Switched to pool...and now??

O

Oze147

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So here is the deal:

I have been playing snooker for some years, but switched to playing pool two or three month ago. Actually everything is fine, new cool people to play with, new games to discover, all in all a lot of fun.

BUT, although I had a good start in local league matches and in my new club, because of my experience and fundamentals I brought from the snooker table, I feel a bit...stuck...like...yeah, a snooker player playing pool :grin:
Potting and cueball control is not that much of a problem (at least most of the time), but obviously there is much more to the game than that. My bank shots are quite lousy, break shot is a bit hit and hope and my kicking game is rule of thump at its finest....


So now I´m a bit uncertain how to precede.
Go to the practice table and start working on those weaknesses?
Play a lot of matches and hope that I will pick those things up through playing and experience?

Any advice? How did you develope your game? Through practice, through playing?
 
I would suggest getting a copy of the tor lowry dvds at least the ones on kicking and banking they are available for sale at http://www.zerox-billiards.com/pool-lessons-kicking-tips-secrets-of-pool.html You may also find a lot of his work on youtube as well. The dvds are probably the way to go as you don't need internet to simply watch them. i would also look on manningcues.com for his videos. There is also some youtube videos by Jimmy Reid I especially like the one about the Diamond system.

We have a member here Dr Dave that has an excellent set of instructional videos as well.

There is all sorts of instruction out there including one on one instruction if you need it. Most likely some basic video direction that you can keep referring back to combined with table time and drills will get you through the transition.
 
There are drills and excercises out there to help you work on your kicking and banking. Dr Dave's Billiard University Exams will run your entire game through it's paces, but it has some good excercises for kicking and banking. As far as the break goes the strategy kind of varies with the game you are playing, but some general principles hold. Before you try to use too much power make sure you're making as square a hit on the head ball as possible. Stand a little more upright. Choke up on the cue a little bit.
 
2 or 3 months is not enough time for it to come to you.

Give it time, keep at it. You already have a nice head start on the game.
 
Thx for your answers and the links guys, but I wasn`t as much asking for practice material resources, as asking for a general advice in which direction I should go.
But since both of you pointed me towards this DvDs /videos I guess this means back to the practice table.

I was just wondering if maybe learning the game by playing the game might be a better option.

Its just funny how different my approach is to pool than it was to snooker. In snooker it was all about potting, break building and position play. Now its all about safety game, the banks, the kicks...jumps. And since even a semi good player can capitalize from your mistake, the whole mental aspect is totally different...love it!:)
 
Definitely go to the practice table. You can play league/tournaments in addition to that, but the skill building will mostly happen during practice. Learning by just playing the game would take way longer.

A suggested approach would be to take the BU Exams on Dr. Dave's website to identify your strengths and weaknesses. I know you already have an idea, but this would allow you to quantify them. Then use that information to map out your practice plan.

Hope that helps.
 
A lot of the things you're talking about like kicks, banks, etc are big feel parts of the game. The resources we pointed you towards are very good at giving you a good baseline and practice routines for building that feel. Still as you pointed out it comes down to time on the practice table. Also, if you take some time playing/learning one pocket it will help your banking and kicking game.
 
Oze147 said:
So here is the deal:

I have been playing snooker for some years, but switched to playing pool two or three month ago. Actually everything is fine, new cool people to play with, new games to discover, all in all a lot of fun.

BUT, although I had a good start in local league matches and in my new club, because of my experience and fundamentals I brought from the snooker table, I feel a bit...stuck...like...yeah, a snooker player playing pool :grin:
Potting and cueball control is not that much of a problem (at least most of the time), but obviously there is much more to the game than that. My bank shots are quite lousy, break shot is a bit hit and hope and my kicking game is rule of thump at its finest....


So now I´m a bit uncertain how to precede.
Go to the practice table and start working on those weaknesses?
Play a lot of matches and hope that I will pick those things up through playing and experience?

Any advice? How did you develope your game? Through practice, through playing?
Click to expand...

Since you have been playing snooker before other pocket pool games, you have an advantage of having :smile:strong fundamentals and pocketing small balls into small pockets. It will just take time like anything to master banking, safeties, and break shots. Good luck!
 
