“I have known Lee through snooker since we were children. His passion and love of the game makes him one of the best coaches in the world. I enjoy working with Lee; his knowledge is some of the best. Lee is a great snooker coach.”
Mark Williams
Introduction
Every professional snooker needs someone to fight their corner, and a helping hand in the form of a mentor or coach is essential for some. You must delve into the sport’s history to discover a treasure trove of coaches who have worked wonders. Examples are Frank Callan with Stephen Hendry and Doug Mountjoy, Dell Hill with Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan, Barry Stark with Kyren Wilson, Mark Joyce and Oliver Brown, Terry Griffiths with Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui and a whole list of great coaches that are far too many to mention.
Assistance Required
One such coach is the former professional Lee Walker. The 2022 World Seniors Champion on tour from 1994–2006, 2007/2008, and 2014–2022 may have put away his cue but has now turned his attention to coaching. The long-term friend of Mark Williams has been working with Mark for some time, helping him iron out some of the irregularities that creep into your game as you get older. The Walker influence seems to have worked because Williams has already won the Tour Championship and Champion of Champions this season and got to the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Lee is also in the early stages of helping Ronnie O’Sullivan too. However, his first effort didn’t come to fruition, with Ronnie crashing out against Barry Hawkins in the first round of this year’s UK Championship. That’s not to knock Walker because I am sure O’Sullivan will return to his best with more time. This level 2 WPBSA coach, who works out of the Wexa Sports Center, uses his 20 years of experience on the tour to full advantage, helping several junior and amateur players and dipping his toe into the professional pool.
People who work behind the scenes in snooker are not often given the recognition they deserve, and Lee Walker is undoubtedly a person whom people should talk about. Dedicating your time to a player’s progress and success takes hours, but the results ultimately pay off. You are there in the thick of it, watching nervously from the sidelines as your player puts in the hours at the club practice table and strives to do well in tournaments. The packed suitcase, the long flights abroad, and the hours waiting for your player to play his match. This role isn’t for the faint-hearted, and many bumps will come along the way.
Figures like Lee show that a helping hand can be crucial to success. It often needs someone who has been there to create that much-needed spark of success, and that’s why Ali Carter and Shaun Murphy have turned to Peter Ebdon for guidance. Lee has steadied the hand of Jack Lisowski and Reanne Evans, but his partnership with Mark Williams is the true story of success. Turning back the clock to several years ago, Mark contemplated giving it all up, but a stern word from his wife Joanne and Walker’s guidance brought him back to the winning streak. He is a more mature player but hasn’t lost any of that grit and determination that made him one of those stellar members of the Class of 92.
Lee is an example of someone who truly understands the game. That is crucial to being a great coach. Only if you have experienced victories and defeats and the dynamics of snooker, can you truly understand how to develop a player and bring out their full potential. Snooker is far from being an easy game and if you are going to excel in it, you need a good coach to fight your corner. They may not be there when you play but their methods and strategies tick over in your mind when under the television lights and the throng of a large audience. Mark Williams jokes that Lee Walker is that straggler who accompanies him to tournaments but he is much more than someone who sets up the practice routines and picks the balls out of the pockets. Lee is the master brain of the operation. The man who brings calm and helps restore concentration when it is most needed. The one who helps quell the storm in the heat of match play and regains confidence when the writing may seem to be on the wall.
