today at the billiard shop

[snookerindy1981]

was checking on the progress of my new rails for the snooker table and the possible date to install it at the new abode when another customer made the comment - "Why have a snooker table? No one in America has the attention span dedicated to the game to be successful. Have fun trying to have friends over to play that game."

Thoughts...

 

[UserX]

I am foaming at the mouth just thinking about being at a place that has a snooker table... The game fascinates me.

 

[Wity]

I play for between 5 and 10 hours a week and have done so for many a year mostly playing with my son nowadays. Not once have i played around, every frame has been taken seriously. I'll never be a good player, the consistency is just not there, my highest break is 47 and that was over ten years ago, but you know what? win or lose I love every bloody game. Be it just for that one brief moment when you bend down and line up a shot, a difficult long pot, an inch perfect intricate snooker, or a long screw back to baulk and pull it off as good as any pro it puts such a big smile on my face.

It's the same with my other hobby, fishing, I've there on the bank for hours on end getting nowhere fast and then land a big un, it just makes it all worthwhile.

How good you are is irrelevent, how good it makes you feel is everything.

 

[snookerindy1981]

http://rueffreport.blogspot.com/2011/07/end-of-era.html

 

[Scaramouche]

Find people who dislike games where winning or losing depends on potting a single ball.

Preach the merits of a game run by points, and can be won, through skill, even if the balls remaining on the table do not offer sufficient points to win.

Learn the proper rules, and print them out for their education
http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/RulesofSnooker
Americans want to bastardize the game with crap like:
Have to hit a rail like in pool.
Thus removing the name of the game SNOOKER

Point out that if they can pot on a snooker table with those tiny pockets a pool table will look like a toy.

Point out that Alex Pagulayan has won the U.S. Open 9-ball Championship, the World 9-ball Championship, a gold metal in snooker at the Asian Games and this year, the Canadian Snooker Championship.

Remind them that lots of 9-ball players have come from snooker and done reasonably well:
Tony Drago, Marlon Manolo, Allison Fisher, Karen Corr, ad infinitum
So it is an alternative way to improve their play, whatever game they play.

Let them google videos to learn about the game
Steve Davis The Champions Way
Jack Karnehm Understanding Modern Snooker

 

[Wity]

Finally I broke through with my first win on Dec. 27, 2002. Not only did I win once, I won three times that afternoon. I continued to win a more consistent basis. Call it changing of the guard if you will.

How I know that feeling. My son beat me for the very first time on his 21st 10/1/07 . Neither of us realised it till hours later. In fact had we at the time i'm sure he would have thought it a birthday present but when the penny dropped he was truly chuffed. Nowadays it seems most of our frames are decided on the black it's so close.
I knew then that as he naturally improves and I'll naturally receed with age I'll have to be all the more sneakier in the future to live with him so when i practice alone now I spend most of the time aiming to leave the white exactly where i want it. Seems to be working to date as we have always lagged to break and I've been closest to the line every time since his 21st. Gawd help me when he can perfect getting out of snookers