High Praise,Best Recommendation for Book

D

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
"One Pocket,A game of Controlled Aggression"
by Tom wirth

I have been around pool for over 60 years,as a kid I bought every book I
ever found,only to have wasted my time almost every time

with the exception of Ray Martins and maybe 2 others,I learned next to nothing

The new books are complex ,hard to understand,technical and confusing

But then i saw Tom Wirth play pool,so I bought his book for about $60

It is well written,contains many examples and explains the essence of the game.

It has great philosophy of the game,the why and wherefore,it explains in a way that
a man with a teachable spirit might actually learn to be a great player

It didn't waste any time with stance,posture,stroke etc,filler material that most books include
because they actually a \have little to say


This book speaks to the heart of the matter,how to think and shoot in such a way as
to control the game

If i were not at the end o my playing days,I would go to Florida and spend a few days with Tom.It would be worth a few thousand dollars to master aspects of the game that
I never even knew i didn't know

I am not a good pool player but I am considered a good mover,one of the best
in Dallas,but I realized after reading Tom's book that I was way too passive
my offense was weak and Tom demonstrated to me that offense is what
its all about in one pocket

Not crazy wild shots.not gopher shots.
If you don't know what I am talking about

Buy the book Do yourself a favor,
You can learn more in a few hours than you will in years
without it,in fact you may never understand what one pocket is all about
unless you buy this book

Dean
 
Last edited:
deanoc said:
"One Pocket,A game of Controlled Aggression"
by Tom wirth

I have been around pool for over 60 years,as a kid I bought every book I
ever found,only to have wasted my time almost every time

with the exception of Ray Martins and maybe 2 others,I learned next to nothing

The new books are complex ,hard to understand,technical and confusing

But then i saw Tom Wirth play pool,so I bought his book for about $60

It is well written,contains many examples and explains the essence of the game.

It has great philosophy of the game,the why and wherefore,it explains in a way that
a man with a teachable spirit might actually learn to be a great player

It didn't waste any time with stance,posture,stroke etc,filler material that most books include
because they actually a \have little to say


This book speaks to the heart of the matter,how to think and shoot in such a way as
to control the game

If i were not at the end o my playing days,I would go to Florida and spend a few days with Tom.It would be worth a few thousand dollars to master aspects of the game that
I never even knew i didn't know

I am not a good pool player but I am considered a good mover,one of the best
in Dallas,but I realized after reading Tom's book that I was way too passive
my offense was weak and Tom demonstrated to me that offense is what
its all about in one pocket

Not crazy wild shots.not gopher shots.
If you don't know what I am talking about

Buy the book Do yourself a favor,
You can learn more in a few hours than you will in years
without it,in fact you may never understand what one pocket is all about
unless you buy this book

Dean
Click to expand...

I have a buddy that lives not far from Tom in Florida and he takes lessons from Tom. I bought the book for my son directly from Tom. He will sign the book for you and ship it out. Tom is a gentleman and extremely accessable.
 
Ray Martin's book is garbage.

No idea why people tout it so highly.

From: a guy who's read a small library of books on the subject
 
BOOKS worth reading

Ray Martin is a 3 time World Straight Pool Champion - his book (99 Critical Shots in Pool) is worth the $$ . . . perhaps "Buckets"should tell us all he knows in a book of his own . . .
 
buckets said:
Ray Martin's book is garbage.
No idea why people tout it so highly.
From: a guy who's read a small library of books on the subject
Click to expand...
That's a harsh toke, Dude!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0763.JPG
    IMG_0763.JPG
    53.1 KB · Views: 393
deanoc said:
"One Pocket,A game of Controlled Aggression"
by Tom wirth

I have been around pool for over 60 years,as a kid I bought every book I
ever found,only to have wasted my time almost every time

with the exception of Ray Martins and maybe 2 others,I learned next to nothing

The new books are complex ,hard to understand,technical and confusing

But then i saw Tom Wirth play pool,so I bought his book for about $60

It is well written,contains many examples and explains the essence of the game.

It has great philosophy of the game,the why and wherefore,it explains in a way that
a man with a teachable spirit might actually learn to be a great player

It didn't waste any time with stance,posture,stroke etc,filler material that most books include
because they actually a \have little to say


This book speaks to the heart of the matter,how to think and shoot in such a way as
to control the game

If i were not at the end o my playing days,I would go to Florida and spend a few days with Tom.It would be worth a few thousand dollars to master aspects of the game that
I never even knew i didn't know

I am not a good pool player but I am considered a good mover,one of the best
in Dallas,but I realized after reading Tom's book that I was way too passive
my offense was weak and Tom demonstrated to me that offense is what
its all about in one pocket

Not crazy wild shots.not gopher shots.
If you don't know what I am talking about

Buy the book Do yourself a favor,
You can learn more in a few hours than you will in years
without it,in fact you may never understand what one pocket is all about
unless you buy this book

Dean
Click to expand...

Tom's "book" (I hate calling it that) is a masterpiece of one pocket moves and shots. Well laid out and really stretches your mind on the why not just the what to do.

You want a Master Class in One pocket...pick this up. Only years after Tom is gone will we point to this work as the pinnacle one pocket "text books".
 
