Cueing straight and learning the angle of the pot are the foundations for learning this game of snooker. As a coach, Barry talks about how he approaches a first lesson and the important early stages for successfully developing your game.
This trainer you feel is honest and very keen to teach others, and to give all his information to the trainees, one of the best I have seen, but rather the best I have seen, may God protect him, full respect
mister. My pleasure, I hope they are helpful to you. Thanks for the wish of good luck to Kyren, he has the ability, he has practised hard now all he has to do is produce it at the right time.
Hello Sir again. Absolutely fantastic performance from Kyren against Hawkins. Pass my congratulations to him. He showed some unbelievable character in that match. He is THE WARRIOR!!!!!! I wish him every luck for the quarter final. Congratulations Sir!!!!!
George. Many thanks for your best wishes, only sorry that he didn't perform as well in his next match. He was obviously on a high after his match against Hawkins, didn't sleep very well and was tired at the start, from there he was always playing catch up and he didn't quite have it in him this time. On top of that Gilbert played very well so good luck to him, he is a nice lad.
I agree Sir, Gilbert played well. It must be really exhausting playing one match after the other, at that level. I hope now Kyren gets some rest and prepare him self for the next season. Thank you for your reply Sir, Greetings from Greece to Kyren and Selina!!!!!
I feel very difficult to see the straight line from the middle of the pocket to the ball, which makes it difficult to lower the ball by 70%, can you support me?
Congratulations to both Kyren and your good self for his great victory over Barry Hawkins today,he's looking better by the tournament,all attributed to your great coaching technique,I will be rooting for him Barry,although Neil Robertson would be a real test over a long game to really test him.Best of luck to you both.
BEV. Its a bit like tennis, Wimbledon comes on the television and the courts are full. The golf is on and you can't book a tee time. The world snooker championship is on the television and the clubs get busier, long may it continue.
Mr. Stark, you are a phenomenal coach. You explain everything in so much useful detail. You'd still be a threat into today's professional league standards. It must be nice to have the skills to win several thousands of dollars in such a short time period such as someone like you is capable of doing.
J.J. Thanks for that, I do like to think that I know a little about coaching snooker but lets not get carried away, I am 76 years of age with poor eyesight I am afraid my best playing days are over.
I have a request for a video. One of the most hardest shot I think but I may maybe wrong. Set cue ball at an corner pocket. Set on one diamond to one diamond. Put the object ball 2 inches or so 3 inches dead center of the side pocket with dead center to the cue ball and cut the object ball to the other corner. I have made tons of money betting people can’t do it. They can’t make it in the first several shots but can never make 2 in a row.
Wonderful video Sir, I wish a Happy Easter to you and your family. Every luck to Kyren for the world championship!!!!! You're the best snooker coach in the world!!!!!!!
George. Many thanks for your support, I wish you and yours a happy Easter also. Kyren has put the work in all he has to do now is produce it on the match table. Fingers crossed.
Thank you Sir for your wishes, I'm sure Kyren will do well at the Crucible. Pass my wishes for a Happy Easter to him and Selina too. I wish him every luck!!!!!!
Thanks for another Great! video Barry, yes i think i mentioned about the longer striaght pots seem harder when the cue ball is further away, and of course as you show nearer the cushion. So one only needs to be a little fraction out so maybe it is best not focus on that aspect to much. I have been playing nearly 2 months now and practice mainly just all different pots from all over the table, but as you point out i do practice around the black spot end but mess up on position quickly then get tense and frustrated, but with just potting balls in the correct order where the white finishes i get around 1 in 4 now but i am going to try for around a 3% increase each month if i can.
Hi Barry, the best online snooker coach ! I've been following your channel for a long time now and improving my game. Because of the way i have grown as a human being, my knees don't work quite the same as most people's. When I bend down to play a shot my knees dip severely inwards and because of this when I try to play a shot in the "text book" stance they are miles out I know it would be a complex video But I would love a video where you demonstrate the different stances in snooker(kyren Wilson bending both legs in comparison to the more straight right legged players) I think Joe swaile would be a good example. As long is the cue is delivered straight and the shot is comfortable, then the shot will go in. It could be a great video to demonstrate that following the good technique is always the best option but when that doesn't work, you need to play what's comfy Thanks a lot for your hard work :)
Ross. Whilst the stance cannot be ignored I do share your belief that too much emphasis is placed upon it. As long as the player is stable and comfortable, in the right position and conforming to something like the basics please carry on. Not sure that I would be able to demonstrate all the varied stances, my arthritic knees wouldn't allow me.
Would love to spend some time learning from you, I'm extremely passionate about snooker, but feel I need coaching. Thanks for the vid, I will watch your other ones. Top bloke.
reace. Being passionate about something is self motivating, may I suggest you watch good players paying particular attention to where and how they hold the cue. If you have to change something in your own game don't be frightened of it, be prepared to miss and make mistakes while you are learning but also ensure you learn from those mistakes. Good luck.
