I have been told by alot of great pool players that i have a gift for playing pool. I lean very quickly and I can pull off some amazing shots. My cue ball control is decent. My shot making ability is above average B+ but i am having problems putting together runouts. I have put a few 2 packs together. What i am looking for is somthig to help me develop my pattern play. I want to be able to look at a layout and determin my paths for the runout. I have heard of building a numericly numberd star for pattern play..but do really know what it is. I also want to know what to do or use to develop my ability to keep angles on my shots so that getting shape is more natural and not forced with english. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Practice drills or instruction tapes needed
- Thread starter quitecoolguy
- Start date
Pool School
A date at Pool School, or a day with Scott Lee, or any other good instructor.
Don't waste money on the Bert Kinister tapes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know people are going to get mad at me for that one, but I have watched two of the tapes, and I wouldn't buy them. Thank god someone loaned them to me.
A date at Pool School, or a day with Scott Lee, or any other good instructor.
Don't waste money on the Bert Kinister tapes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know people are going to get mad at me for that one, but I have watched two of the tapes, and I wouldn't buy them. Thank god someone loaned them to me.
Last edited:
txplshrk said:
I have 6 of Bert's tapes & I think they are worth the money. Bert may have a few tapes that might not be of any use to the accompished player, I don't have all of his series.
I like Bert's, the Mighty X, the 6 & 9 Point Star Drills & the Ladder.
I also have 3 DrCue tapes which are very good for learning kicks.
txplshrk said:
I have every single one. Yes, there is a lot of bs & fluff...but tons of useful information too.
Of course I didn't buy them either...a buddy gave me the VHS originals after he transfered them to DVD. If you have access to them...and study them...they will indeed help.Thanks...will try all of the above 
Check out Accu-Stats!
If you want to learn pattern play I would strongly advise you to purchase some of the Accu-Stats tapes. In case you're not familiar with them, Accu-Stats tapes tournament matches at events like the U.S. Open, the Derby City Classic, etc. and sells them to the public. You will benefit not only from seeing how the pros do it, but also from the excellent commentary from the professional players who do the commentary. This is far beyond what you will hear on ESPN, since the commentary is done by and for pool players. I live on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and as such, I don't have opportunities to see world class play in person. I started buying Accu-Stats tapes in 1999, and my game went up by two or three balls in about six months. Go on their website (www.accu-stats.com) and order some tapes. I guarantee that you won't regret it. (By the way, that last sentence in no way implies that I would compensate you for the price of the tapes or DVD's in the highly unlikely event that you are not satisfied.)
I also highly recommend Phil Cappelle's books on nine-ball. The first, Play Your Best Nine-Ball, has a tremendous section on pattern play and the second, in which he analyzes a great match between Johnny Archer and Efren Reyes has an accompanying DVD of the match. Between these two books and the DVD, you will get a veritable treasure trove of information to work with.
Good luck, keep working, and remember to try without trying!
If you want to learn pattern play I would strongly advise you to purchase some of the Accu-Stats tapes. In case you're not familiar with them, Accu-Stats tapes tournament matches at events like the U.S. Open, the Derby City Classic, etc. and sells them to the public. You will benefit not only from seeing how the pros do it, but also from the excellent commentary from the professional players who do the commentary. This is far beyond what you will hear on ESPN, since the commentary is done by and for pool players. I live on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and as such, I don't have opportunities to see world class play in person. I started buying Accu-Stats tapes in 1999, and my game went up by two or three balls in about six months. Go on their website (www.accu-stats.com) and order some tapes. I guarantee that you won't regret it. (By the way, that last sentence in no way implies that I would compensate you for the price of the tapes or DVD's in the highly unlikely event that you are not satisfied.)
I also highly recommend Phil Cappelle's books on nine-ball. The first, Play Your Best Nine-Ball, has a tremendous section on pattern play and the second, in which he analyzes a great match between Johnny Archer and Efren Reyes has an accompanying DVD of the match. Between these two books and the DVD, you will get a veritable treasure trove of information to work with.
Good luck, keep working, and remember to try without trying!
Last edited:
Learn to make your own drills for your own problems. If you cannot figure out what your problems are, go to an instructor. A competent instructor will show you how to make your own drills. If you want some written suggestions on making your own drills, see the articles at http://www.onthebreaknews.com/JewettIndex.htm and http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/BD_articles.htmlquitecoolguy said:
You cannot begin to think about patterns until you know where you can take the cue ball in each situation. You also have to get a feel for how difficult particular paths are. Some basic speed/positioning drills are in the handout at http://www.sfbilliards.com/basics.pdf beginning about page 6.
As far as practice drills on video, I recommend Byrne's Power Pool Workout. I think the Kinister tapes are seriously overpriced for what you get, and have too many mistakes.