The season seems to be well underway in all the leagues I have played in.
In the Bury league I have played reasonably well despite the poor table. Won 4 lost 2 and had a few mid 20, a couple of 30's and a 47. o thats not to bad. Im striking the Ball very well and as the season progresses I seem to be getting more side on and an a pretty decent follow through.
I certainl;y still grip the cue when trying to pot long straight balls but I can work on that with John Inglby.
In the Oldham League I have played really well Played 4 won 4. Thats off minus 70 handicap. The reason I think I have played well is that I have to play till 150 so I must score 220 to win which give me plenty of time to get a break or two in. I have scored 6 mid 30 breaks, a 41 and a 52 in 4 games so Im please with that start.
In the Huddersfield League I have only played one game as I am a reserve but managed a 51unfinished.
In the Rochdale league I have had a strange start won my first 3 then lost my next 3, they have some very dubious handicaps for players who are capable of knocking in decent breaks by potting. Has a 48 in the knockout and a 41 in the league. Reasonable start but could be better.
The work me and John put in over the summer has certainly paid off, I feel like a different player. I still have the odd bad game but mostly its an upwards curve.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Monday, 3 September 2012
Practice
Had another session with John before he went away, we practised shot selection and continual nagging to follow through on my shots. It does see to be working The continual repetition is essential to break my bad habits of all these years. I seem to follow through on certain shots more than others which is very frustrating as I know what I want to achieve but seem to fail on lots of shots.
That said when I do get it right it makes a huge difference to the shot, Just lately I have been playing pretty well my potting is back to a decent standard for me and this is showing in an increase in my breaks and average.
I played Alan from the Oldham league last week and managed to get three 50 breaks in 3 hours. This may not seem at lot to some but was pretty impressive for my standard and two of the 50's were back to back. The following week I finally managed to get a game in with Wayne Holbrook we both played absolutely rubbish his highest break was 35 mine about 27 in three hours play. I was really disappointed as I felt really good.
Last Friday I managed another game with Alan Brereton from Oldham, He played very well and have a couple of decent breaks against me, 40 and 48 and I continued to play average until the last game where I managed to hit a 64 which was my only break over 25 in 600points, really strange that but I still felt I was playing well and was just missing shots by a fraction or knocking in my opponents ball by mistake.
Overall I'm pleased I cant wait for the season to start I played well last year so I am hoping to do a lot better this year.
That said when I do get it right it makes a huge difference to the shot, Just lately I have been playing pretty well my potting is back to a decent standard for me and this is showing in an increase in my breaks and average.
I played Alan from the Oldham league last week and managed to get three 50 breaks in 3 hours. This may not seem at lot to some but was pretty impressive for my standard and two of the 50's were back to back. The following week I finally managed to get a game in with Wayne Holbrook we both played absolutely rubbish his highest break was 35 mine about 27 in three hours play. I was really disappointed as I felt really good.
Last Friday I managed another game with Alan Brereton from Oldham, He played very well and have a couple of decent breaks against me, 40 and 48 and I continued to play average until the last game where I managed to hit a 64 which was my only break over 25 in 600points, really strange that but I still felt I was playing well and was just missing shots by a fraction or knocking in my opponents ball by mistake.
Overall I'm pleased I cant wait for the season to start I played well last year so I am hoping to do a lot better this year.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Coaching Session 5
Had a practice with Tony Cook over in Chester and saw Harry Wah. He seems in good health. I played quite well but was playing with my spare cue. I was quite happy got a couple of 30's. On the Tuesday went to Johns for another session we played with the 360 cue and I did very well I hardly miscued and we carried on with revising my grip and follow through. I played OK in our match and I am finally beginning to feel the shots.
This concept of feel is quite hard to describe but it is the sensation of the cue in the hand when it strikes the ball. As I am trying not to grip the cue at all how can I 'feel' the shot. Well after gripping the cue with an iron grip for so many years its hard to describe it. You will just have to experience it for yourself. I am getting quite excited about the new season this work really is beginning to pay off with my cue control and potting improving every game now. I am reverting less and less to my old habits.
