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Another Fast Lesson
”Cue Tips: Does A Soft Tip Grab More Than A Hard Tip?” Written By: Fast Larry Guninger
http://www.fastlarrypool.com
Brought To You By: Richard Aubin
http://www.poolplayingtips.com

Trust me, it’s true, just go hard and you’re fine. You have to get out of your brain this thing that the soft tip grabs the ball; it does not grab as you think it does. There is no time to grab. The Jacksonville experiment using the world’s fastest camera proved that upon impact the cue ball is gone in 1000th of a second. Actung, Actung, there is no grab.

Where is the time to grab? Answer: there is no time, therefore there is no grab, there is no grab, is there an echo in here, tattoo that inside your eye lids. You have to bitch slap people to get them to accept this.

I was playing with a Champion red felt backed medium soft tip by Chan divert at the time because I wanted my tip to grab. I did not know.

I remember going into the Schuler custom cue factory in Chicago and Ray explaining to me the Triangle, which is very hard, and Ray saying I am going to put on a Morri on your shaft, on your back up shaft I will install a triangle. Now go shoot with both, and you will find the performance very close.

The morri will last longer, but the cost is 50 cents compared to 20 bucks. I did, Ray was right, damn I said, hard is better. I was practicing my Masses and Ray was teaching me many European Billiard Masses I could adapt to the pool table. He also taught me the European method of shooting these. He handed me a shaft to use for the masses and I said what tip does it have on it, he said triangle.

I went oh no, I can't use that, I am using an elk master so I can grab the ball, this damn grab thing was still in my head, I could not get rid of it, it will hold on like some disease you can never get free of. Ray said hit the triangle and I kept Miss Cueing saying see, I told you so it won't grab. Ray said keep shooting; you will learn the new hit and feel. Once I got past the fear of the miss cue, he was right, the harder tip, produced much more spin, power and curves, I was speechless, totally shocked beyond words, to have what I knew, to now be reversed on me and proven what I knew to be fact, was in fact dead ass wrong. The miss cues went away and my power went through the roof. I am really from Missouri, the show me state, so I got every tip I would find which was 28 I think was and spent months testing every one in a variety of shots to see which one gave me the most performance. I did follows, draws, you name it and I was shooting it. What I found was this, a soft tip does nothing well, the softer the tip, the less performance you get. The harder the tip, the greater performance.

