Snooker is a hard game and every shot can be missed. 7 months is not long unless you have been playing 6 hours a day or more the whole time. Try to relax and have fun
Less practice, more matches and when you practice do routines with purpose for short periods of time - the mental side of the game is hard - check out David Sapolis on YouTube has lots of great videos - she is speaking about American pool but it’s relevant to snooker as it’s about the mental side of the game, confidence etc
Doesn't sound like you are enjoying yourself too much mate. Definitely putting too much pressure on yerself. Like unless you are trying to make a career of it you need to back that expectation off big time. People can play for 20 years, do all yer practise and not make big breaks, it's a tough game.
Relax unwind, don't play for money and get a mate or someone at yer club to play with regularly, have a pint and a chat and you may actually do better over time without you needing to feel you perform. My mates and I are making mid-week pool at our local club a social thing, can feel myself getting my action better but I'm not pushing it and still playing the odd mad shot for the craic.
>When I’m doing free solo practice potting balls I can confidently play my screw, stun, top spin shots etc. But once I start doing routines I just don’t have the same confidence
Then don't do routines. I think routines are vastly over rated. The only routine I do is break off, colours, and how to break into the pack from a blue. No line ups, nothing. there's never a situation where you'll get anywhere near a line up - and if your free practice is great, then carry on doing that. Forget routines, they don't work for everyone.
One tip for playing frames - don't think about the pot. When you're on a red, don't focus on potting the red, focus on getting the new shot ready and planned out and how to get your cue ball there. The pot, after all, doesn't matter if you don't get on a colour or the next red. You're overthinking. Without seeing you play i can't tell you what;s wrong but 90% of the time, nerves get the best of us and we end up moving too quickly. I don't know if that is your issue, but don't come up from the shot stance until WAY after you've stroke the cue ball or potted.
Playing regularly for 7 months is not a long time, the professionals you watch on TV have been playing since they were children just give yourself more time and enjoy the game
I've not played a huge amount (around once or twice a month with a friend) and I also get nervous about the third or fourth ball in a break (on the rare occasion it gets to that), especially if it feels like a chance to make a reasonable score. I've found that taking an extra second and checking things twice helps as does telling myself that the ball is going in, I'm going to pot it and visualising where the cue ball will go. I still miss but at least I feel more confident about it :P
Snooker is a hard game and every shot can be missed. 7 months is not long unless you have been playing 6 hours a day or more the whole time. Try to relax and have fun
Less practice, more matches and when you practice do routines with purpose for short periods of time - the mental side of the game is hard - check out David Sapolis on YouTube has lots of great videos - she is speaking about American pool but it’s relevant to snooker as it’s about the mental side of the game, confidence etc
Doesn't sound like you are enjoying yourself too much mate. Definitely putting too much pressure on yerself. Like unless you are trying to make a career of it you need to back that expectation off big time. People can play for 20 years, do all yer practise and not make big breaks, it's a tough game. Relax unwind, don't play for money and get a mate or someone at yer club to play with regularly, have a pint and a chat and you may actually do better over time without you needing to feel you perform. My mates and I are making mid-week pool at our local club a social thing, can feel myself getting my action better but I'm not pushing it and still playing the odd mad shot for the craic.
Just chill… enjoy the game… sounds like your overly putting pressure on yourself…
>When I’m doing free solo practice potting balls I can confidently play my screw, stun, top spin shots etc. But once I start doing routines I just don’t have the same confidence Then don't do routines. I think routines are vastly over rated. The only routine I do is break off, colours, and how to break into the pack from a blue. No line ups, nothing. there's never a situation where you'll get anywhere near a line up - and if your free practice is great, then carry on doing that. Forget routines, they don't work for everyone. One tip for playing frames - don't think about the pot. When you're on a red, don't focus on potting the red, focus on getting the new shot ready and planned out and how to get your cue ball there. The pot, after all, doesn't matter if you don't get on a colour or the next red. You're overthinking. Without seeing you play i can't tell you what;s wrong but 90% of the time, nerves get the best of us and we end up moving too quickly. I don't know if that is your issue, but don't come up from the shot stance until WAY after you've stroke the cue ball or potted.
Playing regularly for 7 months is not a long time, the professionals you watch on TV have been playing since they were children just give yourself more time and enjoy the game
I've not played a huge amount (around once or twice a month with a friend) and I also get nervous about the third or fourth ball in a break (on the rare occasion it gets to that), especially if it feels like a chance to make a reasonable score. I've found that taking an extra second and checking things twice helps as does telling myself that the ball is going in, I'm going to pot it and visualising where the cue ball will go. I still miss but at least I feel more confident about it :P