I went for a game in Rochdale against Mike one of the league players. He is an average player who hits the ball hard which is a shame as he can actually play a decent game if he lets himself. Having played him before I absolutely took him to the cleaners. In a league match I would have to give him 30 points but every game I was taking him by 50-80 points in 125 up. I'm on -25. This is the first time I have really got my cue action into gear whilst playing a match and the difference is staggering. I was playing run through shots along the rail which seemed really easy. I got several long and short jennys and got to the top of the table loads of times and scored really consistently.
My high break was only 28 or 29, but I was scoring 20 virtually every visit. In one game I ran the 125 in 6 visits which for me was brilliant. I looked back at the games which were only practice but I can finally see the advantages of the follow through to my game. I need lots more practice and I have a long way to go but I feel my game has taken another bit leap here. My drop cannons were superb and I played some great thin shots which I had been practicing. Overall a great night. I need to work on my drag shots next.
I had to miss my session with John this week due to other commitments but hopefully when he gets back off his holidays we can carry on.
This concept of feel is quite hard to describe but it is the sensation of the cue in the hand when it strikes the ball. As I am trying not to grip the cue at all how can I 'feel' the shot. Well after gripping the cue with an iron grip for so many years its hard to describe it. You will just have to experience it for yourself. I am getting quite excited about the new season this work really is beginning to pay off with my cue control and potting improving every game now. I am reverting less and less to my old habits.
I went for a game in Rochdale against Mike one of the league players. He is an average player who hits the ball hard which is a shame as he can actually play a decent game if he lets himself. Having played him before I absolutely took him to the cleaners. In a league match I would have to give him 30 points but every game I was taking him by 50-80 points in 125 up. I'm on -25. This is the first time I have really got my cue action into gear whilst playing a match and the difference is staggering. I was playing run through shots along the rail which seemed really easy. I got several long and short jennys and got to the top of the table loads of times and scored really consistently.
My high break was only 28 or 29, but I was scoring 20 virtually every visit. In one game I ran the 125 in 6 visits which for me was brilliant. I looked back at the games which were only practice but I can finally see the advantages of the follow through to my game. I need lots more practice and I have a long way to go but I feel my game has taken another bit leap here. My drop cannons were superb and I played some great thin shots which I had been practicing. Overall a great night. I need to work on my drag shots next.
I had to miss my session with John this week due to other commitments but hopefully when he gets back off his holidays we can carry on.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Coaching Session 4
When over to John Inglbys on Wednesday due to work issues. We had a great session I played for half an hour with his 360 cue and managed to play much better. John has me playing myself and if I miscue he deducts ten point. I managed in 30 minutes to score in positive figures of 23 and scratch so that's a pretty big improvement over just a week ago. Just to remind you all the cue has a spring which bends if you fail to cue straight. very weird but it works.
We spend nearly an hour playing thin shots, This was extremely interesting and very difficult to do. I realised I had actually been avoiding certain shots as I felt they were rather difficult hitting them thin (and I mean really thin).
I felt I did ok and after when we played I actually attempted some of these in my match which worked really well.
One interesting shot was placing the red on the blue spot and the white on the yellow spot and going inoff in the diagonal bottom pocket. This has to be wafer thin. I thought it could not be done but it was listed in Riso levis book. I tried this for 10minutes and got close to the pocket but overall was still to thick. Then all of a sudden I hit the shot really thin and the ball when straight in the bottom pocket and the red moved 20 cms.
I still cant believe the shot was on. As good night certainly learn a lot tonight there is so much more to this game than meets the eye. Got some really interesting practice routines to try out.
We spend nearly an hour playing thin shots, This was extremely interesting and very difficult to do. I realised I had actually been avoiding certain shots as I felt they were rather difficult hitting them thin (and I mean really thin).
I felt I did ok and after when we played I actually attempted some of these in my match which worked really well.
One interesting shot was placing the red on the blue spot and the white on the yellow spot and going inoff in the diagonal bottom pocket. This has to be wafer thin. I thought it could not be done but it was listed in Riso levis book. I tried this for 10minutes and got close to the pocket but overall was still to thick. Then all of a sudden I hit the shot really thin and the ball when straight in the bottom pocket and the red moved 20 cms.
