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Stuart Bingham reveals anxiety problem that has crept into his game


Cazoo World Snooker Championship 2024 - Day Fifteen

Stuart Bingham is battling an unpredictable problem in his game (Picture: Getty Images)

Stuart Bingham says he is dealing with an issue in his game akin to the yips, which he says can strike unexpectedly at almost any time.

The 2015 world champion came through qualifying for the UK Championship and has been handed a tasty first round draw against Mark Williams on Tuesday evening.

Ballrun looked good in qualifying, notably in a 6-0 victory over Jimmy Robertson in the last round, but he is battling an issue that has crept into his game.

The 48-year-old says his cue arm can tighten up at times, making shots very unpredictable when the problem rears its head.

‘It’s in there every now and then, I get a bit tight in my back arm,’ Bingham explained. ‘Sometimes it can be an easy black and I’ll snatch at it. Then I’ll make a 65 clearance and be calm as anything. It’s just one of those things as you get older, I’m approaching 50, but my game’s there.

‘I try and accept that I’m going to do that here and there. That’s a big key. I know Stephen Hendry went through it. I said to him a few years ago that I know what he was going through. It’s just in my game now. Some days it feels like it’s coming up all the time, other times it goes missing. I’ve just got to see how it goes on the day.

‘It’s a bit of anxiety. If I play a shot with a bit of side, I’ll feel nice and relaxed and then literally the final feather, my arm just tightens up and I have a little snatch at it. Sometimes they go in, sometimes I miss them by an absolute mile.

The former world champion has slipped to number 25 in the world rankings (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I’m working with Chris Henry. He tries to do a few exercises, clenching my fist to get the tension out of my arms. I don’t know if it works, it just comes and goes.

‘I’ve just got to live with it. Old age, pressure, whatever it is, it comes with the territory.’

As he showed in his whitewash win over Robertson, Bingham is still very capable of brilliant snooker, as he proved on his run to the World Championship semi-final earlier this year.

Jak Jones got the better of Bingham at the Crucible (Picture: Getty Images)

Bingham beat Gary Wilson, Jack Lisowski and Ronnie O’Sullivan to make it to the semis before suffering a surprise defeat to Jak Jones, when he feels the pressure got to him.

‘I feel like my game is there 80-90 per cent of the time. If it clicks I can be a danger for anyone,’ he said. ‘I had a good World Championship, came into this season feeling like my game’s getting stronger and stronger. I feel like it’s definitely there.

‘I might have watched one shot of the World final. It was a big match for both me and …read more

Source:: Metro

      

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