Practicing on a 7 foot table

N

nsherman2006

Registered
Hello!

Just a quick question: I'm a newbie and all I can fit in my house is a 7 foot table, but when I play on 9 footers, my game suffers. Are there any drills that you guys can recommend to hone big table skills on a smaller table?

Thanks!

-Neal
 
Hmm I played on a 7 ft table today. Barely missed a few balls, very hard to miss coming from 8 and 9 fts... It's still fun to mess around I suppose that you can learn the fundamentals on any table size.
 
Practice the longest shots you can with the cueball on the rail or jacked up over another ball... The extra precision required using elevation will transfer to the precision needed on the 9ft on the truly long shots......
 
Center table!

When you go to the 9' table from your 7', try to play for the center of the table as much as possible. If you can get the cue ball to the center of the table for as many shots as possible, then the table wont seem any different from the one you have at home.

Its not always possible, but it will cut down on the feeling of shooting from so far away so that way when you get a long shot you will have played so many short ones it wont matter, send it in!
 
You can become a versitle player once you become cosistant playing on diffrent size tables. What ever your practice routine is on one size able make sure you apply that same routine on the other size tables. This youbwill not learn over night so dont get discourged.

If you need some more input feel free to pm me
 
Table size doesn't matter

Table size only matters to the people that tell themselves "I play worse on a bigger table".

If I place an object ball in the jaws of a pocket, place the cue ball 2 diamonds away on the rail and and aim for the 1 diamond on the opposite rail that's the same shot no what the size of the table.

If you don't have problems with your form or pre shot routine then a "long shot" on a 7ft table is no different then on a 10ft table.

Once you know where to hit the object ball THAT POINT doesn't change on a bigger table.

If you have problems lining up on the cue ball then I'd put time into fixing that. If you have an inconsistent pre shot routine then I'd definitely work on that.

And above all else don't mindf!@ yourself. Don't say to yourself things like "I hate playing on bigger tables" or "I play better on smaller tables".

A straight shot is a straight shot no matter the size of the table. Once you have the shot worked out in your mind they're all straight shots.


Shoot straight my friend.
 
The angles are the same. Remember this. What differs is how it looks from your perspective when down on the shot. Practicing on a 7 footer or ANY table for that matter cannot be a bad thing. With that said, if your 7 footer has big easy pockets you might be able to make shots that would normally miss on a tighter 9 foot diamond table. Be aware of this. If you throw a ball in the length of the table with tons of english on your 7 footer that hits the long rail before it pockets, take note of the fact that you probably would have missed that shot on a 9 foot, tight pocket, super "live" rail table. Any time you don't hit dead center of the pocket take note and remember that you could have, and should have hit that better. Snooker players play on a 12*6 table with ridiculously tough pocket rails. Their entire game is hitting DEAD center of the pocket. If you can do that on a 7 footer you can do it on a 9 footer. You just need to step back from the table and see the angles like you would on your 7 footer. It will look different from the perspective of shooting, but if you focus on the contact point of the object ball you should be able to make the shot regardless of the table size.

Bottom line is don't settle for anything but middle of the pocket when you are playing on a 7 footer unless the shot calls for you cheating the pocket. If you are cheating the pocket make sure you hit it exactly where you want to. If you don't, take note and try and do better next time. This will translate to your 9 footer game. It's very easy to "miss" a ball on a 7 footer and still make it. Think of these as misses and try and do better.
 
What you are wanting to accomplish is difficult at best. Many have tried it, many have failed, and lives have been lost. My God man, have you no decency?
Really, be the best you can be on the bar box. There are plenty of tournaments available for the smaller table, and special skills are required for success. Good luck. :smile:
 
Thanks for the input. The table is a 7 foot olhausen. The rails aren't super live but shots that go in on bar tables rattle around the bumpers and hang on the lip, so I feel like I get away with less slop. The cloth is Simonis so it plays pretty fast.

I've been trying to develop an aiming system but feel like I have more trouble hitting the ball where I aim than a aiming to the right spot, but I'm getting better.

