What is the One Major Player Flaw You See Most Often At The Pool Hall


Most of the people commenting here about Flaws, have never won a Major Pool Event like at DCC, US Open, or the old IPT. So they must also have FLAWS.

Sad part most of you forget is, you would have NO Local Pool Room, or Pool Bar to play in without the Recreational Players, Bangers, and those with FLAWS. They are the majority of these establishments customers. Without those customers, these place you can go play at would be closed, and out of business.


JMHO
 
GoldCrown said:
And gripping on the butt cap
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Funny that you consider that a flaw. I'm not sure if it's a snooker player thing, but I feel my most comfortable when gripping the butt of the cue. Probably why I generally don't bother with using an extension when most probably would.

As long as it doesn't alter the position of my wrist. I wouldn't think twice about holding the back end.
 
BilliardsAbout said:
Bridges are excessively long, causing inconsistent backstroke length, bad stroke arm angles, timing errors, and more.
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Now this is something that has never landed on my radar of shit that matters.... That said, I totally agree that this is something that would throw a player off.

My bridge length is a product of table traffic. You can't put your hand/forearm where the traffic is. Allowable stroke length is of course a byproduct of bridge hand. I think a player needs to be versatile in terms of stroke length. Not being so, is hallmark of a weak player.
 
The_JV said:
Now this is something that has never landed on my radar of shit that matters.... That said, I totally agree that this is something that would throw a player off.

My bridge length is a product of table traffic. You can't put your hand/forearm where the traffic is. Allowable stroke length is of course a byproduct of bridge hand. I think a player needs to be versatile in terms of stroke length. Not being so, is hallmark of a weak player.
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I agree with everything you said. However, I’m referring to amateurs who use 17" bridges when they should be using 5" bridges!
 
Quesports said:
Critiquing anyone’s game has always been a No No for me. Even when someone asks advice I get a bad feeling about giving it..

One day at Chris’s a guy I did not know asked to shoot some. Why not, let’s play.
I win the very first game and this Nit tells me I played the run out incorrectly. So I decide to ask him what I did wrong. He makes this stupid comment regarding what he thought I did wrong.

I turn my back on him and think, you imbecile you’re racking. So I decide to bring out my A game and teach him a lesson in humility.

We go from 8 ball to 9 ball then to 10 ball. He lost every single game for two straight hours. Buddy was watching the whole time knowing what I was doing.

Finally I got tired of thrashing his ass and pulled up saying I had to go.

About two weeks later in walks Bob again. I am doing some drills alone on a Diamond and he spots me. Hey Bob how you doing you want to shoot some, I ask?

He looks like oh shit it’s him and says no thanks I’m good. I follow that up with yeah I bet you are. He gets a rack of balls and goes into one of the back rooms not to be seen again.

Buddy looks down smiling and says yeah he’s good!!

Hopefully he learned a lesson that day and does not go around pretending he can play or even knows how to play.

He pissed me off!! He lost and wants to tell me what I did wrong. Then he lost for two hours straight!!!

Nits….
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Just to clarify, I didn't mean we'd literally be critiquing a casual player's game by trying to coach them. I just meant that, beyond a glance, I don't really pay much attention to anyone's stance, bridge, pattern play, etc unless they ask me to watch or want to gamble. When we walk into a pool hall or bar, the majority of the players on any given night are just recreational players. And I love them because they keep the industry afloat.

And I'm sure we've all had the unwanted advice from people who can't make two balls in a row. I got where I'd just agree with them because it wasn't worth my time or energy to argue. They already know everything.
 
The_JV said:
Funny that you consider that a flaw. I'm not sure if it's a snooker player thing, but I feel my most comfortable when gripping the butt of the cue. Probably why I generally don't bother with using an extension when most probably would.

As long as it doesn't alter the position of my wrist. I wouldn't think twice about holding the back end.
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Nothing is a flaw if the player can pocket balls
 
GoldCrown said:
Nothing is a flaw if the player can pocket balls
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I'm sure you're going to have people argue with you about that statement just because it's the internet. But I'm pretty sure I know where you're coming from. I've seen some people with the most insanely unorthodox fundamentals play lights out. Keith is probably the most well known one on here. But I also remember seeing a dude, not pro level but still pretty sporty, snap a tournament off and his warmup strokes about gave me epilepsy. It was some of the most herkie jerky stuff I've ever seen. But somehow he managed to dial in, make balls, and play position.

Solid traditional fundamentals will give the average person the best chance for success over the long term. But there will always be exceptions to any rule.
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
Just to clarify, I didn't mean we'd literally be critiquing a casual player's game by trying to coach them. I just meant that, beyond a glance, I don't really pay much attention to anyone's stance, bridge, pattern play, etc unless they ask me to watch or want to gamble. When we walk into a pool hall or bar, the majority of the players on any given night are just recreational players. And I love them because they keep the industry afloat.

And I'm sure we've all had the unwanted advice from people who can't make two balls in a row. I got where I'd just agree with them because it wasn't worth my time or energy to argue. They already know everything.
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It’s funny actually. The very first thing I do is watch how an unknown opponent bridges the cue!

