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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.

Photo © Vitaly Maksimchuk - Fotolia.com

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

Photo © Jeff Wilson - Fotolia.com

Cue sport involves balls of different sizes, colors, coatings and patterns etc that determine friction coefficient, resilience and hardness. Earliest pool balls were made of clay, wood and later ivory but contemporary balls are manufactured by plastic materials that are not prone to chipping or cracking.

In carom billiards, balls are not numbered and 61.5 mm in diameter. Here four/three balls are played with two red object balls and one white/yellow cue ball for each player. American style pool balls are larger than British pool balls and are widely used worldwide. These are 2.25cm in diameter with 0.005cm tolerance, colored and numbered. Typically there are nine-ball or eight-ball games played by fifteen balls in pocket billiards. In a British style blackball game 5.08 cm object balls and 4.76 cm cue balls are used but without any numbering. Twenty two colored balls of same weight and of 52.5 mm diameter (tolerance 0.05mm) are played in snooker.

In Russian Pyramid and Finnish Kaisa games, all-white numbered object balls are played by yellow/red cue balls. These balls are 68 mm or 72 mm in diameter. Bumper pool requires eight object balls and two special balls of approximately 52.5mm diameter. Also there are some special training balls for beginners and novelty balls like Blacklight, Boble ball, Tag ball etc.

Photo © TheThirdMan - Fotolia.com

Using the correct speed

How hard do you hit the object balls into the pockets?

Sure, it looks good to hammer them home into the pocket but what if you miss?
the balls have the tendency to go everywhere, making it a real possibility for the opponent to take control.

There are 3 main reason to use just the right amount of speed on a cueball:

1) To stay in control of the game.  Scattering every ball just aint being in control
2) Should you miss, you park the balls over a pocket and then you will also block that pocket for your opponent
3) These ‘locked pocket’ balls offer a ‘get out of jail’ shot should you run out of position.

Make them play the game your way

Photo © iofoto - Fotolia.com

Welcome to the billiards world of the unseen.
This is part 1 of our new microscopic billiards series.

Cue Tips
When you’re busy playing a game there’s no more that a little thought that goes towards the humble pool cue tip.  The poor tip is relegated to the back of your mind as you waltz around the table, yet remain so reliant on its performance.

Take a look at the image.  This is an image looking down onto a tip from above, scanned at x32 on an electron microscope.  Its amazing to see such detail.  Notice all the tiny cracks on the fibrous surface.  This is the bare surface of which the chalk will adhere to.  The chalk acts to keep these fibers from being impacted, thus keeping friction between cuetip and ball.  If you’re a greatly visual person like me then this post will help you to think why chalking needs to take place.  Next time spare a thought for the humble tip.

Image courtesy of www.8ballsecrets.com

Practice Games
Ask around and see where more serious players go to play pool.  You will probably find that these are places with the best tables.  To begin with it may be an idea to go at a time that is quiet so you can get plenty of practice in.  Take a friend with you and build up your confidence to play others.  When you feel ready try to visit at a busier time.  Try to play others,  watch and learn from how they play.

Joining a Pool Team
A brilliant way of improving your skills is to join a team.  When doing this consider what stage you are at and what you wish to gain.  In the beginning it may be an idea to find a team that likes to win but does not take it too seriously.  You can have a lot of fun while improving your game.  If you want something more competitive in the future you can alway look around for another team to join and with your new skills they will all be queing up to take you on!

Have fun!

photo © Vitaly Maksimchuk - Fotolia.com

Pool Tips for Absolute Beginners - Article 1

Pool Cues
This is a matter of preference and a very individual thing.  I would advise that you begin by using a ‘house cue’ until you get a feel for the game.  Once you feel you are progressing visit a sports store and try out their cues.  If you are playing with friends have a go of their cues to find out what you like.  You can also visit websites and check out what they have to offer. If you find a cue you like it always pays to shop around to get the best deal.

Chalk
You should also make sure you have a supply of chalk to put on your cue tip.  The rule of thumb with this is to chalk up after every shot.  This will reduce the likelihood of bad contacts and increase your accuracy in the shots you make.  Be consistent now, it will pay off in the long run.

Invest in a Good Instructional book
This kind of book should be dipped into when you want to improve a certain area of your game.  Invaluable knowledge can be gained from a little reading now and then.

photo © nazira_g - Fotolia.com

Learning to win again - making 8ball great once more

After we have not played for a while we sometimes get lazy to win.  We lose the initiative to go out to win and it becomes a burden upon us.  In occasions like these w need to step back from the normal and refocus.

Prepare well
When we prepare well we increase our chances of making that vital shot.  Make sure that if you’ve been away from it all for a while or if you not been playing well that you get down to the practice room.  Try out all the shots which bother you, after all there’s no need in practicing the shots you can manage already.

Commit to win
Make a commitment now as you read this that you will win x amount of games next time you play.  Don’t suddenly expect to win every game right-away.

It will all take time but one things for sure, each game will make you a better player.

Photo © thegarden - Fotolia.com

The DVD ‘The Baron And The Kid‘  starring Johnny Cash is about to be released in the UK on the 26th January 2009.  As we eagerly await the release of this DVD please find a brief synopsis below.  We will provide a DVD review in due course.

Synopsis:
The legendary Johnny Cash stars as William Addington - `The Baron’ - a former pool pro whose lifetime of boozing has cost him his career and family. In a final effort to straighten out his life, he quits drinking and plays pool for charity.

Billy Joe “The Cajun Kid” Stanley (Gregg Webb) is a brash, but gifted, young pool player. Managed by Jack Streamer (Darren McGavin), he travels from hall to hall swindling rivals.

Incredibly Cash discovers that “The Kid” is really his own son and now he has the chance to make amends for the errors of his life. He determines to try to guide the boy while keeping his real identity a secret.

Buy here at:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk