Table size and Practice

H

Highroller54

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello,

I'm looking at putting a table in my living room, which is 30ft x 13.6ft. I have alway been taght, that if you are going to concentrate on playing on a 4.5 x 9ft table thats the size you should practice on. My room is just big enough for a 4.5 x 9 table with one draw back, I have a fireplace and mantle system on one wall of the room that eats up 2 feet of my 13.6 and is 6 feet wide, so roughly half of my table to the foot rail is going to be really tight, if shooting from the rail. Do you think I should just live with it or sacrifice and buy a smaller table.
 
A couple questions you need to ask yourself;

First, do you like to play One Pocket? If you do then can you turn the table around so the tight end will be at the head of the table rather than the foot. A lot of the action in One Pocket is at the foot of the table.

Second; Would you mind having to use short cues in some situations? You may have to use a cue, as short as 42" in some cases. They aren't so bad though, and you might find the trade off is worth not having to move down to a 4' x 8' table. Do you plan to center the table in the room without regard to the mantleplace? Probably the best choice. BTW: Even with a 4'x8' you will still find you have some tight spots to deal with and need a shorty due to the mantleplace.

It really comes down to personal preference and what you are willing to sacrifice, size of table or greater mobility around the table. Your choice.

Do yourself a favor and go to a billiard supply store and hit some balls with various length short cues to test whether you will be satisfied with them before commiting to the 4.5' x 9'.

I used to sell tables and believe me everyone has an opinion as to what they are willing to trade off when hit with this decision.

Good luck,

Tom
 
first.. if practice is your goal.. then I've seen pool tables in corners.. with drills designed work on all parts of your game.. while only bridging from 2 rails of the table

practice is about improving what YOU do... and equipment has almost nothing to do with how you move your arm to execute a shot.. almost any flat surface can be used to get better...

Willie Mosconi began mastering his stroke by hitting potatoes around a kitchen table with a broom stick... his high run record still stands.. and no one since has won even half as many world championships as he did and they have been trying for over 50 years..

but most people want to be able to play pool with friends as well..

get a full 4x8 sheet of plywood and set it on 2 saw horses in the space.. walk around it with a cue and try to bridge so that your tip is right at the edge of the plywood..

if you barely can't squeeze in a full stroke.. get a 7foot bar box

if you can just barely fit in a full stroke get a 4x8 foot table..

if you have lots of room to spare..get the gold crown..

as far as playing goes I'd be happier with the ability to stroke properly on a small table than I would playing cramped on a bigger one


good luck
 
Last edited:
Great advice guys, and I thank you! Back 20 years ago I was considered a fine player, but marriage kids and career led me to coming off the road. So I haven't actually picked up a cue until 4 months ago, for 20 years. It has bee agrevating to say the least, missing shots I use to make without thinking and having a wild cue ball screw me left and right, but it is slowly coming back. Other than bar boxes there is only one place that has 9 ft tables around here and thats were I have been concentrating my playing. They have 3 Olhansan 9ft pro's a one 9 ft Diamond pro, and a couple of 8 foot robinsons and a slew of bar boxes. Really nice place, but I am embarrest to run drills with everyone watch, since I kindof suck at the moment. So was looking into buying a table, that fits the bill and possibly get back into playing tournaments along with money games as my skill level improves. There are some really good players at the place I mentioned above, but it has me eagar to improve my game, with my spare time at home. I have watched some great games at this place, but what really drives me is none of them really could beat me on a consistant basis if I get back to where I was 20 years ago.
 
You need around 14' x 18' (give or take a few inches) to be able to cue at the cushion with a full length cue and have just an inch or two backswing. 15' x 20' gives you a little more breathing room.

I'm hoping to get a table soon myself, and I've decided to squeeze a 9' table into a 15'6" x 17'8" space. I'm a little short on the length part of the room, but since you rarely end up on the end rail shooting directly up table into a pocket (at least not on purpose!) I'm not too worried about it. The few times it happens, where I can jack up or use a short cue, will more than be offset by the other 99% of the shots where the cue ball is near the middle of the table for normal patterns or shooting in more of a side to side direction.

As a previous poster said, use a 4x8 sheet of plywood, or even quicker and cheaper take a bedsheet or two and fold them on the floor to the dimensions of the playing surface of the table (50"x100" for a 9'), since that's all you care about, and walk around with your cue at the edges to see how much room you have.

Scott
 
I had the same problem.

I had the same situation in my condo.

I started with an 8 foot table because it would fit. My space (I had a fireplace too) was just big enough for the 8 foot table.

But, then I found a deal on a 9 foot Gold Crown II that I could not pass up.

So, I removed the fireplace so I could get the extra space I needed. Now, the gas fireplace is in storage and I will have to reinstall it later when I sell.....

Now, if my space was 2 inches bigger it would be perfect. As it is, if the cue ball is on the rail and it is a straight shot down the table, my cue will bump the wall. When I setup the table I got it positioned within a half inch of where it needed to be. It would be great if I had 3/4" more on the head end, and 1" more on the foot end..... I got a short cue to use when needed, but I never really use it.
 
I like the sheet idea, gonna set that up and see if I can live with the short areas on space. I really want a 9ft table to drill on at home, don't really have many people over so It really isn't a party piece. Right now what I need to work on is long green cut shots and cue ball control. If I am forced to keep the cue ball out of my short areas, it should go along way to gaining my cue ball control back. Removing my fire place isn't really possible since it's a real fire place with firebox in the basement and chemney going up two floors and through the roof, I only wish! Thanks guys for all the help and I totally understand the ideas. Even with the table short sided by half on two sides I stll can practice end to end drills, breaks and many other areas without any problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top