Position Patterns
- Thread starter jon21588
- Start date
A book I always recommend is the 99 critical shots in pool, though you probably were looking for 8 and 9 ball and this book is oldish (so it has more on straight pool patterns). But the info in that book on playing position in general is valuable and presented really well. It's the first pool book I read, and after reading maybe 20-30 others, I still like it best.
Just as a general rule, a good way to look at patterns is to roll some balls out on the table (4 is a good start) and take ball in hand, then see if you can figure out a pattern that will give you as many stop shots as possible, or as many shots that are very close to stop shots (CB barely has to move). It'd be nice if you can actually run the balls and do it according to plan, but for now just try to spot the absolute simplest pattern that will keep cue ball movement to a minimum. Also avoid patterns where the cue ball has to be moved in a very precise way that demands a ton of skill... like if you need the cue ball to roll forward 4 inches after travelling 6 feet, and you're screwed if it rolls a few inches too far... you gotta rethink that plan.
Just as a general rule, a good way to look at patterns is to roll some balls out on the table (4 is a good start) and take ball in hand, then see if you can figure out a pattern that will give you as many stop shots as possible, or as many shots that are very close to stop shots (CB barely has to move). It'd be nice if you can actually run the balls and do it according to plan, but for now just try to spot the absolute simplest pattern that will keep cue ball movement to a minimum. Also avoid patterns where the cue ball has to be moved in a very precise way that demands a ton of skill... like if you need the cue ball to roll forward 4 inches after travelling 6 feet, and you're screwed if it rolls a few inches too far... you gotta rethink that plan.
CreeDo said:
This is outstanding advise!...and some I wished I'd have had when I was learning position play! A much easier and quicker way, overall, than trying to learn a pattern for the whole table when you are starting out, trust me on this.
Another good read on position play and shot safeties is the 8 Ball Bible...some good stuff in there.
Lisa
jon21588 said:
I think you should play a few sessions of "Jerry 3 ball" (Jerry Briesath's game). Break a 3 ball rack, and try to run them in rotation. Only catch is, all shots must be relatively easy (or they don't count as a successful runout). If you fail in any rack, you have the option to set them back up and try again until you succeed (but it only counts towards the score if you do it the first try, the re-set is just for educational purposes).
Play 20 racks.
When you can do 15 out of 20 racks successfully, it's time to move on to "Jerry 4 ball"; when you do 15 out of 20 with 4 balls its time to move on to 5-ball; but it's harder than it sounds.
If you had a pro to watch you/help you during the game; learning patterns is much quicker - no need to re-invent the wheel; a pro can tell you which patterns/routes are the best (and why) as they come up during the game.
jon21588 said:
Bert Kinister has some very good tapes. Using the Star Pattern is one where he basically gives you cue ball paths from the object ball to get you back to the center of the table. Bob Henning's Pro Book is also very informative as he gives reference to many shots in position playing, kicking, safeties and drills.
Also Phil Capelle's 8 ball or 9 ball books cover a lot of information.
Puck
ctapa.com
Advanced Pool by George Fels has been my favorite of late. It covers strategies and pattern play in straight pool, eight ball, and nine ball. It's less than 200 pages but it contains a ton of good information. A great book to pick up if you feel that your game has reached a plateau, and you're not sure where to go next. 
creedo nice post, but one point you make interests me. you say to strive to keep cue ball movement to a minimum. this is advice that is said by a lot of people, but it's slightly contradictory to the idea of playing natural angles, coming into the line of the shot as opposed to across it, and two rails instead of a touchy one rail shot.
this is a point that i've always noticed, be interested in any opinions on it from all you ladies.
this is a point that i've always noticed, be interested in any opinions on it from all you ladies.
well, the goal is sort of "keep movement to a minimum when it comes to making natural angle leaves" I guess, lol. Maybe a bit of a copout.
When you watch really good 9 ball, every single shot seems to be 1 rail and out, 1 rail and out, over and over. There's often a shot where someone goes 2 rails (with a bump from the third being smart but optional) from an 8 ball around the head spot to the 9 ball near the foot spot, and that shot makes sense and works great, but equally nice is if you can fall on a 1 rail path (again with the optional but sensible hit on the next rail).
