14.1 straight pool for pathetic noobs

J

jonnyyyl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Im fascinated by the game and eager to start.
I feel hapless and pathetic as my highest runs for the past 2 days is 9...

Anyone can share their learning experiences, how u guys improved and also give a few starting guides/advice/routines?

Much appreciated.
J
 
jonnyyyl said:
Im fascinated by the game and eager to start.
I feel hapless and pathetic as my highest runs for the past 2 days is 9...

Anyone can share their learning experiences, how u guys improved and also give a few starting guides/advice/routines?

Much appreciated.
J
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If you want some reading matter, get the 14.1 books by Mosconi, Capelle, and Cranfield/Moy. In addition, Fels, Byrne and Martin have sections or info specific to 14.1 in their books. I'm sure I've forgotten some other good books.
 
Practice making break shots are break-neck speed. Harder the better. Keep doing that until it's totally natural to light-speed them in and still make them.

As a beginner, you're not going to have the ability to pick apart the rack at will. Therefore, whenever you get the opportunity --- you GOTTA spread them.

That way, when you do have a break shot, you have a chance of spreading them like an 8ball break.

I always thought that was the move. As my game improved over the years, I gradually began to reduce my 14.1 break speed.

So, lack of breakout ability and cluster management is inversely proportional to your break shot speed. You'll see immediate improvement with that tidbit.
 
Grady Mathew's 14.1 DVD (Break Shots & Key Balls) had a big impact on my understanding of the game.

Jim Rempe's "How To Run 100 Balls" would be great too.

Babe Cranfield's book was very good.
 
For starters, you ought to jump over to the 14.1 sub forum, where the fanatics hang out.

Lots of good suggestions here, though. Don't know about blasting break shots as a beginning tactic for learning 14.1, but the other materials mentioned will send you down the right road.

The Grady video, Rempe How to run a rack, How to run 100, Schmidt How I run 100s, Sigel, Perfect Straight Pool, Run out Straight Pool.

The Capelle book on straight pool, any George Fels book, Straight Pool Bible and many matches on Accu-stats, especially any player review.
 
I got the 14.1 book by Capelle and am going through it slowly now. Lots of good info in there. Besides reading and playing, there are lots of videos online you can watch to learn about the game. I'd recommend downloading the ones you like so you can watch them anytime you want. I really like Marop's (one of the AZ members) runs. Also Steve Lipsky's. The 85 ball run he did at DCC was pretty much perfect. Great to watch and learn.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
Practice making break shots are break-neck speed. Harder the better. Keep doing that until it's totally natural to light-speed them in and still make them.

As a beginner, you're not going to have the ability to pick apart the rack at will. Therefore, whenever you get the opportunity --- you GOTTA spread them.

That way, when you do have a break shot, you have a chance of spreading them like an 8ball break.

I always thought that was the move. As my game improved over the years, I gradually began to reduce my 14.1 break speed.

So, lack of breakout ability and cluster management is inversely proportional to your break shot speed. You'll see immediate improvement with that tidbit.
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I think that this is very bad advice.

Dave Nelson
 
Dave Nelson said:
I think that this is very bad advice.

Dave Nelson
Click to expand...

That's because most people are taught to hit super soft, take what you can get, lighter the better, etc. The problem with that train of thought is unless someone plays 14.1 at a pretty good clip, their run ends prematurely because they can't negotiate the muck and secondary clusters.

If you're not a Hopkins, Sigel, Miz, etc, and have no problem coming into the muck over and over again -- you're right -- it's bad advice. For beginning players looking for a chance to put up a large run, their only shot is to spread the muck immediately and on the first try. Obviously, if you have a steep angle into the rack, you don't have to hit hard.

14.1 is the only game I play - trust me, it's not bad advice. For a great ball maker with questionable fine-rock-control (like an above-average 9ball player), it's the best advice they can get to run lots of balls.

As a player's 14.1 prowess increases, their break shot speed should decrease. If their 14.1 prowess is non-existent, please explain how they'll get out of the first rack on a soft break?

