122. Billiards - Can help your Snooker. Part1

Billiard skills really can help your game of snooker! Barry delves into the intricacies of the game that really should be played to appreciate it. The benefits it can bring to your game of snooker, particularly learning the angles around the table and ball positioning, are of great value. This is the first of two videos.

[@andrewmason4004]

I haven't watched anything more than a few seconds of the video but I can't tell you how excited I am about one involving billiards! I wish it were played more widely. Onto actually watching...

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Andrew. Unfortunately Billiards has lost some of its appeal but it is a fascinating and skilful game, good players can also play a useful game of snooker but this is not necessarily true when snooker players try to play billiards. I believe snooker players can benefit from playing a little billiards. Joe Davis was world champion at both games and he believed his cue ball control at snooker was largely down to his expertise at billiards.

[@arrivmadan]

Billiards is a beautiful game ❤️❤️

[@xMarshy147x]

Yessss! Billiards video, asked for one a while back, glad you've put one up! Definitely helps your snooker, very hard game!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Marshy. We try to please, you believe as I do that billiards can help a snooker player.

[@xMarshy147x]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach 100% very underestimated game!! Got to admit I never realised that when you are double baulked that you can actually play backwards then out of baulk

[@daviscorporatellc]

Amazing video. Thank you for introducing another American to the game of Billiards. Very interesting game and wonderfully talented guest.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Alfred. Thank you. Yes, Jamie is a very good Billiard player he regularly wins the county championship giving massive starts to most other competitors.

[@oldbloke135]

Snooker is a frustrating game but billiards takes it to a whole new level. Good players like James make it look so easy but it is so hard in reality. I can position the balls by hand in the perfect starting position for those top of the table shots and lose position after two shots! One thing I REALLY like is the spotted cue balls. We should use them in snooker!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@old. The spotted cue ball was tried in professional snooker but not universally liked so discarded.

[@paulriggall8370]

Barry and Jamie, thank you both so much for this video. I had a break of nineteen the other night, I know it's not much but it gave me a great feeling! Looking forward to part 2 👍.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

paul. Glad you like the video, try to get away from potting and practise in offs, you game will improve dramatically.

[@crondawg101]

next you’ll make a break of 190

[@WarrenAckary]

Very true Barry.. I learnt that from the age of 10 when my father had me playing Billiards only.. I think I started playing Snooker when I was 17, was hard to beat... prefer Billiards but still tell all players this and its not a theory, its a proven fact. Well done on bringing it to the internet!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Warren. Very sad that Billiards has lost some of its appeal, but it would certainly add to a snooker players control.

[@Dipsomaniac]

I'm excellent at potting the cue ball, think I might switch to billiards!

[@jaroslavcech225]

wow, until now I had never heard of this beautiful game, don't think it's so commonly known. Love the video Barry, cheers))

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Jaroslav. Glad you like the videos, many thanks.

[@nicholasmartin787]

It certainly can, my game improved massively once I learnt to play billiards. Cue ball control isn't the only benefit, I've learnt to pot from almost anywhere using cannons. Also some of the billiard positions, such as the postman's knock, give a huge advantage to a snooker player.

[@TheFlyingdeuces]

The first time I realised I was striking the cueball too hard was when I was 12ish years young and I walked into the snooker club to see Jack Karnehm playing Billiards. Just stroking the cue ball, delightful to watch a player with a deft touch.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Jesus. So very true, he was a very good player.

[@one-armvlogs259]

I've never played Billiards.Thumbs up for the video tho, thanks.

[@paulriggall8370]

Give it a go, it's an amazing game.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

The One- Armed Snooker Player. As Paul has said, give it a go, you will learn an awful lot about controlling that cue ball.

[@one-armvlogs259]

I will. Thanks Paul.

[@one-armvlogs259]

Thanks Barry.

[@kangkihongTV]

I am happy to hear about the billiards.

