I'm new here & am a little depressed about the lack of traffic in the 14.1 category. As a side note when I first discovered the forum I went down the list looking for the "Position Play" section, only to discover there wasn't one. Seeing as how once new players start being able to pocket some balls it very quickly becomes apparent to them that learning how to play position is pretty important. So the lack of a subforum on that topic is a little baffling to me. Of course that would require diagrams & I'm not sure but that seems to be a problem. I'm not very computer savvy but apparently you need the Shockwave player to see the Cuetable diagrams. I installed that but still couldn't see the diagrams & it also caused problems with my computer. Saw similar comments about it on a few threads. I tried doing screen captures to upload some table layouts only to discover the max upload is 100 kb. Can anyone shed any light on this situation?
Anyway, I've been reading a ton of past threads & have noticed a few common themes. One of which is there are a lot of beginning & intermediate players looking to improve their straight pool game. Which is awesome. It's such a beautiful game & needs to be kept alive & growing. So the forum is a great as it's a vehicle to help & encourage the new players. I've watched 14.1 go downhill for a long time now & the last few years it seems there's been a glimmer of hope it may be resurrected. But just a glimmer.
I can only speak for my immediate area & it's still pretty dead around here. Actually it's tough to find a real poolroom around here anymore much less any 14.1 players. I'm curious to know how things are in other areas. You still have some hotbeds around NY/NJ but what about elsewhere?
Some people say we need another top quality pool movie to spark interest. I'm not so sure. Even if there was one you can bet the house it's going to be about 9 Ball. It's probably the World Tournament the last few years which has sparked some interest & that's great but it's not enough. To really get it thriving again will take a lot of work & dedication at the grass roots level.
I do have a suggestion which I'll get to presently but 1st I'd like to give kudos to one of the members here. I'm sure it's no secret & everybody's already aware of him. Blackjack. He's a treasure for anyone looking to learn the game. Particularly for guys ( or gals ) who are running 20's to 40's but seem to be stuck there. I'm guessing those people comprise the largest segment on this forum. If you're one of them you'd be wise to heed his advice. While he makes excellent points about all different strategic & technical aspects about what is needed to improve, IMO his biggest strength is his continual emphasis on the thought process required to play top level straight pool. Over the years I've tried to help numerous people improve their 14.1 game & the biggest drawback has always been not improving their skill set but in changing & developing the way they think about the game. It's daunting to a lot of people because it often requires going backward for awhile in order to go forward.
In one of his video evaluations (of Dennis Walsh I think) he made a very profound statement. "You have to get outside your comfort zone" It's absolutely essential to do that if your goal is to be a better straight pool player. A lot of players think if they improve their skill set they'll start running a lot more balls. No question it'll help but probably not as much as they'd think. It's just as important if not more so to develop the thought process at the same time. That's where stepping outside your comfort zone reaps great rewards. It'll force you to make shots & play position in ways you're not accustomed to. It also helps develop imagination which in & of itself will improve your game.
You can't continue to shoot the same old shots & play position the same way you've always done it & expect to improve very much in 14.1. I saw where someone commented on a video of Ervolino about how they couldn't figure out why he shot certain shots or played position in a particular way. Then they said that he always ended up with a nice easy end pattern & a good break shot. In a nutshell, what good 14.1 players do is take the hard racks & make them easy & they take the easy racks & make them foolproof. This is accomplished thru imagination as much as thru shotmaking & position.
Books & videos are helpful but the best way to learn (as many have mentioned) is to play with a good player. Which brings me back to my suggestion. I'd imagine there's a lot of guys out there that know the game but don't play it much anymore due to lack of opportunity & lack of players. And then there's the guys who've recently discovered the game & want to learn & improve. One way to keep interest alive is to put these guys together. My thought is if experienced players would post their location & their willingness to help newer players then maybe the new guys would feel comfortable contacting them. And vice versa. If everyone would put their location up in their profile that would also help. Who knows,there could be someone in the next town over who loves 14.1 & would be interested in getting together to play some.
I'm in Haverhill, Ma. & don't mind traveling a fair amount to play, teach or learn. Would enjoy hearing from players of all levels.
Let's keep the game alive.
Anyway, I've been reading a ton of past threads & have noticed a few common themes. One of which is there are a lot of beginning & intermediate players looking to improve their straight pool game. Which is awesome. It's such a beautiful game & needs to be kept alive & growing. So the forum is a great as it's a vehicle to help & encourage the new players. I've watched 14.1 go downhill for a long time now & the last few years it seems there's been a glimmer of hope it may be resurrected. But just a glimmer.
I can only speak for my immediate area & it's still pretty dead around here. Actually it's tough to find a real poolroom around here anymore much less any 14.1 players. I'm curious to know how things are in other areas. You still have some hotbeds around NY/NJ but what about elsewhere?
Some people say we need another top quality pool movie to spark interest. I'm not so sure. Even if there was one you can bet the house it's going to be about 9 Ball. It's probably the World Tournament the last few years which has sparked some interest & that's great but it's not enough. To really get it thriving again will take a lot of work & dedication at the grass roots level.
I do have a suggestion which I'll get to presently but 1st I'd like to give kudos to one of the members here. I'm sure it's no secret & everybody's already aware of him. Blackjack. He's a treasure for anyone looking to learn the game. Particularly for guys ( or gals ) who are running 20's to 40's but seem to be stuck there. I'm guessing those people comprise the largest segment on this forum. If you're one of them you'd be wise to heed his advice. While he makes excellent points about all different strategic & technical aspects about what is needed to improve, IMO his biggest strength is his continual emphasis on the thought process required to play top level straight pool. Over the years I've tried to help numerous people improve their 14.1 game & the biggest drawback has always been not improving their skill set but in changing & developing the way they think about the game. It's daunting to a lot of people because it often requires going backward for awhile in order to go forward.
In one of his video evaluations (of Dennis Walsh I think) he made a very profound statement. "You have to get outside your comfort zone" It's absolutely essential to do that if your goal is to be a better straight pool player. A lot of players think if they improve their skill set they'll start running a lot more balls. No question it'll help but probably not as much as they'd think. It's just as important if not more so to develop the thought process at the same time. That's where stepping outside your comfort zone reaps great rewards. It'll force you to make shots & play position in ways you're not accustomed to. It also helps develop imagination which in & of itself will improve your game.
You can't continue to shoot the same old shots & play position the same way you've always done it & expect to improve very much in 14.1. I saw where someone commented on a video of Ervolino about how they couldn't figure out why he shot certain shots or played position in a particular way. Then they said that he always ended up with a nice easy end pattern & a good break shot. In a nutshell, what good 14.1 players do is take the hard racks & make them easy & they take the easy racks & make them foolproof. This is accomplished thru imagination as much as thru shotmaking & position.
Books & videos are helpful but the best way to learn (as many have mentioned) is to play with a good player. Which brings me back to my suggestion. I'd imagine there's a lot of guys out there that know the game but don't play it much anymore due to lack of opportunity & lack of players. And then there's the guys who've recently discovered the game & want to learn & improve. One way to keep interest alive is to put these guys together. My thought is if experienced players would post their location & their willingness to help newer players then maybe the new guys would feel comfortable contacting them. And vice versa. If everyone would put their location up in their profile that would also help. Who knows,there could be someone in the next town over who loves 14.1 & would be interested in getting together to play some.
I'm in Haverhill, Ma. & don't mind traveling a fair amount to play, teach or learn. Would enjoy hearing from players of all levels.
Let's keep the game alive.
