Express & Star senior reporter James Vukmirovic gets snooker training from Andrew Highfield at the Golden Cue in Bilston
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00:00So, Andrew, obviously the point of this story is to, because of the success of the tournament from last week over at Aldersley,
00:06there's going to be more people who want to learn how to play snooker, or at least get better at it.
00:10I'm in a sort of position where I've played it and, as you probably saw on Sunday, I can have the occasional great pass.
00:16Definitely, yes.
00:17But very long and very far in between.
00:21So if I wanted to come to a place like this and learn more from someone like yourself, what's the process first of all,
00:28and what can you expect when you first walk through the doors?
00:30Well, I mean, obviously what you really need to do, if you go onto the WPSA website, there's what's called a coach finder on there.
00:37So what you would do, you'd put in your postcode and it would bring up the list of local coaches in your area.
00:43And obviously, you know, you get in contact with them and they're based all over the country, really.
00:48But I'm quite fortunate here, really, in being in a good club as well.
00:52So obviously people see you coaching and then other people say, oh, he's getting a little bit better, or I like the way he's cueing,
00:58or she's playing potty more balls, and then it goes from there.
01:02And what's your process when you're coaching somebody? Is it sort of strict, or do you sort of guide them through it?
01:08What's your process, I suppose? What's your philosophy?
01:12Well, obviously, we're doing something like an initial assessment with the pupil first.
01:18And the pupil will kind of tell you, really, whether they say, well, I'm coming to you with a specific problem,
01:23in which case you'd take other lessons around that.
01:27But others like yourself might say, look, we're pretty much starting from the beginning.
01:31Can we, you know, I need the basics to start with.
01:35And then obviously, I mean, the other thing I think to note is that maybe somebody like yourself who's played for a number of years,
01:43perhaps just for a, you know, social, and has got a few bad habits, obviously when you do try and change things,
01:50it's going to feel a bit different, but hopefully it's going to give you more consistency.
01:54What do you mean by habits like missing? I'll tell you the sort of common problem I have is hitting the jaws of the pocket.
01:59It looks like it's going to go in the middle pocket, but it hits the jaws and just goes out.
02:02Yeah, yeah. So I mean, I think what we'll do, I think, I mean, things like getting your stance right are very important to approaching the shot.
02:10Sort of a solid bridge, keeping your head nice and still, sorting your grip out.
02:15It's all the basic techniques that obviously help you play consistently better.
02:20It's when you say that somebody walks in and they talk about their aims.
02:23If they walk in and they say straight away, I want to be world champion, you say, you might want to taper it down a little bit.
02:28Well, yeah, I mean, yeah, hopefully somebody will, but one step at a time I think is the...
02:33And obviously, again, it's like any sport, the more you practice, that's important as well.
02:39You don't have to be practicing, it's not a game, you won't improve unless you put in the hours in.
02:43Yeah, there's no way of getting a 1-4-7 break early on, is there?
02:46Well, you never know, you never know.
02:48If I could beat my high break at 22, that would be a good start.
02:50Okay.
02:51But we've got the table here and we'll sort of go through a few shots, so what's the first thing that we're going to do?
02:55So we're just going to look at, sort of, I've put a red on the blue spot here.
02:59I'm just going to maybe take you through the stance first of all.
03:02I mean, obviously, try and remember to chalk your cue before every shot, James, which is here.
03:07That's important, you know, to give you any grip on the cue ball, if you're putting any spin on the ball.
03:13But also, you watch a top player, they will do that pretty much every shot.
03:16So it's kind of getting the drill on each shot that's important as well.
03:20Are you right-handed?
03:21Right-handed, yeah.
03:22Perfect, okay.
03:23So what we're really looking for, James, in terms of approaching the shot, if you come and sort of stand behind the line of the shot.
03:30Now, I think what it's useful to do, if you grip the cue in your right hand,
03:35if you sort of try and line the cue first and try and bring your body a bit more in the middle of the cue for me.
