Going to a 7’ Table to Get Your Stroke / Confidence Back?

philly

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
When really struggling on the 9’ tables in matches, does it make any sense to go to a 7’ Diamond for practice, to get some confidence in your stroke back? I’m in a bad slump right now so that’s what I’m thinking of trying. Has it worked for anyone?
Sometimes you can just get bored from playing too much pool.
Don't know if that is the case with you though.
Some time off might help if you can stay away from the table which is not easy as pool has
been strongly incorporated into most of our lives.
Personally I never blame the table, the cue, the tip, the music playing, the chalk, etc for my game.
I always blame myself, my focus.

Shakespeare, as usual, said it best:

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
 

Welder84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When really struggling on the 9’ tables in matches, does it make any sense to go to a 7’ Diamond for practice, to get some confidence in your stroke back? I’m in a bad slump right now so that’s what I’m thinking of trying. Has it worked for anyone?
I played only 7' for a couple of years. It did help my confidence, because I beat better players and cashed in more tournaments.

However it did not help my stroke at all, so now I am back to only big tables for a while.

So I say if it feels good then do it.
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
Ever since I started playing on diamond bar tables again I can't stop scratching on the 8 atleast once a set.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
I played only 7' for a couple of years. It did help my confidence, because I beat better players and cashed in more tournaments.

However it did not help my stroke at all, so now I am back to only big tables for a while.

So I say if it feels good then do it.
I’m the minority in that I had a 7’ table at home, and it kept me in stroke for any table. Adjusting to the 9’ was easier for me, but that’s probably because my shotmaking wasn’t bad. Position always felt like throwing a ball into centerfield. When I had a 9’ at home, going to a 7’ barbox was always a disaster due to not being able to control the cueball until it was too late.
 

buckshotshoey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I’m the minority in that I had a 7’ table at home, and it kept me in stroke for any table. Adjusting to the 9’ was easier for me, but that’s probably because my shotmaking wasn’t bad. Position always felt like throwing a ball into centerfield. When I had a 9’ at home, going to a 7’ barbox was always a disaster due to not being able to control the cueball until it was too late.
That's where I'm at. My 7 foot has 4 1/4" pockets. It is challenging.
 

Welder84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I’m the minority in that I had a 7’ table at home, and it kept me in stroke for any table. Adjusting to the 9’ was easier for me, but that’s probably because my shotmaking wasn’t bad. Position always felt like throwing a ball into centerfield. When I had a 9’ at home, going to a 7’ barbox was always a disaster due to not being able to control the cueball until it was too lat

I’m the minority in that I had a 7’ table at home, and it kept me in stroke for any table. Adjusting to the 9’ was easier for me, but that’s probably because my shotmaking wasn’t bad. Position always felt like throwing a ball into centerfield. When I had a 9’ at home, going to a 7’ barbox was always a disaster due to not being able to control the cueball until it was too late.
My biggest adjustment to the 9' is changing my bridges (closed mostly big table and mostly open on bar table). I also naturally play lower on most shots for the 9'.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Strengthen your PSR. Something has become lax in your setup/stance/head over the ball.
I do know for a fact that when I switched to focusing on cue ball last through the complete stroke which seemed to be working well for a while, for some reason I have completely lost any pause at the back of my stroke. My recent struggles may be related to that.
 

atlas333

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I do the opposite and shoot on a snooker table. I don't play snooker, just make pool shots on the snooker equipment. The demands of snooker equipment force you to iron out any imperfections in your delivery in a hurry. Not only that, but it is really good for improving your focus as, for me anyway, it is all just different enough to feel like new. The table is higher up, the balls are smaller, everything looks a bit different, so it forces me to focus, aim, make sure of my aim when down, maybe even exaggerate the pause in my backswing to really get my eye in. With pool, you get away with so much it is easy for lazy habits to creep into your game before you even start seeing them show up as misses.

"Struggling" and "slump" are relative terms tho. For a guy like me, snooker is a better option because I don't ever lose confidence in my technique or what I am trying to do the way I don't lose confidence in my chef knife. I just understand both still need sharpening once in a while. A string of misses doesn't have me frantically searching for solutions and questioning my technique (as it used to). If you aren't through that stage of your pool development yet, perhaps playing on easier equipment may work better than more difficult equipment.

