« ÉRIC VAQUIER, COACH AND PATRON OF BALL IN MIND »
There are the players, and there are those who make them better. Éric Vaquier belongs to the second group.
A coach, a trainer and a mental preparation specialist, he has long experience supporting billiards players, and young high-level athletes in particular.
We are delighted to have him with us, as an ambassador and as a patron of Ball in Mind.
« TEACHING, PASSING ON, SUPPORTING »
His approach goes well beyond technique. Concentration, stress management, motivation, team cohesion and competition preparation are all part of the way he sees training.
He holds the DEJEPS advanced sports coaching diploma with a billiards specialism, the French state coaching qualification, and is also an EBSA- and WPBSA-qualified snooker coach.
What interests him is not simply winning the next match. It is giving a player the means to understand their own game, to know themselves, and to last.
« WITH THE FRENCH NATIONAL TEAMS »
For several years, Éric was part of the coaching staff of the French junior blackball teams, during a period particularly rich in international results.
In 2016, the France U18 team he coached became world champions. In 2019, the French Billiards Federation appointed him coach of the France U15 team, which went on to win the European team title.
He also served as national head coach of the French snooker team from 2019, a role he held until the end of the following Olympiad.
« MENTAL PREPARATION AT THE HEART OF THE GAME »
WAPITEAM was born around the mental and physical preparation of young athletes, after several years of work alongside the French Billiards Federation.
Workshops on concentration, motivation, team cohesion, relaxation and competition preparation: this is where the whole support and training side of his work is to be found.
One simple conviction, which we share: technique is not enough if the mind does not follow.
« IN THE BALL IN MIND TEAM »
Éric brings the Ball in Mind Team his experience as a coach, a trainer and a mental preparation specialist.
His work with young players and with the French national teams matches exactly what we set out to offer: tools that make structured progress possible while keeping the enjoyment of the game intact. His perspective on training, teaching and performance is a genuine asset for the development of Ball in Mind.
Éric is also one of the brand’s patrons. With us, patronage is not a contract: it is an honorary title, with no obligation attached, reflecting a bond built over the years.
KEY MILESTONES
Several of these results were achieved as part of a collective coaching staff. Two titles are directly attributable to him as head coach.
2016 — World champions, U18 team event, France team coached by Éric Vaquier
2019 — European champions, U15 team event, France team coached by Éric Vaquier
2018 — European champions, U18 team event, within the French junior coaching staff
2018 — World runners-up, U15 team event, within the French coaching staff
Former national head coach of the French snooker team
Holder of the DEJEPS advanced sports coaching diploma, billiards specialism
EBSA / WPBSA qualified snooker coach
Specialist in mental preparation and coach education
