Sugestions to improve my straight pool
- Thread starter lstevedus
- Start date
Check out Phil Capelle's latest book on 14.1. He has page after page of diagrams of the end of racks that players were faced with in competition; and there's an accompanying DVD that shows the players shooting those actual shots. It's really a great idea and a really helpful tool.
watch this video over and over again.. this channel also has more of his lessons with other students..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArRZhjCDUs8&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArRZhjCDUs8&feature=plcp
Setting break shots is good practice and it never hurts anyone to take this time. But the most important part of playing good Straight pool is learning to understand and look for patterns that will allow you to play the necessary position and run racks.
Taking the correct shot in a given situation is a major part of what looking for and seeing patterns in the group of balls before you. Last never move a ball on the table unless it needs to be moved to continue playing the pattern that is leading to your run and position to break the next rack.
Go to Youtube and watch how the greats like Mosconi, Lassiter, and many other choose their shots, and especially watch what they choose as break shots for the next rack.
Oh and by the way, watching great players play, especially how they make their choices is more valuable than any book or DVD in my opinion. One thing you find they all have in common are how they choose to break a rack, when they find it necessary to move a ball, and how they choose the patterns that get them through each rack to the break shot.
Hope this helps.
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The problem with just watching a master at work, is you don't know what is going on inside their heads when they make the decisions they do.
That is why I prefer any video in which the shooter is explaining their thought process throughout the run. I find these very enlightening.
That is why I prefer any video in which the shooter is explaining their thought process throughout the run. I find these very enlightening.
George Fels: Mastering Pool <---a MUST READ!
Phil Capelle: Play your best straight pool <---a MUST READ!
Arthur *Babe* Cranfield: The straight pool bible <---a MUST READ!
These 3 books will help you extremly! I would start in this order:
Mastering Pool by George: Very easy and funny to read, tons of knowledge! Make you learn to think!
Then *the straight pool bible* by Cranfield*
and then, after you *practiced* a bit with your newly earned knowledge:
Buy Jim Rempe s "How to run 100" and "how to run a rack"
Watch additional some 14.1 matches of the pros-helps also VERY much.
Then you can start to work with Capelles *play your best straight pool*.
hope this helps
lg
Ingo
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I never thought i would say something like that
almost feeling bad...but i have not Fran s opinion on Capelles last book. It s nothing than a few small vids showing some pros playing the last 4-5 shots of the rack to get on the breakball. In my opinion nothing to learn much from-very overestimated in my personal opinion. (forgive me Fran, *hugs*)______________________________________________________________
Nobody mentioned it, but Blackjack (David Sapolis) has some great information about 14.1 on his site. My other suggestion would be to take a straight pool lesson. Books and videos are okay, but cannot answer questions like a hands-on instructor can.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Try shooting Straights with your feet closer to the cue ball than for 9-Ball. As you bend down you will naturally assume a shorter bridge.
This allows for a vigorous stroke with softer results, less cue ball roll, more delicate shape on the cue ball. Alternately you can try choking up on the cue stick with your shooting hand, but moving from say, a 9-inch long bridge to a 7-inch or 5-inch bridge will let you work on a lot of the clusters near the bottom four pockets.
This allows for a vigorous stroke with softer results, less cue ball roll, more delicate shape on the cue ball. Alternately you can try choking up on the cue stick with your shooting hand, but moving from say, a 9-inch long bridge to a 7-inch or 5-inch bridge will let you work on a lot of the clusters near the bottom four pockets.
Matt...Changing stance and/or bridge length is unnecessary when changing games. Changing those things because a particular shot is a different story.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Try shooting Straights with your feet closer to the cue ball than for 9-Ball. As you bend down you will naturally assume a shorter bridge.
This allows for a vigorous stroke with softer results, less cue ball roll, more delicate shape on the cue ball. Alternately you can try choking up on the cue stick with your shooting hand, but moving from say, a 9-inch long bridge to a 7-inch or 5-inch bridge will let you work on a lot of the clusters near the bottom four pockets.
Perhaps. A lot of regular 9-Ball players should change their bridge to shorten it overall anyway. Once you get the control Straight Pool demands, it can only help with 9-Ball and 8-Ball, right?
Try shooting Straights with your feet closer to the cue ball than for 9-Ball. As you bend down you will naturally assume a shorter bridge.
