Play everything. Play every and any game that comes across your path. Are you an 8-ball specialist? Play some three cushion and one-pocket. Do you find yourself only playing 14.1?? Get your ass on a snooker table. If you play every and any variation of pool that you come across, it will open your horizons to new ways of thinking, not to mention the new and interesting shots you can learn.
I have always tried just about any type of game I come across, and have been lucky to play on all sorts of equipment. Last week, there was a cheap three ball game on a bar table that I came across, the week before was 3 cushion and one pocket, a month ago I played two new variations on 8ball (last pocket and 15-1) on 9 footers, and before that I was playing straight pool on a ten footer. Approach these games without pre-conceived ideas of what is "right". Go into the game with an open mind, and you will start to see new strategies and movements emerge. Then, you can take these little nuggets of information and put them to good use in your preferred game.
There are plenty of players out there that have at least one game that they just don't like (I'm still slowly warming up to 14.1 personally). Now I'm not saying to only play games you don't like, or to play something different every time you go to your local pool hall, but definitely be willing to jump into any interesting new games that come across your path. If you can put that hesitancy behind you, I don't doubt that you will learn something new and you might even have fun while doing it.
Cheers, Ian
I have always tried just about any type of game I come across, and have been lucky to play on all sorts of equipment. Last week, there was a cheap three ball game on a bar table that I came across, the week before was 3 cushion and one pocket, a month ago I played two new variations on 8ball (last pocket and 15-1) on 9 footers, and before that I was playing straight pool on a ten footer. Approach these games without pre-conceived ideas of what is "right". Go into the game with an open mind, and you will start to see new strategies and movements emerge. Then, you can take these little nuggets of information and put them to good use in your preferred game.
There are plenty of players out there that have at least one game that they just don't like (I'm still slowly warming up to 14.1 personally). Now I'm not saying to only play games you don't like, or to play something different every time you go to your local pool hall, but definitely be willing to jump into any interesting new games that come across your path. If you can put that hesitancy behind you, I don't doubt that you will learn something new and you might even have fun while doing it.
Cheers, Ian
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