Play One Pocket to improve in every game

nataddrho

nataddrho

www.digicue.net
Silver Member
I've been playing pool for 8 years. I have a great instructor that I see often and access to some excellent players, but still wasn't happy with my game. The past year I've decided to learn how to play one pocket. I don't just mean learn the rules, I mean really learn how to play. I started by buying/borrowing DVD's and books, the most helpful so far is the famous book "Winning One Pocket". In addition, I watched every match I could find; I'd turn the volume down, put on some nice music, and pause every shot until I could come up with a guess of what they were going to do. For the first few months I was guessing maybe 1/20 correct shots, but now I'm close to about 80% right every time. Going back to simpler games, now everything is more clear. I can see the players feeling their shots.

I highly recommend any player wishing to improve their pool career, take a break, and focus on one pocket for a while. The shots you're expected to execute in standard situations have tolerances much less than that of a pocket width, aiming wise. More importantly, it teaches you how much mental energy you really should be expending for every shot. The pros are athletes and have simply gotten used to thinking this intensely all the time, its invisible to amateurs. I'm convinced that a good player isn't just a well-calibrated machine that needs to stay on his game to stay good... instead he has learned how to critically think and feel each shot, and then eat a boatload of sweet potatoes in between matches to replenish his mind, lol.

I'll always recommend one pocket to anybody from now on.
 
I think if you take up 1p before you have mastered the basics you'll get worse and maybe even quit.
 
Absolutely

nataddrho said:
I've been playing pool for 8 years. I have a great instructor that I see often and access to some excellent players, but still wasn't happy with my game. The past year I've decided to learn how to play one pocket. I don't just mean learn the rules, I mean really learn how to play. I started by buying/borrowing DVD's and books, the most helpful so far is the famous book "Winning One Pocket". In addition, I watched every match I could find; I'd turn the volume down, put on some nice music, and pause every shot until I could come up with a guess of what they were going to do. For the first few months I was guessing maybe 1/20 correct shots, but now I'm close to about 80% right every time. Going back to simpler games, now everything is more clear. I can see the players feeling their shots.

I highly recommend any player wishing to improve their pool career, take a break, and focus on one pocket for a while. The shots you're expected to execute in standard situations have tolerances much less than that of a pocket width, aiming wise. More importantly, it teaches you how much mental energy you really should be expending for every shot. The pros are athletes and have simply gotten used to thinking this intensely all the time, its invisible to amateurs. I'm convinced that a good player isn't just a well-calibrated machine that needs to stay on his game to stay good... instead he has learned how to critically think and feel each shot, and then eat a boatload of sweet potatoes in between matches to replenish his mind, lol.

I'll always recommend one pocket to anybody from now on.
Click to expand...

Absolutely,
Ive been testing the One Pocket waters for awhile and I feel exactly the same. I was at a point where I couldn't get past a few things in One Pocket and I went and found myself a road player and told him I was stumped and we agreed on what we would play for each week. The demands of the game and the seriousness of those demands accentuated by the fact that you are shooting your money taught me an awful lot about me as a player. Even though I did that, it was still not enough but I was able to take my game beyond the place it had gone to see and feel exact tolerances that I would have never otherwise been driven to.

It is the game to take up when you are serious about improvement in all areas of your game, no doubts.
 
Smart move. The legendary John Ervolino always professed that to fully develop as a player, one needs to play at least one of the two games of finesse, either straight pool or one pocket, and playing both is even better.
 
One Pocket

Agree 100%

Controlling your cue ball... banking ability... carom shots... billiard shots... safety play...
and coming with a stroke shot... it's all there.
 
Post

I could not agree more.... If a player uses his thinking mind to shoot and set up the correct shots they will have a much more clear picture of how the game is played.

When I first started playing 1pkt I had strong players laughing after I shot a silly attempt at pocketing a ball, they'd say that shot is not even in the game of 1pkt...
After lunch money lessons I began to understand that the type of shots I was shooting did not have any part of the game.