@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach há muito tempo acompanho seu canal. Vejo e revejo suas postagens sempre que posso, pois gosto muito de snooker e pratico um pouco aqui no Brasil
Thank you for more great content. I'm curious the affects table conditions play on potting lines and how professionals quickly adjust. For example: straight in pots will always sight straight in regardless of dirty balls, new cloth etc... but angle potting can change drastically. A half ball hit with dirty balls or new cloth may play thinner than half ball. I'm curious what adjustment you recommend. Is it - aim at imaginary pocket, use a touch of left or right english, aim normal then pivot a little as adjustment. A simple shot of potting from above the black coming out 2 rails with touch of bottom right on CB at home hits middle pocket, but another table/conditions might hit 15cm above pocket.
Tasha. Conditions certainly vary but balls or table should never be dirty, variances may be that the table is slow or less reactive but I wouldn't aim differently unless there was an obvious roll on the table.
Great video again... how important do you think practice is as opposed to playing? I play a game once a week but have never gone to the table for practice alone.
James. Both are very important, solo practise allows you to practise the same shot until you get it right, it also helps you to examine your technique. Playing a game adds competition and pressure and the chance to realistically check your progress.
Coach Barry, do you think practicing by playing left hand vs right hand (with as much objectivity as possible) is something you'd advise on? I do try to firstly focus on the basics mentioned by you in this video, but I was just wondering about your opinion on developing ambixterity in snooker. (I am at an intermediate level with decent cue ball control and good safety game; 20-something is my biggest break though)
Norbert. I would always encourage any player, (particularly the young) to use both hands for two reasons. Firstly it is a very useful skill to have. Secondly and just as important is that adopting a snooker position over the many hours that a top player will have to is anatomically quite stressful, it can result in mild deformity through repetitive strain. Playing with the opposite hand can help to alleviate this imbalance and the potential problems that can arise.
Hi Barry, thanks for the coaching. I have always enjoyed your videos. Recently I purchased a snooker table, but it is very slow. I am thinking about changing the cloth and maybe a new set of balls (currently with a cheap set of plastic balls). Do you have any recommendations ?
D K. Most of the academies use Strachan 6811 this gives good playing qualities and lasts quite well. It is important to play with good quality balls otherwise you will not get the correct response, Aramith tournament balls are readily available but they are not cheap.
Dwm21. On the subject of the cue it is advisable to get a good one from the start, however, because you are asking this question I will assume that you are a beginner. If I am right on this it would be advisable to ask an experienced player to accompany you when selecting one, at least he/she will know what to look for. A 6 x 3ft table is quite small and it is easy to fall into bad habits because the distances involved don't really examine your technique too much. Certainly you can learn a little about manoeuvring the cue ball into advantageous positions but probably the best advice would be to ensure that the basics of stance,, bridge and grip are correct.
Hi Barry, Great video and thanks for sharing your vast knowledge. Do you know if there are there any pros that use non-leather tips on their cues? I'm wondering as more and more people are turning vegetarian or vegan in sports these days - I wondered if there are animal friendly alternatives for cue tip material and how they play verses traditional leather? Regards
Rajie. There are a lot of aiming systems on the market some are good some are rubbish. I don't believe any will hinder a player but it is up to the player to decide if any particular aiming device is of any help to him.
Coach Barry, I have a question as someone who plays 9ball on 9 foot tables and a little snooker(back pain doesn't let me practice a lot on it as much as i would love to!) my question is this: would you still argue that on 9 foot tables cue action is still the "upper hand" in the game rather than having good vision? definitely cue action will have less impact as the table is smaller and pockets are wider which gives more slack, but does the argument that its all about cue action hold ? the thing is that i firmly believe that sometimes, i just cant get a good image of the line of shot in my head so i can cue straight along the line.. at the same time i feel that my cue action is OK relative to other practice sessions i've had, so sometime i believe i miss more because of vision than cueing. Thank you
Yasser. I think the best way to answer this is to make reference to snooker players who have either switched to pool or who have at least tried pool. Alison Fisher and Karen Corr quickly rose to the top in ladies pool after formerly being ladies world snooker champions. Ronnie O'Sullivan in his American Hustle Programme competed with some of the best at pool even though he hardly plays the game. I feel that most good snooker players would soon adapt to the challenges of pool simply because of their cue action. Granted accuracy in the cue action is less important, but conversely, because of the accuracy less concentration is needed in the actual cue delivery and more attention can be applied to cue ball positioning.
