a simple trick for players still learning the basics

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Silver Member
Just a stray thought that I believe might help a few people who haven't been playing too long.

This little trick prevents a very common mistake, getting too close to your next ball. After we have played awhile and know how to move the cue ball around we have a tendency to put the cue ball where we looked last before setting up for the shot. I try to leave the cue ball 18-30 inches away which gives me a little leeway either way, trying to enter that area at a good angle when possible gives tons of leeway.(try to traverse the zone as closely as possible to the line of your next shot, not from a right angle to the next shot) A simple trick, looking directly at the exact spot on the table that we want the cue ball to stop often gives me good results. I don't like indicating a spot with my stick, when we do that we let our opponent know just how accurate our shot was.

Part of the game is a battle for information, never give your opponent any you don't have to. That includes showing any displeasure with the results of a shot. The weaker we appear the more confident our opponent becomes and few things improve a person's game more than confidence that they are in control. The less control we have of ourselves and the table the more control the other player feels. A bad shot does the least damage when we laugh it off. If we can't laugh it off the next best thing is appearing to. With a little repetition the laugh will become real.

I guess the information in the second paragraph is another trick, in south Louisiana we always like to give lagnaippe, a little something extra!

Hu
 
Just a stray thought that I believe might help a few people who haven't been playing too long.

This little trick prevents a very common mistake, getting too close to your next ball. After we have played awhile and know how to move the cue ball around we have a tendency to put the cue ball where we looked last before setting up for the shot. I try to leave the cue ball 18-30 inches away which gives me a little leeway either way, trying to enter that area at a good angle when possible gives tons of leeway.(try to traverse the zone as closely as possible to the line of your next shot, not from a right angle to the next shot) A simple trick, looking directly at the exact spot on the table that we want the cue ball to stop often gives me good results. I don't like indicating a spot with my stick, when we do that we let our opponent know just how accurate our shot was.

Part of the game is a battle for information, never give your opponent any you don't have to. That includes showing any displeasure with the results of a shot. The weaker we appear the more confident our opponent becomes and few things improve a person's game more than confidence that they are in control. The less control we have of ourselves and the table the more control the other player feels. A bad shot does the least damage when we laugh it off. If we can't laugh it off the next best thing is appearing to. With a little repetition the laugh will become real.

I guess the information in the second paragraph is another trick, in south Louisiana we always like to give lagnaippe, a little something extra!

Hu

Hu,
You sound like a world famous Lock Society member! Good, teaching pool to people that want to improve their pool game. Good post.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
For the Beginners

C.lock just want to say a little something for the beginners. As Hu said, better control of the cue ball is the key to this game. Even I don't know what that really means and I have played for 5 yrs. I guess what I'm trying to say is get pass using speed to measure distance. Thats the biggest block for beginner to average player status.
 
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