Tutorials Shop

Supporting special needs music education since 2008

New!
Try our new Social Feeds, look out for the navigation icon: . You can now set default social feed view in your account preferences.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="MikeMorrell" data-source="post: 551078" data-attributes="member: 4674">OT: SnookerI'm not normally a 'snooker fan' and I've never played the game. At least not since a few occasional (bad) attempts during my teenage years at a local Welsh Rugby Club <img src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2064%2064%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20font-size%3D%2254%22%3E%F0%9F%98%89%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="22" height="22" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />. But I started watching parts of the World Championship 'Crucible' tournament about 3-4 years ago. Probably - like now - during a 'sax holiday' with nothing much else going on. I seem to remember than the 1st time was when I had 'flu for a week and couldn't do much else than watch daytime TV.The annual 'Crucible' championship somehow always seems to coincide with a 2 week period when I don't have much else going on. So over the past couple of years watching the 'Crucible' tournament, I've gradually learned to appreciate the 'finer points' of the game much more.At its basic level, it's still about being able to 'Pot balls', at the longer distances and with the finer 'cuts' the better. The next level is being able to position the 'white ball' to achieve the best advantage (on to the next pot or otherwise making it harder for your opponent's). There's a 'strategic level' at which players aim to gradually develop their own 'advantage in winning a frame' or reduce their opponents.And there are also important mental qualities, notably 'concentration, 'resilience' and 'determination'.  These can vary between each opponent during the course of a match consisting of 'best of' 24, 30 or 35 'frames'. A 'frame' is a set-up snooker board that either competitor can either win or lose. The more concentration  a player can maintain over each 'shot' during a 'frame', the greater the chance is that they will make less 'mistakes'.  That applies to multiple frames too.'Resilience' and 'Determination' are often used to describe players who - in any match - are significantly behind in 'frames' but find the  mental strength to catch up, go ahead or at least narrow the gap in terms of 'frame advantage'. IHMO, it perhaps also apply to players who initially had a significant 'frame advantage', who's opponent is steadily catching up (or even overtaken them) and mentally 'dig in' to maintain or regain their initial advantage.So for professional players, IMHO, it's often about 'playing chess' with their opponents at all levels.  And that - in a nutshell - is why I love watching the annual 'Crucible' tournament on BBC2.MikePS: 1. I am most definitely no snooker player, commentator or expert! The above only reflects my personal opinions from watching BBC2 broadcasts2. I do not follow 'snooker' or snooker players at any time other than in this 1 annual 'Crucible event'3. As a teenager (and rugby club 'youth player'), my local rugby club had a 'snooker room'. Whenever we trained (Tuesdays Thursdays) and whenever we played (Saturdays), the 'Bayliss brothers' were practicing. Eldred was one of my former (and fiercest) primary school teachers. His brother Jackie owned a local sweet shop. As a teenager, I got along with both of them and I spent hours watching them play snooker Fast forward 60 years and I still enjoy watching snooker,</blockquote>