Rob.M
 
One pocket is my favorite game by far. I love it and love watching and studying it. HOWEVER EVERYONE INCLUDING THE OP is wrong. I do not have the energy to debate so please consult someone knowledgeable .

1. Playing alot og 1P will get you out of stroke because of all the finesse shots and safeties.
2. 1P players practice rotation games to stay in stroke. So ghost 9B or 10B works
3. Straight pool teaches you the pack, opening and moving balls which is essential to running balls in 1P
4. Study the accustat DVD's, Lenny's, or watch Big Truck's streams.
5. Play as much as you can, cheap against a much better player. It is a tax of learning.

BTW, I did not just dream this up. Some very good advice given to me from top players as I lost my stroke somewhere along the way and found myself guiding the ball.

It is the most interesting game.

Carry on.
 
Its not one game only

phil dade said:
One pocket is my favorite game by far. I love it and love watching and studying it. HOWEVER EVERYONE INCLUDING THE OP is wrong. I do not have the energy to debate so please consult someone knowledgeable .

1. Playing alot og 1P will get you out of stroke because of all the finesse shots and safeties.
2. 1P players practice rotation games to stay in stroke. So ghost 9B or 10B works
3. Straight pool teaches you the pack, opening and moving balls which is essential to running balls in 1P
4. Study the accustat DVD's, Lenny's, or watch Big Truck's streams.
5. Play as much as you can, cheap against a much better player. It is a tax of learning.

BTW, I did not just dream this up. Some very good advice given to me from top players as I lost my stroke somewhere along the way and found myself guiding the ball.

It is the most interesting game.

Carry on.
Click to expand...

I don't think pool is so inclusive that many people play one game all of the time but the measure of stroke helps a lot in learning speed control and the constant bunting of balls teach excellent safety play. I don't think anyone here thinks that One Pocket is the answer to every game but I think a lot of us see that One Pocket and as SJM's quote of Johnny Ervolino suggests Straight Pool both teach excellent pocketing skills while using every means possible to control the cue ball. Im sure that isn't the answer to every game and none of use think it is but it teaches a great deal of the skills. To combat stroke issues I always play 30 minutes of 9 ball before going into a One Pocket match so I remember there is a defined difference in other cue games. As you suggest there is definitely a different stroke required that should not be forgotten..
 
phil dade said:
One pocket is my favorite game by far. I love it and love watching and studying it. HOWEVER EVERYONE INCLUDING THE OP is wrong. I do not have the energy to debate so please consult someone knowledgeable .

1. Playing alot og 1P will get you out of stroke because of all the finesse shots and safeties.
2. 1P players practice rotation games to stay in stroke. So ghost 9B or 10B works
3. Straight pool teaches you the pack, opening and moving balls which is essential to running balls in 1P
4. Study the accustat DVD's, Lenny's, or watch Big Truck's streams.
5. Play as much as you can, cheap against a much better player. It is a tax of learning.

BTW, I did not just dream this up. Some very good advice given to me from top players as I lost my stroke somewhere along the way and found myself guiding the ball.

It is the most interesting game.

Carry on.
Click to expand...

I agree.

I'm finishing my first in house one pocket league & did not play enough other than one pocket.

One can get 'leprocy' in the arm that way.
 
SilverCue said:
I think if you take up 1p before you have mastered the basics you'll get worse and maybe even quit.
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Yeah, I say the same, but in a bit different manner: if you want to play (decent is understood) 1p, then you have to have mastered basic elements of the game, like cb and ob control.

It ain't for sissies.
 
practice ALL the games to be a well rounded (ie better) player.

playing only 1P, makes you good at..........1P!
playing only 9 ball, makes you good at.................9 ball !


in basketball, practicing your 3 point shot doesn't help your free throw very much. If you need help with free throws, practice more free throws!.......the best basketball players practice BOTH shots, because they both are needed to be a great player.
 
