame you will then be able to take some consolation from the fact that you remained positive and aggressive and did your utmost to win the frame. There is nothing worst than losing and thinking "I should have gone for the pot".

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It will disrupts your own rythem of stroking and when its your turn to play you will subconciously adopt your opponents style of stroking making you uneffective.

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