Buckets, you must not be that old. When Ray's book came out it was way ahead of almost everything out there. Since "99 shots" there have been many good books written but in the late 70's when I first got that book it was an amazing read for someone just getting into pool.
 
Poolhall60561 said:
Buckets, you must not be that old. When Ray's book came out it was way ahead of almost everything out there. Since "99 shots" there have been many good books written but in the late 70's when I first got that book it was an amazing read for someone just getting into pool.
Click to expand...

Agree! I got the book from the library and it blew everything else, including Mosconi's books, away. Much more than just the standard of basics.
 
i AM REMINDED OF THE TIME THE pHILLY FANS THROUGH SNOW BALLS AT AND BOOED SANTA CLAUSE

RAY MARTINS BOOK TAUGHT ME SOME SHOTS THAT I FOUND
HELPFUL

some idiot on az is always knocking something they know nothing about

I remember reading some where on here that Dean couldn't find his hole with an indian guide
the time he played Jack Breit AKA Jersey Red
 
Tom is not just a teacher....he could play.
He won the 1993 International One Pocket Tournament....
...beating Jose Parica in the finals...

for what it's Wirth
 
Lets not forget the main point
Tom Wirth teaches in straight simple language that addresses the needs of the player
He does try to complicate siomple issues and he makes the profound easy to understand with examples and parallel explanations that make it clear

he addresses each area fom different skill levels

I have the Eddie Robbins books,but they were not practical enough or helpful enough for me.
Tom analysesc the illustrations from several view oints and accomplishes what his purpose was,to get the reader to think like an experienced one hole player,and think for himself
no easy task

dean
 
Pray for Tom-Tom right now. He's in Florida. I told him to leave, evacuate, and he said he's going to hunker down and, if need be, will crawl underneath his pool table for protection. :grin:

Now, that's a diehard pool player for you. :cool:
 
There are no atheist pool players. We all at one time or another prayed for a good roll. As I am doing now.

Thanks all,

Tom
 
Great review, I've been looking to add this book to my library.

Now my question is what's so bad about Ray's book. Is there something in it that's not factual? I plan on working through it as soon as my table is setup.
 
In all my years ,i never met anyone who didn't like Ray's book until today
on this thread

if i were you i would buy both books,i did
 
Last edited:
deanoc said:
In ll my years ,i never met anyone who didn't like Ray's book until today
on this thread

if i were you i would buy both books,i did
Click to expand...

Already have the Ray book. As soon as I get my pool room done I can start working on my table. I then plan on working through Ray's book and another. I haven't bought Tom's book yet because I'm really focusing on 14.1.
 
pfd studios said:
Ray Martin is a 3 time World Straight Pool Champion - his book (99 Critical Shots in Pool) is worth the $$ . . . perhaps "Buckets"should tell us all he knows in a book of his own . . .
Click to expand...

Good player doesn't make a good writer.

Poolhall60561 said:
Buckets, you must not be that old. When Ray's book came out it was way ahead of almost everything out there. Since "99 shots" there have been many good books written but in the late 70's when I first got that book it was an amazing read for someone just getting into pool.
Click to expand...
Age has nothing to do with reading comprehension, and any argument that begins with "in my day" is not worth exploring.

Why hang on to old garbage when there are numerous better options out there?

99CS isn't exactly garbage, but it isn't a very good book for a new player. Too much info on straight pool, poorly rendered diagrams, very little about fundamentals and legitimately bad and incorrect advice about rail cuts. It's a fine read for an experienced player, however I'd never recommend it.

Better to start with Byrne's Standard or Dr. Dave's Illustrated Principles. Even Fels' A Smarter Way to Learn Pool might be a better first-read (and that book is far from new).
 
What Dean says about Tom's book is true...I have seen Tom's work on the table and brother he is impressive (I used to work for Tom in the billiard industry part-time some year ago). He was one of the most respected one pocket players in the DC metro area for a long time.

As far as Ray's book...it's number one out of my book collection. I have a first edition release and find myself going to it from time to time to reinforce my table acumen Looking forward to reviewing Bucket's pool instruction book should he ever decide to better the competition.
 
Last edited:
To each their own, but I'd disagree with the negative assessment of 99CS. It was my bible for the first 2 years that I played pool and I got my 12 year old his own copy last year - he's learned a great deal from there. Everyone learns differently but there hasn't been a book that's done more for my game than that one.
 
HouTexPlayer said:
To each their own, but I'd disagree with the negative assessment of 99CS. It was my bible for the first 2 years that I played pool and I got my 12 year old his own copy last year - he's learned a great deal from there. Everyone learns differently but there hasn't been a book that's done more for my game than that one.
Click to expand...


I agree. The layouts, for the most part are not very accurate, but I think it's a good book to have. Especially, if your relatively new to the game.
It's fun to re-read it from time to time. I usually find something I missed before.

I don't remember when it came out(maybe 90's), but back then, there really wasn't anything to compare it to. I'm a picture type of guy, so I loved learning those shots. I wore my original book out in less than 2 months.

I've given that book to 4 different people, all lower level players. They all said wow, they learned lots of shots, they never knew existed.

You still see that book in poolrooms, so it must have value.

I'm a big fan of Winning 1P, and SMS, but, as far as Tom's book goes, there has never been a better book published on 1P.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top