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Snooker Theory

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am learning the game of snooker, I have mostly just played pool.
If you enjoy playing snooker, drop a message in here :smile:

At some point I would like to talk about difference in techniques between pool and snooker players if anyone might be interested, since I don't know much I would love to hear from the chaps on here.

I think the differences in pool cues and snooker cues is pretty interesting too.

My favorite snooker player is Stephen Lee, to bad about the match fixing. :(

Sorry I can't figure out how to embed a youtube video, but here is a clip of Lee if you aren't familiar with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVZcJOmdU_g&t=336s
 
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Snooker Theory

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Message dropped! LOL

The doctor is in, glad to see another snooker fan :grin:

How long you been playing for? Do you have a snooker table or do you play at a local club? Do you play pool as well?

Hope the storms didn't hurt you or any loved ones.
 

church66

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bump .

Snooker Theory .

Bump = .

Somebody posting a thread , post's see's another poster's thread and promotes that thread back to the top with the word , bump ! :wink::)

Pleased to meet you !
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
I don't know how different the technique could be
Hit the ball to make it in the hole, put the effect on the ball to get to your desired location after making the shot

Much less banking, which they call double
Some combo/Carom/kiss shots, which they call plant I think

Higher precision pocketing -(but don't tell that to the guys that like 7ft tables!)

Tables play fast as some are heated I'm learning
Like pretty much all competition 10ft Carom tables

I've taken a shine to snooker after starting at pool, which I then moved on to Carom, love snooker matches with John virgo commenting

Still have yet to get a chance to actually play snooker
 

drsnooker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yeah I got my own table, some times play in the clubs but the really smokey environment bugs me.
Played some in APA pool leagues (8ball=7, 9ball=9), but snooker is more challenging thus more fun.
 

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't know how different the technique could be
Hit the ball to make it in the hole, put the effect on the ball to get to your desired location after making the shot

Much less banking, which they call double
Some combo/Carom/kiss shots, which they call plant I think

Higher precision pocketing -(but don't tell that to the guys that like 7ft tables!)

Tables play fast as some are heated I'm learning
Like pretty much all competition 10ft Carom tables

I've taken a shine to snooker after starting at pool, which I then moved on to Carom, love snooker matches with John virgo commenting

Still have yet to get a chance to actually play snooker

The technique is completely different actually, You have to play the score in snooker more than any other game. Just making balls, especially if you are down in points significantly, can take away any chance of winning. The balls are different colors for a reason and often become soldiers if you play them right. I played snooker for many years and have a 10 ft snooker table, yet, you can only play so much snooker, so i converted mine to a bigfoot pool table. One pocket on a 10 footer,,,, yea,, now there is a game.
 

Snooker Theory

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Snooker Theory .

Bump = .

Somebody posting a thread , post's see's another poster's thread and promotes that thread back to the top with the word , bump ! :wink::)

Pleased to meet you !

Enjoy your snooker posts mate!, Bump it up:)

I don't know how different the technique could be
Hit the ball to make it in the hole, put the effect on the ball to get to your desired location after making the shot

Much less banking, which they call double
Some combo/Carom/kiss shots, which they call plant I think

Higher precision pocketing -(but don't tell that to the guys that like 7ft tables!)

Tables play fast as some are heated I'm learning
Like pretty much all competition 10ft Carom tables

I've taken a shine to snooker after starting at pool, which I then moved on to Carom, love snooker matches with John virgo commenting

Still have yet to get a chance to actually play snooker

I think the techniques are quite different, but maybe I am just over analyzing it, I too not that much experience with snooker. I have noticed a lot of modern snooker players stand much more square to their shots compared to pool players.

Most great snooker players have their chin on the cue and they also use the side of their chest as an additional guide of sorts. Though I do see the chin on the cue in pool, I don't see the chest being utilized as a guide as much in pool.

Snooker players also use mostly the open bridge, from my understanding this is due to the taper of the shaft, but also they feel it provides better sighting than a closed bridge.

My 2cents for whatever it's worth, snooker is much for challenging to pocket balls, pool is more challenging to get position, especially in a game like rotation.




Yeah I got my own table, some times play in the clubs but the really smokey environment bugs me.
Played some in APA pool leagues (8ball=7, 9ball=9), but snooker is more challenging thus more fun.

I think snooker is dang hard, especially in regards to potting balls on a 6'x12' table. It looks like a football field compared to a 7 footer. HAHAH

The technique is completely different actually, You have to play the score in snooker more than any other game. Just making balls, especially if you are down in points significantly, can take away any chance of winning. The balls are different colors for a reason and often become soldiers if you play them right. I played snooker for many years and have a 10 ft snooker table, yet, you can only play so much snooker, so i converted mine to a bigfoot pool table. One pocket on a 10 footer,,,, yea,, now there is a game.

