Want to improve? This is how. Part 1

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Okay, I mentioned in another thread how there are only a handful of shots that can improve your game and figured I'd get into it a little more in a series of threads. The biggest mistakes I see C/B level players make are outlined in these shots. Typically, these are shots that are well within the realm of what the player is already capable of, they're just not aware of the minute details.

The first one I'll discuss today are short angled shots. These are shots that you make nearly 100% of the time. If you spend a portion of your practice time working out EXACTLY how the cueball reacts, you can keep your cueball in line and extend a significant portion of your run-out attempts.

Please note - The balls should NOT be set-up exactly the same every time. You want to develop a feel for speed and spin which means you should mix it up a little.


CueTable Help


This first shot should already be in your arsenal but you want to have precision feel for it. You should never ever scratch and know exactly where your cueball will reach the rail. As you vary the location of the 9-ball, you should learn ways to avoid scratching in the side-pocket - when to play for the short-side, when to spin above the side, when to play with soft speed so you don't reach the side.




CueTable Help


This shot is far less trickier than it looks. You will quickly realize the key to this shot is to not use very much english. A 1 o'clock hit should give you enough spin to create the necessary z-shape. The important thing here is having a feel for going across the width of the table twice.




CueTable Help


This is one of my favorites and yet, I see it mishandled CONSTANTLY. Learn to do this shot only using side spin and gauge how much is necessary to safely avoid the side-pocket. You'll quickly realize how much room for error you have with speed as you enter the position zone from its widest point.






There are plenty of other short shots that you'll build into your game and you'll quickly realize their value (like the one below). However, many of these other shots won't be as sensitive as the three I outline.

CueTable Help

 
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big_wave_dav

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the insight. I really enjoy "seeing" the shots on the cuetable. So often I find myself just shooting one shot at a time & hoping I get position for another shot. This just reinforces the fact that I have to slow down & plan ahead.
 

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks Blackjack!


big_wave_dav - The important thing here is to be deliberate with your tip placement and speed. You don't want to just use spin. You want to use a specific amount of spin and you want to FEEL the spin reacting with the rail. It's a touch many straight pool players are expert in (which is why I think I got Blackjack's attention). However, this touch is important to have no matter which game you play.

As you get more and more comfortable with shots like these, you'll learn how you can use this knowledge for other shots like 1. when the object ball is near the middle of the table, 2. when the cueball is far from the object ball. It's a base to build from.


Here are extensions of the same concepts:

CueTable Help




CueTable Help



CueTable Help

 

BRKNRUN

Showin some A$$
Silver Member
Good stuff Jude.

All of these shots include a second rail...even for other shots that won't the CB will be traveling toward a second rail.

That being said...these diagrams fall right in line with something I was told when I just an up an coming banger.... I can't remember who told me this... or where I read it.....It was not something I learned on my own......but It is something that stuck with me and even today I continually work on perfecting......and I suspect that even pros continually work on perfecting this.... (except Efren)

I was told...one of the most important parts of playing shape was learning how to know where the CB was going to contact the "second" rail and learning how to "controle" where the CB will contact the second rail.

Although fairly basic stuff...is probably some of the most important parts of position play..... right behind speed of shot......Actually...speed of shot will facter into some of your shots diagramed.
 

frankncali

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Man it kills me not to be able to see the Cuetable on my computer. I have tried everything I can think of.

Maybe its time to buy a new version of Windows :mad:

If someone can could these layouts be posted in jpg form?
 

Ant812

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
good post, im going to print it out and give it to a guy on my team. he's a good shot but constantly messes these shots up(draws EVERYTHING)...a lot of times this being the difference between winning and losing.
hows that saying go about drawing? "it takes 5 minutes to learn and 5 years to learn when not to use it"
 

cleary

Honestly, I'm a liar.
Silver Member
Thank you very much jude.... after working on these shots, I might be able to beat you next season!
 

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
cleary said:
Thank you very much jude.... after working on these shots, I might be able to beat you next season!


