Best pool learning books?

[RacerX750]

I think this book is great!

Mark's book is the best if you can find a copy. As in the three videos he teaches the orthodox stroke. Without a repeatable, straight delivery of the cue stick accelerating thru the cue ball no amount of lessons regarding physics, strategy, drills, etc. will deliver optimum results. His teaching is the basis upon which everything else relies. Yes you can get incredibly good without an orthodox stroke, but it will take many years more to overcome poor technique. Lots of pros are evidence of that. But why make it harder than it already is?
The biggest take away that will give the most improvement relatively quickly is the 'ladies and gentlemen' line. Watch that in the video.

 

[Submerge]

Cappelle- Play Your Best Pool

I have not read, but have heard good things about Martin's The 99 Critical Shots in Pool and both of Robert Byrne's books.

I’ve enjoyed going through the 99 Critical Shots book. A lot of great “secrets” in the book. The shots do come up a lot too.

 

[book collector]

Just read Dr Dave the illustrated profiles of pool and billiards. Any suggestions on what to read next ?

What level do you play at on a good day?

 

[gardencat]

I agree that Mark Wilson's "Play Great Pool" is a great pool book. My one beef with it is that it doesn't have an index, and for that reason only is not particularly useful for future reference. At it's price, it should include an index.

 

[bbb]

What level do you play at on a good day?

Based on his answer what would you reply?

 

[arnaldo]

Are you kidding?!

Phil Capelle’s,
“Play Your Best Straight Pool” is 380 pages of clear, concise instruction that’s been broken down into bite-sized elements for beginner to expert level straight-pool players And his “Break Shot Patterns- How to Close 14.1 Racks Like A Pro” gives the secrets of the old masters and even diagrams situations for the reader that would take years to learn on your own. I’m guessing that ‘reading’ instruction for you is more difficult for you to absorb & utilize than ‘watching’ instruction- but dogging Capelle’s writings cause you don’t get it, is absurd.

Absurd is too gentle. More like grossly disrespectful.
However if those Capelle-condemnatory comments were made with total innocence of any perspective about what the reader was looking at, then it's simply "ignorance" in that word's objective, non-judgmental Greek origin which conveys "not knowing". As Will Rogers famously (and humorously) observed 90 years ago:

"We are all ignorant . . . just about different things."

Well that's what we're all commendably on this forum for: to transform innocent not-knowing, to continually devouring a useful and enriching diet of practical, tested information. And not least, shared, often hilarious or astonishing pool-world experiences.

Arnaldo

 

[Dwalk70]

What level do you play at on a good day?

APA 6

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

u-Tube kicks butt over books, books are good but few are easy to compress first or second read.

Yes there are bad u-tubes, but many great ones.

 

[Dwalk70]

you tube for knowledge about cue collecting?

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

you tube for knowledge about cue collecting?

Could be such a U-Tube? Check U-Tube..

 

[hang-the-9]

I am putting in my vote for Byrne's books, as much for how well they are written and put together as for the instructional value. However much of the material in at least the first book is geared towards learning the game from scratch not for advanced players.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

My favorite after basic are learned, 99 Criticisl Shots, learn to see stuff that is not apparent always.

 

[book collector]

APA 6

Compared to most players that's not a bad number , but in the world of pool knowledge you could be a 6 and still do many things wrong to keep you from improving . It happens a lot more than you would think. There are a million 6s out there, it's not an accident.
Bad mechanics are the worst enemy of improvement.
Make sure you can stroke the cueball straight, {every time} learn how to shoot at different repeatable speeds , I like the table length method . Then if you go to an unfamiliar table , you can see what you need to adjust.
Learn what your cueball does with 1 tip of spin then 2 tips. I am not a fan of increments of tips, unless you play all day, almost every day.
Learn the paths of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 rail kicks. to pockets. Practice those until you are extremely confident in hitting close , almost every time. This will make it easier to learn how to adjust to play multiple rail position, with the cueball.
What I am saying is ....get your foundation built on perfect ground, then whatever you learn will either ring true or false when you practice it . If you are not solid, what works today may not work tomorrow, next week ,or ever again.
Then you will be like all the other 6s ,chasing their tails because they are hitting the ball a little off center right this week , instead of a little left , like they were last week.

 

[VVP]

Structure by Ralph Eckert. Make sure you get the English version if you do. The book goes well with his lessons on Billiards Network on YouTube.

 

[Fatboy]

Pool books are great, I enjoy them. Even books on things I’ve known 40 years. I enjoy reading about. I’ve read most all books.

Buddy Halls book is great(get a magnifying glass).

Some are full of great stories or how to play better, lots of different ideas on the mental side of pool, or aiming etc.

All enjoyable to read, however none of them will really make you a great player. They are worthy of the time to read them. But none will substitute actual lessons and time playing(deliberate playing-not banging balls)

Read’em all, I have

Fatboy

 

[Chicagoplayer]

Absurd is too gentle. More like grossly disrespectful.
However if those Capelle-condemnatory comments were made with total innocence of any perspective about what the reader was looking at, then it's simply "ignorance" in that word's objective, non-judgmental Greek origin which conveys "not knowing". As Will Rogers famously (and humorously) observed 90 years ago:

"We are all ignorant . . . just about different things."

