A question for some of the veterans on the forums;I know that in general the use of english is discouraged beyond what is absolutely necessary and the trend in recent years in the U.S. has been toward lighter cue weights(19.5 and under).However in watching E.Reyes and some of the other players from the Phillipines i have noticed that they tend to use tons of english and i remember reading that Efrens cue is 20oz plus.I realize that one cant compare mere mortals to Reyes but i have a friend who sells cues who tells me that all of the 20 oz cues he gets go to Taiwan as that is what most players there prefer(at least a heavier cue) and i have noticed that many of the Taiwanese players appear to load up on english also.Are these differences due to different equipment when developing their games,completely different playing styles or what?This is not a disagreement with any school of thought just curiosity from a relatively new player.Thanks,Mike S.
Playing styles
- Thread starter whiteoak
- Start date
I'll take a shot at this one. I think cue weight is all about what is comfortable for the individual player. If Efren had always played with a lighter cue, he would probably still be using it. He has learned his game and has learned to control the cue ball with spin. This is not an easy thing to master. I think the reason most are discouraged from using a lot of english, is because it does change the dynamics of the shot. The better players have learned to control shots even with spin. Those of us who are not at his level are usually better off working with more natural spin and controlling the cue ball with speed, which is a bit easier to manage. As players get better at all aspects of shooting, they naturally become better at controlling spin and are more comfortable using it.
Personally, I use english when the shot requires it, but generally look at options where extreme english isn't required before trying to spin the ball around the table. It's not always possible to avoid using english, but it isn't necessary all the time either. Use what is needed to get the desired result...nothing more...nothing less.
JMHO
Steve
Personally, I use english when the shot requires it, but generally look at options where extreme english isn't required before trying to spin the ball around the table. It's not always possible to avoid using english, but it isn't necessary all the time either. Use what is needed to get the desired result...nothing more...nothing less.
JMHO
Steve
whiteoak said:
If I had to venture a guess as to why the Filipino players use so much english (and are masters at it, I might add) it would be because 1) the tables are supposedly quite a bit slower than they are here and 2) they play rotation. On a slow table, you wouldn't necessarily pound the cue ball to move it around the table but you would most likely learn to use maximum english to get the most movement out of the cue ball. As far as rotation, you're often navigating the cue ball through very tight areas which, you can't always play natural angles to do and, as a result, you'd need to use more english to make the cue ball do what you need it to do.
whiteoak said:
I think people who discourage the use of english are .... I don't what they are doing. Truth: good players use english, and lots of it. That's why they're good. They can control it. The rest of us would do well to have their game as a goal, not a mediocre game. It is absolutely false and nearly a damned lie when people tell you that the professionals don't use much english. Open eyes says otherwise. You've reported exactly what really happens.
Continuing with the Varner clinic, he showed several "standard" patterns with most using some kind of english. Some to the extreme. One of the participants remarked how much english he was using (near the edge). "You can't get this pattern if you don't use plenty of english. And you should have this pattern."
Of course, using gobs of english is tough. If it wasn't tough, everyone would be top players. Accept it. Learn it. Make those standard patterns available.
Fred
I think most of the "use little or no spin" stuff came from the old school straight pool guys because you CAN run tons of balls never really having to load up the ball. But in one of my old 14.1 books the writer sais to use minimal spin, and also sais to learn shots using max spin,so...
I look at it like some of the aiming systems....when you are learning the game use center ball/high/low so you can engrain your alignment and angles into your brain. THEN learn to make the same shots using spin.
Personally I spin the hell outta the ball....
Gerry
I look at it like some of the aiming systems....when you are learning the game use center ball/high/low so you can engrain your alignment and angles into your brain. THEN learn to make the same shots using spin.
Personally I spin the hell outta the ball....
Gerry