[@SteS]

Good to see James again. Very good snooker player too. Played on the Navan snooker team a long time ago with him. Absolute gent.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Stephen. I will echo those sentiments, I have known him for many years, never heard him say a wrong word about anyone.

[@sambee8982]

I could definitely do with a game of Billiards. I think that I remember playing it once when I was 7 or 8 years old when my snooker ball set contained a second white ball, but with a black ring spot.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Sam. Its a wonderful game and I am sure a lot of snooker players would benefit from playing a little billiards.

[@nzrdb6]

I always remember being enthralled as a wee boy by a TV billiards match between Fred Davis and Alex Higgins.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Max. I believe there is a match between them still on KZbin.

[@magicayu]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach It's the Blue Arrow Masters 1985 if I'm not wrong about it. Rex Williams, Eddie Carlton & Ray Reardon were in that tournament too. ^^

[@royalhero4608]

Hi Barry - love your videos, particularly interesting one here. I've understood snooker since first watching it as a kid, and love playing it too even though I'm not very good. Never understood billiards at all however, this video certainly clears some things up, thanks!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Smooth. My pleasure, glad you like the video.

[@wadepatton2433]

Here in the land of eight-ball, loving the accuracy and finesse of Snoooker and Billiards, but one has to teach it to play it here and finding a table is rare.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Wade. Each of the games have their own demands on the skill level of the player. Sorry that snooker and billiards are not as popular as they are in England.

[@wadepatton2433]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Yes quite true, as I did learn most of my 8-ball technique from my dad who is a fair shot at it. But that it never caught my interest as Snooker on the grand acreage with Ash cues has. Thank you-and thank Ronnie too next time you chat with him. By the way, my triple "o" spelling above (in pun) helps me give the game proper pronunciation. Cheers

[@SlickRick4EVER]

Wade, the closest thing to this game (or American version of English Billiards) is called, "Cowboy." Look it up! :)

[@sundowner62james69]

I've always wanted to play Billiards , but never had much of chance. I've just subscribed , looking forward to working my way through all your stuff!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

sundowner. I hope you enjoy and learn from the videos.

[@masterdurick5667]

I clicked on this video expecting something to do with 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball, one pocket, or straight pool... I've never heard of this game mode before

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

masterdurick. Billiards is the mother of them all, unfortunately some of the top players became so good at it that it became a little repetitious and boring to watch and its popularity started to wane. It is however still popular in certain parts of the world.

[@candyneige6609]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Such as France for example, where it's called "billard français".

[@qazzell]

Billiards is a fun game ...Potting the cue ball is a strange one though...Alot harder to do when you want to do it.

[@wadepatton2433]

I must agree, but I do think that once a fellow gets fair at potting it intentionally, he will likely have a much better eye for avoiding such on accident.

[@qazzell]

@@wadepatton2433 True.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

jim. Practising the losing hazard (in off) to the point where you become reasonably proficient at it will certainly add to your control when playing snooker.

[@qazzell]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Yes it really has....especially with shots to nothing .

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

At snooker, the in-off is easy!

[@gerardosborne822]

brilliant video barry..i play billiards for the laugh and it has brought on my potting in snooker

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Yourmother. There is a lot to be learnt from billiards that will improve the all round play of a snooker player.

[@nickstone1587]

I cracked up reading this reply, hadn't clocked the OP's name at first. That's what you get for laughing at Billiards in front of Barry Stark.

[@sundowner62james69]

Really thoroughly explained , great video!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

sundowner. Glad you like it.

[@winston8512]

Hi, I am an american and have been watching your videos for a few years. I play 9 ball and 8 ball on 7 and 9 foot tables, and mostly watch to understand basics. I found it interesting that this is NOT what I and most everyone I know considers to be billiards. To us Americans,(or at least those near me) billiards is basically any game on a pool table that is scored based on points/ball count rather than being the first to pot a certain ball.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Winston. Yes, although we speak the same language we often spell words slightly differently and indeed give them slightly different meanings. To we Brits Billiards is the three ball game where scoring includes winning hazards (pots) losing hazards (in offs) and cannons.

