Good Books to Learn From

cjl0s said:
You don't want to know LOL. I am not "advising" anyone. My opinion on these mental side books is just my opinion. I play good players sometimes approaching 700 Fargo. If I lose it is not because I got the yips. It is because they are good or I missed shots. And I don't worry about a hobby which is not paying my bills. I seriously doubt there are any top players that are hunched over studying books about anything. Especially mental aspect. They are playing and competing. I like books that deal with learning shots, games I have not played extensively, pattern play and stories. But you are probably right. I am long past getting worried about getting dramatically better and for sure not from a book. I should not have posted on this thread as you imply. Your point is well taken. Have a good one.
Click to expand...
I get your point, but in almost every field where you can be a pro athlete, they study sport's psychology, or at the minimum the coaches and trainers do. I don't care anything at all about football but there's a show called something like "Hard Knocks" where they film a team in their preseason. You can learn a lot just from the sports psychology talks they have with the players on there. They aren't saying this stuff to losers or beginners, they are sharpening the pro's minds with it. It's can be pretty powerful stuff. The winning teams all have dedicated salaried people to teach this stuff to the players.

For the mental side of the game, these books are good. Not everyone starts at the same level and these books can help the majority of people.
 
hclopez13 said:
Howdy folks.

In my quest to become a decent player again after many years of not playing or competing, I find myself struggling with shotmaking. I used one of the old tricks, recorded myself practicing, and lo and behold, I am struggling with shotmaking mechanics. Everything from pre-shot routine to cue alignment, stroke, etc was not looking very good. In the last 3 days I have managed to improve quite a bit, both shotmaking and cue ball position, but I would like to have some printed material to read, commit to memory and use as a practice aid.

What instructional books would you all fine folks recommend?

Hoping I can make it to a regional 9 ball tournament in the next few months and play well enough to be happy even if I loose. Not nice to loose knowing one is not playing to our full potential.

Thanks!

(Not so) Fast Eddie 🤣
Click to expand...
Sounds like you already know, with respect to the stroke, what the ingredients for success are. Stance, grip, bridge, pre-shot routine, staying down on the shot, following through along the line of aim, etc, etc etc.

No book will tell you which of these areas are the ones in which you need development and/or improvement. You need to have an elite instructor watch you hit some balls so that they can give you feedback and help you plot a course to greater proficiency.
 
cjl0s said:
You don't want to know LOL. I am not "advising" anyone. My opinion on these mental side books is just my opinion. I play good players sometimes approaching 700 Fargo. If I lose it is not because I got the yips. It is because they are good or I missed shots. And I don't worry about a hobby which is not paying my bills. I seriously doubt there are any top players that are hunched over studying books about anything. Especially mental aspect. They are playing and competing. I like books that deal with learning shots, games I have not played extensively, pattern play and stories. But you are probably right. I am long past getting worried about getting dramatically better and for sure not from a book. I should not have posted on this thread as you imply. Your point is well taken. Have a good one.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. - “I seriously doubt there are any top players that are hunched over studying books about anything. Especially mental aspect.”

For the “most” part I tend to agree. But “athletic shrinks” are a thing.

“And know your limits.” Sound 👍

“I like books that deal with learning shots, games I have not played extensively, pattern play and stories.“ 👍
 
Last edited:
sjm said:
Sounds like you already know, with respect to the stroke, what the ingredients for success are. Stance, grip, bridge, pre-shot routine, staying down on the shot, following through along the line of aim, etc, etc etc.

No book will tell you which of these areas are the ones in which you need development and/or improvement. You need to have an elite instructor watch you hit some balls so that they can give you feedback and help you plot a course to greater proficiency.
Click to expand...
I agree with this- a book alone, even Mark's book -- cannot watch you play and point out the areas of your mechanics that need work. This is why I always recommend Mark's book - along with the use of self video and video review on a continuous basis - as a starting point to stroke remake or stroke development.
The employment of an elite pool stroke instructor will come at a steep price ( esp. if one thinks spending $100 or so on Mark's book is steep). Not to mention the actual availability of an elite instructor where you actually live - there just are not very many that we could consider elite here in the U.S. A.