But, we all have our opinions :)
 
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Spider;

Straight pool is not the only game I play but it is far and away my favorite. I'm pretty low on the scale and have nothing to lose and I believe I have an open mind. I will keep your advice in mind and try it at the first opportunity. Didn't mean to sound like a wise guy.

Dave Nelson
 
Dave Nelson said:
Spider;

Straight pool is not the only game I play but it is far and away my favorite. I'm pretty low on the scale and have nothing to lose and I believe I have an open mind. I will keep your advice in mind and try it at the first opportunity. Didn't mean to sound like a wise guy.

Dave Nelson
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You're not, at all. 14.1 is a finesse game--- but the thread was based on 14.1 "pathetic noobs" (i.e. complete beginner). If you have no finesse and lack finer CB control to repeatedly come into the muck with control, you have a very low probability to keep a run going.

I liken this train of thought to a Jack Nicklaus quote from years ago on the Golf Channel. A similar question was asked of Jack regarding how we would teach a beginning player. He replied by saying, "Teach them how to hit hard and long."

The interviewer said, "Well, Jack, what about straightness?!? What good is teaching someone to hit 300 yards off the tee if they're buried in the woods on every shot?"

Jack says, "Because if you take that approach with a beginner and they become the straightest hitter on planet earth but can't get past 250 on the tee, they'll never score on a real course. It's easier to teach straightness to someone who can drive 300 yards than to teach a straight player how to hit 300 yards years into their development."

I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's the main idea. Watch guys like Hohmann play 14.1. He's arguably one of the best 14.1 on earth right now and he hits many of his break shots at 9b break speed. Maybe not at a 100% 9ball break speed, but VERY hard. Many times the CB flies into the kitchen and spins to the center, two-rails. Conversely, someone like Hopkins will pick apart the rack a few balls at a time.

The style of play from the old guard (Sigel, Hopkins, Mizerak) versus the new guard (Hohmann, Schmidt, and that Russian kid who I forget his name -- very explosive) are completely different.
 
Welcome to the world of 14.1 -- a Great Game.

First, you are not pathetic. Everyone of us Straight Pool Players began like you. No one starts out running 100 balls. It's like Chess... it takes a short time to learn the basics but a lifetime to master. I'll throw my two cents in...

It is my opinion that straight pool is cue ball control to the extreme. If you watch videos of the greats, seldom do you see the balls open past the side pockets and traveling the cue ball long distances is not the norm. Its all about, for lack of a better term, "point position" rather than "area position."

Check in the players in the 14.1 Forum. They are a fountain of information and will help you (and me too!). I have found two drills that have helped my game: The Crucifix Drill and Add a Ball Drill. You can find them on Youtube or (I believe) the 14.1 Forum.

Keep shooting and your runs will improve. :thumbup:
 
Yep

mosconiac said:
Grady Mathew's 14.1 DVD (Break Shots & Key Balls) had a big impact on my understanding of the game.

Jim Rempe's "How To Run 100 Balls" would be great too.

Babe Cranfield's book was very good.
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Same here with the Grady and Rempe videos. For learning patterns pick a few Accu-Stat DVD's of straight pool and watch them over and over and over paying attention to shot selection, speed control, position, manufacturing break balls, clearing the rails and balls uptable, etc.

Ron F
 
Accu-Stats

If you do buy any Accu-Stats DVD's, get the player reviewed version of Rempe v. Ginky. Jimmy does an incredible job of teaching through commentary.

Ron F
 
I'm in the same situation. My bud and myself would like to start playing.
I have the basic rule book but get lost on some of the diagrams that show what one should do if your last ball ends up interfering with the placement of the rack.

We play a lot of League pool and its not that 8 ball is boring, we would just like to lose ourselves into another discipline of the game.
 
Try spreading the balls evenly and randomly across the table with no clusters. Try to run out as many consecutive times as possible. You need to be able to run balls without the need to open clusters before you can put up any numbers in an actual game, walk before you can run sorta thing.

Though you should absolutely practice both. Watch some matches, especially anything with Danny Diliberto commentating. Danny is constantly mentioning the need to leave insurance balls. This really is one of the keys to the game, make sure you will have a shot when going into clusters and effective patterns reduce lucky/bad rolls which allow you to run tons of balls. Read about patterns, on the same layout John Schmidt can make a stop shot run out whereas an amateur might need to play a series of difficult shots.

