Chris Small
Learn from the man who beat O'Sullivan and Higgins – Edinburgh's top snooker coach, Chris Small.
About
If you're walking past St James Square in Edinburgh, you might not guess that just around the corner, in a purpose-built snooker room, Chris Small – Snooker's Braveheart – is passing on the grit and determination that made him a top-16 legend. This is no ordinary coach: a former world No.12 who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins on his way to winning the 2002 LG Cup, Chris now pours that same fire into every lesson. He's an IBSF Master Coach (100% on the exam, mind you) and his star pupil Michael Leslie went from age 12 to the pro tour. Whether you're a junior dreaming of the Crucible or a club player wanting to sharpen your game, Chris's one-to-one sessions in his private coaching room – or at a venue near you – are the real deal. Book ahead online; he's often full with regulars.
Coach
Chris Small is a retired professional snooker player and now a qualified IBSF & The Snooker Gym Master Coach, offering snooker and pool coaching to juniors and adults from his dedicated coaching room in Edinburgh, with a philosophy of hard work and determination.
Snooker
The venue offers a dedicated snooker coaching room at Chris Small's home in Edinburgh, used for one-on-one snooker coaching sessions.
Full Bio
Christopher Small (born 26 September 1973) is a retired Scottish professional snooker player and now a qualified snooker coach. He was born in Scotland and is the son of a taxi driver. He worked as a bank clerk for the Royal Bank of Scotland before his snooker success. He turned professional in 1991 at age 16 after World Snooker opened the game to anyone willing to pay £2000. He had to balance his job with practice until his manager offered him £100 a week to leave the bank. Within three months of becoming a full-time professional, he won nine qualifying matches for the World Championship and at the Crucible defeated Doug Mountjoy 10–7 to become the youngest player ever to win on his debut. He lost in the second round to Dene O'Kane 13–10, finishing that season ranked 75. In the 1992–93 season he won the Benson & Hedges Championship (a minor-ranking event), beating Alan McManus 9–1 in the final, earning a wildcard for the Masters. He was ranked as high as 12 in the 2004/05 season. His greatest achievement was winning the 2002 LG Cup, a World Ranking event, where he beat Mark Davis 5–0, Joe Perry 5–2, John Higgins 5–1, Ronnie O'Sullivan 5–1, Jimmy Michie 6–2, and Alan McManus 9–5 in the final. He also reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in 1995 and the Grand Prix in 1998. His career-high break is 141, achieved twice. He was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in 2000, a spinal condition that caused severe pain. Despite steroid injections, his condition worsened, and he was forced to retire from professional snooker in September 2005. His last match was a 5–10 loss to Shaun Murphy at the World Championship; Murphy went on to win the title. After retirement, Small began coaching about six months later. He took a six-day course in Milton Keynes with Nic Barrow and passed a 14-page exam with a 100% pass mark, becoming an official IBSF & The Snooker Gym Master Coach, one of the toughest snooker coaching certifications in the world. He started coaching juniors from Edinburgh and quickly built a varied clientele of juniors and adults, including players who flew from Finland and Hungary for weekend sessions. He had to stop coaching in 2009 due to health but returned in 2012 with new medication. He coaches in a purpose-built snooker room at his home in St James Square, Quarter, Edinburgh, and can travel for additional cost. His most notable coaching success is Michael Leslie, whom he started coaching at age 12. Leslie became the number 1 junior in Scotland's under-16s, then under-19s, and won the European under-21s in Bulgaria in 2012, earning a professional tour card. Small also offers pool coaching in Edinburgh. He and his wife Clare have four children. He maintains a website (chrissmallsnookercoaching.co.uk) and a YouTube channel where videos of his matches, including the 2002 LG Cup against Ronnie O'Sullivan, can be viewed. He is active on Facebook. Online booking is available through his contact page.