Snooker Psychology - A Champion's Mindset

The World Snooker Championship gets underway tomorrow! As a keen snooker fan, what better way to kick off my new blog than with a snooker related post?! Whilst technical skills will of course be important for all the competitors, the eventual champion will also possess the psychological skills needed for success. But what might some of these be? If you dream of one day lifting the coveted trophy (or are simply an interested fan) read on.…

Motivation

Whilst it may seem obvious, motivation (or drive) is a critical factor. Without motivation, devoting the hours required to even reach the World Finals, both on the practice table and in developing your mental game, is likely to be a real struggle! Ensuring you have a clear idea about ‘why’ you are playing is likely to help with this. Know what it is about playing snooker that is of personal importance to you and what your reason is for doing it. This can be brought to mind and used to help boost your motivation during inevitable low periods.

Goal-setting

Not necessarily the first thing you may think of when psychological skills are mentioned, but effective goal-setting is in fact an important key to success. Setting goals that are challenging yet achievable is crucial, but not always easy! An important distinction should be made between ‘outcome’ and ‘process’ goals. An outcome goal is likely to focus on a result that may not be fully within your control, for example, winning the World Championship. Whilst this is a great long-term goal to have, setting this as your only goal is unlikely to get you there on its own, and may even damage your motivation. Having identified a long-term (1-2 years ahead) outcome goal the next important step is to break this down into smaller and more specific process goals. Profiling your current performance, by assessing the skills that would be needed to achieve the outcome goal and rating where you believe you are now in terms of performing them, can be a good way to start. Perhaps you need to practice for a certain number of hours each week, work on a specific element of your technical game or your mindset, or reach a certain number of ranking points. These goals should be specifically measurable, so make sure you have set a timescale and identified how you will know you have achieved them. Work backwards from your outcome goal to ensure you know where you need to be and by when.

Attentional Control

Each snooker match and frame is different. You may find yourself in a fast, free-flowing open frame, or a protracted safety battle. You may be kept in your seat for a number of frames in a row, and suddenly presented with a great chance. There may be crowd noise, a cough on your back swing. The ability to control your attentional focus in whatever situation you find yourself is absolutely critical. You must be able to switch on as you are called to the table, assess the position of the balls, form a strategy. You must then be able to hone in on the task at hand and block out any internal or external distractions as you execute the shot. This takes practice and there are a number of techniques, such as attentional focus exercises, distraction practice, pre-shot routines and self-talk, which can help to develop this important skill.

Emotional Control

There is no doubt that big occasions may lead to big emotions. Learning and developing your skills and approach to managing these will greatly enhance your chance of success. Do you feel nervous ahead of a big match? Perhaps you start thinking about the opposition and not on your own game? Your heart starts racing and your palms suddenly feel clammy? Top sportspeople will see these crucial matches and events as a challenge. They are an opportunity, not a threat. How we perceive our anxiety is important, because it has a physiological impact. Alongside working on this perception, developing and using relaxation techniques is a great way to recognise and manage any anxiety that may creep in before, or even during, matches. If you can learn to recognise and dissolve any tension your body is feeling, your mind is likely to also feel calmer and you will be better placed to successfully execute your shots.

Last but very much not least…

Confidence

The biggest predictor of success. The winner of the world championship will certainly have an unwavering belief in their ability to do so. That doesn’t mean they know they will win it this year. What they will have is full confidence that they possess the repertoire of skills required to do so. This confidence may have been built in a number of ways. Just knowing that you have identified and worked on the technical and psychological elements required to win, and showed up to your planned practice sessions provides confidence in itself. You can visualise yourself winning. Feel it with all your senses. You may also spend time thinking of past successes. When have you succeeded? Have you won a tournament? Or a tough match? Come back in a frame you thought you were out of? If you have done it before, you know you can do it again. You have direct evidence. By writing down your successes on a piece of paper, if you feel your confidence waning, you can get it out to remind yourself!

If you have made it this far – Thank you for reading! In this post I have covered a few psychological elements and techniques that may be used to enhance snooker performance. This is by no means an in-depth or exhaustive list, and clearly different people may benefit from working in different ways on different elements. Do feel free to get in touch if anything has resonated with you or raised any questions. I hope it has at least provided a flavour of the highly important psychological side to the game. All that remains, is to wish the best of luck to all the players - here’s to a great World Championship!

When you feel ready, I am here! If you have recognised that the ‘mental side’ may be holding you back, why not book an online introductory meeting to see if I could help you? As well as being convenient (no travel required!), they are completely FREE, and there is no obligation to proceed further. Email me on laura@laurarowe.co.uk or visit www.laurarowe.co.uk/contact to book yours today.