Skip to main content

Week 9 [23.05 - 29.05] Gentleman's Sport


I assume, you know most popular cue sport called Eight-ball (8-ball). We can come across pool tables in many bars and pubs, most of us know certain basic rules how to play it and probably the majority of us have tried it at least once. The rules of primary version of Eight-ball are that simple that beginner players actually don’t need any preparation before starting their first game; relatively big pockets and a small number of balls make game fast and enjoyable even for untalented players. Low game entry barrier made 8-ball famous all over the world and nowadays it is the most played cue sport.

But Eight-ball is not where the cue sports world ends, there are at least a dozen or so variations of games having in common a cue, a table and billiard balls. This time I'd like to introduce you the most complicated one - Snooker - the gentlemen’s sport. Presenting snooker history, I will limit myself to the fact that not surprisingly it origins from earlier billiards games and the first version of it was invented by British soldiers in India in the 19th century. Why I dare to call snooker the most advanced, complicated and precision-requiring cue sport? Let me try to illustrate it.
 

Source: https://rickhill.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/snooker.jpg


Comparing to classic billiard games, snooker balls are much smaller, the table is bigger and the pockets narrower. All these factors makes potting balls far more difficult and effortful. In snooker there are 22 balls - 15 red, 6 color and one white (cue ball). In snooker both players compete potting the same balls, for every ball put into the pocket, depending on the color, certain number of points is given. Values of balls in snooker: red - 1, yellow - 2, green - 3, brown - 4, blue - 5, pink - 6, black - 7. In course of the game an active player is obliged to pot a red ball and color one in turns, otherwise, a foul will be called by a referee. Red balls once put into the pocket never go back onto the table. There is a different story with color balls - until there are any red balls on the table, color balls shot into the pocket must go back onto the table onto an assigned position. After all red balls are gone, players begin to pot color balls in a growing value order - starting from yellow and ending with black. One player may end the game in one turn, not allowing his opponent to come to the table. All the shots together and the number of points scored, while a player is still at the table, are called 'break'. The maximum break is 147 points to get it a player must pot in turns every red and black ball (black after being pot comes back to the table), and then all color balls starting from the least valuable - yellow. You can imagine that such situations are extremely rare, even at the professional level. Ok, this is a positive scenario explained. But what if a situation on the table won't let us start or continue our 'break' (for instance our opponent planned to pot a red ball but missed and left us only a very difficult shot)? Often it doesn’t pay off to take a risk, we can sacrifice our turn and try to force our opponent to foul during his next turn. A player can achieve that, for example, by hiding a cue ball behind a color one blocking access to all red balls. Such play is called 'snooker' and should effect in an opponent foul.  In such a situation when your opponent does not hit a red ball with a cue ball, it will result in fault and 7 points scored by the other player.

Here's great example of 'snooker play' in order to force oponent to foul. Both players in their turn must hit green ball, otherwise foul will be called. In this ending phase of game O'sullivan hides cue ball behind pink one, making hitting green ball almost impossible. All in all we'll see amazing play by Maguire, he uses his experience, game sense and ability to calculate hitting angles to reach green ball without touching any other, enjoy watching.

                                                Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuLqyCL2-Lc

For those who may hesitate whether snooker can be exciting I present one of the fastest 147 breaks ever made. Ronnie O'sullivan also known as 'Rocket' is famous for dynamic style of playing but this time he absolutely made history. All shots made in this game were carefully planned.

                                                Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhRoNkVrOkw 

These are the most important aspects of snooker. It may sound not clear, but after playing a few times everything becomes obvious. Unfortunately unlike the eightball, the snooker entry barrier is quite high, mainly because of skill set one must acquire to start playing. I mean here technical aspects like a proper cue hold and body position. In most cases it requires tutoring. What’s more, at the beginning potting balls may seem extremely difficult, the only solution is practice.
First newbies games, from begging to end, may last even 3 hours.

