80. Safety Play - Scenarios to consider

[@thegreatdaneadventuresnell631]

Another great coaching video, thank you Barry, I think I speak for many of viewers on here when I say this coaching channel is one of the best, because you make things clear, step by step..Its my fav anyway. Thank you👍 Paul from Germany

[@SuperAquiredTaste]

One of my favourite videos you've done. Would definitely like to see more safety/tactics

[@sanjeen2503]

That's the most appealing lesson for sharpening one's defensive skills.

[@NikhilSri21]

"Great knowledge often comes from the humblest of origins." Simply the best Sir!.....I request you for a video about Snookering the opponent...especially about the concept of snookering...

[@IFranchisedI]

This video seems simple enough but there are some fantastic jewels in here thanks Barry

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

IFranchised. Glad to be of help.

[@gixxerman69]

Very good point about the double kiss. I have played a few of these in the past by accident when misjudging a thin escape. However, I never really made the connection that I could play it deliberately. Must try it sometime. Thanks Barry.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

gixxerman. Be careful though it can be a little hit and miss as to where the object ball may end up.

[@srikanththecoolhunk]

He makes snooker so easy for me. Loads of love from India :)

[@alexanderhall4281]

Thanks. I'm going to try the first double kiss shot you hit near the pocket. I usually do it straight to the ball . But never tried it the way you showed.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Alexander. Can be a little tricky over a distance so be careful, worth giving it some practise though.

[@daviscorporatellc]

The safety at 6:20 was performed so effortlessly. Bravo.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Alfred. It is quite an easy shot as long as the object ball is struck full ball, that will cause the cue ball to stop in its track.

[@AtulyaISMite]

Thank you Barry Sir. I had requested for exactly the same thing and you have covered that very well in this video. Looking forward to my practice then. :)

[@AtulyaISMite]

Rishabh Surana I was there for 6 months last year...but in Bangalore now

[@madeeladi]

i have been watching all of your videos and i really like them... love from pakistan

[@akhilpradhan1992]

Beautifully explained lots of love sir ...🙏

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Thanks a ton

[@alexhubanov1526]

Hello sir, great video! I have a question or a request. What does a full day practice routine of a professional consists of excluding the match play? What do they start off with? Do they practice their technique on a daily basis? Does their practice routine change before a tournament? Maybe you could d a video on that :) Thanks!

[@lewiselwell4657]

This all depends on personal preference, for example a professionals long potting may be slacking on a certain day so they would focus upon long potting routines. But in terms on what order to do routines in, there isn't one. My advice to you is try a range of routines do exercises such as lining the balls vertically in the middle of the table or black ball potting and once you practise these consistently week in week out your game will significantly improve.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Alex. Lewis is quite right, some players like to practise alone, others like to play other players of equal ability, still others like to play opponents they know they can beat possibly making it interesting by giving them a start. Generally most players will start with an open table and easy pots just to get their arm going. Then they will do a couple of routines such as the line up, if they have any sense they will work on any weaknesses they have such as rest play. Ideally, they will then finish with a game.

[@gixxerman69]

The trouble with practicing alone is that it can become boring and it can be difficult sometimes to find the motivation to do it. Barry in other videos has shown routines that make in into a bit of a competative game in so far that you have a persoanl best to beat. This is a great idea and has helped me.

[@mohammedhadi9358]

Great advicees as usual from you mr coach.

[@TheBlogOfJosh]

Great video again! Got my first match of the new season tomorrow. Will be sure to annoy him just once or twice with safety play like this :)

[@nishantjaiswal9974]

My English is not so good sir but then too I can understand alot from your videos , thank to you alot .I want to learn more from u

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Nishant. I understand that a lack of English can be a problem but I hope that it is good enough to follow what is being shown and said.

[@nishantjaiswal9974]

Yes sir I understand alot from your videos what I show in it , if I get a chance to learn from you practically ,so do you teach me ?