[@crondawg101]

referring to this game as “English billiards” removes ambiguity. I’m from US and still use the term “American football” so there is no ambiguity

[@georgedagosdagopoulos7587]

Hello Sir, this is a really interesting video and useful too. I've never played billiards, I don't find it exciting. But definitely someone can use its tactics while playing snooker. It could be really helpful. Thanks for the video Sir!!!!!

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

George. Top professionals like Walter Lindrum and Joe Davis became so good at billiards that it did become a little repetitive for the spectator but nobody can deny the skills involved.

[@georgedagosdagopoulos7587]

Most definitely Sir, I don't question the game of billiards, I just don't find it as exciting as snooker. Thank you for your answer Sir!!!

[@mezmanmerrill7412]

Would love to watch you two play a full game as I have never played or seen a game of English billiards played out in its entirety

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

mezman. I will see what commitments Jamie has. In the mean time check out some examples on KZbin particularly with Peter Gilchrist.

[@mezmanmerrill7412]

That’s great. the content you have put on this channel has really helped me understand the basics of snooker.

[@terrymahoney4199]

I can't thank you enough for these 2 videos. Played yesterday and absolutely love. One question though please. Can I play a combination (hit one ball which hits and sinks the other)?

[@jacobcaie8434]

Hi Barry. Once again a great video 👍🏻. I videoed myself clearing the colours and I noticed a problem but not sure why I am doing it. Is there a way I can send you the video and you can tell me why I’m doing what I’m doing.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Jacob. Please get in touch via the channel email address. [e-mail].

[@covertnarcisisticawareness1025]

Thank you for making this video much appreciated

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Covert. My pleasure, glad you liked it.

[@crondawg101]

It’s amazing how a game with only three balls could be so wonderfully challenging

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Stephen. You are so right, billiards is a wonderful game. I believe that snooker players could learn so much from playing a little billiards especially at top of the table and of course the geometry of the table.

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

I play snooker but I've recently started playing ten minutes of billiards first. My cue-ball has improved.

[@abbashaider9252]

Barry you are genius i wish one day I'll meet you and have a cup of tea together love from Pakistan a snooker loving nation ❤️

[@abbashaider9252]

Barry would you please tell me how to regain mental status cool nd stress free while potting two or three balls i become overconfident and then misses shots like amateur please guide me

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Abbas. Its amazing how we players concentrate on and pull off the difficult shots but then miss the easy one, it is a common problem. It is so easy to get distracted or take things for granted and it is the one thing that we must not do. I have said this many times but establishing a sound and effective pre-shot routine is so beneficial not only to combat stress but also to aid concentration. In your practise sessions find out what works for you, how you walk in, how you lay the cue on the line of aim, how many preparatory waggles and their length you perform before playing the shot. Doing the same thing all the time, providing it works for you will bring your game on tremendously. Good luck.

[@samuelamulraj5780]

Love from Bangalore, India. (Pankaj Advani's home ground)

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Samuel. I believe I am right in saying that he has stopped, or certainly reduced his snooker, so that he can concentrate on his billiards. Obviously a brilliant billiard player and also a very good snooker player.

[@samuelamulraj5780]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Sure... Why did you feel that you needed to say that to me ?

[@paulfisher852]

Thanks for the great video Barry. Like with billiards, do you think there would be much transfer from English pool to snooker? My interest is because I am only able to get to the snooker club a couple of times a week. And wondered if an alternative might be to get a 7x4 pool table at home. Then practise a small line up but the "wrong way" across the table ie. Set up a few reds between the middle pockets. I'm not a great player and cant make consistent 30 breaks but am trying to learn from your videos.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Paul.The real problem here is the size of the balls (they tend to be smaller) and the distances involved. I am not going to say that there is no benefit because playing on grass is better than not playing, but the benefits will be limited. 7x4 is a lot better than 6x3 and with some imagination progress can be made.

