Snooker Tips To Improve With Practice

As it's coming up to the start of the snooker season and players want to be performing at their best, I thought I'd show 16 different ways to improve your game, starting with the most straightforward and getting increasingly difficult each time. This escalates quickly, but we're beginning with Level 1. To start off with, the black spot isn't in the easiest of places to pot a ball from, but if you get really proficient at this shot, it can make the game a lot easier to play. So to improve in this area, see how many times you can consecutively pot the black off the spot. This is good for close control shots in this position, and 50 would be a good target. Level 2. Potting these 9 reds in this 3x3 grid formation isn't as easy as it looks, but can really help with the way you control the cue ball. This is good for helping you pot relatively straightforward shots from open positions and can really increase your scoring power. But don't be fooled, this isn't as easy as it looks, and you will need to keep hold of the cue ball. Level 3. Here's a good way to practice potting the pink. It's similar to the routine for the black, but there's a slight difference. It's not easy to explain, but here goes. You can pot the pink into any pocket, as long as it's a different pocket to the previous pocket you potted the pink into. This means you need to keep running through or stunning the cue ball across the table. Which is good, because this is the type of shot you most commonly play around this area of the table. Level 4. For this one, you need to make a break with the 6 reds in this position, but only using the blue. This is a brilliant thing to practice if you don't feel you're making as high a break as you could be, because the pots are so simple, you can really start to focus on position. And this can really build your confidence. Level 5. This one's a little bit more complicated. You need to clear these 4 reds with blacks in order, so 1, 2, 3, 4. And you're also only allowed to use the top pockets. But what makes this really difficult is the cue ball isn't allowed to strike a cushion at any point, and this means you need to be in almost perfect position on every single shot. And that makes this a real challenge. And if you can do it, this will really improve your scoring power in a game. Level 6. But this one is a little bit more straightforward. Line up all 21 balls down the centre of the table, and try to pop them all in one break. This is an exercise that almost all snooker players will be aware of, but the great thing about it is you can play a load of shots in one go without having to take the balls out of the pocket. Although, can you play all of them consecutively? But we want to be improving more than just your potting and break building. Level 7. Now to practice safety shots with these 4 difficult reds on the top cushion. If you can play these shots right, it can really help you out. So the attempt is to try and get the cue ball back into the bulk area of all 4 reds. Safety shots don't usually need much practice, and just a couple of goes at something like this every now and again will make a big difference because this is such a difficult shot to get right. Level 8. Similar shot now, but with the object ball slightly away from the cushions. The aim is still to get the cue ball back into bulk, but at the same time to try and keep the object ball safe. This is another type of safety shot that comes up regularly, and if you can play this shot and the previous one right, then you'll find you should be able to bank your way out of trouble from any difficult situation that arises. Level 9. Final one on safety. With this one, you need to keep doubling the black in and out of bulk every time. This means your objective is to keep the cue ball and the black consistently on opposite sides of the bulk line by doubling them back up the table. Practicing this and the previous two shots more or less covers the basis for any type of safety shot you might want to play. But it's not exactly easy — 5 or more would be a good score with this one. Level 10. If you're struggling to pop balls along the cushion, then this practice routine can make it a little bit easier. What you need to do is pop a red along the cushion, followed by the black, and keep replacing the balls each time. It's really difficult to keep getting topside of the black and remain in position with this one, and by the looks of it, I need a little bit more practice. Level 11. This next one's a great way of practicing long-distance positional shots, because running out of position is very easy with this one when you keep having to alternate between the two balls. Considering this and just how difficult it is, even 10 is a good score with this one. Before we get to the next practice routine, we're just going to find Steve, who's in Bristol in the United Kingdom. Just there. Level 12. This next one requires you to play red followed by black in a specific order to keep releasing the next red. When you get good at this one, you can keep adding more reds, but even six is a challenge, because you need to be exactly in position to keep the break going. And continuously getting it right can be really difficult. And if you're able to regularly complete this simple exercise, it'll mark a big step forward in your ability to break build. Level 13. This one doesn't really need much explaining. We've lined the balls up down the middle of the table again, but this time we're playing colours. The reason this is so far down the list is because the challenge with this one is to try and get over 100 break. Because of the simple position of the balls, I always think this is a good way to build confidence. Level 14. Being competent at clearing the colours can really improve your game. So that's what we're doing, but this exercise has a bit of a twist to it. You need to clear the colours like normal, which is vital to be able to do when you get in a close situation in the match. But when you get to the pink, you replace the colours and start clearing the table backwards from black to yellow. Then when you get to the yellow, you re-spot the colours again, and the process should just keep repeating itself. Level 15. This weird shape I've got the balls in here is another great way to improve your break building. This is because it simulates the position the reds usually end up in after they come away from the pack. So the shots you need to play are similar to what you'd be playing in a regular frame of snooker. But now as we come to the final routine, we need to make things a little bit more challenging. Level 16. A similar position with four extra reds. And this again is good, because it's as close as you'll ever get to playing a game of snooker. OK, all the balls go, so it's a little bit easier, but you're going to be moving the cue ball around the same areas. And if you can get a clearance with this, there's no real reason you shouldn't be able to do this in a regular frame of snooker. But that's not it, because so long as you're brave enough, I've got one more for you to try. Level 17. And finally, John Higgins' main practice routine. You have to start off by playing these five reds in order, because they won't go unless they're the closest one to the cushion. Yeah, that's not exactly easy. This requires perfect position on every single shot you play, and I might actually have a go at this with a head cam one day, but for now I'm not able to quite get it. I hope you get the chance to give some of these a go, and they're able to help your snooker. I've even created a scorecard so you can fill in your results and see what goals you want to set for yourself. Or if you want to find out more about improving at snooker, like how to play specific shots, then have a look at these two videos. And remember, don't just watch play, and make the commitment to becoming a better player by subscribing to the channel and visit the website. See you later.