[@jamesbrannigan1667]

Great video Barry. I would appreciate a tutorial on safety play when there are only the colours remaining and there are less balls to try and hide behind if possible.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Noted

[@maq2384]

Hi Barry, you are doing a great job thank you for that, i also would like to suggest that if you can play against an opponent and give points while your playing the game, different scenarios will be popping up, and how to address these scenarios and your thoughts will be a great help,, once again thank you for your brilliant coaching,,,😊

[@hemptime123]

great vid

[@jack-newstead9212]

Barry would you recommend me buying a telescopic extension

[@gixxerman69]

I would. They come in two types. One that screws into the butt of the cue (I have one of these). Obviously this would require that you have a cue that has a butt that has a threaded insert. If yours doesn't, a cue manufacturer could fit one. I had this done and it cost me £50 including the extension and mini butt. Alternatively you can get ones that slip over the end of the butt of the cue. Either is better than using the supplied "long stuff" such as the half-buff or full-butt as these are very unweildy and have large tips that as usualy of dubious quality having been on for tens of years and not regularly maintained.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Jack. I have no need to answer this question, gixxerman has done it for me. He talks sense.

[@AgassiUKR]

How about object ball on the side cushion? Hardly to predict safety shot there.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Agassi. Yes when the object ball is tight on the cushion it is very difficult to avoid the double kiss.

[@M1rz4Man]

Hi Barry, nice video. I expected from you to mention using "check side" to leave the cue ball close to cushion and send object ball far from it. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. Sorry if you mentioned it in other videos, I probably missed it.

[@unaizshehzad3167]

Is there any way I could learn to give snookers to my opponents when the cue ball is in the balk area and my object ball is on the other side of the table..??

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Unaiz. There are so many scenarios, it is difficult to give sensible answers to the question, on these issues experience is such a great teacher.

[@unaizshehzad3167]

Barry Stark Snooker Coach I am also having trouble with my back spin ... No matter how hard I hit it .. I am not able to screw back from black to yellow ... What am I doing wrong here..??

[@TyroneKing1977]

Good stuff! Thanks

[@chyanfrancisco4818]

Great videos Barry, I was wondering if you could maybe do a video on tactics for players against an opponent better than you (for example do you push balls safe more often, go for less long pots, etc)

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Chyan. Many years ago I was practising with Ray Reardon (six times world champion) I played for the blue after potting a red and he asked me why I had not played for the black. I said that I was a little nervous about playing into that area of the table in case I missed. He said if you want to beat me play the right shot or you will never beat me. I heeded that lesson and never forgot it. My advise is, do what Ray said, "Play the right shot regardless of who you are playing."

[@battlefieldclips7013]

Barry Stark Snooker Coach Lesson learned, once I was on a casual club pool competition. I deliberately played safety while I had a pot on n position for the next ball because I knew the opponent was stronger ! I knew I was doing wrong n ended up loosing the frame. So only the right shot gives u chance not the wrong shot or even safety when u don't need them

[@benhopson8]

What is your highest break Barry?

[@jwhitey4862]

Ben Hopson up

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Ben. 147. Still trying for another.

[@benhopson8]

Well done Barry

[@ziadzahi5446]

that sir is surely useful !

[@yadavynk]

Hi Barry, Love watching your videos and trying to perfect them on the snooker table. I have two questions, Is it necessary that our cueing hand's elbow be sort of straight and high? It looks that way from your videos but it puts a strain on my arm. What should I do? Also, I find that cueing by finishing at the chest doesn't let me get through the ball as well as finishing somewhere before the chest. Should I practise until I get comfortable with cueing at the chest? Thanks a lot in advance

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Yadav. It is not essential for your cueing hands elbow to be straight although it is not generally a problem for most players to adopt this position. If it puts strain on your arm then it will be off putting to try to correct it, just concentrate on cueing straight, that is the real essence. I don't understand the second part of your question, if you finish your cue action before the hand reaches the chest then surely you are not getting through the ball as much as when the hand reaches the chest.

[@yadavynk]

Thanks Barry. Keep up with the good tutorials :)

[@rob-lk4ud]

Barry I have a question Will pocket reducers on a pool table achieve similar results as normal snooker pockets, or not at all? I just ordered some for my pool table and not knowing what to expect. Thanks !

