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I'm still standing by my long-held belief: The game can improve in audience and popularity if local newspapers could be convinced to allocate a little section to cue sports. Even a weekly Saturday issue of tournament results, league standings, and latest news could be helpful - sponsored by...

Ditto with those above. $800 over years of playing is well worth the cost. Plus you will never have to suffer that should-have, could-have disappointment every time your stick hits the wall on the backstroke.

When I was the coach on a couple APA team (as a high skill, I didn't get to play very much), I worked with low skill levels first on defensive thinking. Basically, if they didn't have a reasonable shot, they played a two-way or defensive shot. The only skill to be learned was some general speeds...

The upcoming issue of Inside Pool will have an article on Sharking in general. When researching the book "Psychology of Gamesmanship", I identified 80 plus specific sharks plus a list of 20-30 casual tricks. (Included in the book is not only the description, but also one or more...

Try this fundamentals adjustment: On your stance, your back foot, front foot, and bridge comprise a triangle (looking down from above). The base of the triangle is the cue stick. To increase the apex of the triangle about 1 - 2 inches, shift your front foot sideways away from the stick. This...

It helps to learn to do strong draw shots with a closed and open bridge. The key to success with both is shooting with a stick as level to the table as possible. It's a graduated process to master the draw with both bridges, so start with close in draws (1 D) and then progressively increase...

If you want to validate that your stroke straightness at the time of tip/ball contact, use the no-hands drill. 1. Place a row of balls about 1/2 diamond from the short rail cushion. (The balls will be shot into the far corner pockets.) 2. Get down on the shot as normal, but with the bridge hand...

When you get your stick, find a local cue maker or cue mechanic. One of the things you want to check out is the different weights that give you the best feel and stroke follow-through. The cue guy can set different weights and you can try out each variation in 1/2 and 1/4 ounce adjustments...

There is a trick to help overcome the problem immediately. Since you are consistently going off slightly to the right, get down on the shot the same way as you always do. Make your final adjustments - and then consciously shift the stick line slightly to the left. This manual adjustment can...

There will always be bad rolls and clusters in this game - otherwise, there wouldn't be enough complexity to keep the game fascinating. Those problems are the same things you have to handle in a real game. If you can't come up with a solution, then you hand the table to your opponent. Maybe you...

Pick one and use it for a few months. Stick the other into the closet. If you decide to swap out, give that a equally fair shot as your favorite. After you don't use one for a year or so - then it can be sold or traded. Nothing's worse than regrets.

Check with table mechanics Check the local table mechanics in your area. They're pretty easy to find on craigs list. There's also a few table restoration companies (google "pool table restoration").

I've seen those rubber pads used on a couple of tables and also wondered why. An old table mechanic (in his 70s at the time), used those commercial linoleum floor tiles for huge adjustments - the kind you see used in government building floors. For the final fine-tuning, he inserted playing cards.

Taking a break is a very good idea. Totally take yourself out of the environment - no pool hall trips, no forums, no youtube videos, etc. After a time (for some a week or two, for others a couple months),the lure of the game will reassert itself and you'll be ready to get back in. Over the...

Even one chance in a million happens one time in ten. :D

How about a challenge ladder You can try a ladder format. I remember reading about this format a few years ago, but haven't seen much about it. Here's one for tennis. http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/campus-recreation/intramurals/sport-rules/tennis-ladder.html A search of the forum might...

:smile: That's in my Gamesmanship book, under "compliments". Here is the text, including the recommended response: Compliments This is an insidious effort, and one of the easiest to implement. Clothed in good sportsmanship, its deadly effects develop over the length of a match. In the...

Any of the Cannon PowerShot cameras work well, and record directly onto a standard class 10 memory card. With the installed apps, you can upload clips directly to popular sites.

Use 3-ball racks for break shot practice If you are attempting to master CB control on the break shot, here is a trick I use for my students. Set up three balls on the foot spot with a small gap between the head and back balls. Easy to setup and you can keep spare balls along the long rail...

Sticks in your eye Bad News - You Lose The Shark and Sharkettes