I still cant believe the shot was on. As good night certainly learn a lot tonight there is so much more to this game than meets the eye. Got some really interesting practice routines to try out.
Forgotten photo Bury League
Forgot to add the Photo of me being presented with the Bury Leagues Individual Cup Winners Trophy by Rob Hall on his exhibition night. Felt quite special getting it presented by Rob. Thanks to John Inglby for the engraving.
Friday, 6 July 2012
Rochdale League
Went over to the Queensway club in Rochdale as I am thinking of playing in the Rochdale Ormes League next year. They have 7 teams playing on a Wednesday and they needed to register me and give me a handicap for the start of the season. I went over to play Mike off the team and we played off his handicap which is basically 125 Up. I hammered him 4 or 5 times. No Big Breaks but a couple in the 30's and a few high twenty breaks.
There are other players on much lower handicaps so I will have to see how it goes they usually put people in on scratch as a new player I think we agreed I am better than that so -20. I played well my cue action is defiantly better much smoother and more follow through, I still have the habit of reverting to my previous one but only practice will get rid of that.
There are other players on much lower handicaps so I will have to see how it goes they usually put people in on scratch as a new player I think we agreed I am better than that so -20. I played well my cue action is defiantly better much smoother and more follow through, I still have the habit of reverting to my previous one but only practice will get rid of that.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Third Lesson
My next lesson at Johns began as we left off last time with the 360 degree cue. I had managed a practice on the previous evening and felt my cue was following through quite well. The first session was playing 50 up with the cue against myself , this went OK and I only missed the shot a few times which was a big improvement. I was still managing a few decent shots and only missed the power shots.
We tried a few run through shots along the cushion which do seem a lot simpler to play and playing them slowly allowed a greater control over the shot. Still not quite happy with the follow through but I certainly am now beginning to FEEL the shot, before I was simply hitting the ball now there is a feel to the shot which in turn seems to give more control.
We tried some relaxation techniques using the NLT tapping techniques John had show me before. This certainly help relax and dissipate the negative feelings I had over the cue action changes. It also brought up a section which stuck in my mind. That Snooker and billiards requires a relaxed body but a concentrated mind. This is really true and is something I must master.
We had a game afterwards and I seemed to be playing pretty well, it is hard work but I can certainly feel the benefit of playing a better stoke. I must concentrate on position of body. The pause and gentle acceleration of the cue through the ball also my eye focus position needs a little extra work.
Going to arrange a match this week and and see how I play against someone else.
We tried a few run through shots along the cushion which do seem a lot simpler to play and playing them slowly allowed a greater control over the shot. Still not quite happy with the follow through but I certainly am now beginning to FEEL the shot, before I was simply hitting the ball now there is a feel to the shot which in turn seems to give more control.
We tried some relaxation techniques using the NLT tapping techniques John had show me before. This certainly help relax and dissipate the negative feelings I had over the cue action changes. It also brought up a section which stuck in my mind. That Snooker and billiards requires a relaxed body but a concentrated mind. This is really true and is something I must master.
We had a game afterwards and I seemed to be playing pretty well, it is hard work but I can certainly feel the benefit of playing a better stoke. I must concentrate on position of body. The pause and gentle acceleration of the cue through the ball also my eye focus position needs a little extra work.
Going to arrange a match this week and and see how I play against someone else.
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Second Cue Action Lesson
Over to Huddersfield again to John Inglebys, felt good tonight but was soon brought crashing down by John. He produced his 360 degree Cue out which has a spring in the but which breaks if the the user pushes down or across the shot.
I have mentioned this on a previous post see 'Gravity Cue' on the internet.
An hour and half half hitting the same shot, time and time again. I did manage to get the grip right but only 50% of the time. The rest you simply miss the ball. I was basically exerting down force on the butt of the cue. But 40 years of Bad practice is hard to correct. I will simply have to practice more and more. It was also clear that my stance was still not right I needed at little more weight on my front arm which released my cue a little.