How did you do this exactly, did you have to convert the rails out or do you use billiard balls smaller than 2 1/4?
I wondered about going the other way converting a pool table into a snooker table, but due to the smaller pocket I thought it would be challenging.



Thanks to everyone for posting, I have some snooker questions but have to get to work now, I will have to save them for later.
 
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Snooker Theory

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That's just me , I like to approach everything as simple as possible

A very wise person once told me, "Hey, keep it simple stupid" :grin-square:

Since I am just getting back into playing, I am trying to develop sound fundamentals. For me, looking back to when I played a lot, I think my personal biggest issue was not having a good pre-shot routine and how I would "walk in" "step in" or "approach the shot" was not the same every time.

I would also not really analyze the shots I made, but if you are aiming center pocket and the object ball ends up hitting right center pocket or touches the inside rail of the pocket(on a pool table), that would more than likely be a miss on a snooker table.
 

drsnooker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The biomechanics of the stroke for snooker are very precise. Compare it to putting on the green versus mini golf... Not a muscle is moved that isn't supposed to (unless you're Selby), all in the name of accuracy. Only really really (o'sullivan) talented players do not need to coach to perfect their technique. Watching a recording of yourself playing will also show you a lot of movement that you need to work on getting rid of. Bad habits are hard to break!
 

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How did you do this exactly, did you have to convert the rails out or do you use billiard balls smaller than 2 1/4?
I wondered about going the other way converting a pool table into a snooker table, but due to the smaller pocket I thought it would be challenging.

No, I use regular balls, brunswick centenials actually. I pulled the rails off, pulled the cushions off of them, and pulled the bends off of them. I recut rhe angles for 4 3/4 inch pockets to the angles Glen recomends and then put new k66 cushions on. 4 3/4 may sound big, but did I mention it's a 10 footer. It's a challenging, and fun table to play on.
 

Imotv8u

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I play both pool and snooker. We have an 8 ft pool table and a 10 foot snooker table at home but we play competitively at several different local pool halls. I’m saving up to get a new Star 12 ft tournament table. I’ll have to get rid of the 10 footer when I do. We have also started playing a lot of golf on the snooker tables. I like it but not as much as I like snooker. I’m not too good but I love the game, plus it makes games on a pool table feel easy, although I have to make adjustments to my game, mainly I play snooker with a lot less side on most shots than I do in pool. My safety play has improved in pool due to my snooker experience.
 

Cameron Smith

is kind of hungry...
Silver Member
I think we are seeing a convergence in approaches to each game. Pool fundamentals are getting tighter and snooker is getting less rigid. Pool is a game of unerring consistency so it can only help to perfect ones cueing. Whereas in snooker, one size absolutely doesn't fit all so I think coaches are no longer forcing players to fit into the Steve Davis mould.

When I started watching snooker, every player looked the same at the table. It was just the timing and length of pause that distinguished them. But we are seeing more...personality in strokes and stances. Not everyone pauses on their backswing, there are some imperfections in their cueing (Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham to name a couple), and you get square stances, boxer stances and both knee bent stances.

Meanwhile, pool strokes have far less flair than they used to and I wonder if stances may start to become squarer to the table. I know the theory says the common approach to the pool stance allows more power, but I don't really buy it. I see snooker players like Trump, Robertson and Selby play shots that require just as much power as any pool shot using a traditional snooker stance. The key thing is timing, it allows you to generate more cue speed, with less effort allowing you to be more accurate.
 

Rethunk

Snooker pimp
Silver Member

gogg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I love both games!
Pool is MUCH more common in Texas (at least west-TX) so that happens much more than snooker for me.
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
I'm about this close to giving up on all pocket games
I can't run any kind of rack

And while I will probably try snooker atleast once, that will probably be all,

I get the impression from watching a live stream last night of local players who I know are good at making balls


But they were missing soooo much on the snooker table
While making breaks of 20-60s at times

It would just be far too frustrating for me

I'll just stick to Carom play and admire pocket games from a distance
 

drsnooker

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sorry to hear it. The people that play snooker enjoy it because it is so difficult and you get great satisfaction for slamming in a long ball or making a 50+
 

Rethunk

Snooker pimp
Silver Member
Sorry to hear it. The people that play snooker enjoy it because it is so difficult and you get great satisfaction for slamming in a long ball or making a 50+

I'll go so far as to say I enjoy learning the local table well enough to take advantage of its idiosyncrasies: hit a ball slowly enough along the long rail, and if loses nearly all its speed just in front of the side pocket, it'll swerve and drop in. Huzzah!

The table has probably been fixed since I pulled that trick. The little swerve only worked on one side.
 
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