This Is Best Way To Get Good At Pool

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I was never a pool instructor, or am I one now. Just passing along how I was taught from the start.

Most players know to think three balls ahead, for a number of reasons. I was only given the CB to learn how to use the rails to get anywhere on the table. After about 20 hours, I was given an OB to make easy shots, but to have the CB stop at a marked place on the table. After that it was practice all types of average to hard shots.

By the time I could make all shots like an "A" player, I learned that thinking three shots ahead was good, but what was better, was to get the best angle on the next ball, even if it's a longer shot. Of course there is more to pool than this, but all I can say is I got good in a very short time. Johnnyt
 
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bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
happy for you
to get good in a short time
most of us arent that lucky
 
Ken_4fun

Ken_4fun

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The best way to get good at pool;

1.) Start at a very young age (preteen)

2.) Get good instruction on strategy and the mechanics

3.) Play and practice several hours each day

4.) Gamble (cheap) or other to play under pressure situations.

5.) Seek out and play various opponents. Understand how to beat them.

6.) Play different games. Everyone says to play straight pool, but so few play it, I think that is of little value unless you play someone that plays it well. But 9 and 10 ball, 8 ball, and one pocket. Snooker is another great game if played well in the area.

IMO pool is like any other game / sport. Those who start at a younger age with good instruction will most likely be the strongest.

JMO

Ken
 
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jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Most all replies are good so far.

All I can add is:

Stay with American Rotation and Straight Pool.

IMO, those two games have a mixture of every kind of shot "anyone" could need to practice "no matter" the game they want to play.

Rake
 
mikemosconi

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would agree that starting at a young age under CORRECT instruction as to mechanics and thought process, coupled with early tournament and at some point CONTROLLED gambling, playing multiple game formats, watching great players and competing against better players, access to a home billiard table to limit exposure to the wrong elements of the game ( you really need something else in your life to make a living long term) and a balanced approach to life and this great game; will help mold a very good player over time. You must have passion for the game to excel; especially today when it is not very popular here in the U.S. and young people who want to excel at it can find very few their age to share their passion for billiards. when I was 12 years old, great players were respected and known around town for their skill, today the awareness of the game is almost non- existent among most folks under 40.
 
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ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Johnnyt said:
I was never a pool instructor, or am I one now. Just passing along how I was taught from the start.

Most players know to think three balls ahead, for a number of reasons. I was only given the CB to learn how to use the rails to get anywhere on the table. After about 20 hours, I was given an OB to make easy shots, but to have the CB stop at a marked place on the table. After that it was practice all types of average to hard shots.

By the time I could make all shots like an "A" player, I learned that thinking three shots ahead was good, but what was better, was to get the best angle on the next ball, even if it's a longer shot. Of course there is more to pool than this, but all I can say is I got good in a very short time. Johnnyt
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The thinking 3 balls ahead concept (it's actually only 2 balls ahead of the current ball you are shooting at) is absolutely critical. In our poolroom, I see that as the single biggest difference in the thought process between the "A" players and the "B" players in our room.

In planning 2 balls ahead of the ball you are shooting at (ball 1), it is not only imperative to get the cue ball to a zone that leaves an easy shot for the very next ball in line (ball 2), which is as far ahead as most "B" players think, but requires you to get the cue ball to a zone that not only leaves you a very manageable shot on the next ball (ball 2) but also leaves the correct angle for that shot, which makes it much easier to get the cue ball where you'll need it for the ball after that (ball 3).
 