This allows for a vigorous stroke with softer results, less cue ball roll, more delicate shape on the cue ball. Alternately you can try choking up on the cue stick with your shooting hand, but moving from say, a 9-inch long bridge to a 7-inch or 5-inch bridge will let you work on a lot of the clusters near the bottom four pockets.
Straights? Seriously?
A shorter bridge isn't a bad idea on close shots if the player is normally a 9-Ball player with a long bridge length. However, I have great difficulty getting past the 'straights' thing. That sounds so amateurish, it isn't funny.
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What's a regular 9-Ball player as opposed to a non-regular 9-Ball player?Why should regular 9-Ball players shorten their bridges overall?
George Fels: Mastering Pool <---a MUST READ!
Phil Capelle: Play your best straight pool <---a MUST READ!
Arthur *Babe* Cranfield: The straight pool bible <---a MUST READ!
These 3 books will help you extremly! I would start in this order:
Mastering Pool by George: Very easy and funny to read, tons of knowledge! Make you learn to think!
Then *the straight pool bible* by Cranfield*
and then, after you *practiced* a bit with your newly earned knowledge:
Buy Jim Rempe s "How to run 100" and "how to run a rack"
Watch additional some 14.1 matches of the pros-helps also VERY much.
Then you can start to work with Capelles *play your best straight pool*.
hope this helps
lg
Ingo
______________________________________________________________
I never thought i would say something like that
______________________________________________________________
To each his own, Ratta. No offense taken. But I think that if a player wants to learn how to set up for a break shot in 14.1, then there is nothing more valuable than watching the best players in the world do it. Phil even describes what each player does in the book with each diagram. Then you refer to the DVD to see the player shoot the shots. It may seem like nothing special to some, but I think it's brilliant. When you do something really well, it looks easy. Players can actually set up the shots and practice them.
I learned some important things I can improve in my own end game by reading the book and watching the DVD.
I hear ya, Fran. Where I'm from, if someone says "straights" -- it's usually in the form of a question, like "you wanna shoot some straights?" -- as in, "do you want to shoot some 14.1?"
-Sean
Yep. I'm sure it's floating around. Another term that I absolutely love is 'straight eight.'
I played Mosconi. I refereed World Championship matches played by Crane, Balsis, Lassiter, Margo, Martin, Hopkins, Mizerak, Varner, and more.
Ray Martin was my first teacher. Many were my friends.
I have too much respect for those guys to not stand up when someone calls it 'straights.'
Try shooting Straights with your feet closer to the cue ball than for 9-Ball. As you bend down you will naturally assume a shorter bridge.
This allows for a vigorous stroke with softer results, less cue ball roll, more delicate shape on the cue ball. Alternately you can try choking up on the cue stick with your shooting hand, but moving from say, a 9-inch long bridge to a 7-inch or 5-inch bridge will let you work on a lot of the clusters near the bottom four pockets.
Dubious information; I am no world beater or master instructor but it seems to me that adjusting your stances distance from the ball/table, adjusting your grip position and adjusting your bridge length from the CB because you are playing 1 game or another is "muddying the waters". That's because a "9ball type shot", "1 Pocket type shot", "bank pool type shot" etc.. etc.. can come up very easily in 14.1 and vice versa. So I am going to agree with Scott here.
If I were trying to disseminate the kind of info I think you are trying to get across I would say something like this "remember that a grip closer to the balance, a shorter (not short) bridge and a stance that is closer to the table afford most people more precision, and that is usually what you need in 14.1".
By "regular 9ball players" I assume you mean people that play 9ball more regularly than they do 14.1, not sure though. If you look at some players they have a really long bridge most of the really long bridges would probably be the stronger 9ball players, are you going to tell Reyes, Bustamante or Pagulayan that they would do better with a shorter bridge? Well of course not; from my personal experience 14.1 and 9ball players are really different for the most part (those who play 1 or the other far more) I am not talking about the pro & world beater category. As far as bridge length goes I think it is one of those really personal things and should be taken into consideration on a shot by shot basis if it is to be taken into consideration at all.
Well it might just be a local thing, I think it sounds pretty bad to; Matt you might want to not call it "straights" here, it pains the ear/eye.
That's what she's saying; that saying "you wanna shoot some straights?" sounds like you come from hicksvillenredneck town.
I do to; it lets me know I definitely have a fish.