Cue Action Blog Snooker debate: Technique Vs talent, structured coaching Vs natural ability - what's the recipe for success at snooker?

The third Cue Action Blog twitter snooker debate, saw the panel discuss the ingredients that make up a top snooker player, and how much of everything you need. The things that were discussed were technique, natural talent, practice and coaching, mental strength, confidence and the belief that you can win tournaments. This is what the panel had to say on the matter:

James Kilmartin, armchair fan: “Talent, hard work, attitude, belief, massive conkers. Ingredients in the recipe for success. Appetite is also important.”

Shaun Murphy, World No.4 snooker player: “I don't believe in natural talent. I think certain people work harder than others.”

Steff Coyle, snooker fan: “I feel that you have to have the talent and ability to be able to play the sport before you work on your technique.  I feel that as a player myself if you don't have the natural ability to play the sport. Coaching won't help you to improve. You need the balance of natural ability & coaching to help you progress that's where your technique & structure come into play. You need to have the confidence along with good concentration and discipline to be a great player.”

Paul Rinaldi, snooker coach: “I'm a believer in not over playing 3 to 4 good hours is better than 8 hours of smacking balls around. Discipline is essential. I tell the players I work with. Learn to accept and not expect. It removes pressure and just move on. Be hungry fine credit due but you need balance and discipline and enjoy success some can't.

Johnny May, fan : “You can't be the best, without hard work and dedication, basically. All the top/pro players will probably say the same. If you've got someone in your corner, giving you more insight about the game - all the better. Look for improvement.  You need to have a good frame of mind as well. It's great having the talent, and the technique. But if you're not psychologically "good enough", it'll take you longer to get to the top. “

Chris Vear, fan of snooker: “Without some sort of talent, you won't get anywhere. You *need* practice and training to back that up. You may have physical talent but can you sustain that, as well as the mental side? Snooker players need belief that they can get better. Practice and coaching helps sustain that.

E Jones, snooker fan: “Recipe for success in snooker is hard work and dedication. You can win tournaments with talent alone but you can’t sustain it for a long period. Very few players had the talent of Willie Thorne back in the day but it wasn’t enough to win tournaments.

Stuart Bingham, World No.8 snooker player: “You need both to make a complete player/winner. Most players have both but need to find the right recipe. Yep, hard work, dedication and play in as many tournaments as possible. You've got to win some along the way! Confidence is everything in snooker! Knowing that you can win means more than people think.”

Vikki, fan: “I think players should be naturally gifted but without practice and hard work they won’t be good. They don’t just wake one day and become elite players. There are years of hard work. I think the two words which describe snooker the best are self-discipline and self-control.  Hard work-90% talent10%.”

My opinion is that having natural talent in the first place is great, and essential to get started, but structured coaching and hard work will help you reach an elite level. To win tournaments though, you also have to have mental toughness and belief that you can beat anyone with your best game. The panel, as shown above, seem to agree with that, adding that to be great for a long period in the game you must work hard, be dedicated to the game and have confidence in yourself.

The debate was once again very fun, whilst giving us a wide range of opinions on a key subject. I look forward to the next debate, which will be on another of snooker's really key issues of today. Best bits will be on here from that as soon as, as always. Hope you enjoyed reading.