03:41So stand behind the cue for me.
03:43That's it.
03:45Now, this is called a standing position.
03:47Just go perhaps to your right a little bit.
03:50So this is a big problem players have, is when they approach the table, they sort of slide into the shot,
03:56particularly if there's an angle and thinking that that helps them to cut the ball.
04:01But that really leads you to cueing across the line of the shot.
04:04Okay.
04:05So this is, whatever the shot is, always try and have a standing position from behind the shot.
04:10So what's the next step from here?
04:12Right.
04:13So we're joined up from my ear.
04:14Yeah, I'm going to get you to form the stance first of all.
04:16So if you just don't move your feet, but move your cue out the way, James, what you'd normally do type of thing.
04:21So I'm guessing you'd grip that with your left hand at this stage.
04:24Now, what I'm going to get you to do now, I want you to imagine a line going right through the shot from the pocket red cue ball.
04:31Try and take a short step, but place your right foot on the line of that shot for me.
04:36That's good.
04:37And have that foot at 45 degrees outwards.
04:40Perhaps a little bit less.
04:42That's it.
04:43Now, we're always looking for your stance to be roughly about shoulder width apart.
04:47Okay.
04:48To give you a nice base for everything.
04:50So you bring your left foot in front of your right about the width of your shoulders.
04:54So perhaps a bit wider than that, James.
04:56A little bit wider.
04:57And have that toe pointing towards the shot for me.
05:01Okay.
05:02Now, what we're looking for, I'm looking for you to sink into the shot now.
05:05But if you can, try and keep your right leg nice and straight.
05:09So you're locking your right leg and you're bending your left knee over your toe.
05:14Okay.
05:15Just have a go at addressing the ball for me.
05:17And just see how that feels.
05:19Just try and push the cue through nice and smooth in the centre of the cue ball.
05:24Okay.
05:25I missed a shot there.
05:26Not to worry, but we haven't really looked at the aiming yet.
05:29But did that feel a bit more solid?
05:31Yeah, it felt alright, actually.
05:32It felt sort of nice and solid and comfortable.
05:34I have a slightly bad back, so it's obviously working around that.
05:36Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:37So being able to sort of be down like that.
05:40Yes.
05:41What you're looking for, basically, is you're looking for it to be solid.
05:43Comfortable, but solid, really.
05:45So, basically, when you're on the shot, the only way your body should go is towards the balls.
05:50Okay.
05:51And that would be the approach on every shot you're going to play.
05:55Right.
05:56Now, can we look at something else that perhaps caused the miss on the red there?
06:02Which I think was your bridge.
06:04Now, I sensed there was a little bit of movement in the bridge hand.
06:07So, let's have a look at forming a proper bridge.
06:10So, place your hand flat on the table.
06:12And what you're looking to do is to spread your fingers
06:15and then almost sort of raise the knuckles so as you're trying to grip the cloth.
06:20But keeping, that's better,
06:22keeping the fingertips and the back of the palm in contact with the cloth at all times.
06:27A lot of players, the mistake they make is,
06:30particularly if they're putting topspin on the cue ball, they lift the bridge up.
06:33Yeah.
06:34Well, obviously, that then leads to a gap between the arm and the table.
06:39Something along those lines.
06:41Yes.
06:42But what you now need to do is bring your thumb and cock your thumb
06:46by getting it tight against your first finger.
06:49So, that's it. That's better.
06:51That's what we call the V of the bridge,
06:53which forms a nice, solid channel for the cue to run through.
06:56So, just see how that feels.
07:00Much better.
07:01Much better.
07:02Now, the difference was there, the cue went through.
07:05I found the previous shot, the cue had kind of tipped off your bridge hand,
07:09hence you cued across the ball.
07:11So, that was really, really good.
07:14So, we've looked at the first bit, which is obviously about my stance
07:18and about getting the correct bridge and everything in.
07:20Obviously, I've been putting balls there, which has been a good start.
