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Okay, I have a proposition for playtesting: People could play out a game using the chalkysticks pad, to see how it works. It would need a sensible mindset - playing for realistic (not too difficult) shots and assuming you usually got them, maybe sometimes throwing in a miss. (The point isn't to...

Anywhere on the table seems aggressive. Presumably unless the opponent's king is in a cluster, you could place yourself for a shot to pocket the king, and the opponent would have to move your ball on his next shot. I guess you could bluff with a fake assassin... Worth trying anywhere on your...

So it's YOUR fault Cocobolo Cowboy's gone :(

Against much better opponents, I take the mindset of accepting that I'm an underdog and looking for a way to win. That means taking care to give them nothing when they come to the table, and trying to take my chances when I can get out. (Obviously we should be doing these things anyway, but the...

If you're on Windows, 'Snip & Sketch' is quick and easy. You can copy-paste into the forum from there.

Well done! I didn't see this thread first time, but the following book has some lists of Japanese national champions, going quite a long way back. I think they're all various forms of billiards rather than pool (if I remember correctly). I just had a look for the copy I have but I couldn't find...

That reminds me of something I read about choking, but kind of the opposite: Choking is supposedly the player's conscious mind trying to control/influence performance, due to pressure and anxiety about results. It's harmful to performance for almost everyone (because the subconscious systems do...

I used to have the same thing. I don't recommend going deep into sports psychology (with a fixed timeframe for improving) because it can do more harm than good. But a couple of things that helped me: - A couple of warm-up racks just spreading out the 15 balls for easy, fairly short shots around...

Also not an instructor. It seems to me that so long as you can control the cue ball, moving your body (not just your arm) = a harder break. I would think the kick just happens as a part of shifting your bodyweight forward. When I was breaking my second-hardest, I'd have to bring my back foot...

Playing the ghost :eek:

If it was less strictly competitive, you could do it as a swiss league (people with similar results play each other - although it doesn't work so well with small numbers) or a handicap system. You could have a short 'how to play' coaching session or Q&A to help people learn.

It's true that north of the equator it *does* feel a lot easier to put left English on the cue ball...

Here in the UK, people use raw linseed oil (couple of drops on a bit of tissue). I like the finish, although it's not great at keeping chalk out of the shaft. The used tissues would be capable of self-combusting, e.g., if left in sunlight for a long time, so don't leave them lying around in your...

But why?

I think they like to, they just don't often get the chance

Not an instructor. Something I found that works to tune me in before an innings is to recall the weight and feel of a pool ball in my hand, bring to mind the sensation of its weight, like when you pick something up and juggle it around a little to get a sense for it (e.g., just before you throw...

I was shocked by that too. Snooker was huge here around that time, but I had no idea pool had ever had that kind of audience, until I read about that event. Sadly it seems to have been a one-off.

There is some content on this in 'On Cue' by Mark Shepherd - which is a very thorough book on English pool, albeit around 15 years old now. From the strength of the field, it seems fair to think of it as a 'real' world championship, IMO.

I'll take 64, and thank you

Do you think that (or does science know whether) that process can be meaningfully helped by a special effort to eat enough appropriate fats during the 2 week window, or is it a longer-term nutritional requirement?