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Thinking ahead ? shots

Make a definite plan of how you will take on the game.  Think several shots ahead.  Most pro’s will tell you the whole game
has already been played out in their mind before the play a shot.

Start off by thinking two shots ahead then three and so on.  This way you can change to this new way of playing without going the whole
distance in one go.

Some of the benefits of this way of thinking are:
* Greater awareness of the table
* Thinking of a correct order in which the balls should be potted
* It help you think of a game plan which you will play against your opponent e.g. more defensive game etc

I never ran a rack until I played the game this way.  I remember the first time I made a complete clearance of all 8 balls in competition, Wow!

Make them play the game your way.

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The most important thing if you want to become an ace in billiards is the accuracy. As there is really a very small margin of error while playing with a formidable opponent, you need to think before any shot you take.

The billiard drills can teach you how to get into the mind of your opponent. The constant practice will hone up your skills as an accurate billiard player. These billiard drills are actually a plan about playing a series of successful shots in order to have the larger share of the score. The plan is to hit the balls in such as way that the cue ball is well placed for your next shot. In professional billiards this is regarded as the single most element of success. Being a beginner you can learn to play billiards like a professional, if you can spend sometime everyday on the practicing the billiards drills.

The billiard drills can provide with the special tips, help you to be patient and relax while you are in a shot. But the last word is always the practice. The more you practice, more you improvise on your skill. Once you are sure about your techniques, practice them and you can see yourself succeeding in this skill.

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Practice makes perfect. And that is true for billiards as well. As you know full well, it is not just about hitting the ball with the cue but a substantial set of subtler skills that makes a billiard player a true master at his game. Hence you need to practice if you wish to compete and show those casual friends of yours where they stand. A fine set of billiard drills can be utilized by you to improve your skills
Concentrating on the cue ball
For most new players, the object ball takes up more of their attention than the cue ball itself. End result? A bungled shot. Line up a series of object balls in a horizontal line across the table. Try and hit each ball absolutely straight after lining up the cue ball with it. If it deviates from the rectilinear, you did not stroke straight and lost concentration.
Perfect Shot control
Set the cue ball and the object ball a little distance away from the rail, in a straight line. Try to hit the object ball with a perfect kill shot and make the cue ball follow the object ball into the corner pocket. Neither should touch the rail.

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The game of artistic billiards is as interesting as its name. If you wish to play artistic billiards, your shots require absolute precision. This game demands a player of great caliber as the shots are taken from pre-determined positions. There are 76 pre-designated shots and they are categorized according to their difficulty of execution. As a player of artistic billiards, you do not have the choice of taking a shot from a position of your choice.

If you are one of those who have a knack for hitting the bulls eye every time, you can take a shot at artistic or fantasy billiards. Accuracy and precision rule the roost in the game. There are a total of 500 points up for grabs. Depending upon the difficulty level of hitting each shot, points are assigned to each of the shots. For a comparatively easier shot, a maximum of four points can be scored. If you manage to take a clean strike at the most difficult shot, you gather 11 points in your kitty.

Your cue is your tool to success. A player can use a maximum of twenty different kinds of cues, each of them designed to hit from a particular position. With a whole range of improvised shotmaking techniques in your armor, you can emerge as a successful player.

Do you wish to become a professional billiards player and join the ranks of all time greats or at least be in the same league as champions.  There are many who have made it to the top by virtue of their talent and sheer hard work.

Apart from playing the game earnestly, you also need to take care of certain finer points. For example, joining a club of professional billiards players or interacting with state level players would give you an insight on how the game is played on professional level. Participating in tournaments that attract maximum viewer attention and are extensively covered by international channels like World 8-Ball Championship, 9-Ball Challenge and U.S Open One Pocket Championship and is the perfect way to enter the realm of professional billiards.

Professional billiards players look up to a win in any of these tournaments. You also tend to earn respect amongst the followers of the game. Following the career of these players would give you an idea about how to chalk out your career plan and go about it. Finally but most importantly there is no other alternative to continuous practice and it is the key to becoming a professional billiards player.

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Does thinking about indoor games evoke memories of endless sessions of pool and snooker with your friends? If you are an avid fan of billiards or snooker, you must know about the different types of balls used for the different games. A game of carom is never played with the ball used for American style pool game.

Lets take, for example, the ball sets used for snooker games. The standard snooker balls measure 52.5 mm in diameter, however some balls also measure 52.4 mm. They have no standard weights, however, they usually weigh around 3 g. On the other hand, for a game of three-cushion, straight or balkline, you need balls that are 61.5 mm in diameter.