It depends on the game too. In straight pool you'll see so many stop shots or shots where the CB doesn't touch a rail. You might see it more in 8 ball also.
I think if you CAN play in a way that will guarantee back-to-back stop shots in 9 ball... you should. That minimizes cue ball movement and is very safe because it's hard to dog your position.
If the ball don't lie in a position where you can logically do that, like you need to get from one end of the table to the other, then a natural 1-2 rail path (typically with draw and/or outside, typically without touching either short rail) is better than a natural 3-4 rail path (force follow where you hit one of the short rails and both long rails)
I think the best way I can explain it is... there's usually one clear sensible path, but it's hard to give a single rule that will help a player see that path. It comes down to each situation. But if you put a gun to my head and forced me to pick a few rules of thumb, they would be:
find paths that don't need much english
find paths that don't need much force
find paths that are as parallel as possible to the line between the next OB and its pocket
when in doubt, leave yourself a medium angle where you're going to naturally run into the rail. From such an angle it's pretty easy to get anywhere on the table, because you can use the rail to change the direction of the cue ball using running or reverse english. Leaving yourself a 1-rail type of leave actually increases your margin for error. If you run a bit short or a bit long, you can use a combination of more spin + the rail to compensate.
When you watch really good 9 ball, every single shot seems to be 1 rail and out, 1 rail and out, over and over. There's often a shot where someone goes 2 rails (with a bump from the third being smart but optional) from an 8 ball around the head spot to the 9 ball near the foot spot, and that shot makes sense and works great, but equally nice is if you can fall on a 1 rail path (again with the optional but sensible hit on the next rail).
It depends on the game too. In straight pool you'll see so many stop shots or shots where the CB doesn't touch a rail. You might see it more in 8 ball also.
I think if you CAN play in a way that will guarantee back-to-back stop shots in 9 ball... you should. That minimizes cue ball movement and is very safe because it's hard to dog your position.
If the ball don't lie in a position where you can logically do that, like you need to get from one end of the table to the other, then a natural 1-2 rail path (typically with draw and/or outside, typically without touching either short rail) is better than a natural 3-4 rail path (force follow where you hit one of the short rails and both long rails)
I think the best way I can explain it is... there's usually one clear sensible path, but it's hard to give a single rule that will help a player see that path. It comes down to each situation. But if you put a gun to my head and forced me to pick a few rules of thumb, they would be:
find paths that don't need much english
find paths that don't need much force
find paths that are as parallel as possible to the line between the next OB and its pocket
when in doubt, leave yourself a medium angle where you're going to naturally run into the rail. From such an angle it's pretty easy to get anywhere on the table, because you can use the rail to change the direction of the cue ball using running or reverse english. Leaving yourself a 1-rail type of leave actually increases your margin for error. If you run a bit short or a bit long, you can use a combination of more spin + the rail to compensate.
CreeDo:
I like that advice. There's a practice game that's a "progressive" version of it, called Progressive Rotation or something like that. You start with, say, three balls thrown randomly on the table and ball in hand. If you successfully run the three balls, add one ball and do it again. Each time you successfully run the table, add a ball. Each time you fail, subtract a ball. You'll tend to "hover" around your average run length and can watch it improve over time as your shooting and planning skills increase.
pj
chgo
I like that advice. There's a practice game that's a "progressive" version of it, called Progressive Rotation or something like that. You start with, say, three balls thrown randomly on the table and ball in hand. If you successfully run the three balls, add one ball and do it again. Each time you successfully run the table, add a ball. Each time you fail, subtract a ball. You'll tend to "hover" around your average run length and can watch it improve over time as your shooting and planning skills increase.
pj
chgo
good answer
this is a very good answer to the post. if you watch most players, the last 3 or 4 balls is when you get out of line and not get out. i do it more than i should. run out to the 6 or 7 and get funny, next thing ya know your on the wrong side of the 8 and ya gotta put some kinda crazy mojo on the cue ball in hopes of getting a decent shot at the money. it should get easier when you are almost thru the rack. fewer obstacles but for most, myself included it can be trickey at time. i think , for me anyway that if i am not really bearing down and in the zone, is when i really mess up. taking it for granted. again nice answer.CreeDo said: