(stupid?) idea for a product

Actually this is a good idea.

Based on the practice tables of this sort I have seen at various events I am having one built with real rails and two pockets. I didn't think to ask for a gully but that is the best idea.

The pockets are on the right side of the table and it has four rails. It is about 24" wide and 65" long. Long enough to roll cues on and shoot comfortably. The player can practice pocketing a wide range of shots and practice banks. I figure that the real creative types will even develop trick shots especially for this table.

This will be the perfect sort of table to practice jumps and masses on as well.

Speaking of that - Dale Chilton built a pretty sporty jump practice table - with walls and an incline to make the balls come back.

Also - one thing I ran across a while back while going through patents was a system using bunjee cords instead of rails for the rebound. So for the DIY enthusiasts this might be a way to build a cheapo practice device using bunjee cords to return the ball instead of rail rubber.
 
Well I can see that this debate is going to turn into what is a stroke and what isn't. Whatever it is it needs to be practiced because no matter what stroke a player uses - IF it is inconistent then the results will be too.

Practicing can work out the kinks, loosen the arm, relax the mind. Anything that helps a person to do that is a good thing.

A "good" stroke doesn't come naturally. It is developed through repetition and advice. I doubt that you will find any good player who hasn't received instruction on their stroke.
 
necessity is the mother of invention

John Barton said:
[...]Also - one thing I ran across a while back while going through patents was a system using bunjee cords instead of rails for the rebound. So for the DIY enthusiasts this might be a way to build a cheapo practice device using bunjee cords to return the ball instead of rail rubber.
Click to expand...

Before I obtained a real rail to return the ball, I tried many things using various items I had
"laying around". For a couple weeks, I used the bottom part of a guitar stand! It was the type
that had a very large fork at the bottom, with rubber covered prongs, that the base of the guitar
sat on. I anchored one end at the proper angle, such that the other end was the right height
off the surface, and perfectly angled at 90 degrees to the long dimension of the long table.

The combination of the rubber coating, along with the spring action of being a fork produced
almost the exact same rebound action as a real rail. I marked a white spot on it as my target.
 
How about just a mini pool-table... maybe something pocket sized... with tiny plastic pool balls, and tiny plastic spring-loaded pool sticks?

JK... it's not a horrible idea, but I don't see it selling at all.... Then again, that's what they said about the curling iron, and just about every other 'cool' invention.
 
sarcasm?

I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic or just humorous.

But, I believe the original poster's wants and needs were similar to mine. The goal was to
be able to emulate as close as possible, the environment of a standard pool table, enough
to be able to strike a real cue ball, at a real height, a significant distance. Thus allowing one
to be able to work on the mechanics of a stroke, without the luxury of a real table.
 
Ya, know, you can stroke your Coke bottle all you want, I know I did when I was younger...... but nothing beats the tactile feel you get when you hit balls. So anything that works to allow someone to practice might be welcome for a lot of players who don't have the room to spare. Additionally it might make a lot of folks better players.

Golf, baseball, soccer, and a lot of other sports have a plethora of training devices for small spaces. Why not pool?
 
John Barton said:
Ya, know, you can stroke your Coke bottle all you want, I know I did when I was younger...... but nothing beats the tactile feel you get when you hit balls. So anything that works to allow someone to practice might be welcome for a lot of players who don't have the room to spare. Additionally it might make a lot of folks better players.

Golf, baseball, soccer, and a lot of other sports have a plethora of training devices for small spaces. Why not pool?
Click to expand...


I completely agree. This is a great idea!
 
I've had the same idea and it sounds like a lot of people on here have also, so clearly it is not stupid!

At my house, I just have a flat shoe string stretched out on a table, taped down. I stroke over it, and when I make a good pendulum stroke my tip hits the string in the center. It gives a nice feedback when it is right, as opposed to when it is not so good, I get a **click** on the table.:(
 
whitey2 said:
I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic or just humorous.

But, I believe the original poster's wants and needs were similar to mine. The goal was to
be able to emulate as close as possible, the environment of a standard pool table, enough
to be able to strike a real cue ball, at a real height, a significant distance. Thus allowing one
to be able to work on the mechanics of a stroke, without the luxury of a real table.
Click to expand...

The "JK" in my post stands for Just Kidding... I think it's a decent idea, has potential.
 
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