If you specialize in the game of Russian pyramid, you need to use a different set of billiards balls (with 68 or 72 mm diameter) from those used in Bumper pool (balls with 52.5 mm diameter). The blackball (British-style pool) uses 4.76 cm cue balls and 5.08 cm object balls, while the American-style pool uses balls with 5.715 cm in diameter.

Do you know how the balls where initially manufactured? They were fashioned out of ivory from elephant tusks. However, today phenolic resin is the most common material used for manufacturing these balls.

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Billiard practice drills are practice modules to impose better perfection and control over the game of the players. Before start playing with billiards drills-practice module, you should better set you own goal for the year, otherwise the repetitiveness of the practice drill module may hamper on play style.

The popular billiard drill practices are:
When the ball is thrown on the table, in any order, you should run 100 balls consecutively.
You need to run 100 balls without making a miss without allowing the cue ball in touching a rail.
Running three successive sets of 13-ball exercise without a single miss
Running three successive sets of 12 ball exercise without any miss
Running one set of the 14-ball exercise without making a miss
Scoring a 16 or higher in the 8-ball mid term exam
Scoring a 16 or higher count in 9-ball-mid –term exam
Shooting 100 stop shots, keeping apart 3-4 diamonds into pocket of the corner without making any miss
Delivering 20 successful stun shots without making any miss
Delivering15 uninterrupted 2-7-2’s, connecting the diamonds, and stopping the cue ball within a CD diameter of the center of the table
Shooting all lessons from the Lesson in order with maximum five misses
Shooting 25 sets of the 4-ball exercise without making any mistake in the session

These practice drills will ensure a consistence in performance and ideal technique for the beginners as well as for the average players. We cannot count the masters for their practice skill because they are genius and genius designs his own way to practice.

For more info please take a look at www.themonk.com/

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Checking the difficult balls first

What are your difficult balls, where are they at and what will it take to sort these situations out.

On your opening shot after the break take a good look arond the table.  Are there any balls stuck to a rail,
blocked by other balls or locked in a cluster.  How can you make these situations good. Can you cannon these balls
after a pot.  Will they free up with a small nudge or will it take a larger impact to make the shot.
Will the opponent do this for you.  If they need to free their own balls from your then why not let them do it.  Makes sense.

On the practice table try pocketing one ball and making an impact with another.  It takes practice at first but then you start
to get a feel for the shot.

Remove the difficult balls then you have a real chance at the run out.  Balance the game, don’t let the opponent take the initiative.

Make them play the game your way

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Wish you could try your hand at another interesting indoor sport? Why not try out for Russian Pyramid billiards if you are in the mood for experimentation? Russian Pyramid is an variation of billiards and has rules and regulations quite different from the regular games of pool and snooker you are accustomed to playing.

Russian Pyramid billiards is played with 16 balls, of them 15 ivory-white in color and 1 red that serves as the cue ball with which the game starts. The balls are of 68 mm or 71 mm diameter. The standard size of the table used for this game is 12 ft, however, you can also play it on 7 ft, 8 ft or 9 ft table.

You need to choose an opponent if you are interested in trying out Russian Pyramid, or if you have a group of friends, divide them into two teams and start playing. The pockets on the table are only 2-4 mm larger than the balls. So be careful when hitting a ball, a foul could cost you a loss of a hard-earned win.

You can win a game of Russian Pyramid billiards after you have pocketed 8 balls.

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Antique pool cues are crafted out of the finest of woods and carved meticulously to maintain the perfect balance and size. When they were made, sophisticated machines were no where in picture, naturally each antique pool cue is an ode to engineering.

First billiard cues saw the sunlight in 17th century. When players hit the ball with the plain wood, they felt the need of control. Then the tips were introduced in 19th century by Francoise Mingaud. In 1845, Brunswick made the first cue of billiard for itself. These cues were carved out of maple, ebony and rosewood. European antique cues are very popular and preferred. France and Germany set their standard in making cues by using exotic woods and stylish makes.

There are certain key features that boast of their being antique. First of all, their handles. There would be intricate work. Many high-profile and sophisticated cues come with expensive inlays made of gold, silver or mother of pearl. Their packaging and presentation is impressive as well. They come wrapped in silk like material.

These beautiful billiard props are good collectibles. The antique pool cues enhance your social value when collectors put them in their billiard room for display.