I learned how to play on an old 10 footer with directional cloth. It was at the boys and girls club in my town. I went there everyday for a couple summers and while I didn't develop a strong stroke, I did develop a straight one by having to shoot from one end of the table to the other all the time. When cloth started getting faster, I was older and thought at first that's why I could get more action from the cue ball. But eventually would come to realize the difference in modern cloth. While I do enjoy the ease of today's tables, I also kind of miss those old ones that were slow as molasses.
I started playing pool almost 10 YRS ago! I started out playing at a bowling alley with 9 ft gc1's with old nap cloth I know what slow is for sure! Anyway, I really got into it, playing 3-4hrs a day almost everyday, and putting quality practice in!
So a couple guys come in from a different bar, and they wanted to play so I said sure let's play! They introduced me to 9-ball, I only knew how to play 8-ball at the time, so we started playing and we were playing pretty even! So, they asked how come they haven't seen me around the league's? I told them I don't anything about leagues, this is the only place I play and they don't have any here! Plus I'm knew, I've only been playing for 8-9 months! They started laughing and saying we have been playing for over 10 YRS, and your already better than us lol!
So, we became pretty friendly, and 1 night they come by and ask me if I wanted to go there home room! I said sure let's go so I get there, and this was my first time on fast cloth! I'll never forget, I shot a couple balls and remembered how the balls just kept rolling and rolling and rolling. So, I had a nice straight shot, about 5 ft away from the object ball and I get down to shoot it, I knew this shot real well because it was my practice shot, I get down to shoot it, and I hit perfect,,, with the exception that I drew the cue ball back to about where it started! I couldn't believe what I just did!!! I had to hit that pretty hard at the bowling! Over there, I was just tapping it! I always find time to go there though I find playing on those tables with the slow cloth I have better control of the rock!
I do have to say though, I think today's cloth makes the game sooooo much easier but I guess it's a good thing, newer players will find it more enjoyable if they draw the cue ball the length of the table fairly soon! It took me almost 6 months to get a good draw stroke and after playing at the other bar, I'm sure I could of drawn the ball within a couple of months! But I wouldn't change how I started, the bowling alley taught me how to move the cue ball around with little effort