StraightPoolIU said:
A lot of the things you're talking about like kicks, banks, etc are big feel parts of the game. The resources we pointed you towards are very good at giving you a good baseline and practice routines for building that feel. Still as you pointed out it comes down to time on the practice table. Also, if you take some time playing/learning one pocket it will help your banking and kicking game.
Click to expand...

That is an interesting view, since I was always thinking that especially this parts don`t require that much "feel", because there are lots of different techniques for example to calculate angles. Generally I think that pool is a much more methodical sport than snooker, though you can argue, that the bast bank/ kick system won`t get you far if you haven´t the touch and the experience.


The thing with one pocket is, that it isn`t that popular over here (aside that it is a hard game to play), so its hard to find someone who wants to give it a try. But I use it as kind of a practice challenge when I´m on my own at the club...and now I understand why nobody wants to play it :D


Oh, and again thx for all the advices!
 
Oze147 said:
Thx for your answers and the links guys, but I wasn`t as much asking for practice material resources, as asking for a general advice in which direction I should go.
But since both of you pointed me towards this DvDs /videos I guess this means back to the practice table.

I was just wondering if maybe learning the game by playing the game might be a better option.

Its just funny how different my approach is to pool than it was to snooker. In snooker it was all about potting, break building and position play. Now its all about safety game, the banks, the kicks...jumps. And since even a semi good player can capitalize from your mistake, the whole mental aspect is totally different...love it!:)
Click to expand...
Thank you for your real-life experience. There are many who simply believe that the transition is easy and automatic from snooker to pool. I've got an acquaintance that's had many century breaks that looked lost when he first starts playing pool. And even after he "got it," he never reached much more than a low A speed. Different games which require different skills at the advanced level.

But, we can't stop posters' fantasies.

My added suggestion is to watch good amateurs and professional play, live if you can. It's tough to see what they're doing on video, and often a pro might say he does this or that, but really doesn't do that.

Freddie
 
going all-practice or all-competition, you'll see some growth, but not as much as having a balance of practice and competition. Practice is where you work on different aspects of your game like fundamentals, kicking, etc. and Competition is like the test. I put in hundreds of hours on the practice table last year and didn't see any improvement until I started playing in tournaments against tough players. something about being forced to focus. But, you also identify weak areas to bring back to the practice table with you. I recommend reading up on some sports psychology. Dr. Bob Rotella has some good books. One thing I've been doing with much success is taking notes (on my phone) as I read, so I can go back to them during a match. Helps keep me focused and calm.
 
Cornerman said:
Thank you for your real-life experience. There are many who simply believe that the transition is easy and automatic from snooker to pool. I've got an acquaintance that's had many century breaks that looked lost when he first starts playing pool. And even after he "got it," he never reached much more than a low A speed. Different games which require different skills at the advanced level.

But, we can't stop posters' fantasies.

My added suggestion is to watch good amateurs and professional play, live if you can. It's tough to see what they're doing on video, and often a pro might say he does this or that, but really doesn't do that.

Freddie
Click to expand...



Well, the whole trouble starts, if you begin to play pool seriously. :grin:

Going out with friends, short trip to the pool hall, shooting a few balls, ohhhs and ahhhs, snooker player is the big star (because his friends touch a cue once a year) and long story short- pool is a piece of cake.

Starting to play pool seriously, and realising, that potting 7 balls is nice, but just not enough in 9ball, doesn`t understand why and how to cheat a pocket, good safety for snooker player is a an easy bank for this pool guys, is unsure if position play is bad or just table to small, needing a cushion after every shot was put in the game surely just to annoy him, now knows why pool players are slow, because he can`t figure out what to do for 15 minutes, signs petition to ban jump cues and long story short- pool is challenging as hell.



And I`m with you, that watching and playing other(better) players helps a lot if you want to improve. Especially in my situation, where it is not so much not being able to execute the shots, but simply not knowing them.
For that, I love playing doubles at the moment. On the one hand watching the other team going through their racks and on the other learning from your teampartner.

