Beginner Question

[gatorcc]

As a beginner I have had to learn a lot of things to play correctly. You have to learn a stance, bridge, stroke, cue ball control, object ball control...etc.
I was wondering if it is more important for a beginner to focus on pocketing the object ball than cue ball control? I know that having good cue ball control makes pocketing the object ball that much easier.

I know that the majority of my time spent practicing is on pocketing the object ball not as much on cue ball control.

 

[Cameron Smith]

Good question.

I would certainly practice position play, but mostly in the form of speed control. Don't worry about using side spin (english) until your a little more confident pocketing balls.

I would dedicate some time to practicing your draw and follow shots.

 

[teedotaj]

Hello!

I would say focus on learning to pocket the balls first. There's no point learning how to make shape (controlling the cueball?) if you can't pocket the object ball. =)

Although you can learn the concepts of controlling the cueball on the side too =)

 

[Koopa]

It's a progress thing. First you work on your fundamentals so you can hit balls the way your head wants to hit them. Then you spend a good (a lot) amount of time just making balls, not worrying about shape. THEN and only then start messing around with shape and learning the patterns.

Trying to learn position play without being able to consistently make balls will frustrate the hell out of any beginner.

 

[Surly]

What I'm learning, after reading books and watching vids and visiting this forum too much is this: Your stroke is what you need to get down first. Without a good stroke, you will continue to make balls only sporadically and only with luck.

Your stroke should be slow and smooth and precise. You'll see people stroke and stroke and stroke and stroke and then suddenly you know when they're going to shoot because they'll revert to a totally different stroke/form to hit the ball.

The professionals aim carefully at the cue ball. They check their angle and aim carefully again. Then with no more effort than aiming, they stroke through the ball - very controlled, very smooth, very calm.

I watched a beginners video once that covered everything from stance to english beautifully (How to Shoot Pool Right - highly recommended), but the next time I played while concentrating on all that, I was a mess. Shot like my first friggin day.

Then my common sense told me that with all my flaws, I could shoot better than that. So the next day I decided to focus down to ONLY my aim, and a very slow, concentrated, so smooth you can't possibly miss the spot stroke; and it was probably my best practice session EVER. I shocked myself and my husband.

And it takes a lot of concentration for a beginner like me! If I don't seriously focus and slow every move down to slow motion, I'll miss the shot. If I concentrate on that stroke, and that tip, and the center of that cue ball, I'll make the shot every time. My position really sucks but hey - I've got another shot, don't I??

English will really mess you up until you learn how to compensate for throw. Don't even think about English until you learn how hit balls straight on.

 

[ne14tennis]

Fundamentals First

IMO,

1. Fundamentals are the core of your game. If you don't do everything consistantly none of the other stuff matters. You'll be bad some days, middle of the road the next and maybe good on the 3rd day.....or maybe all 3 in one match. Stance, warmup strokes, addressing the cue ball, stroke should be the same all the time.

2. Work your aiming since without a decent aim....you won't pocket a lost of balls

3. Practice pocketing balls

4. Cue ball control

5. lastly the finer points, safties, kicks, banks, patterns

 

[3andstop]

The most constructive advice that comes to my mind is to have someone knowledgeable (say a B or A player) review your stance and stroke with you.

One common problem I've seen is that breaking bad initial habits is much harder than training your muscles to stand and stroke properly from the beginning.

So, don't spend months practicing ball pocketing, and getting better at it while doing something wrong in terms of stance and stroke that may be harmful to your progress in the future. Its hard to undo them.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

As others have said, the main thing is don't rush into using sidespin. Work with your tip along the cue ball's "vertical axis" until you get comfortable with that (it should be at least a few months).

There are three kinds of "vertical axis" shots:

1. follow shots (where you hit a little above center and the CB is rolling when it hits the OB)

2. stun shots (where you hit a little below center and the CB is sliding when it hits the OB)

3. draw shots (where you hit farther below center and the CB has backspin when it hits the OB)

Start with follow shots (#1 above) and just try to control your shot speed to roll the CB to position for the next shot. Notice the angle the CB takes after hitting the OB. Don't try to get straight in on every shot - take what the CB's natural roll angle offers you.

Stun shots (#2 above) are called "stop" shots when they're straight in, because the CB stops when it hits the OB. Practice these when they come up and when that position is good for your next shot. Stop shots are relatively easy and very useful - it's the most precise position you can play because you know exactly where the CB will stop. Eventually you'll use stun shots with cuts (angled shots) to control the angle the CB takes after hitting the OB (look for discussions of the "tangent line" to learn about this).

Draw shots are a little more advanced than the other two. Start trying them after you can make stop shots from various distances and when you think your stroke is more consistent.

Try to stick with this progression so you get pretty comfortable with one phase before moving on to the next. In the longer run you'll learn more quickly that way because you'll know more clearly what causes what.

pj
chgo

 

[Jim Kuykendall]

As a beginner I have had to learn a lot of things to play correctly. You have to learn a stance, bridge, stroke, cue ball control, object ball control...etc.
I was wondering if it is more important for a beginner to focus on pocketing the object ball than cue ball control? I know that having good cue ball control makes pocketing the object ball that much easier.

I know that the majority of my time spent practicing is on pocketing the object ball not as much on cue ball control.

If you don't make the ball you lose your turn.

 

[tucson9ball]

STroke......