Practice breakshots incessently. This is one of the most important individual shots in the game as it doesn't matter how good you are at working your way through the rack if you A. never get a shot after the break or B. miss every breakshot. Running 15 at a time will only get you so far on 14.1 totem pole.

As important as actually making break shots is setting up for them. Throw 5 balls on the table with one of them in a specific position for a break, and practice running the four balls and getting position on the break shot. You can increase the number of balls as it gets easier. Also practice unorthodox break shots, some days you just can't seem to set up for a classic break shot, so you need a plan B.

Combinations, don't avoid them. Try to recognize dead combinations and various easy ones. Sometimes it's better to shoot a combo than to try and maneuver yourself to either break it up or play for small position zone to pocket one of them into another pocket.

Finally, remember there are exceptions to every rule. Some rules state that you have to get balls of the rails as early as possible, others state you need to clear up balls down table early. But there are situations which supercede these rules which need to be learned (for example a ball on the rail/downtable may be a better key ball than any of your other options).

But for now, just focus on running a full rack. One step at a time. Once you start to see the patterns open racks just get easier and easier.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Try spreading the balls evenly and randomly across the table with no clusters. Try to run out as many consecutive times as possible. You need to be able to run balls without the need to open clusters before you can put up any numbers in an actual game, walk before you can run sorta thing.

Though you should absolutely practice both. Watch some matches, especially anything with Danny Diliberto commentating. Danny is constantly mentioning the need to leave insurance balls. This really is one of the keys to the game, make sure you will have a shot when going into clusters and effective patterns reduce lucky/bad rolls which allow you to run tons of balls. Read about patterns, on the same layout John Schmidt can make a stop shot run out whereas an amateur might need to play a series of difficult shots.

Practice breakshots incessently. This is one of the most important individual shots in the game as it doesn't matter how good you are at working your way through the rack if you A. never get a shot after the break or B. miss every breakshot. Running 15 at a time will only get you so far on 14.1 totem pole.

As important as actually making break shots is setting up for them. Throw 5 balls on the table with one of them in a specific position for a break, and practice running the four balls and getting position on the break shot. You can increase the number of balls as it gets easier. Also practice unorthodox break shots, some days you just can't seem to set up for a classic break shot, so you need a plan B.

Combinations, don't avoid them. Try to recognize dead combinations and various easy ones. Sometimes it's better to shoot a combo than to try and maneuver yourself to either break it up or play for small position zone to pocket one of them into another pocket.

Finally, remember there are exceptions to every rule. Some rules state that you have to get balls of the rails as early as possible, others state you need to clear up balls down table early. But there are situations which supercede these rules which need to be learned (for example a ball on the rail/downtable may be a better key ball than any of your other options).

But for now, just focus on running a full rack. One step at a time. Once you start to see the patterns open racks just get easier and easier.
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Good advice right here.

I have been playing a lot of 14.1 by myself lately as well. I wish I was better at it, but my high run is steadily moving up. I got on youtube and watched some of John Schmidt's runs, and payed really close attention to his key balls and break balls, trying to figure them out before he got to them. My break shots have improved dramatically.

Learn the standard break shots, and train your brain to see patterns that involve as little cue ball movement as possible. Stop shot run outs are more common than you may think, you just have to train your third eye to see them.
 
It's hard to offer specific advice not knowing your playing ability, but if you have a high run of 9, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you should work on shot making.

Don't burden yourself with second guessing your aiming technique, rather, work on your stroke, and delivery. Read about the proper techniques for stance, grip, follow through, and staying down on your shots to watch them into the pocket.

You need to acquire a consistent pure smooth stroke. I think George Fels starts out his Mastering Pool book by saying something to the effect that he's sorry, but you're hitting the ball too hard. Truer words were never spoken.

All these things are an absolute must to become consistent with before you need to worry about anything else IMO.

Straight pool is a fantastic game that requires precision and touch. A solid foundation is a must. Glad you enjoy the game, it looks like it is really making a rebound.
 
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