16 Facts About Frank Callan

Frank Callan took up snooker as a youngster, but did not play for about ten years after joining the army in 1940, after which he resumed the game and won some local tournaments.

Frank Callan disagreed with the prescriptive techniques of Joe Davis and Billiards and Snooker Control Council chief coach Jack Karnehm, and argued that techniques should be tailored to players.

Frank Callan advocated the use of a standard routine for each shot.

Frank Callan was acknowledged as the leading snooker coach of his time by Snooker Scene magazine and in The Times.

Frank Callan made his first century break when he was 32.

Frank Callan won the Fleetwood and District Amateur Snooker Championship in 1950, the first time he entered the competition.

Frank Callan regained the Fleetwood and District title in 1953, and retained it in 1954.

Frank Callan took an interest in the mechanics of snooker, and started coaching in the 1970s.

Frank Callan's coaching focused on technical aspects, not psychological, and was based around the principle that each player should use a stance that was appropriate for them rather than trying to match an idealised position.

Joe Davis's books on technique were highly regarded in snooker circles, but Frank Callan had discussed snooker techniques with him on a number of occasions, and came to believe that Davis's style of play, which was partly due to a weak left eye, would not work for all players.

Frank Callan advocated using a long backswing when using a cue, with a pause before striking the ball during which the player should focus on the rather than the.

Frank Callan recommended using a standard drill for each shot.

Journalist and author Gordon Burn wrote in 1986 that Frank Callan was renowned for being able to identify faults with a player's technique and help to rapidly rectify them.

Frank Callan worked with many players, including Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, John Parrott, Allison Fisher, Doug Mountjoy and Stephen Hendry.

Frank Callan was sometimes described in the press as a coach to Steve Davis, but Davis maintained that his own father, Bill Davis, was his coach, and Callan was an adviser.

Frank Callan worked with Davis after they met at the Commonwealth Sporting Club in Blackpool in the late 1970s; Frank Callan was impressed that Davis was researching the quality of the various tables at the club before playing in a competition there.