All soft tips do is mushroom and wear out fast. A good hard tip can stay on for over a year. A triangle will never mushroom, never. I am so pig headed; I had to spend 2 months proving to my self, what Ray had already told me. I just could not believe my eyes, that was the problem with me. I was using the backed soft tip because of my ivory ferrule to soften the hit. Put a triangle on an ivory ferrule and the hit is like a rock. Ray convinced me to drop my ivory ferrules because of the huge deflections and go hard and with triangle across the board. He put me in the billiard short ferrules for added strength. My performance and consistency sky rocketed. Most of my world records came out of this. Here's the deal, a tip is like a trampoline, if its real soft, it caves in, crushes down, collapses on the hit and the ball then propels off with much less power. The softer tip is killing the action off of the ball by absorbing the impact of the hit. Throw a baseball into a cement wall and watch it come back, now toss the ball into a rubber drape over the wall and watch it absorb the impact and comes off with less power, which is your answer to your question you first asked. The triangle is firm and hard and does not do any of this, and it propels the ball off with greater spin and power. The harder the tip, the better it draws, but you can cross a line on hardness where the tip can do some amazing things, but you can't hold chalk well and using English you are going to miss cue some, this I can not live with. More is not always better here. Most of the water buffalos out there now are over the line. Triangle is right on the line, the top end of hardiness you can handle. I call it the poor mans Morri. Tweeten makes most of the tips that have been played with and they do not want you to know what the hardness of them are, they keep that secret. Here it is, the entire line is mostly soft tips. Why, say you were making all the tires for cars and they only got 10,000 miles but people had signed off on that, need a soft tire to hold the road. Why then would you come along and make a hard tire that would out perform the old tire and give people 50,000 miles of wear. You just drastically reduced your annual profits that are your answer. That is why the soft tip was pushed on you. They push and sell an inferior product on you for their own corporate greed. That is why they always hid what the hardness of each one was; they did not want you to know.
This little Japanese sitting in his apartment comes up with a very hard tip when the pro world was on Lepros, a med tip and elk masters, a soft tip, his name was Morri. He did not have a clue what a corporation was, he just wanted to make a tip that played well. A few pros try them, the performance astounds them and the tip almost over night becomes the one of choice on tour. It spreads by word of mouth like wild fire. The old dogs, the over the hill crowd stayed with their ivory ferrules and soft tips. You can’t teach old dogs new tricks. Soon the amateur world got wind of this, and hard tips were now in. I recently did the same experiments I did in single layered tips against all the multilayer stuff out there today. I do not like any of the water buffalos, too hard. In the pig skin, Talisman out played and out performed the Morri hands down. They come in s,m,h,x and break tips which are as hard as they can make them. I have them all in stock. I play with the H, most club players should begin with the s, learn it and try and move up slowly to the M. I break with the X; I use the x for my artistic draw shots. The s follows the ball best on my force follows. Hard is good, soft is bad, that is all you have to know. I can sell you the Triangles which are pressed which increases their performance, or the Talisman pig skins, I have all 5 in stock, just email me at fastlarry@bellsouth.net Questions & Answers: Q: Hi Fast, I read on one of your posts that the better players play with harder tips? Why is that? Especially since with a softer tip one can get more spin and less miscuing. Would you be so kind as to explain that to me? I'm really out of my depth here. I have an Elk master on my shaft (please don't laugh). I used to play with a LePro, but I miscued a lot. With the Elk master, that has almost disappeared. Your response would be much appreciated A: FL Responds. If you rough up you tip now and then with a sandpaper file and don’t break with it, chalk correctly on every shot, you should rarely miss cue if you stay within one tip of center in any direction. If you are you need a lesson on your stroke. Many do not know how to chalk a tip which is the cause of their
miscues; you brush the tip and try to put on a very thin even layer. It you hear the chalk squeak you are doing it wrong, grinding on too thick of a layer which is not good. I do not use those $20 tip shapers. I use a $3 plastic file that is curved and holds 100 grit sand papers in it. It takes some practice and skill to learn how to use it and shape a tip but then you can make your tip play the way you want it to. I think going to a harder tip is all in your head. You are convinced mentally you are going to miss cue more, so you do. I play with the hardest tip possible, an X Talisman and rarely miss cue. It’s a mental leap of faith you must drive your self through. Good luck. Q: Net question: Impulse Hi Larry, Are you saying that the impulse between a soft and hard tip are the same? A: FL Responds: I am sorry; I do not know what an impulse is? All you need to know is this, soft tip suck, hard tip good. Best hard tip talisman pig skin S grade. Put that on, win and feel good. Best Ferrule, Meucci red or black dot, predator 314. The most important thing on your cue is your tip, then your ferrule. Get just those two things right and your performance jumps through the roof. Next is the shaft and the wood and taper, two things to know, Meucci, Predator. Last the joint and it does not amount to 4% of the cues performance. I now play with a plastic joint and a Meucci PP-4. The butt, where all the money is spend, you could put my red dot on a broom handle and I can run out from under a rock on you. The butt is for show. Impulse, I want a drink, I want to date that chick, and I will run that traffic light and not get killed or get a ticket, I want a big steak instead of a salad. What is impulse? Seriously, avoid soft tips, they just mushroom and go away fast. They do suck. A soft tip does not impart more English than a hard one, it is just the opposite. The cue ball leaves the tip at impact with in 1000th of a second which was proven by the Jacksonville experiment and that is an accepted fact. where is the time to grab.
A hard tip out performs a soft tip on every stroke in the game. You were on a med hard lepro, a good tip. You went to a very soft which is the elk master. The best tip there is: Get a Talisman, pig skin soft, the performance is out standing. My tests have proven to me my friend that the Talisman really is better than the Morri. The softer tip absorbs energy at impact, folds in which sends the cue ball away with less energy, less follow, draw or spin. The hard tip rebounds the cue ball off hotter, with more energy, follow, draw and spin. It has nothing to do with grab, that is a fallacy all in your mind you must get rid of, there is little grab so do not buy a tip to do something it does not have time to do. I tested over 25 tips for over 2 months putting them through every test I could come up with. The best single layered tip I found that worked the best was the hardest one out there, the Triangle, which should only cost about a buck and install for around $10. The great news is its performance will rival the Morri especially if you press it prior to installation. I have them now in stock for you. You take a ball bearing in a vice and press it down into the center of the tip causing a dent or crater. That means, no break in, the tip plays the same from day one on and it never changes its shape or mushrooms or spreads, never. When I tested all of the new multi layered tips there are many Morri copies, sniper, Hercules. They all take pig skin and glue thin layers on top of each other. The one I found worked the best was the Talisman, it definitely out performed the Morri and it sells for about half what the Morri does. They come in 5 types, S,M,H,X and the new break tip which is as hard as they can make one. Do not be confused, the S is not soft, they are all 5 very hard. The s is just softer than the X. Begin playing with the s or m and put the X on your break stick. The new Morri’s are too thick and is not as good as they used to be. The talisman is thinner and better made. We all know a thin tip out performs a very thick tip which is what the Morri now is. Because the Talisman has one third less layers it will not last as long as the Morri but that is your trade off you pay for its increased draw and follow you get.

