If you want to become a master violin maker, you follow some fairly predictable stages throughout your career:

Beginner Level where you are learning about violin making. Nothing is straightforward and you make a lot of mistakes.

Awkward Level where you can build a violin but it’s not anywhere near perfect and it doesn’t have a world class sound. You know the fundamentals but there is a lot you need to learn.

Competent Level where you can now build a fairly decent looking and complete violin. It has enough life and personality to be a musical instrument that some musicians may want to buy. You don’t know everything but you know enough to do a decent job.

Master Level where you now can build a world class violin that is highly sought after by musicians of all levels. You have gone through all the trial and error and you now understand the process quite well. You don’t ever stop learning but you know what works and you have some fairly good ideas on what it takes to have success as a violin maker.

I’m showing the typical stages above with a violin because it’s easier to see with something tangible that we can all understand and probably relate to. I have never built a violin but I’m sure that 90% of violin makers go through the above stages. It’s all hard work and years of knowledge, practice, trial and error, learning from others, sharing ideas, experimenting and much more. Getting to the master level takes some real dedication and most violin makers never reach that far. The few that reach master level do it because they love the work.

Now think about your snooker game. Can you relate to one of the stages above? Are you at the Beginner level where you are constantly seeking ideas, advice, experimenting, making mistakes, getting frustrated? Whatever stage you are at, I can just say “Congratulations!” You are doing what nearly every other snooker player has already done in their career!

Now let me take the above metaphor with violin making and describe the stages above in snooker terms:

Beginner Level

You are learning about snooker and cueing action. You understand the basic rules of the game and you are trying to become a competent potter and positional player. Nothing is straightforward and you make a lot of mistakes and are very inconsistent.

Awkward Level

You can now make the odd 20/30 break but it’s not anywhere near perfect and it’s certainly not world class positional play. You lose the white ball a lot and you play a series of recovery shots throughout a break. You know the fundamentals but there is a lot you need to learn. You probably struggle with staying in position and you all too often miss a black or pink or other ball off the spot. You think it’s cueing, and it probably is, but it’s other areas of your mechanics and understanding of the game too.

Competent Level

You can now build a fairly decent break in the 40’s and 50’s or higher and you know what it takes to win frames. Your safety play is decent and you can make plenty of balls now. Your potting ability has matured and you know how to make just about every shot at one time or another. Consistency, however, eludes you. If only you could string 25 shots together (yes, that’s all you need for a century – 12 blacks plus a red and any color higher than yellow) you would make a century! You still don’t know everything about break building and positional play but you know plenty enough to win matches and become a decent player. For some that reach this stage (like me), you start looking at the mental side of the game in this stage because you know it’s a stumbling block. For others, it’s the cueing or positional play that isn’t perfectly understood and that becomes your stumbling block.

Master Level

You now are a very capable and near complete snooker player. You have made at least a few centuries and you can now see cueing action imperfections and minutiae like a bouncing white or a slightly imperfect cue action – both in yourself and in others. You have gone through all the trial and error and you now understand the process of winning, break building, match play, and practice time very well. You don’t ever stop learning and there are probably a few areas you need to improve but you know what works and you have some fairly good ideas on what it takes to have success as a snooker player.

I would say for myself, I’m at the Competent level right now. I’m an excellent potter and I can string the odd break together but it’s the mental side now that will likely be my stumbling block. I know what it takes to win but I can’t execute quite yet because I don’t have the level of familiarity needed to be playing at a Master level. I still lose the white every so often but on balance, I can stay in position if I’m focused and playing well. My 50 breaks usually consist of mostly blacks and pinks and the odd blue or baulk color.

I’m highlighting the above stages because I think as snooker players, we all get into ruts where we start to hate the game. We know we need to improve but we don’t know how or where. Maybe it’s the cue? Maybe it’s the cue action? We aren’t entirely sure sometimes but we keep trying and experimenting. For the lucky few, we progress but for most other players, they reach an impasse and never get over it.

It’s common for snooker players to have an ego but for many it gets to their heads and they never progress because they think they know what it takes to win. Even when they are getting beat, they think it’s the table, or the balls or the cue or something else and they never progress. Sometimes, winning is the worst thing that can happen to you because you fail to see the truth about yourself or your game. Maybe the above examples will help you realize the shortcomings in your own game are real and not made up.

So What Do You Need to Do?

So what then do you need to do to get to the Master Level in snooker and become a regular century maker and world class player? Well, let’s turn the question around and think about what you would tell a violin maker if they asked you the same question. The answer, of course, would always be, “go seek out the best Master violin maker you can find. See if they will show you the ropes and be your guide. Take a course or hire a teacher if possible. Trust their judgement and advice and learn as much as you can from them.”

If you want to grow from the stage you are at now, it’s almost certain that you need someone to lead you there. It’s very rare for us to see the shortcomings in our game. The odd video recording of yourself might show you a thing or two but that’s assuming you are able to see yourself and your game in a completely objective manner.

Don’t have someone around that can show you the ropes? Whatever stage you are at, I’m happy to be your guide. By watching you on video, or seeing you in person, I can give you a helping hand with your game and help you highlight your shortcomings. Get in touch with me.