All it takes is two glasses of Chivas and you can beat me all night. Three glasses and I might not even remember we played.
 

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
frankncali said:
Man it kills me not to be able to see the Cuetable on my computer. I have tried everything I can think of.

Maybe its time to buy a new version of Windows :mad:

If someone can could these layouts be posted in jpg form?


Does your computer give you a message when it fails to display a cuetable? If so, what is that message?
 

ScottW

Fo' shizzle!
Silver Member
Ugh, way too many cue tables - i.e. too many Flash instances.

What would rock is if you could just do screenshots of those things, once you've got them set up, and then just include the static images. It would load a loooot faster. But it would require more up front work...
 

MOJOE

Work Hard, Be Humble. jbk
Silver Member
Jude Rosenstock said:
Please note - The balls should NOT be set-up exactly the same every time. You want to develop a feel for speed and spin which means you should mix it up a little.

Jude, I feel that is some great advice that I rarely see in books that are full of drills. Moving the CB or OB just an inch or so can make a huge difference. When I first started doing drills a LONG time ago, I got way to caught up in the EXACT position of both balls. This of course, did me little good since that exact shot rarely if ever came up.

Rep for you, great thread. This is some of the priceless info that I like to see on AZ..

Peace, Mojoe
 

frankncali

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Jude Rosenstock said:
Does your computer give you a message when it fails to display a cuetable? If so, what is that message?


No just the little box in the top left corner.

I tried all kinds of things with Wei one time to get it to work. Its odd being it used to work for me and now nothing.

I believe I need a new windows and that this is some how related. The version I have isnt real old but it can not be updated or validated.

I have talked with Microsoft about this several times. They dont show my copy as invalid yet their validation process says that it cant be validated.

I even tried a WGA and validation hack and it wouldnt work. So I think I
need to fork up the bucks and get a new copy. I just dont want to do it since I can simply upgrade this one. It will be a hassle not to lose a lot of things on my hard drive. It was recommended by Microsoft not to use another HD and tried to "transfer"/ "expot" over what I want to the new version on the new HD. They said that if the existing verison was corrupt then it could easily corrupt the new version.

Its really the only thing I cant do on the net. Just happens that I play pool and would like to see the posts with the Cuetable in it.
 

klockdoc

ughhhhhhhhhh
Silver Member
frankncali said:
No just the little box in the top left corner.

I tried all kinds of things with Wei one time to get it to work. Its odd being it used to work for me and now nothing.

I believe I need a new windows and that this is some how related. The version I have isnt real old but it can not be updated or validated.

I have talked with Microsoft about this several times. They dont show my copy as invalid yet their validation process says that it cant be validated.

I even tried a WGA and validation hack and it wouldnt work. So I think I
need to fork up the bucks and get a new copy. I just dont want to do it since I can simply upgrade this one. It will be a hassle not to lose a lot of things on my hard drive. It was recommended by Microsoft not to use another HD and tried to "transfer"/ "expot" over what I want to the new version on the new HD. They said that if the existing verison was corrupt then it could easily corrupt the new version.

Its really the only thing I cant do on the net. Just happens that I play pool and would like to see the posts with the Cuetable in it.

Instead of using IE, why don't you load Netscape or Firefox as your browser. If you use either one of these, first delete Shock Player and Flash player. After you load the new browser, then reload the shock and flash and it should associate it with the new browser. I never use IE anymore.

Good Luck

Oh, and Frank, your PM box is full. :)
 
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MOJOE

Work Hard, Be Humble. jbk
Silver Member
For those who don't have flash, below are all .jpg files. Just right click on a PC and click SAVE AS.. to a location of
your choice.


position1.jpg

position2.jpg

position3.jpg

position4.jpg

position5.jpg

position6.jpg

position7.jpg
 
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cigardave

Who's got a light?
Silver Member
Frank - PM me your email addy and I'll send you two .JPG files of all seven shots that Jude diagrammed. There's six in one file and one in the second.

Best regards, cd.
 

kaznj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for sharing this material. I really enjoy going to the pool hall and practicing drills like this.
 
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