Products Discussed In This Report: Tips Talisman Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions Morri Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions Lepro Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions Hercules Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions Elk Master Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions Sniper Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions Water Buffalo Tips – Click here for pricing and ordering instructions THE POWER SOURCE POOL SCHOOL “Fast Larry” Guninger http://www.fastlarrypool.com Pool Lessons From A Grand Master Level Instructor, Billiards Expert & Former Artistic World Champion Phone: 770-381-6609 Fax: 770-381-1916
 
10 Good Habits That Enable Us To Run Out -1

10 Good Habits That Enable Us To Run Out

By Blackjack David Sapolis
To combat the bad habits, I have come up with 10 good habits that will enable you to run out the rack more often. These tips aren't fool proof, but they concentrate on the positive things we can do to enhance our game to the next level.

#1: Breaking Effectively
This is very important. Earlier I touched on the fact that we can't just bang away at the rack expecting good things to fall from the Heavens. If we want good things to happen, we need to plan and prepare for them. If we want good things to happen, we must MAKE good things happen! In "Breaking To Win", I explain the type of break to use and which breaks to avoid. The following pointers should also be followed when breaking:

a) Stay Down On The Break Shot.
Standing up and thrusting your body through the rack only zaps the strength (not power) of your break. This is merely mechanics, but remember that the only thing that should move on any shot is your shooting arm. If your head comes up, it alters the accuracy of your shot. The same holds true on the break. You can extend your follow through by gripping the butt of the cue back farther while adjusting your stance. Maximizing your follow through as opposed to thrusting your body into the shot maintains your accuracy and increases ball action. Staying down on the break shot also helps to stop the cue ball dead in the center because you are concentrating more on accuracy. A good way to test to see if you are staying down is to see where the tip of your cue is at the end of the break shot. If it's over your shooting shoulder, chances are you're standing straight up before you're making contact with the cue ball (this is more common than you may think). Johnny Archer has the most extreme follow through I have ever seen. The tip of his break cue follows the cue ball all the way to the rack of balls. I'm not saying that you should incorporate that much follow through on your break, but that is a prime example of maximizing your follow through.

b) Never Sacrifice Accuracy For Power.
When breaking, we need to hit the one ball in the right spot. If not, the cue ball can deflect off the side of the one and fly all around the table, or even worse, you can scratch. Too much power also causes the cue ball to fly right off the table. We want a strong break, not a powerful break, and I'll explain why. Remember I said that there was a difference between "stroking" and "hitting" the cue ball? Well here's the difference which can be shown by simply looking at the definitions of both words. A "stroke" is single unbroken movement, or a series of to-and-fro movements. A "hit" is a directed collision between two objects. Think of a stroke as what the bow does to the strings of a violin. Think of a hit as what two cars do at a demolition derby. That's the difference. You hit something so that you can inflict damage upon it, such as punching someone in the face. Stroking can be compared to petting a small kitten. It's okay to exercise a bit of power as long as you use only the amount of power you can control.