Any good drills to recommend for a beginner?
 
4onthebreak said:
Table size only matters to the people that tell themselves "I play worse on a bigger table".

If I place an object ball in the jaws of a pocket, place the cue ball 2 diamonds away on the rail and and aim for the 1 diamond on the opposite rail that's the same shot no what the size of the table.

If you don't have problems with your form or pre shot routine then a "long shot" on a 7ft table is no different then on a 10ft table.

Once you know where to hit the object ball THAT POINT doesn't change on a bigger table.

If you have problems lining up on the cue ball then I'd put time into fixing that. If you have an inconsistent pre shot routine then I'd definitely work on that.

And above all else don't mindf!@ yourself. Don't say to yourself things like "I hate playing on bigger tables" or "I play better on smaller tables".

A straight shot is a straight shot no matter the size of the table. Once you have the shot worked out in your mind they're all straight shots.


Shoot straight my friend.
Click to expand...

I think Koehler goes into permissible error and precision... Has been many years since reading the science of pocket billiards so maybe someone with a copy laying around can pull out the percentages on 7ft long straight in vs the same on a 9ft..... This of course assuming the same pocket sizes... I have heard of barboxes with 3 inch pockets that were beastly... Herad is the operative word =)
 
what seven foot table?

nsherman2006 said:
Hello!

Just a quick question: I'm a newbie and all I can fit in my house is a 7 foot table, but when I play on 9 footers, my game suffers. Are there any drills that you guys can recommend to hone big table skills on a smaller table?

Thanks!

-Neal
Click to expand...

Got to ask what seven foot table. I think any table in your home is a tremendous help, I had an eight foot imitation slate Sears and Roebuck and the balls I bought to play on it cost me more than it did, still did a lot for my game on nines and tens. I did have to do a little tuning to get maximum benefit though, mainly good balls and cue ball.

If you are playing on a barbox at home open it up and play with the same cue ball you play with at the hall. Getting really good kicking with a different cue ball will ruin your kicking game when you swap to a cue ball that handles substantially differently. Banks and cuts and such aren't as big a deal.

When you are practicing at home try to make it as real and as much like the hall as possible with one exception. Expand the range of shootable shots maybe 15-20% and likewise expand the range of the lower percentage safeties that you would normally pass on. That doesn't mean get sloppy and go for every shot or every safety, just deliberately open up your ranges just a bit.

There are so many bar table tournaments that I am seriously considering getting a bar table by choice when and if I have room for a table at home. My eyes are shot, I got a gimp in my giddy-up, and as for stroke, I think I have had one. Kinda like my co-worker when somebody asked him if he felt like he was over the hill, "Hill? When? Where? I don't remember any hill." Never the less I still flashback to a pretty stout bar table game now and then. It is a myth to say that any equipment is harder or easier to win on since everyone plays on the same equipment. At the end of the day the caliber of the competition is what determines how hard it is to win. It is a slightly different skill set but it takes every bit as much skill to win in barbox competition as it takes to win on any other size table.

Just realized that I could have shortened up this whole message a lot with the lyrics from an old song, "if you are not with the one you love, love the one you are with." Get at least a medium quality set of balls, swap cushions if you want to, and learn to love that seven footer!

Hu
 
nahog99 said:
The angles are the same. Remember this. What differs is how it looks from your perspective when down on the shot. Practicing on a 7 footer or ANY table for that matter cannot be a bad thing. With that said, if your 7 footer has big easy pockets you might be able to make shots that would normally miss on a tighter 9 foot diamond table. Be aware of this. If you throw a ball in the length of the table with tons of english on your 7 footer that hits the long rail before it pockets, take note of the fact that you probably would have missed that shot on a 9 foot, tight pocket, super "live" rail table. Any time you don't hit dead center of the pocket take note and remember that you could have, and should have hit that better. Snooker players play on a 12*6 table with ridiculously tough pocket rails. Their entire game is hitting DEAD center of the pocket. If you can do that on a 7 footer you can do it on a 9 footer. You just need to step back from the table and see the angles like you would on your 7 footer. It will look different from the perspective of shooting, but if you focus on the contact point of the object ball you should be able to make the shot regardless of the table size.

