How the COVID-19 Lockdown can actually IMPROVE your game……
If, like many of us you have been away from a table now for the best part of nearly 5 months, you’re probably not only itching to get back to playing soon, but you’re probably also a little concerned about how much your game may have regressed due to the severe lack of playing time? And not only that…How long will it take to get it back? Or more worryingly, will my game ever be the same again….?
What if your ability could actually be BETTER than before?
Here’s where the absence of being able to play is actually a HUGE opportunity to play even better than you did before the lockdown. Now, admittedly, it will require a shift in your mental approach (nothing comes for free) and with this shift will come a whole new perspective of how to improve. You have to want to improve to be able to improve. You see, until the lockdown many experienced players undoubtedly had reached some kind of plateau, where their ability was no longer improving, and of course there was no advancement in their performance. Coupled with a long absence, it would be obvious to expect skill level to have gone backwards.
Within a few sessions, most parts of your game should normally return to near pre-lockdown levels, and probably within a few weeks or so of regular playing it will be like the lockdown never even happened.
But what if you could reach a level higher than you had when the lockdown first occurred?
Here’s how:
The key here is that the lockdown will not have been so long as to allow your muscles to fully atrophy away from knowing how to hold a cue or even strike a ball in the first place. But, just enough to allow the muscles to be retrained with the minimum of physical effort, and a moderation of mental effort.
As lockdown nears the end and we are able to start playing regularly again, now is the time to completely eliminate those bad habits that have crept into your game over the years by learning new Good Habits. Remember, your muscle memory has declined a little due to the absence from the table so now is the perfect time to retrain those muscles by going back to basics and focusing on the fundamentals! And, with help, there will never be a better time to retrain those muscles than right now, before your muscles start to remember all those bad habits you had before and they get reintroduced into your game and then it’s too late…or too difficult to change.
Go back to basics and get the fundamentals right now, and this will have a HUGE positive effect on your all-round game, without the typical frustrations associated with “trying to teach an old dog new tricks”. There will be a small amount of regression initially, as “alien concepts” are developed, but with guidance, discipline and perseverance, these new skills will quickly start to feel normal and become integral to your technique, and compounding the good elements of your ability that your muscles did retain.
Canadian Snooker Academy can help you make this leap. Our WPBSA World Snooker coaches are certified in teaching the fundamentals for a solid and consistent technique, honing in on bad habits, as well as advanced techniques for the experienced player. We have developed our own in-house training aids and follow the WPBSA “White to Black” coaching program. We can also coach you with Pool as well; all abilities and levels welcome.
As soon as clubs are open again, we will resume our in-person coaching sessions in order to help you improve. Currently we are available for online video coaching sessions, a great option if you have your own Pool or Snooker table at home!
Contact us at info@canadiansnookeracademy.com or get in touch via our Facebook page to find out more.
Consider going back to basics, and see your performance surge!