Accuracy is exactness. The tip should stroke the cue ball accurately so that the cue ball can make contact with the one ball accurately. Anything less that accurate will create problems. When we try to muster all of the strength in our shooting arm, we tend to tense up. When we tense up our shooting arm becomes stiff and our fluidity gives way to rigidity. You wouldn't want to water the plants in your house with a fire hose, would you? It's too much force and power that is necessary to complete the task at hand. It's overkill. It's the same thing with the break.

#2: Properly Read The Rack After Each And Every Shot.
It is not only important to read the rack before shooting, it is important to re-read the rack after each and every shot. As you shoot your way to the game ball, the conditions may change, and you may have to change our game plan due to an inaccurate position error made earlier in the rack. I support the following method of reading the rack, your method may vary from mine, but this is what I believe works best for most. Start by seeing which balls can and cannot be made from the center of the table. This will aid you in your effort to identify key shots in the rack that need to be handled with care. I endorse keeping the cue ball in the center of the table unless it is necessary to do otherwise. I'll go more into depth as to why when I speak of position routes, but for now, it's to learn how to read the rack from one ball to the next. Most advanced players have the ability to read the rack from beginning to end. Many beginners and novice players are baffled on to how to attain the mental imagery necessary to read a rack of balls. It's not as complicated as you may think, so if you are a beginner, do not become discouraged or intimidated by this part of the game. You can do it too, and with a little time and effort, you'll be doing it better than most! Now after you break the balls, your cue ball may or may not be in the center of the table. If it's not, get it back there as soon as possible, because that's where we will be reading the rack from. That is the first rule. After you have established a position route to get the cue ball back into the center of the table, identify which ball or balls cannot be made from there. Perhaps the four is trapped along the foot rail, requiring a special angle on the three to make position on the four. Identify the angle necessary to get from the three to the four. When getting on the four ball, ensure you keep an angle so that you can get the cue ball into the center of the table. We only allow the cue ball to leave the center of the table when it is absolutely necessary, and then we get it back there as soon as possible. Its the same as giving the cue ball a furlough. The cue ball needs to stay in the center of the table for three reasons:
1) You can expect a make-able shot from there;
2) You'll find it easier to maintain an angle;
3) There are no pockets there.
Easy enough? That's what I thought! When identifying the key ball in the rack, deal with it from the first shot. After each shot, the following should be considered:
a) What balls cannot be made from the center of the table?
b) After making this next shot, do I have the ability to get back into the center of the table?
c) Do I need to leave the center of the table? If so, can I get back there?
The center of the table rule should apply to all games, but in nine ball it is extremely necessary because the ANGLES are so important. For me, I hate being straight on any shot. I like to keep an angle on every shot so that I can ensure that I have a route back into the center of the table.

#3: Deal With Problem Balls and Clusters Immediately.
Understanding how to use the clusters to your advantage is one thing, learning how to tear the clusters apart effectively is a completely different matter. As I discussed during the 10 bad habits, knowing what to do in this situation is the key. Remember I said that tossing nine balls out on the table instead of practicing what we need to is not very effective? I follow a simple rule that says that I should practice WHAT I DON'T KNOW as opposed to practicing what I already know. When was the last time you set up the two-four-eight cluster on the foot rail and practiced shooting in the one and breaking the cluster so that you get a duck on the two? You've probably never done it before, but you should start today. By familiarizing yourself with clusters and problem balls, you'll know when to break up the cluster and you'll know when to leave it alone. When you know those two things, half of the battle has already been won. Knowing when to play safe is one thing, and doing it correctly and effectively is something else. You'll have to do the practice and identify what your strengths and weaknesses are in this area. When that is known, you can start to plan your strategy against certain types of players who have typical playing styles. Leaving that cluster for later in the rack just prolongs the inevitable. Leaving it for your opponent gives him an opportunity at the table. He can give the cluster a whack, have a ball drop and run the table. That's not what we want. He can lock us up in a safety. We don't want that either. We don't want anything that takes the control of the table away from us. Even if you cannot find a way to break up the balls, screw him with a safety. Different situations call for different remedies, but remember, we always choose the option that aids OUR cause, not our opponents.