After 2 hours my follow through was generally quite good and I was putting in 4-5inches, 12-15cm on most shots. John felt this was reasonable and would help my billiards. It certainly helps on run losers along the cushion they seems so easy as the side really takes.
We also had a session of relaxation tapping and meditation this certainly helped me as I settled down with the cue and got several really good pots down the table.
I am quite pleased with the results so far, its a really scary thing changing your action as you know it ruins your game. But this is a temporary thing and the future goal it to take me to the next level in Billiards. I am hoping to improve my snooker as well. After winning the police billiards tournament last year my new aim is to win the Retired Snooker this year, is very competitive but no pain no gain.
I have mentioned this on a previous post see 'Gravity Cue' on the internet.
An hour and half half hitting the same shot, time and time again. I did manage to get the grip right but only 50% of the time. The rest you simply miss the ball. I was basically exerting down force on the butt of the cue. But 40 years of Bad practice is hard to correct. I will simply have to practice more and more. It was also clear that my stance was still not right I needed at little more weight on my front arm which released my cue a little.
After 2 hours my follow through was generally quite good and I was putting in 4-5inches, 12-15cm on most shots. John felt this was reasonable and would help my billiards. It certainly helps on run losers along the cushion they seems so easy as the side really takes.
We also had a session of relaxation tapping and meditation this certainly helped me as I settled down with the cue and got several really good pots down the table.
I am quite pleased with the results so far, its a really scary thing changing your action as you know it ruins your game. But this is a temporary thing and the future goal it to take me to the next level in Billiards. I am hoping to improve my snooker as well. After winning the police billiards tournament last year my new aim is to win the Retired Snooker this year, is very competitive but no pain no gain.
Practice & Games
After my training session with John I went over to the Wirral to have a game with Tony Cooke, Eddie Duggan and Mike. It takes about an hour to travel over and I played OK my new cue action was difficult and I decided to stick with my old one but keep my feet in the right position.
This worked OK I managed a couple of small breaks and had a reasonable nights play, the tables were really nice.
I also managed two hours practice on the Sunday where I concentrated on cue action I spent an hour potting long reds of the middle spot with reasonable success. Definitely getting much more run through on my action. Played a little billiards and struggled as the angles seems to be different for my long losers. Quite strange. I soon found the anle and felt quite happy.
This worked OK I managed a couple of small breaks and had a reasonable nights play, the tables were really nice.
I also managed two hours practice on the Sunday where I concentrated on cue action I spent an hour potting long reds of the middle spot with reasonable success. Definitely getting much more run through on my action. Played a little billiards and struggled as the angles seems to be different for my long losers. Quite strange. I soon found the anle and felt quite happy.
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
New & Improved Cue action
I have not updated the Blog for some time but I have a few bits of further stuff to put on.
I have been struggling to make much improvement to my game over the last 6 months or so and have concluded this is a combination of my poor eyesight and my jerky cue action.
In light of this I have once again got new stronger snooker glasses these do seem to have corrected some of the problems such as blurring in one eye and glare outlines/ghosting on the balls.
The second stage will be to break down my cue action and try to introduce a greater follow through of the cue which is essential in billiards but will also help my play and touch shots. I probably should have done more of this two years ago but I was more interested in simply learning and playing the game.
John Ingleby has agreed to help out with 3 or 4 weeks coaching, I'm not looking forward to the change as I know it will be very difficult until I can settle down with the new action. Last time I changed something I could hardly play for several weeks.
Over to Huddersfield and straight into action. John had already got me to stand more side on and not to hold the cue tightly about 2 years ago, but he wanted to move left leg over until the edge of my cue was in line with the outside edge of my foot and then to move my right foot across slightly and further forward to regain my balance.
This was quite strange at first and I spent 45 minutes playing a red off the Blue spot from around the baulk line directly into the bottom pocket. Keeping the balls in an exact line with the pocket and my cue in a straight line playing with top. The idea being to pot the red in the bottom and follow the white into the same pocket with top.
This was very difficult and I managed only 2 pots in that time. The next stage was to slow down my back swing and have a distinct pause whilst my eyes moved over to the object ball. Also to keep my feathering to a minimum. So the action is really simply draw the cue back, hold and push through the shot. trying to accelerate the cue from slow to fast very smoothly without jerk or movement.