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

robert. I wouldn't be certain what to expect myself on this, you will have to let me know how you get on.

[@siddharthkumarkaiwart1209]

Barry sir i have a problem that when i hit the cue it dosen't hit the point where i wanted to and also my bridge part is very week ! Please help 😌

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

ClasH. There are a million reasons why you are not hitting the ball where you intend to but they all boil down to one thing. MOVEMENT. You have to stay still and that includes the bridge. Please have look at my video on how to form a bridge, it will help, but these things need practise and patience. I often wonder if people writing in to me have really looked at these videos', by that I mean studied them. Please have a good look and take note of the salient points, practise them until they become ingrained and your game will improve. Good luck.

[@siddharthkumarkaiwart1209]

Thank you Sir :) I'll look forward into that

[@thunderbeast147]

Lovely Sir

[@Mitjitsu]

Can you give us some advice on forcing an angle?

[@dipeshchawan2581]

Mitjitsu no one can teach u tat thing .its all about ur practice fir tat shot.

[@Bobvsjim5]

Hi Barry I keep playing pots recently over the last 5 day, To which I've rattled the object ball in the pocket and it has come off the table. I have done this 2 dozen times in the last 5 day, does this mean I am playing with unintentional side?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Simon. If the ball is coming off the table after it has rattled in the pocket there are only two possible reasons. You are hitting the ball too hard or the cut/height of the rubbers around the pockets are incorrect or both.

[@Bobvsjim5]

Ok brilliant thank you for your help.

[@Neo-lc9wu]

Hi Barry, I'm an amateur player and I've been struggling to develop a consistent pre-shot routine. I always end up taking a different amount of practice strokes at the cue ball, generally depending on how difficult the shot is. Will this prove to be a problem?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Neo. The only thing that matters is the final cue delivery, but without doubt, having a solid pre-shot routine gives you the best chance of consistently delivering that cue how you intend to. As part of that routine it is not for every one to have the exact amount of waggles on every shot, some shots do deserve a little more attention, just make sure you do not hit the ball until you are ready. If something goes wrong in your pre-shot routine, get up and start again.

[@Arman-km2mn]

Hello Mr.Stark ,I hope ur doin fine. I have a question about aiming. first let me say that I'm right eye dominant So I close my left eye while aiming and I usually get the result that I want. The qustion is , Is it wrong to close the other eye?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

arman. Let me digress slightly to answer this one. If you went to the hospital with something in your eye and as a result of having the object removed you came away with a patch over your eye, you would receive instructions not to drive. This is because your sense of distance is distorted not to mention your peripheral vision being restricted. Snooker is no different, yes, there should be a preference towards your dominant eye but in my opinion it is wrong to close the other eye.

[@Checkyoselfb4]

Nice video, quick question, do you play pool much and if so do you prefer American or English pool?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Ross. I have had the odd game of both over the years but not seriously, I think I would prefer the American version though.

[@jimmyclarke5804]

How many year dose it take to become a pro snooker player. How old would u have to start for example is there any right age

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Jimmy. Very difficult question to answer, there are so many contributory factors. There are many very good amateurs who struggle to make the grade when they turn professional. It is obviously an advantage to reach a reasonable level of expertise at an early age but there are several good professionals who started later in life so there is not a definitive age to start. You need the advantage of a good cue action, then the opportunity and dedication to practise hard coupled with lots of experience at match snooker.

[@matthewtrain5674]

Is it worth practicing like this on a 7ft table.

[@gixxerman69]

In my opinion, yes. Any practice is good practice.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Matthew. Definitely. You will soon learn to adjust when you play on a full size table.

[@YYS-7]

Brilliant

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Yas. Glad you like them.

[@jimbodowling]

nailed them all !

[@madeeladi]

here in pakistan snooker game has been growing really well but there are no good snooker clubs or academy for our youngsters

[@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock]

Hi Barry, long time viewer, first time commenter. Towards the end of the video, you mentioned that it is easier to judge the pace of the return to the baulk line when the ball is coming in at an angle. I was wondering if you had any theories or explanations as to why that might be the case? I've noticed in my own game that I tend to judge my shots more accurately when there is a nice angle to work with. Thank you for the videos!