#4: Utilize The Simplest And Most Effective Position Routes.
Keep it simple! Always follow the center of the table rule. Keep the cue ball in the center of the table, and you will find that you are getting out easier and more often. Always get the cue ball where you need it by using the simplest route. Having the cue ball travel around the table when all you need to do is kill the ball with reverse english off of one rail is silly and quite careless. The less you do with the cue ball, the less of a chance you have of things going wrong.

Good Habit #5: Make good, sound, sensible decisions.

Always make the decision that is going to enable you to win. Shooting the balls out of an emotional decision that was made with little or no care sends you to the loser's bracket - quick!!! On the path to the nine ball, there are two ways you can go....the right way, or the wrong way. Always look for the correct route. The correct route is always there, you just have to look for it. In the bad habits sections, we identified that indecisiveness is brought about by not having the balls roll our way. Some players tend to try and "make something happen". Many of us find ourselves trying to slop in the nine either out of excitement or desperation. We abandon good judgment and good decisions and (as I said earlier) look like a deer in the headlights. A deer in the headlights has already realized that he's screwed up, and he just awaits his fate. Pool players do the same thing. When things don't go your way, be prepared. Most of the guys I know always expect good things to happen during their matches, and when the bad things happen, their only recourse is to get pissed off. That only makes matters worse. If you've read this all the way through, then you know that you should have a plan for when things aren't going your way. Know when it starts happening, and begin treating the symptoms immediately. The longer you put it off, the worse things will turn out. Focus is the key. If you are focusing on all of the negative things that are happening to you, more negative things will happen. If you try to concentrate on the positive, positive things will begin happening. Negativity breeds negativity, positivity breeds positivity.
 
10 habits - 2

#6: Take Your Time
What more needs to be said? Rushing through the rack makes you susceptible to errors. Carefully plan each and every shot as well as the position route. Slow things down in your mind and on the table.

#7: Be A Shot maker!
This is where drills and patterns will pay off big time! Knowing how to make shots from different angles can also aid you immensely when planning position routes. There are two ways your opponent can get back to the table:
a) you scratched;
b) you missed.
A variety of different fouls can get him there too, but most of the time, these are the leading reasons. The only way to win at pool is to put the balls into the pockets.

#8: Have Complete And Total Control Of The Cue Ball.
An excellent example of cue ball control mastery is the great Buddy Hall. I've been watching him play for twenty five years and I can count the times I've seen him lose control of the cue ball on my fingers. Buddy has a way of making the impossible seem rather simple. Buddy's main rule is "stay in line and don't get behind anything". You will never get anywhere relying upon pot luck position. Always know where the cue ball is going before you shoot it. If you do not have an understanding of how the cue ball does what it does and why, put this material down until you do. Without cue ball control, you will find your climb to the top very difficult. Practice drills and patterns daily. Is it boring? Yes. Is it tedious? Yes. But, you'll never regret the hard work that is involved with getting to the next level. It all pays off in the end.

#9: Respect The Complexity Of The Game.
The game can go in your favor, but the game can also bite you in the ass if you're not careful. Getting lax in exercising due caution gets us all in trouble. By respecting the complexity of the game, I mean that we should never start thinking that we know it all or that we "can't lose". As soon as we think that we have it all figured out, we become a prime candidate for being overconfident. We must remain teachable. Carelessness is the substance of overconfidence. We tend to rely on our ego to pull us through rather than our skills. We forget that we should use caution in certain situations, and up pops the devil and we lose another match. Understanding that we always need to focus intensely on what we need to do keeps us grounded. None of us are above making a mistake, but when we are trapped in overconfidence we start making excuses, blaming everything for the error except our own carelessness. Remember, if you're in the loser's bracket, guess who got you there!!! Good Habit
#10: Relax And Have Fun
If choking is caused by being tense, dead stroke is caused by being relaxed. Pool is a game, and games were meant to be fun. If you don't enjoy playing pool, quit. There is a lot of fun to be had while playing pool. If you don't enjoy what you are doing, stop. If you are tense, indecisive, and in fear of your life because you are going to lose, chances are you're not having much fun. Losing is part of winning. If you lost a tough match, take pride in the fact that a weakness was exposed to you, and that you now have something new to work on during your practices. As I explained earlier, these habits are not fool proof. The usefulness of these good habits is contingent on the condition of your existing skills.
 
looking for trouble

Looking for Trouble
By Tom Simpson

It's a good idea to stop and check some basics from time to time. We tend to drift into old habits and go into slumps, unless we're vigilant. When you're having a slump, or when you're trying to help someone learn the game, the following are ten of the most common problem areas that cause us trouble, and some simple suggestions for dealing with them.