I managed to get this working and potted the red several times and managed the follow through 3 or 4 times. The grip on the rear of the cue was my next problem, having moved my hand position to the rear of the cue due to my stance I had to adjust and ensure my thumb was tucked under.
Practice needed this week I hope I can manage to get into the club I will keep the site updated over the next few weeks with some progress if any. John thinks this change will add 2/3 inches of follow through to my cue action and should add 25% to my breaks once I have settled into the rhythm of the shots.
I have been struggling to make much improvement to my game over the last 6 months or so and have concluded this is a combination of my poor eyesight and my jerky cue action.
In light of this I have once again got new stronger snooker glasses these do seem to have corrected some of the problems such as blurring in one eye and glare outlines/ghosting on the balls.
The second stage will be to break down my cue action and try to introduce a greater follow through of the cue which is essential in billiards but will also help my play and touch shots. I probably should have done more of this two years ago but I was more interested in simply learning and playing the game.
John Ingleby has agreed to help out with 3 or 4 weeks coaching, I'm not looking forward to the change as I know it will be very difficult until I can settle down with the new action. Last time I changed something I could hardly play for several weeks.
Over to Huddersfield and straight into action. John had already got me to stand more side on and not to hold the cue tightly about 2 years ago, but he wanted to move left leg over until the edge of my cue was in line with the outside edge of my foot and then to move my right foot across slightly and further forward to regain my balance.
This was quite strange at first and I spent 45 minutes playing a red off the Blue spot from around the baulk line directly into the bottom pocket. Keeping the balls in an exact line with the pocket and my cue in a straight line playing with top. The idea being to pot the red in the bottom and follow the white into the same pocket with top.
This was very difficult and I managed only 2 pots in that time. The next stage was to slow down my back swing and have a distinct pause whilst my eyes moved over to the object ball. Also to keep my feathering to a minimum. So the action is really simply draw the cue back, hold and push through the shot. trying to accelerate the cue from slow to fast very smoothly without jerk or movement.
I managed to get this working and potted the red several times and managed the follow through 3 or 4 times. The grip on the rear of the cue was my next problem, having moved my hand position to the rear of the cue due to my stance I had to adjust and ensure my thumb was tucked under.
Practice needed this week I hope I can manage to get into the club I will keep the site updated over the next few weeks with some progress if any. John thinks this change will add 2/3 inches of follow through to my cue action and should add 25% to my breaks once I have settled into the rhythm of the shots.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Manchester Competition 27th May 2012
This event is Cancelled due to insufficent Numbers
Sorry full refunds on their way
The event will take place at Rileys, Belle Vue, Manchester.
Sorry full refunds on their way
The event will take place at Rileys, Belle Vue, Manchester.
The rules will be as follows:
A fully Open/Random draw out of a hat on the day of the event.
Dress Code - None I am hoping for a round robin format with 45 or 60 minute matches again depending on entry numbers.
Dress Code - None I am hoping for a round robin format with 45 or 60 minute matches again depending on entry numbers.
The event is not affiliated with any organisation and is therefore Open in every respect. There will be no rankings and all prize money will be paid out in cash on the day of the event. Whatever money we get from the entries will be paid out to the winners/runner up. semis and a high break prize. This is dependant on you entering. A small trophy will presented to the winner of both plate and main tournament. The plate event is sponsored so prize money is £ 50 to the winner £ 25 to the runner up and £ 25 for the high break.
We will have a few refs available on the day and we have one for the final, a sponsor has offered money for a small amount of EASB refs. The final will be done by a well known and reliable international ref.
I am hoping for a good entry field and hope that you will support the event as it is simply just billiards and nothing else. The club is hoping that you will order food and plenty of drinks. As the event is one day only a maximum limit of 32 players will be adopted. (if by some miracle we reach that amount)
To enter simply pay £ 20 by credit/debit card using PayPal by clicking the Icon embedded on this page. If you wish to withdraw from the event you are free to do so up 14 days before the event and I will send a full refund to your nominated card.
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