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Low500

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChrisinNC said:
The thinking 3 balls ahead concept (it's actually only 2 balls ahead of the current ball you are shooting at) is absolutely critical. In our poolroom, I see that as the single biggest difference in the thought process between the "A" players and the "B" players in our room.
In planning 2 balls ahead of the ball you are shooting at, it is not only imperative to get the cue ball to a zone that leaves an easy shot for the very next ball in line (which is as far ahead as most "B" players think), but requires you to get the cue ball to a zone that not only leaves you a very manageable shot on the next ball but also leaves the correct angle for that shot, which makes it much easier to get the cue ball where you'll need it for the ball after that.
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Good thinking!
I've read where the human mind is like a computer and must be exercised or it "goes dead".
Following that line of thought, why not just go ahead and plan 4-5 balls ahead instead of 2-3?
The concentration required to do this would help in keeping focus, I assume.
I don't really know since I'm just a little ole country boy with concentration primarily on 'taters and peas and 'maters, and okry, and squirrels and stuff. But I'm aiming to learn.
:thumbup:
 
336Robin

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
Distance

One of the things I do is to divide my shots up by distance to the Object Ball.
This way you're learning shots and you have a memory to learn them by. Of course in
addition to other things but to learn the cue ball any clue you can add into it that helps
you is good.
 
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CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Honestly the best teaching tool I have found is Mark Otto's DVD's set. IMHO if you can master everything Mark's DVD's show, and teach. You will play Pool real well.

Pool is like any game, it requires skill, and practice. It not the arrow that is important, it is the skill of the hunter skill.

Vegaterian is a Indian word mean = poor hunter. :smile-square:
 
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ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Low500 said:
Good thinking!
I've read where the human mind is like a computer and must be exercised or it "goes dead".
Following that line of thought, why not just go ahead and plan 4-5 balls ahead instead of 2-3?
The concentration required to do this would help in keeping focus, I assume.
I don't really know since I'm just a little ole country boy with concentration primarily on 'taters and peas and 'maters, and okry, and squirrels and stuff. But I'm aiming to learn.
:thumbup:
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Planning 2 balls ahead of the current ball you're shooting at (in a rotation game such as 9-ball) is really as far ahead as you need to think, and as far ahead as most players are realistically capable of thinking.
I feel that thinking anything further ahead than that is just going to clutter your mind with too many thoughts, and slow your pace of play down too much. Obviously if there are problem balls or clusters, then yes, you need to think/plan farther ahead.

8-ball and 14.1 however, are 2 games that good players do think and plan more than 2-3 balls in advance, as opposed to rotation games.
 
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CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
ChrisinNC said:
Planning 2 balls ahead of the current ball you're shooting at (in a rotation game such as 9-ball) is really as far ahead as you need to think, and as far ahead as most players are realistically capable of thinking.
I feel that thinking anything further ahead than that is just going to clutter your mind with too many thoughts, and slow your pace of play down too much. Obviously if there are problem balls or clusters, then yes, you need to think/plan farther ahead.

8-ball and 14.1 however, are 2 games that good players do think and plan more than 2-3 balls in advance, as opposed to rotation games.
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Planning as you mentioned, is an important part of the game. Also learning to play safe, so your opponent has no shot. I just picked up a Cue for the first time in over 2.5 years.

So I am trying to figure out everything I forgot. So it is practice, practice, practice time again.
 
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ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
CocoboloCowboy said:
Planning as you mentioned, is an important part of the game. Also learning to play safe, so your opponent has no shot. I just picked up a Cue for the first time in over 2.5 years.

So I am trying to figure out everything I forgot. So it is practice, practice, practice time again.
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Agreed on the safety planning. When playing 9-ball, when there is a cluster of balls in my future path, instead of thinking about looking for ways of breaking them up with the cue ball in the process of making a ball and still managing to leave myself a shot on the next ball, which is generally very difficult to execute, I'm thinking about where I'd most like to leave the cue ball in relation to that cluster, to give me the best chance of executing the successful safety off of the ball in the cluster you have to shoot at first.

Too many players are thinking about how to break up the cluster and continue their runout, which is often very hard to pull off. If you manage to break up the cluster in the process of either missing your current shot or leaving yourself hooked on your next shot, that is the absolute worst thing you could have possibly done.
 
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