As a beginner I have had to learn a lot of things to play correctly. You have to learn a stance, bridge, stroke, cue ball control, object ball control...etc.
I was wondering if it is more important for a beginner to focus on pocketing the object ball than cue ball control? I know that having good cue ball control makes pocketing the object ball that much easier.

I know that the majority of my time spent practicing is on pocketing the object ball not as much on cue ball control.

If your avatar has anything to do with your game, just give up now-lol.
Seriously, take a lesson from a local pro or instructor it will shorten the learning curve by years.:thumbup: And good luck.

 

[Ralph Kramden]

As a beginner I have had to learn a lot of things to play correctly. You have to learn a stance, bridge, stroke, cue ball control, object ball control...etc.
I was wondering if it is more important for a beginner to focus on pocketing the object ball than cue ball control? I know that having good cue ball control makes pocketing the object ball that much easier.

I know that the majority of my time spent practicing is on pocketing the object ball not as much on cue ball control.

If you are playing against an opponent... make the ball. You can always play a safety if you get out of line. There is nothing like missing and getting great shape on the next ball... that you won't be able to shoot at.
When you have time to practice you can worry about how to get position.

 

[Scott Lee]

Pat...Stop shots can be accomplished with a sliding CB, or a spinning CB (with draw). Both are practical, and I just wanted the OP to know that a stun shot is not the only way to play a stop shot. BTW, we consider the stop shot to be the key control shot in playing pool...and one of the first things to learn, once you figure out your personal shooting template, and how it works in your stroke routine.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

2. stun shots (where you hit a little below center and the CB is sliding when it hits the OB)

Stun shots (#2 above) are called "stop" shots when they're straight in, because the CB stops when it hits the OB. Practice these when they come up and when that position is good for your next shot. Stop shots are relatively easy and very useful - it's the most precise position you can play because you know exactly where the CB will stop. Eventually you'll use stun shots with cuts (angled shots) to control the angle the CB takes after hitting the OB (look for discussions of the "tangent line" to learn about this).

pj
chgo

 

[SpiderWebComm]

I'll quote Jack Nicklaus...."Learn to hit the ball 300 yards before focusing on straightness. Straightness will come as you progress as a player - distance may not if not molded into your game early on."

I think that directly applies to pool. Focus on position at all times - pocketing balls will "happen" as you progress as a player.

 

[chevybob20]

See a qualified instructor before you ingrain bad habits (like I did). One of the best already responded. Stroke is king and SPF works.

 

[unknownpro]

I'll quote Jack Nicklaus...."Learn to hit the ball 300 yards before focusing on straightness. Straightness will come as you progress as a player - distance may not if not molded into your game early on."

I think that directly applies to pool. Focus on position at all times - pocketing balls will "happen" as you progress as a player.

I agree that you should play all englishes and learn how much the aim varies and how the balls react to move the cueball where you want it. If you do this on easier shots you will be refining a more precise aim and stroke that will help you pocket harder shots anyway.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Pat...Stop shots can be accomplished with a sliding CB, or a spinning CB (with draw). Both are practical, and I just wanted the OP to know that a stun shot is not the only way to play a stop shot.

I'm a little confused about what you mean. The only way the CB will stop dead is if it has no forward or backward spin when it hits the OB (a "stun" shot). If it has backspin on it when it hits the OB it will back up (a little or a lot, depending of the amount of backspin). I'm sure you know this, so maybe you're talking about the fact that it's often necessary to put a little backspin on the CB so that it will be sliding when it hits the OB? That's why I said "hit a little below center".

BTW, we consider the stop shot to be the key control shot in playing pool...and one of the first things to learn

Agreed, although I'd put "natural roll" follow right up there with the stop shot as one of the first lessons, and the one a beginning player is likely to use first. Stop shots take some learning to shoot right (especially over a variety of distances), and it doesn't take much to learn to shoot natural roll follow shots (just hit them a little above center for any distance). And learning the paths the CB will take with natural roll follow is very important. Even as you progress it remains the easiest kind of shot to hit exactly right and therefore the least prone to error and the most predictable. Even for an advanced player it's probably the preferred shot if your choices are wide open.

pj
chgo

 

[Patrick Johnson]

SpiderWebComm:
I'll quote Jack Nicklaus...."Learn to hit the ball 300 yards before focusing on straightness. Straightness will come as you progress as a player - distance may not if not molded into your game early on."

I think that directly applies to pool. Focus on position at all times - pocketing balls will "happen" as you progress as a player.

unknownpro:
I agree that you should play all englishes and learn how much the aim varies and how the balls react to move the cueball where you want it. If you do this on easier shots you will be refining a more precise aim and stroke that will help you pocket harder shots anyway.

Here's another point of view: I think the simpler things should be learned first so the more complicated things will be learned more quickly and more clearly. Pocketing is simpler than position play and centerball position play is simpler than sidespin position play. Just like learning how to stand and hold the cue comes before learning much of anything else - learn the fundamentals first.

I agree that all kinds of shots must be learned eventually, but I think it's important to know how the simpler things work before adding complications, so that it will be clear what effect is caused by each. If you start doing everything at once it's very difficult to know what causes what, and you may never be able to go back and find out.

Even now, after years of experience, I often practice using vertical axis only, without any sidespin at all - just to remind myself how that works, how little sidespin is really necessary for good position play, and how to get "natural" position so the least amount of sidespin is needed for the next shot.

pj
chgo