[@paulfisher852]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach thanks Barry. I'll try and do better than grass. A 7x4 with full size balls might be the best I can do at home.

[@Mrphilharmonic]

Great video Barry and Jamie. I do hope billiards makes some kind of comeback in popularity and you guys are going a long way towards helping that. I do have a question though:- Do the various 'movements' around the top of the table have to be interspersed with the cue ball going in and out of baulk, say every 15 or 20 shots or so? Otherwise I can see how for the average spectator, it might get a bit 'samey' from an onlookers viewpoint. I seem to recollect there being such a rule. How fabulous that the late great players got SO GOOD at this game that the rules had to be changed to prevent massive scores being accumulated 'too easily'. Heck! My highest break is only 15!!! Oh! Sorry - one more question - are the balls used for billiards heavier than regular snooker balls?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Mrphil. The balls used for billiards are the same as snooker balls. You are right the rules were modified to reduce repetitiveness, one of which was to include the cue ball going in and out of baulk after 100 points. Some rules were introduced to reduce the domination of the great Walter Lindrum.

[@halimayadofficial]

Good Mr: Barry ❤

[@rob-lk4ud]

Barry I have the bad habbit of when I practice snooker, I count the break in my head. When I get higher that 50 points, I start thinking that this might becoming my first ever century and I add additional pressure to myself, making me miss somewhere around the 60-70 mark. Would you have any advice for me on how to stop making it seem more important than it actually is? Or perhaps I should not count the break into my head anymore, but then I notice that I am not as focused not knowing where I stand in the break either.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

rob. Very good question to which there is no easy answer, the reason is that we are all different and we all choose an element of the game to assist in concentration. When a referee is involved obviously there is no need to count because that is his/her job and the player can concentrate on other things. In matches where there is no referee your opponent effectively becomes the referee and I have never had a problem asking him to call the score, in fact in more serious snooker it is part of the etiquette of playing the game. For me personally I would find it slightly off putting if I had to count the break, I like to concentrate on the shot at hand, counting the score as well would certainly take some of my concentration away from what I am trying to do. A typical example of what I implying would be if there are 35 points on the table and I am 32 points behind, I know that I need to clear the table but taking the brown with the red would only give me a draw so before I play a shot at all I establish that I must take blue, pink or black to win, my head is now clear to perform the task at hand and there is no need to count.

[@merape99]

I am just taking up snooker again in my early seventies, having hardly touched a cue since my teenage years. Back then before the days of Pot Black and colour TV, in my area billiards was a far more popular game than snooker. One of the main problems billiards has I think, that it is not a great spectator sport and the higher up the ability level you go the less interesting it becomes for the spectator. I was capable of making 50 breaks quite regularly and once in my local league made a break of 83. That break won the prize for the highest break of the season although that was a bit low as somebody would usually make a century. At our level I think the game was more interesting to watch as we did not have the skill levels to keep the balls in the top of the table area all the time as described in the video, therefore we would be going in off or potting in the middle pockets more frequently, or playing recovery shots for example and there was more variety in each individual break. When you get to the level where players are making breaks regularly well over a hundred, although the skill levels are incredibly high, controlling those balls at the top of the table is much harder than it looks, for the spectator it is very repetitive. At least playing against a very good player or marking a game, you are close enough to see all the subtleties and use of side, but otherwise for spectators I don't think it is that interesting. I am now taking snooker coaching but decided beforehand to try and use billiards to try and get some of my old skills back. One of the other benefits of billiards is that as you progress you can quite quickly get to the stage of stringing say ten or more shots together and have the satisfaction of break building. Thank you for the video.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

richjp. I agree totally. Up to a certain level only, I believe billiards is the harder of the two games to learn, having learnt it, it is possibly the easier game to play. I must emphasise that this is only true up to a certain standard, once that standard has been reached knowledge and consistency is the target in both games.