I think you're going to get damned sick of sweet potatoes before too much longer.
Each of the many games of Pocket Billiards has it's own requirement for success. Being good in one doesn't necessarily mean that you'l be good in another.
Also, eight years of pool, for many of the members here, means you just walked through the front door of the pool room for the first time. :)
 
michael4 said:
practice ALL the games to be a well rounded (ie better) player.

playing only 1P, makes you good at..........1P!
playing only 9 ball, makes you good at.................9 ball !


in basketball, practicing your 3 point shot doesn't help your free throw very much. If you need help with free throws, practice more free throws!.......the best basketball players practice BOTH shots, because they both are needed to be a great player.
Click to expand...


I disagree, theres tons of shots in one pocket that you can learn for all other games that wont come up in 9, 10 or 8 ball often. you can take a great ball maker that plays decent 9 ball and a One pocket player that have the same ball pocketing ability and regardless of the game the one pocket player will win. One pocket simply teaches far more disciplines than 8ball or 9ball.
 
I agree with the opening poster on this. But having played mostly One Pocket for about 20 years, yet almost accidentally finding myself playing rotation games for the first time in about 20 years over the last year (thanks to American Rotation), I have to agree even more with the poster below that said it helps to play all games. There -- I never in a million years would have thought I would say that!! But it is true -- the rotation games give you a better chance to groove your stroke and fundamentals than One Pocket does.

Having said that, One Pocket is the only game I play that every time I come home from playing that game, my mind feels like it got a good workout, and there is always some kind of good takeaway from the games -- even it is just one nice shot, safety or escape -- and that goes for whether I actually win or lose!

However, at mid 60's I suddenly feel like I am playing almost the best pool of my life and I have to credit mixing in the rotation games -- :eek::eek:

Well, that and a brief lesson from Jerry Briesath -- why didn't I do that thirty years ago lol :)
 
Having One Pocket and 3-cushion knowledge enables to you see shots that 'mere mortals' dont. Lol.

They are an auxiliary/asset in almost any other discipline.

Layouts from other disciplines become 'multi-deminsional'

Ive won many of rotation games and matches cause of One Pocket and 3-cushion knowledge.


Wutang
 
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cuebuyer4u said:
I disagree, theres tons of shots in one pocket that you can learn for all other games that wont come up in 9, 10 or 8 ball often. you can take a great ball maker that plays decent 9 ball and a One pocket player that have the same ball pocketing ability and regardless of the game the one pocket player will win. One pocket simply teaches far more disciplines than 8ball or 9ball.
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I would say the 9-ball player would win in 9-ball, because that's "his game", but I will agree with you that perhaps the 1P player would have the advantage in a "neutral" game, say 8-ball or straight pool, that neither specializes in.

its like saying karate "teaches far more disciplines" than judo, that is probably true, but the karate expert would lose to the judo expert when they fight judo style.

just my opinion, and I think we agree that 1P teaches a lot of finesse and strategy that you wont really learn from any other game.
 
Wade Crane once told me that one pocket would improve every discipline in pool . it would in other words help you to be better at all types of pool games.
 
I love most disciplines of this game but I don't agree with the OP. I think 14.1 is the discipline that rounds out all areas of your game more than any other. Large doses of 1 pocket tends to screw with your stroke if you like rotation games IMO.
 
Colonel said:
I love most disciplines of this game but I don't agree with the OP. I think 14.1 is the discipline that rounds out all areas of your game more than any other. Large doses of 1 pocket tends to screw with your stroke if you like rotation games IMO.
Click to expand...

I'm OP. Straight is my second favorite game, but you're pocket-aiming on pretty much every shot. In straight you get good path grooves towards the pockets. But you're missing out on multi-ball moves which have aiming paths that aren't directed at the sides or corners of the table. These shots help you learn how to feel paths anywhere on the table, not just to the pockets.

Straight is the game I play after one pocket has fried my brain and I'm seeing stars. Its a more zenful game.
 
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