Wed

I went and put in three hours today.
Did not try much in terms of drill; just throwing balls on the table and trying to run them out with the new aiming method, and also tried some long pots.
Basically, my thick potting is getting much better with this new method, but I still need to figure out how to use it on thin shots and those long 1/2 ball pots.
It is still a bit confusing.
What I like about it is that I feel more connected to the pot, that I am actually trying to use the cue ball to strike the object ball to make it go into the hole. It is like my cue ball is the extension of my arm. In the past, I looked at the angle and I aimed at a certain point on the ball, but I was not aware of where the cue ball actually make contact. The balls felt more like 2 d to me.
This had worked fine but it was too much for my brain in long tournament. I could not cope with it.
I need something more simple and instinctive.
Hopefully, i can go and try it out in real match situation with S.

Talking to a friend

I did very poorly on Sat. Just could not get into the double format. Could not enjoy myself and missed so many easy chances.
I was very mad at myself, so I had a long talk with my friend. He is about 76, had some decent breaks before, and is still quite a good player.
He told me I would be a great player, as he sees lots of potential in me, that I will keep improving and become better than all the guys I now play with, including D.
However, he also pointed out that he noticed I was sometimes very tense, and do not look like the same person, during some matches. He said I stroked differently when i am playing back.
He told me to have confident, and play my best.
He basically put the confidence in me. No one ever told me I have talent the way he did, and I guess I just did not really know that.
But once he put it the way he did, I felt much better. Then I played with D. Usually I would play with a poor attitude, but this time I was very focus, with a good rhythm.
I reminded myself to touch the chest with my grip on my follow through, and to just play with the same rhythm.
I played really well with a 41 right off my first chance. I did surprised myself and missed another chance, but then I took my third chance and finished the game up to the green. He conceded.
Second time he was not playing well, but I missed a yellow into the middle to go down table into the pack. Had perfect position, so that gave him a good opening. Lost that frame. The yellow miss was the key shot.
Practiced some more while D had to go have his dinner. He watched me practice. I was really int he zone, I think I must have finished all 15 reds in 2 inning or something like that, then i got perfect on the yellow from my black, and D unscrewed his cue and told me he was tired and did not feel like playing anymore.
I think hearing K telling me that he expected me to beat D already really put a lot of confidence in me. He also told me D looked different when he played me, because he knew I am better than other people he plays with. I never looked at it this way but it is true.
If I can be a consistent 40+, 50+ player I can beat D convincingly. Then I need to go up to the next level, which is to win more frames with one visit.
S told me he had run back to back century, I so wish that will come to me one day.

Feb 09 2009

I like to keep a record of my practice.
I have been practicing snooker since May 2007. I used to practice about 4-6 hours a day the first 6 months I started. But I am now a bit cut down.
I had my first 64 run after about 3 months of practicing like crazy. I had some 40+ before that and then it just happened. I had a 82 around Dec, 2008, which is my highest run in match play. I had clear up a table with random placing of balls during practice. That felt really good. It was my first century. I had cleared 13 reds once, but my opponent did not keep track of my score, that happened around Oct, 2007.
I had some 60+ and such during practice.
Last month I had a 62, table clearance, then one game later, I had a 49.
On Sat, I played D for some practice, and I made a 41.
My short term goal is to make consistent 40's and 50's.
My problem is to find a good rhythm for myself so I can produce the form I am able to produce in my practice during an important match.
I now go practice with S every Thursday and that really helped my game.
I need to go back into practice at least 4 hours a day by myself, but money and time wise I cannot really do that now. I used to when I first started and that showed in my fast progress.
My practice usually begins with potting the blue into the corner 10 into each pocket, then I will pot the pink into the baulk pocket again 10 into each pocket. Then some long potting of red from baulk.
After that, it is my potting angle practice which included potting the pink, black, and blue from all angles. It allows me to practice my thick and thin cuts into both side and corner pockets.
By the time I am done, I will take a break as it usually will take up about 2 hours or a bit more.
Then I will do my positioning drills around the black, pink, blue and colors. That can take as many hours as I want to really.
e.g. Line-up, and different set up of reds around the black can take over 2 hours. Then all reds with pinks with the reds forming a cross around the pink. 4 reds on each side of pink to get on the blue, 4 reds along the blue for blue, potting a baulk colors and then the black and then another baulk and so on...
I also like to target on some weakness and just shoot them until I can figure them out. Potting with the rest is also something I have just started practicing.
I like to participate in the Canadian Snooker Championship. It is going to be expensive, and I need to win a qualifier, but I really would like to try.
I practice on several different tables--a Riley steel block Aristocrat, a Brunswick, and a very old B and W. The Riley is the best but also the most expensive; the Brunswick is where I made most of my runs, and it is the slowest and most forgiving; the B&W is fast, but a bit different, with regular sized pocket. I also made some 40s and 60s there.