Like a 3point shooter that's gone cold, sometimes it is good to get closer to the basket, make some easy shots, and get used to that feeling of expecting a shot to go in every time. Rather than playing games on a 7 footer, you might be better served by not playing at all and work on some progression drills for shots that recently gave you trouble. You start with short easy shots you can be confident you are seeing right and just let that stroke out a bit. Then keep incrementally increasing distance of CB to OB or OB to pocket and do your best to maintain that same confident stroke as the shots become tougher.
Really well thought out post and very helpful and on point.
 

jtaylor996

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Not for me. I figure out what's wrong, and just start doing drills to work it out. Table size doesn't enter into that for me at all.
 

Rocket354

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I found that when a table was too tough, for whatever reason, it would shake my confidence and I'd play worse then normal. But when a table was easier then I'd gain confidence and play better (even after moving back to a tougher table). All that's to say that it could work. For me, it was going from a 9' Diamond with <4.5" pockets to a 9' Brunswick with 5" pockets. But whatever works for you.

However, if you've lost the pause at the back of your stroke then it sounds like it could be a mechanical/fundamental issue that might not get resolved until you've cleaned up your stroke. You also don't want the move to an easier table to effectively disguise any flaws in your stroke that you may have inadvertently introduced, because then the flaws will become muscle memory and that much harder to eradicate once you're back to a tougher 9' table.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
However, if you've lost the pause at the back of your stroke then it sounds like it could be a mechanical/fundamental issue that might not get resolved until you've cleaned up your stroke. You also don't want the move to an easier table to effectively disguise any flaws in your stroke that you may have inadvertently introduced, because then the flaws will become muscle memory and that much harder to eradicate once you're back to a tougher 9' table.
I’m not sure why I lost the pause at the back of my stroke when I changed to focusing on the cue ball last. It might have something to do with subconsciously decreasing the time lapse between when my eyes last look at the target (object ball) before the start of my backstroke - not trusting that my alignment will be able to deliver the cue ball on the correct path.

My next few practice sessions I plan on experimenting with seeing if I can find the pause at the back of my stroke (which I’ve always had) while still focusing on the cue ball contact point through the completion of my follow through.

If I can’t, I will then try shifting my eyes from the CB to the OB target at the completion of my backstroke, trying to give myself a full second pause with my eyes on the OB target before starting the forward stroke. One of our best players in here does just that - he starts his backstroke with his eyes focused on the CB, and not until the completion of his backstroke (the start of his pause) is when his eyes shift to the object ball.
 
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iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Imo, yes it would help. I’m on the camp that a home practice table should have bucket pockets. Precisely to build your confidence and let your stroke out. Confidence is king when competing.

Imo:)
 

Dan_B

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
ummm,
doesn't feel right...
...as a strategy,
dropping down to a smaller table to improve play on a larger table.
I like the drill theory, is there a clock nearby?

Just a supposed possible problem for a shooting slump;
with the electromagnetic field in amidst combined with wearing a high-powered watch...? maybe
those watching the cosmos say something is skewed, add in the volcano action with the molten core reversing...
I think its prep for an alien landing myself, so...
...don't sweat it, relax.
 

gregcantrall

Center Ball
Silver Member
The 7 foot table is where I need to be more precise with my cue ball. So good for practice cue ball control. The target zone becomes mucho smaller. The path around the table is more restricted. Hazards lead to me practicing my kick shots as well.
 

chenjy9

Well-known member
My favorite drill is just straight shots. Center ball for accuracy drill and controlled follow/draw for positioning drill. Works for both 9ft and 7ft tables. To answer your original question though, if you are having issues potting long shots accurately I would practice on tables that allow for long shoots (9ft maybe 8ft). I am a firm believer of using the right tools for the right job.
 

Zerksies

Well-known member
The 7 foot table is where I need to be more precise with my cue ball. So good for practice cue ball control. The target zone becomes mucho smaller. The path around the table is more restricted. Hazards lead to me practicing my kick shots as well.
I like that train of thought. I myself am using a 7 footer for mechanics like that as well.
 

WardS

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
sure it would ... kind of pathetic that the billiards industry lives and dies by a 7 foot table
I like the small tables, they offer opportunity for many people to play pool who otherwise wouldn’t have a place to play. The game doesn’t change that much, the rails, stroke, ball size, you can use on the bigger tables. To me the bigger challenge is the distance when I move to bigger tables it takes time to adjust but I don’t have to work on stance or stroke schematics. So I am in advanced/ health age group and the smaller table sometime is the only option if I want to play. I wish times were like when I started in the 50’s but they aren’t and I don’t ever see that changing.
 
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