The only Polish accent in snooker history is a young player Kacper Filipiak who managed to qualify to an international professional league 'Main Tour' winning the European Under 21 Snooker Championship. Unfortunately he didn’t stay there for a long time. An  interesting fact is that he and other best Polish snooker players come from 'Break 147' club which has its headquarters near  our academy.
This is the club where my snooker adventure has begun as well.

So what do you think about snooker? Does it look encouraging? Do you like watching it on Eurosport channel? Do you have your  favorite players?



sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_snooker

Comments

I like to play snooker with friends, but I am not too good at it. I am really surprised how professional players can be so amazing in this. I know that majority of people just play it for fun and they don’t think about proper posture and technique. It appears that it is important to learn calculation and reflection angle of balls. For me it is black magic, but as in tennis there are some tactics on how to play to win. I like watching Eurosport channel, but I am watching snooker very rare and I don’t know any players. However I don’t see the difference between billiards, pool and snooker. They all seems the same for me.
Marcin Konarski said…
I consider myself as the worst snooker player since I played only once. I know that everything depends on the practice, and many exercises so it is hope for me to improve. I like watching Eurosport channel but rather for football. What is surprising for me is that games between good players can be over in 10 minutes. There is less break building because the table is small enough for the good players to pot a few balls and win. I don’t know any snooker professional player. I do not know the detailed rules of the game, so I agreed with my friends on our own principles.
I hate watching sports. Literally HATE. And it makes me even more furious if someone in my house is watching sports on TV and doesn't close the door. The noises of a stadium, all those trumpets, it makes me mad. The only thing I can watch is swimming competitions with sound off and fast forwarding through all the talking, presentations and shaking hands.

However, snooker is one of the few group activities I like taking part in (boarding games, bowling, group sports etc are a definite no for me). It surprises me how not bad can I be at it;)

Some time ago I have seen a video of a snooker table with a computer system that measures the angles and shows the exact route of the balls. I think it is great for educational purposes. You can watch the video here.

What is your experience with snooker? Have you been to any competition or ever thought about going professional?
I don't think I have ever played snooker. I definitely played 8-ball in pubs, I've never been good at it, but I have played it.

When it comes to Snooker itself, I've got friends that watch it being played on TV. Never quite understood that. But then again I don't play it and it isn't any kind of spectacular sport to watch for general public.
Unknown said…
So what do you think about snooker?

I think its a fun game with very old traditions. It strikes me as a typical English game. Im not a fan of snooker or 8ball myself tho.

Does it look encouraging?

It kind of looks hard to understand but I think its just a matter of getting into it and learning the rules. Some trickshots I've seen on youtube are amazing.

Do you like watching it on Eurosport channel?

I dont watch TV so not really. But given the chance I think I would watch it from time to time.

Do you have your favorite players?

I guess its O'Sullivan
Pat said…
When I was waaay younger, I used to play a lot billard and snooker games on my PC. However, I tried real billard for the first time only a year ago and it was really frustrating - on the screen everything looked so easy, you could imagine where the ball will go etc., and in real life I couldn't even hold the cue properly nor hit the ball in the spot I wanted.

Like Paulina, I don't like watching sports on the TV, but I've seen some compilations of the most impressive snooker moves and I must admit they really looked awesome. The planning and precision of the players are really great.
Unknown said…
I don't like to watch any sport. I prefer doing sports than watching. Still, I have never tried snooker, and knowing that I am quite weak pool player I think I will skip snooker for now. However, I have seen some amazing games, mostly on youtube compilations.
Unknown said…
As I mentioned in presentation snooker is hard to start game. Unfortunately in long term it's impossible to play in 'once a month with frinds' routine. Snooker requires tutoring and much practice on our own. So I'm not suprised that you may feel disencouraged. Snooker on Eurosport looks so smooth and
easy because it's played by professional who devoted their whole life to this game. I know this feeling when you watch it and think 'I can do this!' but sadly it's extremally hard to acquire even basic skills.
Unknown said…
It's always better to start practicing with at least small amount of knowledge. Snooker have some tricky points in it's rules but it's not that hard. That's true, on professional level, games can be very fast, but in such case they are mostly onesided. Playing with your own rules may be good
for practice but in the end fully professional games gives biggest satisfaction : )
Unknown said…
I guess snooker aint that loud, maybe only when something exceptional happens on the table audience appreciate it with ovations, but in general during turnaments silence
is kept. Systems for providing tv viewer with players move options are quite common nowadays, but the play mainly informative role. To learn and feel angles while playing
you must spend hundreds of houres playing :)