Well that's what we're all commendably on this forum for: to transform innocent not-knowing, to continually devouring a useful and enriching diet of practical, tested information. And not least, shared, often hilarious or astonishing pool-world experiences.
Arnaldo

Hear, hear!
While I’d like to think that’s what we’re all on this forum for, I’ve found myself sorely mistaken on more than one occasion

In any event, Phil Capelle wrote 25 years of articles for Pool & Billiard Magazine & is the author of 12 books on pool, & one on golf.

He is currently writing a book on pool that not only takes on team sports (MLB, NFL, NHL, & soccer) but also Individual sports i.e. Tennis, Golf & Chess, while using experts in neuroscience, psychology, and more than a dozen other fields to showcase why “Pool Is The Answer” (that’s the title) and how pool’s benefits help every human in ways not thought of or stated before!

My friend of blessed memory George Fels, GD rest his soul, columnist for Billiards Digest, had written more than a few kind reviews about his works, and if you knew George, he would not pay a compliment if it wasn’t merited especially from someone writing about pool- if anything, he was much more likely to dismantle a person for writing substandard work.

Nice to make your acquaintance here Arnaldo, and if you are so inclined, visit Phil’s site

Phil Capelle - Pool's #1 Instructional Author

Phil Capelle - Pool's #1 Instructional Author

www.billiardspress.com

buy one of his books or show some support.
Be well,
-CP

 

[Chicagoplayer]

Absurd is too gentle. More like grossly disrespectful.
However if those Capelle-condemnatory comments were made with total innocence of any perspective about what the reader was looking at, then it's simply "ignorance" in that word's objective, non-judgmental Greek origin which conveys "not knowing". As Will Rogers famously (and humorously) observed 90 years ago:

"We are all ignorant . . . just about different things."

Well that's what we're all commendably on this forum for: to transform innocent not-knowing, to continually devouring a useful and enriching diet of practical, tested information. And not least, shared, often hilarious or astonishing pool-world experiences.
Arnaldo

Hear, hear!
While I’d like to think that’s what we’re all on this forum for, I’ve found myself sorely mistaken on more than one occasion

In any event, Phil Capelle wrote almost 30 years of articles for Pool & Billiard Magazine & is the author of 12 books on pool, & one on golf.

He is currently writing a book on pool that not only takes on team sports (MLB, NFL, NHL, & soccer) but also Individual sports i.e. Tennis, Golf & Chess, while using experts in neuroscience, psychology, and more than a dozen other fields to showcase why “Pool Is The Answer” (that’s the title) and how pool’s benefits help every human in ways not thought of or stated before!

My friend of blessed memory George Fels, GD rest his soul, columnist for Billiards Digest, had written more than a few kind reviews about his works, and if you knew George, he would not pay a compliment if it wasn’t merited especially from someone writing about pool- if anything, he was much more likely to dismantle a person for writing substandard work.

Nice to make your acquaintance here Arnaldo, and if you are so inclined, visit Phil’s site

Phil Capelle - Pool's #1 Instructional Author

Phil Capelle - Pool's #1 Instructional Author

www.billiardspress.com

buy one of his books or show some support.
Be well,
-CP

 

[arnaldo]

Nice to make your acquaintance here Arnaldo, and if you are so inclined, visit Phil’s site

Phil Capelle - Pool's #1 Instructional Author

Phil Capelle - Pool's #1 Instructional Author

www.billiardspress.com

buy one of his books or show some support.
Be well,
-CP

CP: I've owned and greatly benefited from every one of his excellently motivating and hugely informative books for many years. To me they're worth triple the price. I'm leaving them to my emerging player, great-grandson some day. He already reads them with sheer delight and wonder going on seven years-old. and gets out his miniature pool table to experiment.

As always, George Fels was spot-on whenever he reviewed any of Phil's masterful books.

Arnaldo

 

[demonrho]

"Gamesmanship" by Stephen Potter

 

[Dwalk70]

Compared to most players that's not a bad number , but in the world of pool knowledge you could be a 6 and still do many things wrong to keep you from improving . It happens a lot more than you would think. There are a million 6s out there, it's not an accident.
Bad mechanics are the worst enemy of improvement.
Make sure you can stroke the cueball straight, {every time} learn how to shoot at different repeatable speeds , I like the table length method . Then if you go to an unfamiliar table , you can see what you need to adjust.
Learn what your cueball does with 1 tip of spin then 2 tips. I am not a fan of increments of tips, unless you play all day, almost every day.
Learn the paths of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 rail kicks. to pockets. Practice those until you are extremely confident in hitting close , almost every time. This will make it easier to learn how to adjust to play multiple rail position, with the cueball.
What I am saying is ....get your foundation built on perfect ground, then whatever you learn will either ring true or false when you practice it . If you are not solid, what works today may not work tomorrow, next week ,or ever again.
Then you will be like all the other 6s ,chasing their tails because they are hitting the ball a little off center right this week , instead of a little left , like they were last week.

Yes I agree I’m still struggling hitting center. Where are the kick paths above to learn?