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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

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.

Photo © Michael Flippo - 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

Everyone would love to run an 8ball rack every game.  Although its unlikely to happen every single game we can at least increase our chances, increasing our winning margin in the process.

Strategy no.1 - Not leaving an open shot for your opponent

Every shot you play in a game has two purposes.  The first purpose being pot a ball and the second to make sure that you have not left an opportunity for the opponent should you miss.  Its a sort of yin/wang of the pool world.

When you fully commit to a shot without at least an idea of safety then you are leaving the gate open for your opponent to win.  I’m not saying that we can manage to play every shot with safety but the greater the amount of shots played that way then the greater our chances of winning.  You’ll see the safety shot a lot more toward end-game when players are trying to give it their all not to lose, but why not play these shots from the start.  It will always force the opponent to think, taking them out of their confident zone.

Make them play the game your way.

Photo © Erick Nguyen - Fotolia.com