I used to train a lot till I lost my partner. I visited 147 break club at least 3 times a week to train on my own and during weekend played normaln games with my friend, thats when we saw each others progress. These days I had thougths about starting in some amateur turnamets but it never happend, I always felt I need more training. I gave up some time ago because of lack of time and people sharing this hobby.
Unknown said…
Thats true, to enjoy it one must know what's going on on the table. It's the same with all e-sports for example :)
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
For sure O'Sullivans style of playing is impressive. He plays fast and mostly accurate, I believe whole snooker world will cry when he resigns from carrying on professional career.
Unknown said…
That's great you appreciate these plays, we must keep in mind that players plan their shots just in time and when everything goes well they always think about few steps ahead. The precision we can see during turnaments is nothing compering to what these guys do while being calm and train on their own.
Unknown said…
The only thing I can say is - give it a try! :)
Unknown said…
I have to say that this article was life-changing to me. I always enjoyed watching snooker on one of sports channel, although I never knew actual rules. That said, I would never agree to call that game unexciting. The sheer amount of skills represented by the players makes it thrilling experience to watch, even if you don't know what happens on the screen. Now, the next time I get to watch some snooker I would actually know what's happening.
Unknown said…
I don't like to watch sports on TV so eurosport it's not my favourite channel and billiards games are black magic for me :P I played 8-balls but I'm not good at playing billiards so I do it rarely. It always reminds me of the game in pubs but my imagine is wrongly. I think snooker could be insteresting if someone explain me the rules in realty and learn how to play it.
Unknown said…
I have never played Snooker and for this reason I don't have experience in this game. The rules which you presented sounds encouraging for me and more difficult than e.g. famouse billard. I would like to try! :)
Unknown said…
It look cool an easy on youtube but i think i takes a lot of practice to play snooker. It's one of those games it's interesting for you only if you know the rules. But some tricks look really amazing.
I don't think I have ever played snooker. I once watched this sport in tv, but it wasn't so exciting. Maybe because I don't really know the rules of that game and I had no idea what was going on there.
I read youre article carefully and if I had a chance I'll try snooker :)
Unknown said…
Snooker? Well, I played Eight-ball maybe a few times with friends and never really cared about the rules. I think it was it or maybe something similar to that game, no idea. It was fun though.