If they can’t do that one simple thing correctly, I then move on and adjust my speed of play accordingly.

I learned to play in the mid sixties. No one would tell you anything back then. It was all trial and error! Smoky pool halls with cigarette burns on all the rails. That was real pool!!!
 
GoldCrown said:
Nothing is a flaw if the player can pocket balls
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Yep…Buddy Hall broke a couple rules in this thread….short bridge, long grip, right off the linen.
What he never strayed from was parking whitey….which is the biggest flaw I see of the average player….they get anxious about making the shot and their speed control goes out the window.
 
Lack of tactical awareness is the biggest 'player' flaw imo. Just looking at league guys, some SL5s can be among the best shooters in the room. What keeps them 5s instead of 7s is their decision making and usually total lack of defence.
 
Quesports said:
It’s funny actually. The very first thing I do is watch how an unknown opponent bridges the cue!

If they can’t do that one simple thing correctly, I then move on and adjust my speed of play accordingly.

I learned to play in the mid sixties. No one would tell you anything back then. It was all trial and error! Smoky pool halls with cigarette burns on all the rails. That was real pool!!!
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Yes thats exactly how it was in the room I played in, in the early sixties.
8 Anniversary tables with cigarette burns on the wood rails.
 
pt109 said:
Yep…Buddy Hall broke a couple rules in this thread….short bridge, long grip, right off the linen.
What he never strayed from was parking whitey….which is the biggest flaw I see of the average player….they get anxious about making the shot and their speed control goes out the window.
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A deep dark secret never to be revealed is that the vast majority of players would be ahead of the game to learn to adjust to what the cue ball does and shorten their bridge to six to ten inches. We don't want to tell them that! My old mentor advocated a closed bridge so tight it squeaked and a very short bridge.


maha said:
everything comes down to what gets you acceptable position. even more important than making the shot.
sounds wrong but true.
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The first step to how you get position is usually how you come off of the object ball. If you get the shape you were trying for you almost certainly made the object ball. We have all heard countless times "well at least I got shape!" Nothing I hated worse than missing a moderately easy shot and getting perfect shape. It means the shot was wrong at the most basic level, it was misplanned. If I missed both it was probably a failure to execute. Not thrilling but preferred to misplanning. If I had to put numbers on priorities, I would say about twenty percent pocketing and eighty percent position. As long as I keep nailing position, pocketing balls doesn't take much effort.

Hu
 
Flakeandrun said:
New one to add for halls... in a room of 40+ grey tables re-clothed yesterday, they've made table 1, the 3.9" corner pocketed money table, a shade of light pink...

Not that I'm adverse to the colour... it's that when you play on it you need sunglasses to counter the glare... It also bothers me as it is probably for the glamour girls mentioned before, who are paid to play (or rack balls) to play on...

View attachment 820789
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I think I would start heaving every time I looked at that thing!

Hu
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Most of the people commenting here about Flaws, have never won a Major Pool Event like at DCC, US Open, or the old IPT. So they must also have FLAWS.

Sad part most of you forget is, you would have NO Local Pool Room, or Pool Bar to play in without the Recreational Players, Bangers, and those with FLAWS. They are the majority of these establishments customers. Without those customers, these place you can go play at would be closed, and out of business.


JMHO
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Being able to see the shortcomings of others playing pool does not require you to be a PBIA instructor.
One can understand what a player needs to do, or fails to do, without necessarily being a better player.

What’s the last golf tournament David Leadbetter won? Nonetheless, golf pros seek his advice & coaching
assistance to improve their golf performance because he knows what to point out and fix to play better golf.

He is a golf instructor but he can’t play golf as good as his students do. In pool, I can see what someone else
should try improving to play better pool which ultimately leads to enjoying the game we all love all the more.

Everyone that plays pool has a flaw. But if you do something different than anyone else but do it all the time,
a seeming flaw can be actually a strength. Consistency, repeatability is something you can count on happening.

Jim Furyk and Lee Trevino have absolutely awful golf swings, so did Arnold Palmer, but they swung the golf club
the same way all the time. Their swings didn’t change and they never sought out a coach to help them change it.

All of them won golf tournaments and Arnold is revered as one of the greats to ever play the game despite his golf
swing. To be able spot what someone else does poorly doesn’t require you to be the ideal player without any flaws.
 
maha said:
everything comes down to what gets you acceptable position. even more important than making the shot.
sounds wrong but true.
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I'd like to hear more of your opinion on this. Or maybe I'm reading what you wrote incorrectly. But my theory is that I'd rather make the shot and miss position than miss the shot and get position. My main line of thinking is that at least I'm still at the table and regardless of how low my odds are, they aren't as low as if I was sitting in the chair. Now, that doesn't mean I'd just throw position out the window on every shot. That would be insane. But if I'm face with a tough shot AND tough position, I'll bear down and focus simply on making that ball the best way I know how. I can deal with whatever I'm left with after that.
 
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