[@gixxerman69]

Simple physics. If you over / under hit by 5 inches when coming stright at the cushion, the cue ball will finish 5 inches off the cushion. If you come at the cushion at (say) and angle of 45 degrees with the same pace, it will finish half the distance from the cushion as the previous shot as only half the pace is adding to the away from the cushion direction, the other half is parallel to the cushion. The logical (illogical?) extreme would be at 90 degress to the cushion, whereby it wouldn't make any difference how hard over / under hit as the cue ball would always finish near the cushion.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Nathan. gixxerman would make a good coach, please have look at his answer.

[@battlefieldclips7013]

Nathan Scott Newton's 3rd Law A. Perpendicular to the cushion, more action on the cushion, therefore more reaction by the cushion B. At an angle, even greater force can exert little force on the cushion perpendicular to the cushion.

[@sunnyshaaz6202]

Hello barry, please solve my one never ending issue, " my wrist gets twitched inwards, on the forward stroke" no matter how much i remind my brain not to twitch :(

[@sunnyshaaz6202]

Please give me some tip to work on

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

shan. There is a vast difference between a twitched inward wrist inversion and a wrist inversion which happens smoothly. Inversion can happen and indeed my wrist does the same thing but it is under control and does not prevent me from cueing in a straight line. Really examine your grip because that is where the problem lies. Have a good look at my video on how to hold the cue using the front of the hand and if you can cue in a straight line (without a twitch) don't worry about the inversion.

[@johnturner6651]

I find you to be the most thorough, and easy to understand teacher. Thankyou. I'm having trouble aiming(picking correct spot on object ball to hit) can you help?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

john. This are two things you can do, firstly use the ghost ball method to teach you the point to aim at but don't forget that this is not 100% accurate, (see my video on the subject). Secondly you must keep examining your cue action because as I have often said a lot of players aim correctly but miss because they do not deliver the cue where they are aiming. It is quite simple to test this theory with straight shots, most well coordinated people will aim correctly on that straight shot but still miss and that is down to incorrect cueing.

[@bangashfaxail262]

A very useful clip but sir Is it not good for young players to take more tries for potting instead of giving safety.....

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Bangash. It is true that if you cannot pot balls you will never be a winner at snooker and that element of the game must be practised and worked upon. However, it is also important to balance the risk factor against possible gains and therefore a good safety game is also important.

[@bangashfaxail262]

Barry Stark Snooker Coach hmm..safety matters

[@m.k.ikhalid7305]

SIR! i am playing snooker since 6 years but not regularly i have one problem my cueing! some times i cue very well some times so poor plz help me and plz upload a video of good cueing tell me how i improve my cue i saw ur cueing video but plz upload a new video

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

M.K. If you are cueing poorly it is time to have a good look at yourself. Firstly put yourself on video, study it and compare what you see to my video on the basics. Ask yourself these questions. 1/ Is my bridge hand in the right place and do I keep it still 2/ Am I gripping the cue in the right place and do I have enough follow through. 3/ Is the cue parallel with the table throughout the shot. 4/ Am I gripping the cue correctly. Work on these points and there is no reason why your game should not improve.

[@m.k.ikhalid7305]

thanks it helps allot

[@liamkran1415]

Nice vedio sir

[@AlonsoRules]

anyone here love tactical battles rather than massive breaks

[@thegreatdaneadventuresnell631]

Anthony Kernich yeah I find it just as much fun, and my breaks are never that high😖

[@AlonsoRules]

there was a >1 hour frame with Fu and Selby at the Crucible in 2016

[@Kirankumar-od8eu]

Sir... Play a match with Ronnie o Sullivan

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

y Kiran Kumar. I have been privileged to practise with Ronnie, he beat me.

[@battlefieldclips7013]

Can I dislike the '4 dislikes' ? ...... Actually, I might end up giving u 5 dislikes..... nahhh.

[@sanjeen2503]

@@domainadmin9905 you misunderstood his strong resolve for reducing the dislikes.