My game is stuck

[coveg]

Advise needed for being stuck.

I play pool now for +- 4 years. I play probably 5 hours per week. My problem is that I am getting stuck on finishing the table. From break I pot on average 4-5 balls some times 6-7 but then end up not potting the black. and losing the game.
It feels like I do not have luck on the last balls positions. they always lie in a crap position and then I struggle to loosen them up.

Were am I going wrong

[Krypton]

your problem might be the tactics/planning of your run out.

If you leave the difficult balls to the end, it's nothing but normal to miss em and let your opponent in with an open table to clear up.

try to disturb and move these balls FIRST, for several reasons:

- whenever you miss a cannon or the ball does not end up in a good position, you got escape pots with other, easy balls, that you left for that purpose
- if you manage to pot the difficult balls, then running out becomes a lot easier because of the balls left: they are the easy ones, which can be made from anywhere into several pockets, and where you have a wider margin of error, positional wise.
- should you miss at the beginning, trying to pot one of the difficult ones, you leave your opponent a more difficult table: more of your balls are left disturbing him, maybe one of the difficult ones you just tried is sitting over a pocket and blocking that pocket...


always try to solve problems/disturb problem balls as early as possible would be my advice.

[submarine]

I think this is probably due to more pressure on the final shot to win the game and has now perhaps become partly psycological as you may be thinking you are going to miss before you play the shot. I'm no Paul McKenna but you need to tell yourself you will pot the black and just keep practicing.

[dantuck_7]

It could also be that you are going for the clearance too early. Think about manouevering your balls around earlier on, refusing pots, covering a pocket if neccessary.

Maybe try and get a decent snooker, take the pressure of yourself and clear with 2-shots. As Krypton was saying good general rule is to try and leave closest red/yellow to black for finish.

[coveg]

your problem might be the tactics/planning of your run out.

If you leave the difficult balls to the end, it's nothing but normal to miss em and let your opponent in with an open table to clear up.

try to disturb and move these balls FIRST, for several reasons:

- whenever you miss a cannon or the ball does not end up in a good position, you got escape pots with other, easy balls, that you left for that purpose
- if you manage to pot the difficult balls, then running out becomes a lot easier because of the balls left: they are the easy ones, which can be made from anywhere into several pockets, and where you have a wider margin of error, positional wise.
- should you miss at the beginning, trying to pot one of the difficult ones, you leave your opponent a more difficult table: more of your balls are left disturbing him, maybe one of the difficult ones you just tried is sitting over a pocket and blocking that pocket...


always try to solve problems/disturb problem balls as early as possible would be my advice.

Thanxs for that.

I makes allot of sence what you are saying.
I will defenately give it a go.

[burwatchampion]

if you are sure your opposition will not clear up then you could let them break then set up balls for your next visit. eg: cover a pocket where is balls are !
And remember if you can pot a ball, knock one of his to the cushion and still be in position it can knock his spirit too!

[hatterboard]

pool is very simple. 7 an black. as has been said, if yer relying on spot on position for yer last bad one, yer had better be very good. develop as yer go along. if yer have to take a harder pot to develop a bad one, then do so. if poss work out on yer first visit yer last colour an how it gets yer onto sooty. work back from black. if yer struggle with any type of positional shot regarding the cueball, then work on it. nudges an flicks are helpfull but yer dont need to develop balls on the cushion if yer playing on a decent table (they will go)
if yer can get 6/7 then how about adapting yer game so they go game first an yer mop up after ? if yer can develop a tactical side (without boring the arse off all) it allows yer to win games yer presently losing.

[calebk]

I think krypton and hatterboard have pretty much summed it up. Clearly your potting is of a decent standard, it's just the positioning you're having trouble with. You make most of your luck in pool and as krypton already mentioned dealing with the problem areas first will make the runout a lot easier. I always try to break up clusters as soon as possible.

Also if you're not getting decent position on the final balls, try practicing spinning the cue ball round a few rails, assuming of course that you don't already do this. It's very easy to clear 5 or 6 balls using only centre ball, but there will always be one shot that you can't get position on. If you can incorporate some spin into your positioning, the game will be a lot easier. Hope this helped.

[hatterboard]

having read this again, without being rude, its about becoming table savvy. has yer game moved on ?
contrary to public opinion pool isnt always a bangers game. the art is knowing yer way round the table. refining yer skills an knowing very early where the problems lay. watching good players will show yer what needs adapting to yer game. the problem with pool is, very average cueists can win a frame of pool. even complete no hopers can win a single game. thinking about it now, this leads the same average cueists to over rate their abilities. even if yer dont need the prefect technique for pool, hard work an application is whats required.

[coveg]

Changing my strategy and thinking takes a bit of time,the game of pool is unfortunately from the break, and to sum it all up to suite your ability. I have had some good ones and a few bad ones. Its all learning. When my game goes off I try to make changes to make my overall game better, some times it takes longer to get my game better but when it gets there it stays longer and my confidence increases,unfortunately by changing my strategy my confidence when out of the window. So I changed my cue to a very life cue for more spin to get the stuck balls looser so I am struggeling a bit with white ball control at the moment but it is getting better every day.

[mirceapopa]

hy

tray more practice!