147 Snooker Drills and Exercises will help players of all standards to improve their game. It presents a range of practice routines that covers all aspects of a player's game. Some are more advanced than others, allowing the player working on a particular area of their game to pick out the exercises they feel will help them most. The routines become more difficult as the pages go on, so the beginner can work through them and use them to set targets to make their practice competitive. For coaches, the routines will assist in giving variety in lessons and helping to set targets in lessons.

Originally published in the 1930s. Every stroke discussed and advised on in this book has been played and measured by the author who was the finest billiards instructor of his day. The numerous diagrams and photographs will prove of inestimable value to all who are keen on improving their game. Contents Include: Playing Conditions Ball Contact Cannons Safety Play Use of Side Screw and Side Angles Spectacular Strokes Common Faults Losing Hazards Ball to Ball Contact How to Pot Billiard Knowledge etc. Keywords: Safety Play Cannons Billiards Billiard 1930s Faults Angles Strokes Keen Screw Stroke Pot Photographs Contact Game

Originally published in the late 1800s, this is an anthology of articles on Billiards by master of the game. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include Great Players I have Watched Professionals V. Amateurs Billiards for Woman A Billiards-Table Problem An Astounding Feat with Billiards Balls A Challenge from Willie Smith and My Reply A Hundred in Four Minutes Composition Balls Billiards Compared with other Games The Ideal Temperament The Billiards Stance Past and Present Styles What Constitutes Good Cueing Brandishing the Cue The Value of Ones Cue Billiards-Table Clothes The Best Practice Stroke The Long Inn-off After the Balls are Touching Slight Variations From Half-Ball Contacts The Angels of Large and Small Balls Tightening the Cue Hold The Billiards Sense Commencing the Game Red-Ball Play A Little-known Cannon The Question of Transmitted Slide

This is a unique reference to the intriguing world of pool halls and billiard parlors. Over 700 beautiful color photographs explore the history of the sport through pool and billiard collectibles from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. Balls and their boxes, cues, racks, triangles, scorekeepers, specialized chairs and lights, chalks, medals, tokens, trophies, historic photos, prints, posters, matchbox holders, matchsafes, pocket mirrors, advertisements, catalog pages, and much more are all part of this specialized presentation. The text, by experienced dealers, imparts useful tips for newcomers and experienced collectors alike. Values are found in the captions. A gallery of ninety different pool and billiard tables is a tribute to their diverse designs.

Crowood Sports Guides are the perfect tool for anyone wanting to improve their performance, from beginners learning the basic skills to more experienced participants working on advanced techniques. In this second edition of Snooker & Billiards - Skills, Tactics Techniques, the history of the game is covered along with the rules of the game; choosing the right equipment and top tips from many of the game's great players. All the skills and techniques are explained clearly with full-colour sequence photography and detailed table diagrams help explain more advanced tactics such as breakbuilding and safety play.

Practical, step-by-step tips for players of all levels

From Snooker to Carom to good-old-fashioned 8- or 9-Ball, "Pool & Billiards For Dummies" reveals the tips, tricks, and rules of play, covering the variety of the ever-popular games that make up pool and billiards. This hands-on guide discusses everything from the rules and strategies of the games to how to set up a pool room to choosing the right equipment, and is accompanied by dozens of photos and line drawings.See how hard to hit the cue ball and where to hit it, the angle to hold the cue stick and how much chalk to use, how to use a bridge, and how to put spin on the ballIncludes advanced pool techniques and trick shots for the seasoned pool sharp

With "Pool & Billiards For Dummies, "even a novice can play like a champion

Originally published in London in the 1920s as a revised and enlarged edition based on Hoyle's early works of the 1700s. The book is an illustrated compendium of over eighty games and their varieties including card, billiard and board games. These are fully explained with rules and advice on play. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

STEPHEN HENDRY became the youngest professional snooker player in 1985 aged 16 and, in 1990, he was the youngest ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. Widely regarded by fans and pundits alike as one of the greatest players of all time in the sport, over a 27-year career, Hendry went on to win the World Championship seven times, and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive seasons between 1990 and 1998. Hendry retired in 2012 with a record-breaking seven World Champion titles under his belt, a record that remains to this day. He's now ready to tell his life story for the first time - from a childhood spent climbing the ranks of the sport, through the highs of the '90s and lows of the 2000s, to his life now as a sports pundit and commentator. With an insight into the world of the man behind the cue, and what made him such a top-class player, this is the definitive autobiography of the legend that is Stephen Hendry.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's status as one of snooker's all-time greats was cemented in 2017 by adding to his five world titles, a seventh Masters and sixth UK, thus equalling Stephen Hendry's 18 'triple crown' triumphs. Now is the perfect time for his story to be told by Clive Everton - 'The Voice of Snooker'. Simply the Best traces Ronnie's course from carefree junior prodigy to deeply troubled and depressed adult, and so to maturity and self-knowledge. Along the way, he emerges as instinctively warm-hearted, the most loyal of sons and a true sportsman in his acceptance of defeat. Even so, full consideration is given to Ronnie's mistakes in a rounded portrait of one of snooker's most fascinating, complicated and successful characters.