Doubt: Don't shoot in the Thinking Position; don't think in the Shooting Position. Don't go down on a shot until you have a plan. If you go down, and feel you should change your plan, stand up, back away, chalk up, and start over. If you shoot with doubts or without committing to your plan, you're likely to get what you had in mind - doubtful results.

Tip & Chalk: Some players don't maintain their tip adequately. If your tip is too flat, you will not get as much spin as you expect, and you'll miscue more easily. Keep your tip rounded and shaped the same all the way around. Chalk the edge of the tip. That's where it really is needed, and where you will miscue. Actually look at your chalk job before hitting an extreme spin shot.

Vertical Axis: Many players gradually develop a habit of using english on every shot. When you hit the cueball anywhere on its vertical axis (in other words, no sidespin whatsoever), it goes straight, in precisely the direction you aimed. Hit even a millimeter to the left or right of the axis, and that cueball is going to squirt and curve. If it hits the target, it's because the squirt and curve happened to exactly cancel each other out at that distance & speed. And of course, there is also spin-induced throw and transfer of spin to the object ball to deal with. Master the vertical axis. Get off the axis only when there is good reason, and you know you're making the adjustments. It's a lot easier to deal with a cueball that's going where you aimed.

Undercutting: Because of collision-induced throw (a friction phenomenon between balls), most misses are by undercutting. For example, how often do you see someone miss a table-length, close-to-the-long-rail shot to a distant corner pocket by overcutting and hitting the end rail? Rarely. In fact, I call this "missing on the pro side" because most of us undercut and miss by hitting that side rail. The real fix here is to gain a clear understanding of the "rules" of throw. But since we don't have space for that here, plan on cutting a little thinner. The softer you're going to hit the shot, the further it is from the pocket, and the closer the cut angle is to a half-ball hit (30°), the more throw effect you'll get, and the more you'll need to compensate. Overcut a little.

Elevation: Because we have knuckles, and because pool tables have rails, we can never get our stick completely flat. It's important to get as close to flat as practical, though, because as we elevate the butt of the cue, we risk unintentionally causing the cueball to curve. If we strike the cueball with any sidespin whatsoever, it's going to curve. The more sidespin, and the more elevation, the more curve. Try to keep your stick within a finger thickness of the rail, unless you have reason to elevate. When you must elevate and hit straight, focus on hitting the vertical axis.

Unstable bridge: The purpose of the bridge is to provide a solid foundation that will guide the cue to your precisely intended contact point on the cueball. If your bridge is not a rock, your plans are not going to work. Do not move your bridge side to side. Try anchoring the bridge to the table. With an open bridge (no loop over the shaft), press your forefinger firmly into the cloth. With a closed bridge (forefinger looped over the shaft), press your middle finger into the cloth.

Unstable stance: If your stance is moving, you're not going to be aimed where you think you're aimed. Settle into the floor. If you're not comfortable, or if you have to twist or move to get aimed, get up, chalk up, and try again.

Finishing: One of the most common problems is not finishing a shot. Not following through, poking, and jumping up all lead to missed shots and inconsistent ball action. Get your stick through the cueball, and allow it to follow through as far as its momentum takes it.

Staying down: Coming up before the shot is complete is a common problem. Your body knows you're going to jump up, and that affects your stroke. You need to plan on staying down, so your stroke will complete without interference. When possible, stay down and watch the shot until the balls come to a stop. Down until done.