[@philtube717]

brilliant thanks great video

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Phil. Glad you like it.

[@REDDEVILSCORPION1987]

Advani god level proud indian Hello sir barry the gr8 Ur take on snooker from home ?

[@oldskooljunglist136]

Question. When I follow through on a shot I tend to strike my chest, is there something wrong with my cueing or am I following through to much

[@UbzUnclemax]

Technique books will state that when you hit your chest at the end of the stroke, you've followed through properly.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Henry. I don't like the phrase "I tend to strike my chest" it implies that your objective is just to hit the chest, it should not be. The objective is to deliver the cue in a straight line whilst getting through the ball, as a result of this the grip hand will invariably reach the chest. A good way to check the amount of follow through would be to put a faint pencil mark on your cue where the bridge hand is and another mark six inches away from it, play a shot and the second mark should reach the bridge hand showing that you have followed through the six inches. You will not reach this mark on all shots and neither should you try to but it can be a useful guide. Have a look at my videos which show this in detail. Videos one through to seven.

[@oldskooljunglist136]

Thanks guys

[@nadergholikhany9862]

Hello Sir I have got question irrelevant to this video and I will really appreciate if you can answer it, and it is if we play a shot and object boll goes arond the poket and goes on the top of cushion and from green part of it drops in the other one pocket is it a legally correct shot or not.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Nader. It is legal for the ball to do this, the only time it would become a foul is if the ball stayed on the cushion rail. Just on an added point of interest if the ball bounced off the table hit an obstacle (for example the referee) and rebounded back onto the table that also would be legal.

[@haziqkhan147]

Loved this video

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Haziq. Glad you liked it.

[@haziqkhan147]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Sir I'm from Pakistan. I'm 24 and have been playing for 3 years. I have improved fast in the last three years. However I want to understand how to aim better. The ghost ball method never seems to work for me. I usually aim or the line. It works but my game isn't improving. I have made sure every aspect of my game is good. My cue action is stance and smooth, stance and pre shot routine. Everything is on point but my game isn't improving any more.

[@phillipphillippson8456]

How many points is it worth when you score a cannon, pot the red ball, your opponents ball and going in-off?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Phillip. You would get two points for the cannon, three points for the pot red, two points for potting your opponents ball. Two or three points for the in-off depending which ball was hit first. Answer 9 or 10 points.

[@usedcarsuae.]

Uncle you are great ♥️

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Qasr. Thanks for that, nice to be appreciated.

[@xenaretos]

Sounds like the idea of mixing up billiards and snooker balls is only relevant in very specialized settings like high level tournaments. In most clubs it would be played with snooker balls, which seems to be where the yellow color of the second cue ball actually comes from.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

xenaretos. The original game of Billiards was played with two white balls, one having a black spot on it to distinguish one from the other. The yellow ball was really introduced for colour television as the spots where difficult to see. Using snooker balls to play billiards is not ideal for several reasons and in some clubs would be frowned upon.

[@SlickRick4EVER]

Not only can English Billiards can help with Snooker, it will help with ALL billiard games from around the world. This is the game that made Walter Lindrum a legend in Australia and (in my honest opinion) one of the best billiard players to ever touch a cue, solely based on how he mastered this game.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Slick. As we say on the video Walter Lindrum was Jamie's hero, by far the best there was. I believe that other Australian hero Sir Donald Bradman once said that Walter achieved a higher level of expertise at billiards than he did at cricket, that is quite an accolade.

[@SlickRick4EVER]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach - I didn't fully watch the whole video when Jamie did say that comment. I spoke too soon. :(

[@johndean6355]

Is side ever applied in these in offs ?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

John. In the examples shown no side spin was applied.

[@JAYZ3O3]

Barry, do you know where the best place to buy snooker cues is in Nottingham?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

JAYZ303. I can do no better than recommend CueCraft of Worksop.

[@JAYZ3O3]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Thanks Barry, will check them out.