Hi sir.barry, i loved all ur videos and i learnt so much from ur channel. May i know is the height of a person affect much in snooker? Is there any so called ‘perfect’ height for snooker??? Tq
Voker. Not really. I am 5ft 8in Kyren Wilson is 6ft 1in we both have different ways of playing the game forced upon us by our physical build. I know of top players who are both shorter and taller than me, both heights can have advantages and disadvantages for certain shots but overall there are no real problems for either.
See. Power creates errors, always has, always will. Obviously it is necessary on some shots but in the main amateurs use it unnecessarily. To introduce power to your game start with the balls close together gradually increasing the distance between the balls and then progressively increasing the distance between the object ball and the pocket. In all cases keep examining your cue action.
M A. When your are doing the preparatory feathers your eyes will flit between the cue ball and the object ball, but when you actually deliver the cue forward to play the shot your eyes should be fixed upon the object ball.
Barry I had taken the alignment test. And it seems to me that I'm putting a trace of right hand side and I got better result when I shift my whole cue a fraction to the left which includes the bridge hand and back arm. But then. I'm right eye dominant with this taken in to account. Should I stand up and shift my whole stance to the left? My shoulder is wider than my hips. Cheers from Singapore
Lim. I must be certain not to mislead you here, so I would urge you to check all of this on the baulk line. Generally the fact that you are right or left eye dominant takes care of itself but obviously you can still put the unwanted side on. Go back to the baulk line, ensure that you are aiming and cueing straight, approach the baulk line a few times remembering that the aim starts with the back of the cue, its no use having the tip of the cue on line if the butt is off line, establish a pre- shot routine that puts that cue on the line time after time.
Sir I am doing same thing again and again . I use gost ball theory . Line of aim method and I can pot balls easy but problem is I examine my method alot and I start missing pots even simple shots I can't pot .. I make myself understand to not examine my method but I am unable to keep my mind still on particular theory. Please suggest me some tips for getting out from my problem
fahad. Consistency is the one element that we all are seeking and to achieve this we always need to examine our technique. Watch the top boys particularly players like Mark Selby, he does the same thing all the time, he points the cue does two preparatory waggles, pauses, then plays the shot, by doing this he gives himself the best possible chance of repeating his action. I am not saying that you should copy him exactly merely that you establish your own routine, one that works and that you are comfortable with. If you are so inconsistent that you can miss anything though please examine your grip, this is the one area that people tend to ignore and it is vitally important, have a look at my videos which discuss this.
Barry, I am a thirteen year old who has great passion for the game but cannot play snooker as the clubs in my area are for adults. I have no possible way of playing the game and we cannot afford a table( or have the space). Have you got any ideas of how I can possibly improve my game as I am really passionate.
QuoMan. This is really an impossible question to answer but at least you could practise your cueing on something a similar height to a snooker table. When you first start to play you may struggle with forming a bridge or standing correctly, holding the cue in the wrong place or not be able to hold it correctly, all these issues can be worked on without a snooker table and without hitting a ball. Also are you sure that the clubs are solely for adults, sometimes the stipulation is that you are accompanied by an adult, please ask to make sure.
@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach thank you. There is a pool club that I have been to so I know the basics. It's just improving from the basics as the tables are totally different dimensions
savitar. Not sure what you mean but I think you mean you are having trouble potting the ball. If I am right please keep working on that cueing and it will come. Good luck.
faisal. Snooker balls should be of a standard size, in clubs when the balls get old and used a lot they do wear out and lose some of their diameter, particularly the cue ball.
I have only just started but have read through the rules a few times, i think to play away with the white ball so as to not to move the pink and try and play around the angles to hit the yellow in some way. Also some snookers maybe near on impossible to escape from in some case, so if no ref is present best to state your point to your opponent to decide how many tries to escape if he wants you put back, sometimes best to just have the one try for impossible snookers to keep the peace.
4321dickie. As Paul as said you must always play away from a touching ball. There is only one set of rules for amateurs and professionals alike, whether the game has an official referee or not the rules are just the same. However, lets be realistic here and say the some snooker escapes are beyond the ability of some players and to keep awarding a miss can become ridiculous. So always clear the point before the start of play, in the local league of my area they award a maximum of three misses and then carry on as normal which seems to me a fair compromise.
I just watched your ‘advanced Practice routines’ videos and you easily cleared half a routine you said was professional standard. Do you think you could have been professional?
Sam. I had a full time job, a family and a mortgage, I wasn't prepared to risk it all by trying to earn a living at playing. Also to be perfectly honest I knew I wasn't quite good enough, beating the top players just to put bread on the table can be a daunting task.
Edward Charlton limited himself; his action was good his mind was closed to posibilities; Ronnie o is where it is at; open mind its all artistic through the ball like painting a picasso.
bullsnutsoz. You are so right, although Eddie was one of the best of his era the game has moved on. Ronnie is the best of his era and in most peoples opinion, including mine, there is no comparison.
