Last week my 147 Academy had the honour to be invited to Beijing in China to hold IBSF Cue Zones for players participating in the World Under 21 Snooker Championships in the CBSA / WBPSA Coaching Academy. Players from Russia, England, India, Finland, New Zealand, Iran and Mongolia attended my cue zones which were held on the beautiful Shender Match Table that was used for the IBSF World U-21 final.
I was very impressed with all the players who attended and it was the perfect training venue for the IBSF in promoting the IBSF Coaching to train the players and learn the skills of the game. This state of the art training conditions in Beijing is where the Chinese coaches guide their young champions of the future. One of the main goals from the IBSF Cue Zones is to assist the players in developing a professional training program that will help them improve their level and teach them the correct fundamentals within their playing techniques for when they go home.
One major difference between some of the players playing in the Worlds and the Chinese players is that some of the players had not used video analysis in their build up for the event. All the Chinese players have not alone just used video analysis but the coaches have went ten steps more with the Rigour Training System to improve the players Technique Shot Selection, Positional play and Tactical Awareness. All the players practiced very hard and I was delighted with the player’s attitude. I worked on fine tuning the player’s techniques and worked on their cue ball control. During all the Cue Zones the players practiced my Academy Break Building and Cue Ball Control Routines.
Some of the players were very experienced juniors on the International stage and some were playing in their first major International event but all of them gave it 100% commitment throughout the lesson. All the players received a DVD of the lesson to study more at home and I feel this is very important in teaching the skill to the player by allowing him to watch himself the difference before and after the lesson.
Rigour Training Software
The Chinese Association have designed fantastic software called Rigour that help a player play certain shots with software similar to hawk eye. This software also allows a player to play a full match and it will highlight the exact shot that you might have missed. The exact shot is then shown on the big screen for the player to re-set the shot to practice and master. The Chinese coaches said this professionalism is key in the development of the game in China and the coaches believe this is developing more world class stars in China.
This Rigour Cue Sports Coaching & Training System will be soon on the market all around the world and when it does my academy will have all the details on how to get it. Coaching in China was an incredible experience and something that I hope to do again in the future. I would like to thank the IBSF for inviting me to hold the Cue Zones and to the CBSA for all their support during my stay in the Academy in Beijing.
