Equipment to improve your game

The best training aid I ever used was a glass coke bottle on my kitchen table...I would spend hours when 14 years old touching the back of the glass with my tip, making sure not to hit the rim. Cheap and effective.

If you shoot your cue so deep into the bottle opening that you touch the bottom wouldnt you have to drop your shoulder to keep the tip from not dropping on a natural follow thru???
 
Thanks again for the replies. A little of my pool playing history might help. I started playing at about age 13, and about 18 started running the local pool hall, so I played every day for about 3 years. Never had real lessons, although the guy that owned the place would throw out advice on occasion. I have put in a lot of hours, playing regularly until I got married, then picked the game back up about 5 years ago after a 25 year layoff. I believe I have improved slightly from when I quit, thanks mainly to learning a lot about how to aim from this site, but I might be fooling myself. I play pretty much every day, but there are times when I wonder if an LD shaft would improve my game, or a different tip, or something I haven't thought about. Thanks again.

My story is not too different than yours. I picked up a LD shaft when buying a cue from an acquaintance about 6 years ago.

I would recommend one to everyone & especially those that use english in any significant amounts.

I've tried some shafts with Kamui Medium tips. I bought one but changed the tip to a soft.

I don't think you will like going to a harder tip since you've played so much with soft tips, but I could be wrong.

I've also tried a glove recently & it seemed to help some but I'm in the muggy South. So that may not be of any real help to you.

Also, I prep my tip with a tip prik & apply a good layer of Blue Diamond Chalk to it & then use regular Masters Chalk while playing. I almost never miscue & I shoot at the limit rather often.

Good luck on supplying YOUR case with whatever might help YOU.

Best Wishes,
Rick

PS Here is something that may or may not help as I do not know where you are is this regard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2gcgqUt00w
 
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:lovies:



With the right pool cue in your hand...the game will be a lot easier.

It's like a magic wand. Cruise control, power steering, power breaks....


The right pool cue and the right tip will make a huge difference.

My magic wand is an old Meucci with no fancy dots on it.



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Some are going to foo foo the LD shaft thing.

I played for over 40 years with regular maple.

No one is saying that anyone NEEDS an LD shaft.

But if a rifle sight is off by 12 inches & you need to adjust for that every time you shoot & you can get a rifle that requires an adjustment of only ONE inch...

I think it is rather foolish to be stubborn & stick to the old rifle.

That said, some have spent so much time that they think that old rifle sight is not off at all...

And that's fine too as they have no NEED to switch.

We are ALL individuals & should make our own determinations.
 
I know that it's the Indian, not the arrow, but is there any equipment that a person needs to have to improve their shot making ability or cue ball control. I've always preferred soft tips and never played with an LD shaft, which are 2 things that I might need to change. Those things came to mind-anything else that I should consider. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Stick-on donuts so you can set shots up repeatedly. A chalk pencil to mark positions. A small mirror mounted on a stand so you can check yourself and banks. A notebook to keep track of your training and especially the shots you have trouble with in competition.

How well do you play now? How well do you score on the level 3 drills in this handout? http://www.sfbilliards.com/Misc/progpract.pdf (3A to 3D, 15 shots on each diagram)

Have you taken lessons?
 
What do you mean by this? (checking banks)

If you mount the mirror above the rail grove, you can see the exact mirror target for kicks and banks because you are using an actual mirror. There is a mirror on a stand specially designed for this. I don't know if it is still sold, but it would be easy enough to make your own (assuming you do wood-working).
 
^^^^^ This and about 5000-10,000 hours of table time. There are no shortcuts in this game, you have to put in the work.



The 10,000 hour rule is something I teach in medicine actually.

http://www.wisdomgroup.com/blog/10000-hours-of-practice/


That, and Miller's rule: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two


10,000 hours. Accept it. :smile:


And:
7+/-2 memory chunks is the limit for your working memory, that's 5 to 9 at a time. Make it easy and only try to use 5 memory chunks at a time, not everybody can manage 7 or 9 chunks anyway, so why push it? 5 is plenty.




Incidentally, 10,000 hours works out to five years of full time work (80 hours per week). Four years of med school plus one year of internship makes you a basic physician. But med school and internship are 80 hour per week propositions. Medicine is simply more demanding than other fields so we double the 10,000 hour rule for doctors. 20,000 hours to become a basic physician.

Then you finish at least two more years of residency and maybe fellowship at the same 80 hour rate (no overtime or breaks). Then you get a cush job working around 70 hours a week. Again, no overtime or breaks.

The point is, screw med school, learn to shoot pool! :thumbup:
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Thank you all again. A lot of useful information, and I will incorporate quite a bit of it in practice. Any further suggestions welcomed and appreciated!
 
If you want to go high tech you can look into QMD (www.cue-md.com). It'll help you develop a consistent straight stroke, and that's what a good stroke starts with.



Thank you all again. A lot of useful information, and I will incorporate quite a bit of it in practice. Any further suggestions welcomed and appreciated!
 
Equipment

Equipment huh?

IF you have your own table or have access to one that you can practice on, ONE of the greatest pieces of "equipment" I've given to many friends and players to use is the Bullseye Billiards boxed set.

What it does is give you immediate feedback on what you are doing and SHOULD be doing with your cue ball - and most importantly, it is structured. Similar to target pool, complete with great diagrams and even a self-scoring game for solo work or even with a pal.

I think the best $59 (at retail) you'll ever spend - and can pass along to the next person when you've mastered it

I agree wholeheartedly. Great investment....

I also watch a lot of videos to check patterns, etc.
 
A video camera.
It may help you find mistakes or refine your stroke.
You can also post videos here and ask advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzjousgGLjU&feature=youtu.be&t=420

That's a good link.

Tor's videos are very good, as he gets right down to matters with no fluff & no pumping up of himself in ANY manner. You can just sense that he wants to convey helpful info.

I think the most important part of this particular videos is at the 43:30 mark where he talks about getting the cue ball on the correct side of the NEXT shot line. That makes the game so much more easy & less stressful to play.

As the Aussies say, Good on You for sharing it.

Best 2 Ya,
Rick
 
LD shafts do have some disadvantages for some people; but in general, they do offer important advantages. That's why most top players today (especially the younger generation) use them.

Regards,
Dave

I'm glad you agree with my entire post, Dave.

I've said before that I can see a time coming when players will be using different cues for different shots much the way different clubs are used in golf.

That is if the rules do not prohibit that 'advancement'.

I've only been playing some one pocket for about 6 months & am not really seriously into it...yet...but I already see a 'need' for different tips at different times.
 
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The Brak Rack can really help training on the break and firm straight shot aim. Worth every penny I spent...
 
Some are going to foo foo the LD shaft thing.

I played for over 40 years with regular maple.

No one is saying that anyone NEEDS an LD shaft.

But if a rifle sight is off by 12 inches & you need to adjust for that every time you shoot & you can get a rifle that requires an adjustment of only ONE inch...

I think it is rather foolish to be stubborn & stick to the old rifle.

That said, some have spent so much time that they think that old rifle sight is not off at all...

And that's fine too as they have no NEED to switch.

We are ALL individuals & should make our own determinations.

I don't agree with you often (OK probably closer to never) but this one is point on.
 
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