The Ultimate Rail Drill

[DandyA]

you're missing the point peeps! forget about potting, American pool (certainly 9-ball or 14:1 which I watch) is about position - the pockets are quite literally buckets so forget about potting ... think position ...

whenever I watch a 9-ball rack on youtube, I watch the break-off and then freeze frame and see if I can work out how to run out the rack (if I had the skill) ... sometimes it's easy but most of the time it's not ...

ace-man is totally wrong in saying that one silly mistake loses the match - it may well lose that rack (just as one silly mistake may lose a frame of snooker) but it doesn't lose the match ...

there's no point going into a "which is the most skilful game" argument because they are very different games, all I'm trying to point out is American pool is about position, not potting ... I did see Steve Davis run a very creditable 50 something in 14:1 though

oh, and for all the nay-sayers, I'm surprised you're only moaning about the pockets - American tables also have those little diamond thingies on the rail to make it even more easy-peasy

[ace man]

DandyA mate, it is clear to me that you have no tournament experience in American pool.

It is both about potting and position...leaving good angles, but also moving the cue ball as little as possible to avoid risks of snookering yourself and to make potting even easier. Some people think just because the pockets are buckets compared to snooker pockets that you can be on autopilot all the time and just focus on position. I wish that were true but it just ain't so. If the pocket just barely accepted the ball, you'll probably get unexpected angle, i.e. bad position. Shooting too hard will rattle the pocket...adrenalin bombs are not accepted. Deliberately cheating the pocket down the rail to achieve better position is something different.

British players who are now good at American pool have definite advantage as far as potting goes over other pool players. Having background in snooker is a blessing. If potting were not as important as position, they'd never win.

Silly mistakes do lose matches because they are very embarrassing and very hard to forget. They really do your head in and test your character. Big pockets just add more pressure and more embarrassment when you miss. This game is a pressure cooker. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have seen really good players miss easy final 9ball.

You also mention diamonds on the rail. Well, this is a left over from carom billiards, guys who play 3 cushion billiards use diamond systems a lot. At pool they could be used for escaping from snookers, but from my experience very few pool players use it or are even familiar with those systems.

[DandyA]

yes, you're quite right ace-man ... I've re-read my previous post and it reads like I was singling you out which wasn't my intention at all - my intention was to try and slightly redress the balance of those who think it's a silly game because of the size of the pockets ... and your point that you won't get good position if you don't pot accurately is, of course, spot on ...

it's a very skilful game, I enjoy watching it just as much as snooker (especially the Mosconi Cup) ...