[@5wisher5weet]

17:45 wow really? I have played billiards for about 15 years and didnt know that

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Jacob. Yes I learned something as well.

[@crondawg101]

Wait, are billiard balls a different size from snooker balls?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Stephen. No, billiard and snooker balls are the same size.

[@candyneige6609]

I don't know why, but it's not snooker but rather carom (also known as french billiard).

[@candyneige6609]

Comment ? Jouer au billiard français permait de mieux jouer au snooker ?

[@anthonykernich1035]

Raymond Ceulemans is the best cueist of all time

[@SlickRick4EVER]

LOL... to an extent. Sorry, but Walter Lindrum takes that title. Ceulemans excels just within the Carom Billiard realm. Walter Lindrum was the best in English Billiards. The way to think of English Billiards is to add the abilities of Snooker's potting, Russian Billiards' in-offs, and Carom Billiards' Freegame, One-Cushion, and Three-Cushion Billiards. Ceulemans clearly admitted that he could not pot shots as well as he could cannon (or "carom", as we say) shots. Lindrum was the best in all of that. Look up KZbin videos on him...

[@formaline2004]

Raymond Ceulemans was great and is one of my heroes, he dominated 3C for two decades, but his records have all been broken by the modern players. Lindrum held 63 world records since the 1930's for break size, speed, session averages, scoring totals and each method of scoring. Not one of those records has ever been approached let alone broken. Joe Davis the father of modern Snooker described Lindrum as " incomparable". Of course it is impossible to really compare across disciplines but Lindrum for me was the most complete cueist that ever lived.

[@abzhuofficial]

Two words: transferable skills

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Abdul. So right, Joe Davis did it very well.

[@abzhuofficial]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Indeed he did Barry

[@harrybelcher4240]

Barry are you doing 1-1 coaching now the season is over?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Harry. Very difficult to fit it in for several reasons.

[@harrybelcher4240]

You did a coaching session/ day with a friend of mine at the Sheffield academy I was speaking to him yesterday would such a day be possible to arrange again?

[@harrybelcher4240]

I’ll disclose his name to refresh your memory if you give me a way of doing so! We’re really serious about it!

[@gintautasnik5214]

Barry, thanks for all your educational videos, I got extremely addicted to them. Could you please make a comment, or a video, about Judd Trump's phenomenal cueing? As we all noticed, he always aims off the line at the pre-shot phase but as he delivers the cue he just straightens it and hits the cue ball on the line so the object ball goes to the target. I would be really delighted if this way of cueing could be explained in more details. Thanks again for everything you do.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Gintautas. First let me say that this is not a technique to try and copy, Judd has played this way for many years and it is grooved into his action. He is actually aiming with a degree of side and also to miss but as he is delivering the cue his body moves slightly to one side. Because the cue is touching his chest the butt end of the cue moves with him and consequently the tip end of the cue moves in the opposite direction causing a central strike and true aim. This movement is only slight but occasionally he does overdo it and over a distance it can let him down, however, it goes to prove that providing you do the same thing all the time a slight flaw need not hold you back. There is an old saying that springs to mind. "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."

[@gintautasnik5214]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach thank you sir, indeed I will stick to my cueing.

[@PointNemo9]

Hazard or azard?

[@candyneige6609]

Hasard.

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

Hazard - a pot, or in-off.

[@FamousColumbo]

This is very advantage practice

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Famous. So very true.

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

Every time I practice snooker, I also do ten minutes Billiards also. It certainly helps my cue-ball.😃

[@kalpadiptyaroy3704]

Hello, Mr. Stark. I really feel inspiring by the deep intuitive support you provide on KZbin for young and amateur snooker players. Well, I like both Snooker and Billiards. More precisely I am devoted a bit more towards Billiards. So I have a little request for you. If you kindly put up a series guiding us with Billiards tutorials then it would have been really great. Thank you so much. I hope you will consider my request. 😄😃

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Kalpadiptya. I have played a little billiards and believe that it can certainly help a snooker player in some respects. However, I am primarily a snooker player and there are far better billiard players than me who may like to take up your request.

