Bob Jewett said:
Which fundamentals do you think aren't covered well enough by most books? Is there some particular way you would like to see them covered? Some fundamentals I can think of just off hand for beginners are:
Selecting a cue stick
Chalking
Making a bridge
Taking a solid stance
Gripping the cue
The stroke
A few suggestions on aiming
This gets them as far as occasionally putting a ball into the pocket. Is there something else that must be covered when starting out? It's a little hard from the perspective of having played for 40 years to catch all the details that novices need to know.
It's also hard to figure out how basic to make things. I've seen some players who were startled to learn that if the cue ball hits the object ball on the right side, the object ball will go the to the left and the cue ball to the right. Is this sort of thing worth pointing out explicitly?
Basically I think that books tend to assume too much of their readers. Maybe it seems obvious that part of creating a stable bridge is ensuring that the base of your hand if firmly on the table, but not to everyone. I have seen too many players balancing their closed bridge on their fingers even when there is no obstruction to their hand.
The finer details are so important for a player who is just starting out, however I find they are often missing from instructional material. I don’t believe a book can possibly too in depth, because that simply leaves a reader without questions, which was the point of buying the book in the first place.
Everything you mention in terms of fundamentals is generally covered in most books, but the way I see it, is your list could potentially read like the chapters of a book. A chapter could be written on the stroke but it generally isn’t. Same thing could be said about the stance.
Another thing that is worth mentioning is that I have not seen many books that cover different styles of play. Many books are very dogmatic as far as their methods go, but if you go to the US Open there are a variety of styles that are fundamentally correct. Providing a few examples would make a beginners book more of a one stop read so to speak.
Finally I find that instructional materials rarely explain themselves. They place an idea on the table as a law that should be abided without question. However I believe a reader is more likely to remember an idea, if a logical explanation is given to justify why such and such an idea is so important.
An entire book can be written on the fundamentals of pool, and I feel one should be made available. I can’t see the logic of providing bare bones information on how to make a ball, and then give the reader a three rail positional shot to execute in the next chapter. Of course I am exaggerating but I would have paid any price for a book that describes the fundamentals of pool in great detail. An example of a pre shot routine would have been phenomenal, or a break down of how to make a proper stance while staying on the line of the shot would be helpful. A description of the various acceptable grips couldn’t hurt either. If you are going to mention that you should look at the object ball last, tell the reader why.
If you are planning on writing a book in the near future, remember every question your students have asked, every query put forth on this forum, no matter how small, obvious or silly it may be. To someone else it could be the missing link for his or her game. The frame of a building stands it up and gives it shape, but it is the small load bearing pieces that keep it from collapsing on it, the same idea applies to a players fundamentals. A reader should never be left with questions at the end of the book, and if they are, it should be because they only skimmed over the prose.
P.S. Ok maybe the bit about how the balls carom off each other may be a bit too general, but if you provide diagrams then that should clear things up without you having to explicitly tell the reader that.
P.P.S. If you want to discuss this with me further, feel free to ask, I can talk for hours about this subject, as I am still new enough that I remember sucking (more than I do now) very vividly. Ahh the memories of no one wanting me as a doubles partner are rushing back