Pocket speed: The harder you shoot, the smaller the pockets become, and the more you lose control of the cueball. Pocket speed is the speed that sinks the ball, but without hitting the back of the pocket. Less speed, more control. Shoot only as hard as necessary for the current shot, position requirements, and equipment - and understand the trade-offs.
Far more games are won or lost on these kinds of basics than are won or lost with tricky, advanced shots. In fact, with better basics, we don't get in trouble and need those fancy shots nearly so often. Simple is good.
 
tips

Cause of being Jerky -=A Jerky Stroke is a result of the back stroke
muscles not completing their task before the forward stroke muscles
begin their task. A smooth stroke is produced by good timing.
Visualize how a clock pendulum gradually finishes its swing in one
direction and then smoothly falls to begin accelerating in the
opposite direction. " *


A New Perspective -- When you find yourself having mixed reactions
or uneasy feelings about how to play a particular shot, don't rush
into it. Take the time to walk around the table and view the shot
from different perspectives. This will often give you the information
needed to make the right decision and play the shot with confidence. "
 
Low percentage shots

Low Percentage Shots -= Why practice low percentage shots? You
should have an idea of what your percentage is of making several
common low percentage shots. When faced with a shot in a game, this
information along with your opponents skill level, playing
conditions, and even the game score will help you make the correct
decision as to whether you should go for it or play safe. "
 
Low percentage shots

Low Percentage Shots -= Why practice low percentage shots? You
should have an idea of what your percentage is of making several
common low percentage shots. When faced with a shot in a game, this
information along with your opponents skill level, playing
conditions, and even the game score will help you make the correct
decision as to whether you should go for it or play safe. "
 
focus 9 ball

Focus 9-Ball

Submitted by Walter Riley (rileywc)


Maintaining sharp focus at the pool table is one of the hallmarks of the professional or top amateur. But if you, like me, sometimes find your practice games degenerating to just “banging balls”, then you might try the practice game discussed below to see if your focus improves. At the very least, I can almost guarantee that you’ll find you’re spending more of your practice time in a mentally ‘high-focus’ zone – the place you need to be to see improvement in your game.

While beginning and intermediate players often think solely about win/loss ratio, the advanced player is much more concerned with consistently good play. For your play to improve, you first need to realize that not all of your ‘wins’ are alike. There is a huge difference between a ‘forced win’ resulting from pocketing the 9-ball at the end of a 5 or more ball run-out and a ‘gift win’ where the opponent rattles the 7-ball in the pocket resulting in an easy 3-ball run-out. You must realize that the most characteristic feature of the very best players is their ability to ‘force a win’ and constantly strive to enhance this part of your own game. I believe that Focus 9-Ball can help.

This practice game is intended for advanced players (a more precise definition is given below in the game specifics). It improves focus in three ways. The first is that it places a strong emphasis on positive play such as the careful planning and execution of run-outs and safeties. Secondly, it removes the focus-killing and time-consuming completion of ‘worthless’ games - those where the game has already had multiple missed shots by each player. Thirdly, these mediocre games are no longer hidden by lumping them into the win/loss totals of the players involved, but are instead emphasized by tracking them separately giving an indication of the overall level of play in the match.

Removing the time spent completing mediocre games is key to increasing the percentage of total practice time spent in a high-focus mental mode. Additionally, the players involved remain focused on ‘forcing a win’ as opposed to just hanging around waiting for the opponent to make a mistake bad enough to lose the game.

Focus 9-ball is related to ‘playing the ghost’, which is perhaps the best solo way to practice focus. You probably are already familiar with this game. You rack, break, remove x lowest-numbered balls from the table (x depends on your skill level), take ball in hand and then attempt to run-out. If you fail to run-out, the ‘expert ghost’ gets the victory. If you can beat the ghost consistently removing x balls, decrease the number removed by 1 and try again. If you win races against the ghost by only taking ball in hand after the break, without removing any balls, then you don’t need to waste your time reading the rest of this article.

Solo practice can be somewhat boring. Focus 9-ball attempts to apply the same positives of the solo ‘play the ghost’ game to the normal two-player game of 9-ball. It keeps the concept of the ‘ghost’, but in this case the ghost is mediocre instead of expert.