Bottom line is don't settle for anything but middle of the pocket when you are playing on a 7 footer unless the shot calls for you cheating the pocket. If you are cheating the pocket make sure you hit it exactly where you want to. If you don't, take note and try and do better next time. This will translate to your 9 footer game. It's very easy to "miss" a ball on a 7 footer and still make it. Think of these as misses and try and do better.
Click to expand...

Its Debatable what you typed about missing shots because of diffrent pocket sizes. There was a thread not to long ago talking about this same matter but people were saying one can be more likely to miss a shot on a bigger pocket vs a shot on a tighter pocket like a pocket on a dimond table.

The reason was since the pocket was bigger then they would just take it for granted and thinking they were not going to miss. I don't want to high jack this thread.

To the OP if you got it In you to learn to play strong pool on different size tables then go for it and don't let anyone say that you can't and that its not good for your game cause it will ruin it.

I for one say its not true and it can be done cause I did it just like others have done as well.
 
I have a 7 foot olhausen that I just put Simonis on the bed (still need to find time to do rails) and I'm using aramith balls. I typed another reply with more info but it needs to be approved?
 
should work

nsherman2006 said:
I have a 7 foot olhausen that I just put Simonis on the bed (still need to find time to do rails) and I'm using aramith balls. I typed another reply with more info but it needs to be approved?
Click to expand...


That should let you get quality practice time in. When I had my table my toughest competitor had eyes like an eagle and not a nerve in his body. He could cut the color off a ball and his stock in trade was "impossible" cut shots. When I tried to hang with him cutting balls it was very iffy, maybe a fifty-fifty proposition at best. When I started banking the better bank shots I was a clearcut winner overall, he had zero banking or kicking skills. The banking skills were learned on an eight footer with buckets and crap rails and I made the adjustments to play on a nine or ten footer.

Likewise, the toughest single match I ever played was when I tangled with a road player and we were both playing all out aggression on a seven foot barbox. We were close with me being aided by home field advantage but no question after a couple three hours the money was easing his way. I didn't want him to realize I had swapped styles so I started easing in some "accidental safety" play. The money came back to me and all of his. Cue ball control was first learned on that crappy eight footer at home.

Ideally I would like to practice on the same table I compete on and in very much the same conditions of temperature and humidity. Rarely do we get to do that and I am a strong believer that any table is far far better than none.

Hu
 
4onthebreak said:
Table size only matters to the people that tell themselves "I play worse on a bigger table".
Click to expand...

Exactly. Not that I can play anyway, but when I had a 7' table at home and was playing every day, playing on a 9' table was no harder to get used to than a foreign 7' table.

Freddie
 
JoseV said:
Its Debatable what you typed about missing shots because of diffrent pocket sizes. There was a thread not to long ago talking about this same matter but people were saying one can be more likely to miss a shot on a bigger pocket vs a shot on a tighter pocket like a pocket on a dimond table.

The reason was since the pocket was bigger then they would just take it for granted and thinking they were not going to miss. I don't want to high jack this thread.

To the OP if you got it In you to learn to play strong pool on different size tables then go for it and don't let anyone say that you can't and that its not good for your game cause it will ruin it.

I for one say its not true and it can be done cause I did it just like others have done as well.
Click to expand...

Well that's kinda what I was trying to convey, don't take shots for granted. If you rattled a shot in on a big pocket bar table you likely would have missed on a 7 foot diamond and especially on a 9 foot diamond. I was just saying that you can be as precise as you want. Aiming for specific parts OF the pocket will help your precision when transferring to a 9 footer. English used is a little different because with added distance thigs like swerve, English wearing off, etc are amplified. This is my problem. I tend to use a bit more English than is really necessary and it works on a 7 ft valley but does not at all on a 9 ft diamond. All the little problems with my shooting are amplified.
 
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