I'm new to pool and actually playing more than the bar room game now n then. Tonight I got a chance to play a friend of mine 3 games who's a SL5. He won all 3 games, but I managed to play him down to the 8 ball on 2 games, and I only had 2 left the first game. Does this mean I've got some potential?
Newbie.. better than I thought?
- Thread starter Smooth23
- Start date
I already love to play, and its not unusual to find me in one of the local pool halls just shooting with myself or whoever will play a game. I'm not in a league right now, as bowling is my normal sport that takes up the majority of my money. One hindrance I have is that none of my buds are as good as me, and I find myself beating them even when I try to hold back some.. they are of the variety that just hit a ball as hard as possible and hope something falls in, yay for slops 
.
.Everybody has potential, but it can take some serious hard work to bring it out.
The main thing that I noticed about your post was how you were looking at the game. You can't think about 8 ball in terms of an ongoing score card, it will seriously hinder your progress at the game. It doesn't matter in the slightest how many balls are left on the table at the end of the game, you won or you lost, that's what matters. If I don't think I can run out the table my first turn, I won't even consider making more then 3 or at the most, 4 balls. I'll make a ball or 2 to get position so I can try to break out a problem (or create one if I think my opponent might run out) and then walk away from the table with the cue ball in as bad a spot as I can find.
The most important thing anyone ever taught me about 8 ball was, just because you can make a ball, doesn't mean you should make a ball.
Or put another way. Making a ball doesn't always get you closer to winning the game and can sometimes make it almost impossible to win.
Improve your shot making and postion play and stop thinking about 8 ball in degrees of wins or losses and you will be well on your way, good luck.
The main thing that I noticed about your post was how you were looking at the game. You can't think about 8 ball in terms of an ongoing score card, it will seriously hinder your progress at the game. It doesn't matter in the slightest how many balls are left on the table at the end of the game, you won or you lost, that's what matters. If I don't think I can run out the table my first turn, I won't even consider making more then 3 or at the most, 4 balls. I'll make a ball or 2 to get position so I can try to break out a problem (or create one if I think my opponent might run out) and then walk away from the table with the cue ball in as bad a spot as I can find.
The most important thing anyone ever taught me about 8 ball was, just because you can make a ball, doesn't mean you should make a ball.
Or put another way. Making a ball doesn't always get you closer to winning the game and can sometimes make it almost impossible to win.
Improve your shot making and postion play and stop thinking about 8 ball in degrees of wins or losses and you will be well on your way, good luck.
Anyone with a capable mind and body has potential. But no, your experience does not in any way point to you having (or not having) some extra ordinary amount of natural talent.
Especially having no way of knowing how, exactly, you played those games.
Especially having no way of knowing how, exactly, you played those games.
Last edited:
Listen to what Mino said. If I was playing you and you broke and ran 7 balls down to the 8 ball and missed. There is a 95% chance that you just lost the game. And you shouldn't feel proud that you got to the 8 ball against me. I know it feels like progress, but the end all result is what really matters.
The major thing to look at to improve your game is to look at the layout after the break and determine the problem balls. Both Solids and Stripes. If they both have problems, then determine which is easier to break up. Over time, you'll be able to do this extremely quick and will guide you into better decision making on running out.
Also, I'd start entering some local tourneys or something. Or spot your "Banger" friends some weight and play for money. You'll need to work on playing under pressure and that will dictate if you have potential or not. I can run racks on anyone, but after you put the weight of the world on your shoulders it's how you handle it.
Good Luck!!
The major thing to look at to improve your game is to look at the layout after the break and determine the problem balls. Both Solids and Stripes. If they both have problems, then determine which is easier to break up. Over time, you'll be able to do this extremely quick and will guide you into better decision making on running out.
Also, I'd start entering some local tourneys or something. Or spot your "Banger" friends some weight and play for money. You'll need to work on playing under pressure and that will dictate if you have potential or not. I can run racks on anyone, but after you put the weight of the world on your shoulders it's how you handle it.
Good Luck!!
What Mino Said!
Better players set the table up in 8 ball before finishing their balls. The less balls you have on the table, the easier it is for them to finish theirs. They will allow to move problem balls off without finishing the table. It is like the line in "The Fast and The Furious" where Paul Walker says I almost beat you, and Vin Diesel's answer shows how he wasn't really close. I am not trying to diminish your performance, but it is good to understand this about 8 ball.
Better players set the table up in 8 ball before finishing their balls. The less balls you have on the table, the easier it is for them to finish theirs. They will allow to move problem balls off without finishing the table. It is like the line in "The Fast and The Furious" where Paul Walker says I almost beat you, and Vin Diesel's answer shows how he wasn't really close. I am not trying to diminish your performance, but it is good to understand this about 8 ball.
Yeah, I understand what everyone is saying. I was just impressed with myself to even hang with someone who could easily be recognized as a
damn good player. I should have toned down my first post in this thread, but whatever. I could(and have) hassled rookies who've came gloating on bowling forums about mediocre or lucky circumstances. I guess I'll list some of my known strenghts and weeknesses for yall.
Strengths:
Strong break
English
Running balls down the rail
Stop shots
Weeknesses:
Draw shots
Jump shots(I can't jump a ball to save my life)
Combos
anything else I haven't listed.