Game Specifics
I will describe the game for two above-average 9-ball players. The players should be good enough that they can agree that only a win on their first or second attempt at an intended run-out constitutes a ‘decent game’. If both are good players, they can also agree that even a win where their opponent misses on two or more of his run-out opportunities is mediocre at best.

The two players are in a three-way race with a ‘mediocre ghost’ who gets credit for all the games where neither of the players could produce a run-out.

Each player begins with two run-out opportunities to score a win.

The player will declare one of three options on each turn at the table after the break:

“Go for it”, which costs one opportunity if the run-out fails.
“Run to the x-ball, then play safe”, which costs one opportunity only if the players fails to run as far as x
“Play safe” which does not cost an opportunity, but always costs the turn even if a ball drops.
The break is a free shot requiring no declaration. If a ball is pocketed on the break without scratching, the breaker then makes one of the above declarations and continues shooting. 9-on-the-break is spotted and does not count as a win, but the breaker does continue shooting after making a declaration. Push-outs are allowed on the shot immediately following the break and do not cost an opportunity.

The player behind in the race has the option of breaking or passing the break to the opponent. Players alternate breaks following ghost victories when their scores are tied.

A player can only collect a win by choosing to ‘go for it’ and then successfully completing the run-out, provided he has not previously exhausted his run-out opportunities. A player shooting after missing his second “go for it” opportunity is assisting the ghost, does not make a declaration and cannot win.

After one player has failed on his second opportunity, the opposing player is reduced to a single “go for it” opportunity, which must be taken on either the current or the following turn at the table. This potential loss of scoring opportunities encourages players to “go for it”.

After both players have exhausted their scoring opportunities, the balls are immediately racked for the next game and the ghost is awarded the victory.

No slop. Call ball and pocket if there can be any doubt about shot selection. If the called ball drops in the pocket intended and additional uncalled balls drop, the player continues shooting. If the 9-ball is one of the additional uncalled balls, the 9-ball is spotted and the shot does not count as a win.

It is important to note that the number of ghost victories in a match serves an effective gauge of the overall level of play involved. A winning score of 5-2-0 in a race against the opponent and the ghost indicates a much higher level of play than a score of 5-2-4. It is best also to consider that a 'mediocre ghost' victory really means that both players were losers regardless of their relative scores!

Of course, the term ‘mediocre ghost’ is relative to ‘good player’. If the ‘mediocre ghost’ is actually winning a lot of races, then, as in the solo ‘play the ghost’ game, try removing, for example, the two lowest numbered balls on the table immediately after the break. If the ‘ghost’ continues to win races, then it is likely that both you and your practice partner need to concentrate more on fundamentals than focus and 'forcing a win'.

Try adding some ‘Focus 9-Ball’ races into your practice regimen. Of course, 'gift wins' will still occur in this game, but even so you will get more opportunities to 'force a win' in your practice session by playing 'Focus 9-Ball' than by playing regular 9-ball. By concentrating on 'forced wins' achieved through run-outs or 'ball-in-hand' type safeties followed by run-outs, I think many players will quickly notice an improvement in their mental approach to the game. Some intermediate players may even be shocked by the amount of mental effort that should happen automatically in their everyday games. Still others may have their egos deflated when they discover the true percentage of mediocre games that they are playing. All in all, I think you and your practice partner will get a lot of value from the time you spend with this game.
 
tips

Good Rack / Bad Rack --- The importance of having a "good" rack in
8-Ball and 9-Ball is that if the balls are racked loosely (a bad
rack), they will not break open crisply and cleanly. When they are
racked tightly (all balls in the rack are touching each other) the
balls will break apart instantly and spread around the table,
hopefully seeking pockets. "
 
cantiques said:
Good Rack / Bad Rack --- The importance of having a "good" rack in
8-Ball and 9-Ball is that if the balls are racked loosely (a bad
rack), they will not break open crisply and cleanly. When they are
racked tightly (all balls in the rack are touching each other) the
balls will break apart instantly and spread around the table,
hopefully seeking pockets. "
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Has no one tried this? This sounds really good for practicing with someone else to eliminate any mediocre effort, removing any wasted table time from your practice. I'm going to try this tonight.
 
I would say mastering the straight in shot the ultimate priority -
You can work on the game later -



bill
 
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