Keith Jawahir said:
going all-practice or all-competition, you'll see some growth, but not as much as having a balance of practice and competition. Practice is where you work on different aspects of your game like fundamentals, kicking, etc. and Competition is like the test. I put in hundreds of hours on the practice table last year and didn't see any improvement until I started playing in tournaments against tough players. something about being forced to focus. But, you also identify weak areas to bring back to the practice table with you. I recommend reading up on some sports psychology. Dr. Bob Rotella has some good books. One thing I've been doing with much success is taking notes (on my phone) as I read, so I can go back to them during a match. Helps keep me focused and calm.
Click to expand...

Being competitive was one of the main reasons, why I started playing pool. Snooker scene in my area is quite small and although I love the game, it gets a bit boring if you always see the same faces at a tournament.
Its a bit different when it comes to pool. There are more players, more clubs, more opportunities.
And I agree, that the mental side plays a big role in all billiard games, you simply can`t simulate pressure on the practice table...this feeling of knowing that the next mistake can be your last.
 
Oze147 said:
Thx for your answers and the links guys, but I wasn`t as much asking for practice material resources, as asking for a general advice in which direction I should go.
But since both of you pointed me towards this DvDs /videos I guess this means back to the practice table.

I was just wondering if maybe learning the game by playing the game might be a better option.

Its just funny how different my approach is to pool than it was to snooker. In snooker it was all about potting, break building and position play. Now its all about safety game, the banks, the kicks...jumps. And since even a semi good player can capitalize from your mistake, the whole mental aspect is totally different...love it!:)
Click to expand...

I'm just glad someone from snooker side is saying that pool is not all easy making balls LOL, Usually YouTube comments in pool matches are "US pool is trash too easy!" without actually them knowing what is in the game past making a ball. Position play is different, spin, safetey, strategy, all different from snooker.
 
hang-the-9 said:
I'm just glad someone from snooker side is saying that pool is not all easy making balls LOL, Usually YouTube comments in pool matches are "US pool is trash too easy!" without actually them knowing what is in the game past making a ball. Position play is different, spin, safetey, strategy, all different from snooker.
Click to expand...

Pool is general is too easy unless the pockets are 4 inches or smaller.
 
hang-the-9 said:
I'm just glad someone from snooker side is saying that pool is not all easy making balls LOL, Usually YouTube comments in pool matches are "US pool is trash too easy!" without actually them knowing what is in the game past making a ball. Position play is different, spin, safetey, strategy, all different from snooker.
Click to expand...

Well, obviously pool is the easier game when it comes to making balls and thats why many (amateur) snooker players are quite disrespectful when they talk about pool.

In snooker 95% of the time the best potter wins, its that simple. In pool thats not necessarily the case, because as you said, there are different tie breakers.
It doesn`t help much if the game is so easy and I am sitting in the chair watching my opponent running balls because I made a mistake.

Actually I would say, that the better you become as a player, snooker becomes easier than pool.
As an amateur you struggle if you start playing snooker, but it gets better and better as the game starts to unveil in front of you.
In pool you can have quick success as a beginner, but it becomes harder and harder the more you climb up the ladder.
 
Oze147 said:
... The thing with one pocket is, that it isn't that popular over here (aside that it is a hard game to play), so its hard to find someone who wants to give it a try. But I use it as kind of a practice challenge when I´m on my own at the club...and now I understand why nobody wants to play it :D ...
Click to expand...
So the Oz is a location indicator?;)

While one pocket will teach you banks at all different angles and with lots of side spin, the speed required is usually not what you would want to use at nine ball. You will certainly learn how to control the cue ball on banks (or lose trying).

I think learning precise control of the cue ball is the biggest benefit of learning one pocket -- like freezing the rock to the back of a ball out in the middle of the table.

You need to plan an American vacation.
 
Bob Jewett said:
So the Oz is a location indicator?;)
.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought, but he did a double switch. Reminds me of the last time I was in the Vienna airport. They had souvenir t-shirts with kangaroos all over the place. Tourists were buying. Alles gute!


Freddie <~~~ putting some krevetten and garnelen on the barbie
 
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