[@kalpadiptyaroy3704]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach If you don't mind then, can you name a few such players? If I get a chance then I would surely request one of them. And really feeling grateful that you went through my request in such a short notice.Its a privilege for me, Sir. Thank you. 😊

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Kalpadiptya. May I suggest you purchase a book called ( The snooker players guide to English Billiards) it is written by Martin Goodwill and Roger Morgan. Martin is a European Open champion and English Amateur Champion. The book is highly thought of by 9 times world champion Mike Russell and 5 times world champion Geet Sethi. I am sure you will find all you need from this book to improve your billiards.

[@kalpadiptyaroy3704]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Thank you so much Mr. Stark. For guiding me. It really means a lot for me. 😀 I will definitely go through the book, that you suggested.

[@amazed66]

That look when saying Southern Ireland lol

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

amazed66. Not sure what you mean but I do have a soft spot for southern Ireland, my mother came from Cork.

[@mrgolftennisviolin]

Snooker balls are all the same weight I thought. Not sure what he means when he’s talking about “a lighter ball” around 4:38.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

@mr. Snooker balls are just the same as anything else, they do not last forever and tend to wear out. The cue ball is constantly being struck by a chalked tip and this will over time gradually reduce its size and weight.

[@mrgolftennisviolin]

Thanks for the explanation! Makes sense now.

[@a.bakker64]

Interesting game. Steve Davids played this, I think it was in the 80’s.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

A. I believe he was a junior champion somewhere.

[@kshgarg147]

I play both snooker and billiards. I am sorry to say, billiards doesn't improve your snooker. The only aspect that billiards can probably improve is not selling the object ball when playing a safety shot. Ronnie o sullivan would never have played billiards and still he is the best snooker player there ever was. On the contrary, a good snooker player will pickup billiards pretty quickly. Snooker teaches you more about angles than billiards ever can. Carom can teach you a lot about angles though. The only thing that can improve your game is a better stance and cue action. Once you have these, you can play everything. Billiards is a fun game though. A very stress free experience.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Kshitij. You are entitled to your opinion but we will have to disagree whether billiards can improve your snooker or not. Joe Davis was a world billiard champion before he became world snooker champion and maintained that his cue ball control was partly down to his prowess at billiards. Steve Davis was a junior billiard champion, Alex Higgins was no slouch at billiards, Pankaj Advani has been world billiard champion and a very good snooker player especially around the black spot area. (top of the table) You say a good snooker player would pick up billiards pretty quickly, the only thing I can say about that is it depends upon the standard you are talking about, I know lots of century break snooker players who would struggle to make a century at billiards. As for billiards being fun and stress free I know Mike Russell, Peter Gilchrist and several others would doubt that. I will agree with you on one thing though and that is that Ronnie O'Sullivan is the best snooker player on the planet but you can bet he has played and learned from some billiards over the years.

[@kshgarg147]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Well i don't completely disagree with you. The only reason i say billiards won't help snooker is because billiards concentrates on mostly follow without any stun or screw. I have seen so many old billiards players who have been playing for about 4 decades and they can't screw the ball back 2 feet (they defend themselves by saying its not required!). Snooker, on the other hand forces you to learn follow, stun follow, stun, stun screw, screwback, side, swerve, angles of the cushions (during safety play) etc. Having said that, I greatly appreciate players like Pankaj Advani (He is a friend), plays in the same billiard hall) and Mike Russell. You cant play floating white without having complete control on both the cueball and object ball. The sport which has improved my snooker (and billiards) the most is carom (i play it on the snooker table itself). Solo practice in this has made me realise that human beings are capable of great feats.

[@kshgarg147]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach By the way, congratulations on Kyren reaching the finals. Also, there is something I have been wanting to talk to you about for the last two years but never did. Can I have your personal email address please?

