Will snooker help your pool game?
- Thread starter Slim J
- Start date
This may sound a bit crazy but I practice with pool balls on a big snooker table. I'm only doing it to improve my ball pocketing for regular pool. And it works!
I was using snooker balls at first but I realized pool ball were best for what my purpose was. Its tough but not as insane as you might think.
I was using snooker balls at first but I realized pool ball were best for what my purpose was. Its tough but not as insane as you might think.
Besides the obvious long pots snooker will show you the importance of leaving natural angles to move around the table, if you get on the wrong side playing pool it's not a big deal to go multiple rails or spin your way out of trouble. IMO for what snooker can do for your pool game there's almost as much that will hurt it the conditions are too different (especially on cloth with nap) pool is a much more aggresive game shotwise than snooker.
I never played better pool in my life than I did when I played snooker full time. After playing snooker in the afternooons I would play 8 ball on the 4x8's and it would be like shooting balls into the ocean. Breaking and running was a piece of cake because the pots were easy and the shape didn't always matter.
I think snooker helps in the following ways:
1. Improves alignment
2. More care in taking stance and maintaining body position during the shot.
3. Trains the eyes to focus more tightly on the pot angle required.
4. Necessitates and develops a straight cue action.
A couple of things to watch out for:
1. Cut angles are slightly different due to the smaller balls. Hence, you may cut the balls a little thicker when returning to US pool balls.
2. Positional play is affected due to the lower ball weight in snooker.
3. If you're playing on 12' directional nap cloth, the effect of some pots, and some shots played with english will vary.
With that in mind, I think many pool players would benefit from some occassional drills on the snooker table. Especially longer potting at relatively full angles.
Colin
1. Improves alignment
2. More care in taking stance and maintaining body position during the shot.
3. Trains the eyes to focus more tightly on the pot angle required.
4. Necessitates and develops a straight cue action.
A couple of things to watch out for:
1. Cut angles are slightly different due to the smaller balls. Hence, you may cut the balls a little thicker when returning to US pool balls.
2. Positional play is affected due to the lower ball weight in snooker.
3. If you're playing on 12' directional nap cloth, the effect of some pots, and some shots played with english will vary.
With that in mind, I think many pool players would benefit from some occassional drills on the snooker table. Especially longer potting at relatively full angles.
Colin