Keeping my stroke up on a 7' table

[weakfingers]

Hey y'all...

I'm moving to a new apartment complex soon and the good news is the complex has a free pool table in the community area. After work, or after hours, I'll probably be using it to practice at night when I don't go to the pool hall to use the big tables. I'd like to consider myself a fairly advanced player, and I'm consistently ranked a "B" speed when I play in most events.

It's a pretty low level 7' table though, thin slate and pretty big pockets. I was just wondering how anyone else who owns a 7' table maintains their stroke especially on the longer shots. I'm thinking practicing lots of shots with the cue ball on or near the rail, and some "long" straight in shots down the rail...

Any input from you bar box owners would be great! I just don't want to lose my stroke since I've practiced primarily on 9 footers until now.

- Gary

 

[Zphix]

I'm not experienced enough to have any significant answers but I'll share my experience with the two because I semi-regularly switch between Diamond 7' footers, and GC 9' footers with tighter pockets.

The biggest issue I'll face is playing position between the two. After playing on a 7, your body will get used to the speed required to move around the table so sometimes you may over or under estimate the speed, English required to move around the table.

In other ways, run outs can be harder on 7 footers because less table space means less ball spread so you'll see more clusters, problem balls, etc.

Anyway, these are the two things I've noticed in my limited experience switching between the two.

Sent from my X501_USA_Cricket using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cornerman]

Hey y'all...

I'm moving to a new apartment complex soon and the good news is the complex has a free pool table in the community area. After work, or after hours, I'll probably be using it to practice at night when I don't go to the pool hall to use the big tables. I'd like to consider myself a fairly advanced player, and I'm consistently ranked a "B" speed when I play in most events.

It's a pretty low level 7' table though, thin slate and pretty big pockets. I was just wondering how anyone else who owns a 7' table maintains their stroke especially on the longer shots. I'm thinking practicing lots of shots with the cue ball on or near the rail, and some "long" straight in shots down the rail...

Any input from you bar box owners would be great! I just don't want to lose my stroke since I've practiced primarily on 9 footers until now.

- Gary

Owned a 7' table with relatively easy pockets for years. I won many amateur tourneys on small and big tables.

The key was just playing constantly to keep the stroke consistent. Plus a good aiming system.

If you will play every day on 7' table, it will not make your game worse.

 

[Tronpocket]

The common thing i see is 9' people get lazy on a bartable . Yes .....its easier...... so you must make it a challenge .
With 7' its Hard to work on anything "stroke " related, but not brain related .

If playing a game I would try working on what I call, "small position", which is just a more precise target zone for your qball . Pick a spot and try to get there.....or close .
Thinking ahead and focussing.

A good drill you could do is to shoot the balls into one pocket.
Just throw a few out, 3 -10balls, and take ball in paw.run em down .
Bored? Run em off in rotation .
Banking , position , everything .
It should give you some reward when transitioning.
Makes you think , keeps you thinking .

Others good suggestions may be ......
Jump shot technique.......when nobodys watching ......
Dead straight in corner to corner "stroke" drill. with draw, stop , or follow .
last and best of all ......Q ball Frozen rail shots, they come into play no matter what size table .

 

[lost]

Imagine what a european snooker player goes through when coming to the us and has to play some game on dinky pool tables. i guess he will get his stroke back when he goes back home

 

[weakfingers]

The common thing i see is 9' people get lazy on a bartable . Yes .....its easier...... so you must make it a challenge .
With 7' its Hard to work on anything "stroke " related, but not brain related .

This is what I was expecting to hear. Whenever I play on a bar table, I try to focus hard on my fundamentals and don't let myself get lazy just because it's a smaller table.

Good advice. Smaller table doesn't necessarily mean easier table especially with clusters, smaller position zones, and you can limit yourself to only shooting in certain pockets, etc.

 

[Bambu]

Hey y'all...

I'm moving to a new apartment complex soon and the good news is the complex has a free pool table in the community area. After work, or after hours, I'll probably be using it to practice at night when I don't go to the pool hall to use the big tables. I'd like to consider myself a fairly advanced player, and I'm consistently ranked a "B" speed when I play in most events.

It's a pretty low level 7' table though, thin slate and pretty big pockets. I was just wondering how anyone else who owns a 7' table maintains their stroke especially on the longer shots. I'm thinking practicing lots of shots with the cue ball on or near the rail, and some "long" straight in shots down the rail...

Any input from you bar box owners would be great! I just don't want to lose my stroke since I've practiced primarily on 9 footers until now.

- Gary

I have a tight 9 footer at one house, and a sloppy 6 footer in another. When I'm stuck with the 6 footer, its just not the same. Even with simonis and pro cup balls, its better than nothing but still kinda sucks. A crappy 7 footer wouldn't make much difference to me either.

Since you have the room, my advice would be to buy yourself a diamond 7 footer. In case you didn't know, they play nothing like typical bar room 7's. IMHO, that's the closest you can get to the way a 9 footer plays.

 

[trob]

I have a tight 9 footer at one house, and a sloppy 6 footer in another. When I'm stuck with the 6 footer, its just not the same. Even with simonis and pro cup balls, its better than nothing but still kinda sucks. A crappy 7 footer wouldn't make much difference to me either.

Since you have the room, my advice would be to buy yourself a diamond 7 footer. In case you didn't know, they play nothing like typical bar room 7's. IMHO, that's the closest you can get to the way a 9 footer plays.

I'm fortunate that my valley has tight pockets but still it's a bar box. A shot I shoot every day because you got to hit it good to make is put a ball on the head spot and the cue ball tight on the bottom rail about a half diamond from the pocket. If I'm pocketing that consistently my stroke is on.

 

[mcesarey]

If I'm practicing on a bar box, I have a tendency to get lazy as well. It helps me to play a set against the ghost in order to start bearing down and playing tighter position. It also helps me if I watch one of the great videos on youtube from the csi bar table championships beforehand just to get in the right frame of mind.