Since 1977 the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield has staged the snooker World Championship and in that time become one of the most beloved and iconic venues in sport. In this book the UK's leading snooker writer Hector Nunns makes his selection of the greatest matches ever played in the famous amphitheatre, featuring the heroes of the early years right through to the household names of the present day. With exclusive contributions from the players involved, and how they saw the build-up, the match itself, the agony of defeat and ecstasy of victory, and the experience of being involved in a memorable encounter on the sport's greatest stage, in what is always the biggest, best and final tournament of the season. Forty Years of the Crucible recalls how promoter Mike Watterson stumbled across the theatre with the help of his wife Carole and throws the spotlight on classic matches involving Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White, the late and much-missed Alex Higgins and Paul Hunter, Cliff Thorburn, Terry Griffiths, Ken Doherty and of course the 1985 black-ball final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis.

In this revelatory memoir, snooker player John Virgo turns the spotlight on himself, sharing secrets from his forty years at the top of one of the world's most popular sports. Famous for his hilarious impersonations of snooker's biggest stars, JV is a household name thanks to his razor-sharp BBC Snooker commentary and the much-loved quiz show Big Break. A fascinating insight into British sporting life, taking readers from John's childhood in Salford, through smoky snooker dens, to tournaments and championships all over the world, as he relives travelling on Concorde, rubbing shoulders with royalty and much more. Admiringly nicknamed 'Mr Perfection', John tells how he overcame adversity to become UK champion, yet also reveals how gambling wrecked his dreams of becoming World Champion, and almost bankrupted him. An affectionate reminder of a time when Britain - and sport - took themselves a little less seriously. With a foreword by snooker legend Jimmy White.

These drills and exercises are based on the concept of progressive advancement. Start with an easy setup, prove that you can make that 4 out of 5 times, and then make the shot slightly more difficult. Keep on pushing the limits as far as the table edges allow. Bring this to the table along with your paper reinforcement rings (donuts) and you are ready to improve yourself. Study this material in two steps. 1. THINK FIRST. In the comfort of your favorite easy-chair or recliner, review each table layout and thoughtfully consider the ball positions. Consider what you would have to do. The table layout might require different shooting speeds (slow, medium, fast), different spins (draw, follow, side/English). Make a list of your practice requirements for your current skills and identify the exercises necessary. 2. Take the book to the practice table with your donuts and work on owning the shots you selected. Pencil in where your Comfort and Chaos Zones meet on the exercise (and mark the date). Over time, you may need to buy a second book just to keep track of all your notations. This is true table knowledge that will enhance your abilities as the Intelligent Shooter. These layouts, when diligently practiced, ensure that you will improve, consistently and rapidly. Learn the fastest and quickest ways to: Pocket tough shots Predict cue ball paths Enhance position play skills Improve table management skills Increase Balls Per Inning (BPI) average Build self confidence & competence This book is available in US (amazon.com) and Europe (*.uk, *.fr, *.de, *.es, *.it). Also see the author's Billiards Blog on the Billiard Gods web site.

'A classic.' Frank Keating, Guardian 'Unputdownable.' The Face Following the 1985 final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis, Britain found itself in the grip of a new sporting obsession. Snooker, or 'Coronation Street with balls', was suddenly big business and 1986 was set to be a crucial year. In one corner was Barry Hearn and his Romford Mafia - Davis, Taylor and Griffiths - and in the other were the bad boys - Higgins, White and Knowles - threatening the game's good name, and its earning potential. For one year, Gordon Burn travelled with this snooker circus, from Hong Kong and China to out of season resorts in the North of England and the season's finale in Sheffield. With unprecedented access to the leading players and personalities involved, Pocket Money affords a unique snapshot into an extraordinary time and place.

World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan's frank and honest account of his astonishingly dramatic life. I used to rely on drugs and alcohol to keep me going, but now I've got the healthiest addiction going - running. This book explains how running has helped me to fight my demons - my addictive personality, depression, my dad's murder conviction, the painful break-up with the mother of my children - and allowed me to win five World Snooker Championships. It is also about all of the great things in my life - my kids, snooker, my dad's release from prison, great mates who have helped me, and the psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters, who has taught me how not to run away when things get tough. Finally, it's about what it's like to get the buzz - from running, from snooker, from life. Because when it comes down to it, everyone needs something to drive them on.

After Hurricane Higgins crashed out of snooker`s top league, Jimmmy White has been the `People`s Champion' even though he never quite made the top World spot, pipped at the post in 1995 by Stephen Hendry, after missing one single black. Aged 16, White was the youngest player to win the English Amateur Championship. At 18, he won the World Amateur title. By 1984, he`s a professional success, married but not at all settled. He`s the kind of man who goes out for a packet of cigarettes and comes home two weeks later. Gambling, women, marathon binges with showbiz friends like Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, have threatened the stability of his marriage. But somehow White has survived, to tell in candid detail, a most unusual, often outrageous story of a very sporting life.

Ronnie is snooker's most written and talked about player, and its greatest showman. His supreme talent and style have made him the People's Champion and, as one commentator put it, 'the question is not how much does Ronnie O'Sullivan need snooker, but how much does snooker need Ronnie O'Sullivan?' A honest and candid account of his extraordinary life, Ronnie tells of the infant who was introduced to legendary snooker clubs at an impossibly early age; of the boy who frightened off the bookies aged just 12; of the teenager whose life was decimated when his father and mentor was sent to prison for life; and of the man dubbed the 'genius' of the modern game who regularly threatened to quit the sport to pursue other interests at the grand old age of 28. 'A fine autobiography ... compelling' - Independent 'O'Sullivan is as frank about his spell in the Priory clinic as he is about his father's murder conviction. His accounts of snooker tournaments and sketches of the sport's personalities will fascinate fans, but even snooker haters will be rooting for Ronnie in the game of life' - OK!