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

Kshitij. Granted billiards is more about following through but any billiards player who cannot screw the ball back under control is limiting his options and therefore his standard of play.

[@gfsrow]

Insofar as the billiards balls are larger, and the pockets are also larger - significantly - I would therefore say the reverse. If a player begins with billiards, it would be much harder for him or her to move into snooker, whereas for those who begin with snooker it's much easier to subsequently move into billiards or other pool sports (8-ball, 9-ball). The "benefit" that is being discussed here has to do with constantly trying to compute the positions of three balls simultaneously - which goes beyond trying to pot an object ball and keep control of the cue ball. In USA there is a difference between a snooker table and a billiards table. Snooker tables are 12 feet long, whereas billiards and 8-ball or 9-ball or straight pool tables are all 9 feet long, with larger balls and larger pockets than are used on snooker tables. Even the cues are different - the diameter of cue tips for snooker feels like a toothpick, compared to the diameter of cue tips and the cues themselves that are used for U.S. billiards or 8-ball, 9-ball, and straight pool (and that same difference in size is also experienced, I believe, in continental Europe). When a U.S. billiards or 8-ball player moves into snooker, they almost feel as if they are trying to use marbles rather than the pool-table sized balls they are accustomed to. Of course the difference in size is not that much, but still - the minimal difference in size can be a significant adjustment when placement of the cue stick on the cue ball can have such incredible difference with only micro adjustments in positioning when actually making a shot with the cue ball on the table.

[@BarryStarkSnookerCoach]

George. I believe there is some confusion with the American games and the English games. In England, snooker and billiards are played on the same 12ft table, the balls and the pockets are the same size and the cues are generally of the same dimensions. I believe that both games will compliment each other irrespective of which is played first.

[@SlickRick4EVER]

Yea, George, I don't know where you got your knowledge from. The English Billiard balls and the table are the exact same as in Snooker. Also, what you said about having an easier transition from Snooker to English Billiards is wrong. I am not sure where you're from, but what you implied from the latter is kind of like saying "I played 9-ball all of my life, so playing 14.1 Continuous (straight) pool is going to be easier" --- which it clearly a huge fallacy. If you want to make comparisons, here it goes... playing English Billiards and transitioning to Snooker is very much like: In Pocket Billiards (Pool), playing so much 14.1 Continuous and playing any other form of game (3-,6-,7-,8-,9-,10-ball, Rotation, Bowliards, Honolulu, Bank Pool, One-Pocket, etc); In Carom Billiards, playing Freegame ("Straight-Rail") and then going into (here we go!) Balkline [47/2, 71/2, 47/1], Cushion Caroms (or, in laymen's terms, "One-Cushion") and then Three-Cushion Billiards.

[@gfsrow]

@@SlickRick4EVER As Barry Stark explained above, there is no size differential between English Billiards and Snooker. However, there IS a size differential between Snooker and billiards sports as played in the U.S. and also in Europe. Hence, it is indeed easier for a snooker player to transition to U.S. 9-ball or 8-ball or straight pool, rather than the other way around (very few, if any, professionals move from American 9-ball to English snooker, whereas there have been many snooker pros who have competed, successfully, with American 9-ball). Indeed, many of the professionals on the WPBA circuit (in USA) , all started with Snooker in the UK or maybe in continental Europe. They bring with them the care and excellent technique that snooker demands, and when they are playing 9-ball on a smaller table with bigger balls and larger pockets, they definitely have an advantage, and usually do quite well.

[@gfsrow]

@@BarryStarkSnookerCoach Thank you, Barry! I was unaware of that info. In the U.S., I've only seen billiards played on a 9 foot table, with the same size balls used for 8-ball or 9-ball that are also played on those 9-foot tables. I wish there was more Snooker in USA! I very much enjoy watching the English and other pros in snooker matches. The control they have with the cue ball is just astonishing - very impressive.