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Empty bottles are not effective for practicing looping and other strokes. There are great strokes that change plane but deliver the cue laser-straight. To improve your stroke, place two pieces of chalk in front of the cue ball and practice stroking towards the cue ball. Alternatively, you can...

That is a useful shortcut. You might also want to leave the frozen OB and aim the CB, in your fulls stance, to replace the OB. Additionally, you can now move the CB to different spots to enhance the feel for that cut angle.

I believe the debate really centers around cue decoration. I purchased my playing cue for $30 because I want to establish trust in my teaching lessons. However, I acknowledge that investing more in a cue can enhance the quality of the hit. The decorations serve as the "arrow" that points to...

1) Aiming aid using very long bridges, longer than previous pros. 2) Amateurs are now using very long bridges as well, therefore, and also, negatively affecting their play.

Willie Mosconi: Drill with corner shots as straight, hard and fast as possible.

Yes, indeed.

Everyone, Those who play well while maintaining tension in the bridge arm are likely holding the cue too tightly. Relax and flow, and you will play even better.

Zero tension with one exception, rail play, when you press down on the rail with your bridge hand, not the whole arm.

Until you learn to embrace adrenaline for improved performance, it may lead you to overhit your shots. Simply telling yourself to play softer can create anxiety and increase adrenaline levels. Instead, you can achieve a softer shot than usual by allowing adrenaline to carry the ball almost...

Telling yourself aloud, "don't scratch," creates a mental image in your brain of the scratch, and your subconscious/visual mind/right brain can lead to scratching. Instead, tell yourself firmly but calmly, "cue ball to this position."

I have students who need to come to a complete stop after their final practice stroke. They should then gaze at the object ball with a calm focus for two seconds. Instead of fixating on the contact point, they should observe the entire ball along with whatever is in their peripheral vision, all...

I teach players about quiet eyes, partly due to research conducted at my university. Thank you.

You can use a non-typical stroke to store a significant amount of potential energy for a powerful strike. Earl demonstrates a similar technique: you can see his cue aligned with the center ball, and then, at the top of his backswing—where the cue is pulled all the way back—he slightly shifts the...

For the average amateur, matching up against someone you know for money isn't considered gambling; it's handicapping. However, when you match up against a stranger, that's gambling. Placing a small bet on a game can help you learn how to play under pressure. However, if you wager too much, you...

A good test shot for TOI is a perfectly straight shot for power draw, with the cue ball close to the object ball, where you would typically not apply sidespin. Hit it hard--TOI has its uses.

Bob previously mentioned the anti-skid effect. So while I agree that some professionals share misleading information, I've also witnessed a pro at a tournament—where I was reporting ringside—slap the table HARD in frustration--the audience was stunned--after successfully making several shots...

As I've mentioned elsewhere, when a pro sidespin (TOI/TOO) to direct a ball toward one side of a pocket, they are also mindful of how they tend to miss. For instance, they might miss more than 90% of the time due to applying too much spin, rather than too little. On the other hand, an amateur's...

Thanks for your service for the saints!

Thanks! Now God has to bless preacherman!

That makes sense. Anything that helps put your mind in the right place is beneficial. I once was without my playing cue and took a cheap one-piece house cue off the room's wall. The CB was touching the short rail, and the OB was close to a far corner pocket nine feet away. I studied the shot...