I watched the video with Ronnie O'Sullivan's play and I must say I didn't feel the thrill at all. I understand it's probably exciting for someone who understands the game and is a fan of this sport. For me? It was intriguing. I never understood the rules to be honest so I'm glad you explained them. Watching these videos felt like watching tutorials. :D
Michał Pycek said…
oh... When I was 17 I have played it a lot, I was going out with friends and we were having our own championships :)
Now it does not bring anything interesting and new to me, so I find it boring. Maybe I could still watch it once a while on TV with friends, but I don't think I'd like to play it. I prefer doing more active sports.
Unknown said…
Uh... I remember playing 8-ball as a kid, like when I was about 10 years old but that's it to be honest, my friends and I rather do some bowling or table football.
You know, whenever I was switching through channels on the TV and came across snooker on Eurosport I used to wonder who the hell watches this, it's soooo boring :P Now I got my answer ;) No offense of course, just not my kind of sport at all.
Unknown said…
When I was a kid I used to play snooker and other billiard games online. It was quite easy because of visible ball trace and fact that one click triggered the hit. When I played billiard for the first time in front of a real table is turned out to be both enjoyable and difficult sport. Just little unexpected move of your hand can ruin your desired hit.
My dad watched snooker on television throughout my childhood. I always looked at him and did not understand how he can watch the game for hours. Everyone has their own taste, but for me there is nothing exciting. For sure the fans are going through a bad shock, etc. accounts. Maybe too long, I watched as a passive, discouraged the viewer to be able to approach with enthusiasm for the sport;) But everyone has the right to their own choices and interests.
Unknown said…
Well, I think that it is not my king of sport. I've never watched it on TV and have never been interested in it. I don't have favorite players as well.
But when I was a child I liked to play snooker with my dad, of course I didn't know any rules :D and there were no reasons... it was just a cool time spending with my dad. Those warm moments will be in my heart forever :)
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
I looove it! I mean as a kid i loved to watch it on Eurosport and it really looked exciting and relaxing the same time to me! I never had any favourite players but I think it really is a gentleman's sport because of the quiet competition between the players. It requires a lot of patiency, a lot of precision and also a quite good strategic intellect! I think it is one of the most underrated sports, but I guess that everyone who watched Eurosport from time to time had their opportunity to watch this beautiful discipline :) I love to play billiard, but never had any chance to play snooker and i wish one day i will have it.
Unknown said…
Thank you for the informative article; it was great! Unfortunately, I don't really know anything about that sport except that it exists, sorry ;) I've only ever seen some competitions on tv and they were really impressive! It's one thing to see people shooting pool in a film and quite different to realise it's such a demanding sport. For a layman, it looks like magic :D I imagine the players must need quiet to be able to concentrate, so people watching them cannot cheer like during, for example, football matches.
I only played some pool once or twice in my life and failed miserably :D
Moode said…
Snooker is ok but I enjoy eight-ball a lot more, it’s not because I’m not good at it but it’s hard to explain it to people who never had played it, everyone who didn’t have the chance to play eight-ball know how to play it or how to hold the stick. I admire the professional players who have such skill and passion to be doing it all their life, sometimes I have a chance to see the pros on the television, but I don’t know any professional players, however it’s very awesome sport.

Popular posts from this blog

Week 12 (12.01-18.01.15) Are you an early bird or a night owl ?

Owls are nocturnal creatures. They’re wide awake at night and they sleep during the day. If this sounds like bliss to you, then, like about 20 percent of the population who find themselves most active at around 9 pm, you may fall into the same category as our feathered friend. Night owls often have difficulty waking up in the morning, and like to be up late at night.  Studies of animal behaviour indicate that being a night owl may actually be built into some people’s genes. This would explain why those late-to-bed, late-to-rise people find it so difficult to change their behaviour. The trouble for night owls is that they just have to be at places such as work and school far too early. This is when the alarm clock becomes the night owl’s most important survival tool. Experts say that one way for a night owl to beat their dependence on their alarm clocks is to sleep with the curtains open. The Theory is that if they do so, the morning sunlight will awaken them gently and natura...

Week 11 [03-09.06.2019] The problem with ecological cars emission in UK

The problem with ecological cars emission in UK Since the adoption of the European Emission Allowance Directive in the European Parliament, all car makers have tried to submit. Since 1992, the Euro I standard has been in force, which limited the emission of carbon monoxide to the atmosphere. The Euro VI standard currently applies, which limits the series of exhaust gases. These include: hydrocarbons, nitrogen and carbon oxides, and dust.   The most significant change was brought by the Euro IV standard. For the first time it introduced the limitation of nitrogen oxides, which are responsible for the harmful compounds of smog.   What is smog?   Smog consists of sulfur oxides, nitrogen and carbon. In addition, solid substances such as suspended dust (PM). Dust suspend in atmospheric aerosols may be in liquid and solid form. These can be particles of sea salt, clouds from the Sahara and artificial compounds made by people. These compounds...

Week 4 [06-12.11.2017] This is what happens when you reply to spam email.

James Veitch is a British comedian. In today’s Ted Talk James with characteristic for himself a sense of humor shows how he deals with spam emails and why responding to junk messages may be sometimes dangerous. Questions: What do you think about James’s  way of dealing with spam? Why are junk messages legal, even though it sometimes may be a fraud? Dou you have a problem with spam? How do you deal with with it?