So, decisions need to be made- financial resources need to be evaluated, commitment to your goal needs to be assessed and established, and then availability of resources need to be considered.

How good do you want to be at pool, how much of a personal and financial price are you willing to pay, how much free time do you actually have to devote, what is your end goal? I believe that one needs to answer these questions first, honestly to themselves, and then- decide on your next course of action- all good recommendations here for you by the group.
 
hclopez13 said:
Howdy folks.

In my quest to become a decent player again after many years of not playing or competing, I find myself struggling with shotmaking. I used one of the old tricks, recorded myself practicing, and lo and behold, I am struggling with shotmaking mechanics. Everything from pre-shot routine to cue alignment, stroke, etc was not looking very good. In the last 3 days I have managed to improve quite a bit, both shotmaking and cue ball position, but I would like to have some printed material to read, commit to memory and use as a practice aid.

What instructional books would you all fine folks recommend?

Hoping I can make it to a regional 9 ball tournament in the next few months and play well enough to be happy even if I loose. Not nice to loose knowing one is not playing to our full potential.

Thanks!

(Not so) Fast Eddie 🤣
Click to expand...
I like The Secret Art of Pool by Lee Brett.

kollegedave
 
hclopez13 said:
Howdy folks.

In my quest to become a decent player again after many years of not playing or competing, I find myself struggling with shotmaking. I used one of the old tricks, recorded myself practicing, and lo and behold, I am struggling with shotmaking mechanics. Everything from pre-shot routine to cue alignment, stroke, etc was not looking very good. In the last 3 days I have managed to improve quite a bit, both shotmaking and cue ball position, but I would like to have some printed material to read, commit to memory and use as a practice aid.

What instructional books would you all fine folks recommend?

Hoping I can make it to a regional 9 ball tournament in the next few months and play well enough to be happy even if I loose. Not nice to loose knowing one is not playing to our full potential.

Thanks!

(Not so) Fast Eddie 🤣
Click to expand...
Get loose so you won't Lose.
I'd do this.
Sounds like your gonna get a few different books to learn from.
When you've found what your looking for, compare that exact same teaching in the other books.
Different perspectives are helpful.
Good luck, have fun and know ''their'' rules before you break the balls.
bm
 
"How good do you want to be at pool, how much of a personal and financial price are you willing to pay, how much free time do you actually have to devote, what is your end goal . . . and then- decide on your next course of action."

I wish it were so easy (and I while I am certain that such a conclusion was in no way being urged or intended, I am compelled to write as I know that such ideas are held in the fertile minds of the uninitiated. Time and experience will disprove such folly, but avoiding it in the first place will produce more satisfied players.)

What we should pursue is improvement and not greatness. All the books, lessons, practice, etc., in the world will not produce greatness as a certain result. I am not saying books, lessons, practice, etc., are not good, because, they are, but reasonable expectations are needed or frustration might drive some from the game.
 
Master this book, and your a master.

1757940913168.png
 
the pleasures of small motions is a great read, but seek out the harder to find and shorter first edition

he expanded it and added stuff that i guess he or the editors liked but the first attempt is excellent
 
cjl0s said:
You don't want to know LOL. I am not "advising" anyone. My opinion on these mental side books is just my opinion. I play good players sometimes approaching 700 Fargo. If I lose it is not because I got the yips. It is because they are good or I missed shots. And I don't worry about a hobby which is not paying my bills. I seriously doubt there are any top players that are hunched over studying books about anything. Especially mental aspect. They are playing and competing. I like books that deal with learning shots, games I have not played extensively, pattern play and stories. But you are probably right. I am long past getting worried about getting dramatically better and for sure not from a book. I should not have posted on this thread as you imply. Your point is well taken. Have a good one.
Click to expand...
I have read many , many books on the mental side of pool specifically and sports performance in general- as well as books on mind function in the face of what is perceived by someone as a stressful situation.

