I think a very important ingredient of winning matches and getting into the money in tournaments (for myself) has been my learning and practicing seldom used and unusual shots. That game winning shot - the difficult shot I can do but my opponent can't - or the shot which performs magic on the cue ball. (In addition to learning and practicing basic play of course.)
So first is learning about these shots. Information about these shots will not be handed to you on a silver platter! Always carry pen and paper in your bag. Every once and a while (once in your lifetime) an old timer will suddenly decide to share some tidbit with you. Be ready to write down and diagram the shot so you can remember it, practice it, and add it to your bag of tricks. You may only need to use this shot once a week or once in 3 months, but when you need it, you really need it and it can make the difference between winning or losing.
I have been practicing the full range of masse' shots for about a year. I keep missing, not getting the cue ball to go where I want, not making balls, etc. But I have been learning how these masse' shots work. It paid off in a tournament last night because my opponent left me hidden behind one of his balls. Well I just curved the cue ball around his ball to sink one of my balls which was near a corner pocket. And my opponent did a double take and stared at that magic cue ball with his mouth hanging open. This is probably one of the easiest masse' shots there is, but I have only been able to do this twice (and make my ball) while playing a match. I have attempted these shots during matches about 10 times in the last year and missed.
Anyway I keep practicing this stuff and I get better over time. Now I know what to try to do to make a curve shot and have a chance of making the shot or at least hitting my ball. But I am practicing all sorts of masse' shots, not just curve shots.
I've also been practicing shots from the book 99 critical shots. This has helped me a *lot* to recognize, that I in fact have a shot where my opponent (who does not have this book) thinks he has left me without a shot. I now can look at clusters of balls and see possible shots.
My sources for these game-winning shots are....
1. First practice common shots which you have difficulty with. I saw a guy playing last night who had trouble with balls frozen to the rail. He went home one place out of the money because of this. He could have taken 3rd if he had practiced these shots.
2. Book: 99 critical shots.
3. Dr. Dave's DVD (not CD). http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/dvd_description.html
4. Jimmy Reid's DVD's http://www.freepoollessons.com/video/index.shtml
5. Internet forums. Be honest about your playing ability and diagram shots on the Wei table (info below) which you have difficulty with. Ask questions about how to make the shot, how to practice to make the shot, what you should have done in a certain situation, etc. Players here can be brutal when you lay it all out like this, but they give excellent advice which is right on.
6. Collect billiard books. These can be found at used bookstores (many are out of print), new book stores, and the widest selection of billiard books is on the internet. Search google.com for the words billiard books or billiards books. You may only learn one thing from a particular book since many have the same basic stuff in them, but that one thing may well be worth the price of the book.
7. Don't read the books like a novel. Take notes and diagram shots. Then practice them. Don't watch the videos like a movie. Watch a little, take notes, diagram the shots, and practice them. Then watch a little more.
8. It can take months of practicing a particular shot before you see improvement. But after a few months, what was once difficult, begins to be easy!
9. I bought a masse' cue which has helped a lot to learn what I can and can't do with my regular playing cue.
http://schulercue.com/products/accessories.htm
10. The Wei table is at the following link. Copy the following and press the paste button. To clear the table and make your own diagram, hit just paste or copy this: START()END and then hit paste. Then drag the balls to where you want them, click on copy, then paste in a message here. It is helpful whenever pasting a Wei diagram to also provide the link like I have done below. People have this saved in their favorites, but it is quicker to click on a provided link.
http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/
START(
%AH8G4%PP0J7%WJ5H5%XO0J3
)END
So first is learning about these shots. Information about these shots will not be handed to you on a silver platter! Always carry pen and paper in your bag. Every once and a while (once in your lifetime) an old timer will suddenly decide to share some tidbit with you. Be ready to write down and diagram the shot so you can remember it, practice it, and add it to your bag of tricks. You may only need to use this shot once a week or once in 3 months, but when you need it, you really need it and it can make the difference between winning or losing.
I have been practicing the full range of masse' shots for about a year. I keep missing, not getting the cue ball to go where I want, not making balls, etc. But I have been learning how these masse' shots work. It paid off in a tournament last night because my opponent left me hidden behind one of his balls. Well I just curved the cue ball around his ball to sink one of my balls which was near a corner pocket. And my opponent did a double take and stared at that magic cue ball with his mouth hanging open. This is probably one of the easiest masse' shots there is, but I have only been able to do this twice (and make my ball) while playing a match. I have attempted these shots during matches about 10 times in the last year and missed.
Anyway I keep practicing this stuff and I get better over time. Now I know what to try to do to make a curve shot and have a chance of making the shot or at least hitting my ball. But I am practicing all sorts of masse' shots, not just curve shots.
I've also been practicing shots from the book 99 critical shots. This has helped me a *lot* to recognize, that I in fact have a shot where my opponent (who does not have this book) thinks he has left me without a shot. I now can look at clusters of balls and see possible shots.
My sources for these game-winning shots are....
1. First practice common shots which you have difficulty with. I saw a guy playing last night who had trouble with balls frozen to the rail. He went home one place out of the money because of this. He could have taken 3rd if he had practiced these shots.
2. Book: 99 critical shots.
3. Dr. Dave's DVD (not CD). http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/dvd_description.html
4. Jimmy Reid's DVD's http://www.freepoollessons.com/video/index.shtml
5. Internet forums. Be honest about your playing ability and diagram shots on the Wei table (info below) which you have difficulty with. Ask questions about how to make the shot, how to practice to make the shot, what you should have done in a certain situation, etc. Players here can be brutal when you lay it all out like this, but they give excellent advice which is right on.
6. Collect billiard books. These can be found at used bookstores (many are out of print), new book stores, and the widest selection of billiard books is on the internet. Search google.com for the words billiard books or billiards books. You may only learn one thing from a particular book since many have the same basic stuff in them, but that one thing may well be worth the price of the book.
7. Don't read the books like a novel. Take notes and diagram shots. Then practice them. Don't watch the videos like a movie. Watch a little, take notes, diagram the shots, and practice them. Then watch a little more.
8. It can take months of practicing a particular shot before you see improvement. But after a few months, what was once difficult, begins to be easy!
9. I bought a masse' cue which has helped a lot to learn what I can and can't do with my regular playing cue.
http://schulercue.com/products/accessories.htm
10. The Wei table is at the following link. Copy the following and press the paste button. To clear the table and make your own diagram, hit just paste or copy this: START()END and then hit paste. Then drag the balls to where you want them, click on copy, then paste in a message here. It is helpful whenever pasting a Wei diagram to also provide the link like I have done below. People have this saved in their favorites, but it is quicker to click on a provided link.
http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/
START(
%AH8G4%PP0J7%WJ5H5%XO0J3
)END
. I don't really ever play any big events, because i don't have the time to get enough practice in anymore, so not sure how the handicap system works. I am trying to get My game tuned back up, I notice the last couple of times I played My 1/4-1/2 masses had a high percentage, probably even better then My kicks because I have been getting behind the ball on those, sliding off the object ball and scratching due to overstroking through the shot when they are on the rail. Those will come back to me with more practice though I am sure, because they used to be My bread and butter shots. The situation It's happening on is when I kick off the side rail, to make the shot in the corner, and get back down to the oposite rail for shape. I used to have a high percentage on that one, and they felt second nature to me, but could be a little better on them now.