07:23So, we work on to the basis now of putting the red
07:26and then being able to be in position for the black.
07:28The biggest problem I've had is I'll put a red
07:30and then I'll be in an awkward position for the black.
07:33So, it's just trying to get to that next stage.
07:35That's right.
07:36So, obviously, we're developing cue ball control to do this, James, really.
07:40This is where, after you've sort of got the basic technique more consistent,
07:44this is where you can start thinking about this area.
07:47So, obviously, we say we're on the red here
07:49and we want you just to run it through a little bit to get position on the black.
07:52This will require a little bit of top spin.
07:55So, what you're doing, you're not worrying about putting any side on the cue ball.
07:59You're still working on the centre line of the cue ball.
08:01It's still a straight pot, but what you want to do this time, really,
08:05is strike the cue ball just above the centre.
08:07So, that's going to set after contact with the object ball.
08:10The cue ball's going to go forward.
08:12How hard should you hit it?
08:15This is on a sort of a scale of one to ten.
08:18I try and use numbers to help to judge the shot.
08:21And I would say this is a shot of around two, possibly three.
08:24You mean a one being Terry Griffiths, another two, another ten being Tony Mingo.
08:28So, basically, if you sort of drew the cue back upside one or two inches back swing,
08:36that's going to help you to judge the pace.
08:38So, shall we have a look? Just have a go.
08:40You're running the cue ball through this time, James,
08:43but in terms of the technique, it's staying exactly the same.
08:47And remember what we worked on about keeping your head still
08:50at least until, hopefully, the ball's gone in the pocket.
08:58So, that's it.
08:59Remember what I said to you about moving your back hand up the cue a little bit, James, as well?
09:04That's good.
09:05Get your chin on the cue and just try and push the cue through nice and smooth.
09:11It would have helped if the red had gone in there.
09:13You've hit it a little bit too hard, as well,
09:16and I think you've ended up hitting across the ball slightly.
09:23Let's just try another one.
09:25I think the difference, when you're playing the top spin,
09:27just try and push the cue through, James.
09:29Push it through.
09:30That was something I noticed at the sneaker last week.
09:33My observation about it is how light they seem to be hitting the ball.
09:36Exactly.
09:37How much power they're producing.
09:38Obviously, the tables they're playing on are very, very quick.
09:42They're very reactive, but that's a common fault amongst players.
09:45Players tend to try and hit the ball too hard.
09:50Snooker's very much a touch game, really.
09:52So, all you're doing is pushing the balls around the table, to be honest.
09:58That's it.
09:59Take your time and just try and point the tip of the cue right through to the centre of the pocket.
10:09But you got the top spin, to be honest.
10:11The white did go forward.
10:12It would have been on position for the back.
10:14Learning, actually, potting angles is a lesson in itself, as well.
10:19It's obviously a long building process, isn't it?
10:22Yes, yes.
10:23And, of course, you've got the other spins.
10:25You've got the stun shot, which I think we did when we were potting the blue,
10:28but you've also got the more difficult one of back spin, as well.
10:31The best one I think anyone could see would be that blue that Alex Higgins did against Jimmy White in 1982.
10:37Absolutely.
10:38The blue swung over straight back into the red.
10:40Yes, incredible.
10:42He did have a lot of side on that, as well, and stun.
10:45But, no, definitely.
10:48Are you more or less saying, don't give up your day job right now?
10:51Well, maybe.
10:54You never know.
10:55After a year of 10 hours a day, James, you might be.
11:00I think, at least being at the point where I can pot a few balls would be a good start.
11:04But this is great in terms of technique.
11:06If you see where the white and the black is, if I'd actually potted the red.
11:09You're in position, yes.
11:11This is the build-up of starting to break build.
11:14We're trying the stun shot to pot the black here, James.
11:18So, again, just below centre, nice and smooth.
11:21Yes.
11:24Beautiful.
11:25Excellent, excellent.
11:27Straight in.
11:28Well done.
11:29One full seven.
11:30Thank you very much.