My take on all of this- from the "mental" side , specifically regarding pool play is such: great players have a mind set that allows them, much more consistently than the average player, to have extreme final focus on making the shot at hand and stroking the shot in such a way as to move the CB to the next, correct, desired spot on the table. Their ability to eliminate any negative producing thoughts of opponent, score, match, judgement by others, surroundings, playing conditions, etc. etc. - AT THE POINT OF STROKE EXECUTION- and THAT is the key - is far superior than the average player.

How you get to that state during a match is best described, in my opinion, is having a superior will to win- that means possessing the mental strength to view each and every shot in a rack as existing in its own state, trusting that one can succeed within each individual shot attempt; and then repeating this belief throughout an entire match.

Mosconi once said that he had 100% confidence that he would make every shot once he was over a shot, Lassiter once said- " if I see guy miss one ball in an hour of watching him, I know that I can beat him." THESE are the minds of champions!
 
bbb said:
View attachment 851284
;)
Click to expand...
Ah, the good book. Looks like one of the copies they usually put at the VA for us to take home. I have not read it in a very long time. I became a "heathen" a long time ago.

I have to say, that my Marine mind immediately came up with some dark humor to reply with, but I have managed to calm down my impulses of inserting black humor everywhere. 🤣

Best;

Eddie
 
  • Like
Reactions: bbb
hclopez13 said:
Ah, the good book. Looks like one of the copies they usually put at the VA for us to take home. I have not read it in a very long time. I became a "heathen" a long time ago.

I have to say, that my Marine mind immediately came up with some dark humor to reply with, but I have managed to calm down my impulses of inserting black humor everywhere. 🤣

Best;

Eddie
Click to expand...
i was going to put in my post
"If you want to shoot like god"
but i dont want to get hit by lightening bolts .....😇
 
straightline said:
No pool in there. Escapes which you'll probably need. Important tips though.
If you're looking for the one best book to become a champ, forget it.

Absorb what you can and teach yourself to win with the usable 10% of what you know.
Click to expand...
Oh no, definitely not trying to become a champion. I am hardly in a position where I can dedicate enough time to pool, but whatever time I do dedicate to it, I am trying to make the best of it. I will be lucky if I can attend and play a complete 9 ball tour event that comes through my area, but if I make it, at least I would like to be competent again to play well, or at least close to the level I used to play when I had to put down the stick. There are some obstacles I have to overcome that have nothing to do with pool before I can do that. Working on that.

I think the thread got derailed from the original purpose a bit. The original post asked about shot mechanics. I think some folks understood the OP as asking about books, maybe thinking my intention was to have a book that could teach me how to play and be great, which is not the case. I know exactly where the problem lies, hence why I asked for specifics on books that dealt with shot mechanics. I am not looking for a "one fix for all" as some folks have suggested, just a guide to help me with ideas, drills, things like that, to help address my issues.

I was a fairly accomplished player in my teen years and my early 20's, in my home turf and to some extent in this region of CONUS, mostly self taught by playing other people, with some coaching from an uncle that was a proficient pool player. I dedicated at least 6 hours daily to it, weekends were to travel seeking folks to play and tournaments. I understand very well the value and relationship of actual play versus instruction and the tips one can get from books. Fortunately for me I am not starting from zero; I still remember a lot and have discovered that I still have a strong foundation to play, that surprisingly did not perish with time, but I do need some help. I think physical issues present bigger challenges for me at this point; I am working on getting past those with my hard Marine head. 👍

Unfortunately after staying in this area when I retired from the Marines, there is not much interest in pool or facilities after my favorite pool hall closed in 2012; with that I lost access to Diamond tournament sized tables and most pool hall buddies that would spend hours playing with me. Interest in pool here boils down to small leagues that are somewhat difficult to approach and exist mostly for the drinking (no offense intended to anybody, I just have never been a drinker), and there are no coaches available. So, technically speaking, I am on my own, practicing as much as I can on the county recreation center, working on my other issues hoping one day I can play the one 9 ball tour event that comes fairly close by and do well enough. 👍

I appreciate all the suggestions and comments. I am striving and hoping for the best outcome.

Eddie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top