I'm thinking of giving up one of my bowling leagues next year, in exchange for a pool league. We'll see.
damn good player. I should have toned down my first post in this thread, but whatever. I could(and have) hassled rookies who've came gloating on bowling forums about mediocre or lucky circumstances. I guess I'll list some of my known strenghts and weeknesses for yall.
Strengths:
Strong break
English
Running balls down the rail
Stop shots
Weeknesses:
Draw shots
Jump shots(I can't jump a ball to save my life)
Combos
anything else I haven't listed.
I'm thinking of giving up one of my bowling leagues next year, in exchange for a pool league. We'll see.
Smooth23 said:
I would advise to stop using english for the time being, because if you can't draw the cue ball there's prob something wrong with your mechanics. Try setting up the angle on your shots where you can get center ball position.
And for goodness sakes stp trying to jump balls and learn how to kick.
Jim
Smooth23 said:
IMHO, that ain't no strength of a good player. Strong break is like it said a strong break, nothing more, nothing less. We need a controlled break, not a strong break. Making balls down the rail isn't difficult at all. It's exactly the same as making regular balls. Stop shots is also nothing special. If we are talking about the basics. We need to learn how to draw and how to follow. Basics which will help you to get position on the second ball. And like said before, if we don't read the table, we will not know what the second ball is.
I also second what jhendri2 said. Stop using english, if you don't know how to control the CB with only the vertical axis (follow, stun and draw). Also jumping balls isn't something you want to learn when you are a rookie. Try to learn the game. If you know it, than you learn to jump. That will help you in difficult situations. A good player jumps like only a few times in the entire tournament. Just don't do any unnecessary things.
Thanks for the imput. Yall are pretty fierce. Anyone want to recommend me a new cue? The one I play with now is a 24oz graphite POS(That was given to me..). Not looking to spend a fortune but I would like something lighter and wood. Without knowing much of the mechanics and physics about cues, all that I've noticed is that when I pick up a wood cue I have a whole lot more control.
check out the http://forums.azbilliards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5 for great deals on cues.
Smooth23 said:
This crowd can be a tough one. They forget they were once just beginning and found a love for the game.
In their defense they are not sugar coating it. It is was it is.
Instructors, tapes, and books are the way to go to improve your game. This costs money but bad habits are often learned early so its better to learn the correct way without wasting your time.
As far as cues go the best time to test different types of sticks is in between games. Ask a buddy/opponent/new acquaintance if you could hit a few with their stick to see how the stick feels. Trying out a wide variety of weights, joints, tapers, and general feel of hit is the way to go.
Maybe, but you may not yet be at the stage where strategy is the most important thing - or the easiest thing to do. To play effective 8-Ball strategy (basically "don't start making balls until you have all your balls in the open or can open them up") you need to know when to play a safety, and this means knowing when running out is unlikely. You're might be able to tell when you're likely to miss the shot you're on now, but need to develop your skill at looking ahead. So just running as far as you can and stopping when you come to a low percentage shot is OK for now, as long as you're also trying to learn to see problems up ahead.
You also need to try some lower (but not lowest) percentage shots so that your chances of making them go up through practicing them in game situations. So I think you should choose to play more aggressively when winning doesn't matter so much. On the other hand you also need to practice your safety play so it's available to you when you're in a more important game and come to one of these low percentage shots.
pj
chgo
Last edited:
This is excellent advice!
This is excellent advice! You might want to ping Scott Lee for some insight. Better yet, find out when Scott or RandyG will be in your area and arrange for a lesson.
Good luck.
This is excellent advice! You might want to ping Scott Lee for some insight. Better yet, find out when Scott or RandyG will be in your area and arrange for a lesson.
Good luck.
MinoInADixeCup said:Everybody has potential, but it can take some serious hard work to bring it out.
The main thing that I noticed about your post was how you were looking at the game. You can't think about 8 ball in terms of an ongoing score card, it will seriously hinder your progress at the game. It doesn't matter in the slightest how many balls are left on the table at the end of the game, you won or you lost, that's what matters. If I don't think I can run out the table my first turn, I won't even consider making more then 3 or at the most, 4 balls. I'll make a ball or 2 to get position so I can try to break out a problem (or create one if I think my opponent might run out) and then walk away from the table with the cue ball in as bad a spot as I can find.
The most important thing anyone ever taught me about 8 ball was, just because you can make a ball, doesn't mean you should make a ball.
Or put another way. Making a ball doesn't always get you closer to winning the game and can sometimes make it almost impossible to win.
Improve your shot making and postion play and stop thinking about 8 ball in degrees of wins or losses and you will be well on your way, good luck.
Smooth23 said:
Without really knowing how much experience you have and how many other cues you've played with, this is a hard answer. How much you're willing to spend is also important. If you're as new to the game as you sound, I'd suggest Players, which a lot of people say are a good bang for the buck. I think you could probably get something for, say, $150-200 and be satisfied. Try a bunch before you buy. If you can't hit it before you buy it, forget it. You may not be allowed to chalk it up, but with a center ball hit you can still get an idea of how the cue hits for you. And don't allow yourself to be pressured into something you don't really like.
Good luck.