Pool techniques?

[Mellow Yellow]

Hi, just a thought but, how did everyone become interested in playing pool?
I started just playing in the local pub, now i represent the local team and we won both the league and cup of the winter league and are currently top of the league and still in the cup in the summer league.

But my point is, i feel as though i am limiting myself as to how far i can take my game, i have become very interested in the game and i know there will always be room for improvement.

How can i improve firstly my technique and secondly my match game brain ie strategy? its not just a case of watching matches on tv as i do not have sky.

Is there any good 8 ball coaching dvds available or does anyone have any of the old world championships recorded which i could buy/watch?

Or any other suggestions?

[Watford]

Jason Twist has some coaching videos out (only on VHS though)!
I think uk8ball.com sell them. I probably wouldn't bother with them though better to spend the money on a snooker coach I think.
My mate has some world champs videos; he got them from Yarmouth at the interleague finals I think!
Get playing for the town team (interleague) you'll see a step up in play there; then look at county!
By county standard it's mostly about dishing every visit but you still get the odd fudger!
Good practice is important I think!
Don't just pot ball have routines and know where the white is going (Wish I followed my own advice).

[Mellow Yellow]

Thanks Watford,

Where does superleague fit into this, as we did so well last year it was mentioned that a few of our players may get a call up. Is this the inter town standard? and then from there next up is county?

Next winter we'll be up aginst some teams who have players who play all over the country, hopefully i'll be able to pick up a few things from them.

In the mean time i'm going to go back to basics and work on my stance and cueing action.

also i've found some championship dvd's on ebay, what do you think?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-DVD-SET-OF-8...QQcmdZViewItem

[Watford]

Inter-league super league are the same thing!
It used to be called super league and alot of people still call it that.
It's funny how it helps playing agaist better players. If you step up to super league you might struggle at firt then you'll sudenly realise that everyone is beatable! I've beat plenty of county players in my time!
The DVDs look ok for a fiver!

[Blondie]

Hey Mellow,

..............and I've just read your thread, and just followng on from what Watford said really, and I tend to play an awful lot more snooker than 8-ball, but my practice partner does, so I tend to play the odd game or two with him. And you mentioned about match game strategy, which is an interesting one, and I always find if you can try to play out the whole table in your head before potting, so that you have a plan for making each ball, and a sequence to execute the balls in, that this really helps. So locating the 8-ball, and the key balls to get to it. And just really having a really good look at any potential problems in the layout of the balls, and any little clusters, or isolated balls, and blockers, and potential ways around them.

And maybe within the game plan as well, if you can keep, where possible, the last couple of balls in the open too, and so they can be easily hit from almost anywhere, and anything that requires exact precision, and a bit more accuracy let's say, just generally try to clear very early. And it just makes it easier at the end really.

8-ball can be quite a tactical game too, and ball positioning plays a big part, and one of the things I've learnt with say a buried ball for example, or maybe even a cluster that prevents a runout from the start, is that it's best to try and attack it with the first or second shot, or at least have some sort of plan in your mind by that time anyway. Because usually after you've shot the first two or three open balls off the table, just to get you in stroke, it's too late. And if I can't really find a way to make or break the potential problem ball(s) in the first one or two shots, I just try to break it free and play safe, early in the game, or place a ball near as possible to the trouble ball for a later breakout and play safe.

There's always potential for you to make more mistakes as well as you have quite a few shot options open to you in 8-ball, but there's always your opponent's balls blocking as well. And I think too that there is always going to be games and matches where you can never seem to hit that one ball, and get it clear, and it maybe just a case that it's easy enough to hit, but leaving yourself a shot, or even breaking it clear of blockers is not as easy. And I think this kind of scenario really takes us back to our original game plan and figuring out earlier on where exactly you need the balls to be, and moving the balls to better positions will help solve this problem.

You also mentioned technique, which is another interesting one, and maybe different to an extent for many of us, although I think there is something about continually practicing what you already know, and also trying to stay focussed on your patterns of making balls, and taking natural paths from shot to shot, leaving if you can, natural angles to get up and down the table. And I think as well trying not to stir the table up with shots that have the cue ball flying around everywhere, which to be honest, is easier said than done. And another tip I've learnt as well is to try to shoot position with the cue ball moving generally along the line of your intended next shot and not cross the line. It's alot more forgiving this way, and to an extent extreme accuracy is not required in final position.

And we don't always get to watch the pros on tv, or at tourneys, but when you do I think it's great from a learning perspective as well as they always, to me anyway, seem to be able to make the runouts look so easy, and I think this is generally because they have really good cue ball control, and also a really good draw technique. For me lately though, cue ball control helps, and draw, but also it's a case of attemtping a shot, if I really believe say 95 - 100% that it will go in, or attempting a shot if I really believe that it will leave my opponent in a bad position.

And hope this helps a little Mellow, and good luck with all the matches in the league, inter league, and super league, sounds wonderful.......

Lol..........xx

[daveinaustria]

Skills-wise, practicing using side, check-side, backspin and follow-through to gain position on the next ball is always good - and it's easier on a pool table, as you don't have to compensate on your potting angle. In practice, try setting up problems on the table to deal with and repeat.

Tactics-wise, I would say, while an early clear up is always good, don't look to be trying it every time. Sometimes when the balls are in awkward positions, it's better to play a tight tactical game, slowly developing your own balls and covering the pockets, while leaving your opponent in difficulties. There's nothing worse than trying to do too much in one visit and then finding yourself with one ball left, at which point, your opponent can take his time developing his balls while snookering you to death.

[hegeland]

As to improve quickly in any sport, there is only one way to go IMO: get someone to film you as you're playing. Does wonders with just about every part of your game!

[Marc]

Another good technique is you need to first find a comfortable, relaxed grip on the cue, and make sure it is consistent throughout your stroke. you have to try not to tense up half way through a match or your perfectly well aimed shot will fall apart because your stroke will skew to the left or right and become erratic. If your grip is to tight on the cue it will tense up muscles in the forearm which will cause your stroke to perform even more erratically. If you can concentrate on that and keep practicing you should improve a lot. Good luck!

[daveinaustria]

As for how i became interested in pool, my dad was (and still is) a really good local player, my granddad (God rest him) was a good county level billiards player and so i was kind of born into green baize nappies. I was always more into pool than snooker, as i found that i didn't have the skill to be a good snooker player, but had enough to play pool easily. I also found at pool i could beat superior players by out-thinking them in tactical exchanges and pulling off inventive trick shots. When i was 16 i went to sixth form college where, lo and behold, there was a pool table in the common room. A group of us also used to skive off on Wednesday afternoons to play down at the local pub or snooker hall. Later, i joined a pub pool team, ending up playing in the same team as my dad, which was great. My granddad also came into the pub later on for a game or two after the matches and a few games of killer. Ah, happy days...

[Antonio]

Pool techniques?

Hi friends , generally we faced difficulty in placing the cue ball.The cue ball will jump at an angle equal to the angle at which it is struck. This means that the higher your cue stick, the higher the jump angle of the cue ball.That's it

[Mellow Yellow]

Hi friends , generally we faced difficulty in placing the cue ball.The cue ball will jump at an angle equal to the angle at which it is struck. This means that the higher your cue stick, the higher the jump angle of the cue ball.That's it

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