Hi,
I'm just learning this game....it was actually the first game I ever played back in the 60s, but didn't stick to it. Whoops! Went to bar table 8-ball, etc. until this May when I was invited by Williebetmore to his house to take lessons from Danny Diliberto. I had a couple of 20 something runs there and that surprised me, based on my previous feeble attempts. I came home determined to learn this game once and for all. I know this will help me in 8-ball league this winter.
I've been practicing by myself for a few hours a day on a small 8 footer (crowded and slow). I'm mostly trying to get a feel for potting balls and not too much on the safety/strategy part....yet. I've bought Capelle's book and that helps, but not through it yet.
I've had about three competitive games so far (not many straight players around here). One with the 8-ball state champ...I beat him. Another with my first "teacher" a guy that played Mosconi at a college exhibition and was beating him until Willie pulled his "This is my show, dude" routine. He beat me 50 to 40 something. I felt pretty good about that...until....
Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure to go against Don McCoy at his bar and grill on a 9 foot GC. Now Don showed me how to really play this game. Don beat me 100 to 44 or something like that....we weren't competing so much as just playing. Don hadn't played straights for decades and he never did do tournaments, but just used it for practice. But he showed me many things, especially that I was choosing the wrong break ball often. His cueball control is just outstanding.
Don has been kinda burnt out re pool lately, but he said he really enjoyed the play and was going to start practicing 14.1 again. I wish it was me that inspired him to play agains, but....oh well, back to the practice table. I've made the commitment to play him once per week for this summer, and he agreed to it, which surprised me, as I'm an amateur and he gets much less from the experience that I do.
I'll stop....there's more to tell, but I just thought I'd give my thoughts as they might be useful for the experienced players here for understanding how we newbies think about this wonderful game.
Jeff Livingston
I'm just learning this game....it was actually the first game I ever played back in the 60s, but didn't stick to it. Whoops! Went to bar table 8-ball, etc. until this May when I was invited by Williebetmore to his house to take lessons from Danny Diliberto. I had a couple of 20 something runs there and that surprised me, based on my previous feeble attempts. I came home determined to learn this game once and for all. I know this will help me in 8-ball league this winter.
I've been practicing by myself for a few hours a day on a small 8 footer (crowded and slow). I'm mostly trying to get a feel for potting balls and not too much on the safety/strategy part....yet. I've bought Capelle's book and that helps, but not through it yet.
I've had about three competitive games so far (not many straight players around here). One with the 8-ball state champ...I beat him. Another with my first "teacher" a guy that played Mosconi at a college exhibition and was beating him until Willie pulled his "This is my show, dude" routine. He beat me 50 to 40 something. I felt pretty good about that...until....
Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure to go against Don McCoy at his bar and grill on a 9 foot GC. Now Don showed me how to really play this game. Don beat me 100 to 44 or something like that....we weren't competing so much as just playing. Don hadn't played straights for decades and he never did do tournaments, but just used it for practice. But he showed me many things, especially that I was choosing the wrong break ball often. His cueball control is just outstanding.
Don has been kinda burnt out re pool lately, but he said he really enjoyed the play and was going to start practicing 14.1 again. I wish it was me that inspired him to play agains, but....oh well, back to the practice table. I've made the commitment to play him once per week for this summer, and he agreed to it, which surprised me, as I'm an amateur and he gets much less from the experience that I do.
I'll stop....there's more to tell, but I just thought I'd give my thoughts as they might be useful for the experienced players here for understanding how we newbies think about this wonderful game.
Jeff Livingston
) and got mad. He looked like he was going to smash his cue on the table, but stopped just in the nick of time. Whew, I thought, that was close. But then he decided to throw his cue flat on the floor and he did. It spit the butt right through the leather somehow and a big piece, like a slice from a whitler's knife, just fell off and laid there. The look on his face was priceless. To keep him from seeing me laugh, I hid my face behind a pillar and plugged my mouth. Damn, it was funny, but it killed our action with him.
